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Top Tips to Buy your First Holiday Home
As a child, I remember have a family holiday shack down in Dover, Tasmania right on the waters edge. Its where great childhood memories are formed. For many though, the idea of a home away from home may seem like a pipe dream, but seeing as our holiday options are more limited due to COVID, maybe it’s time to consider making your dream a reality. Many people dream of having their own private getaway in a sunny coastal town or a cottage tucked away amongst the tranquillity of the bush. After all, it means spontaneous weekends or mini breaks away without the burden of bookings and thousands of dollars spent…
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AUSTRALIA’S BEST BEACHES
With nearly 12,000 beaches along the Australian coastline and right on our back doors, or close to it, it’s no surprise that our beautiful Aussie beaches make headlines globally. Normally (pre covid) more than 8.6 million people visit our shores with beach visits on top of their list. While we’re not currently welcoming international visitors, there’s no better time to soak up everything our glorious coastline – minus the crowds – has on offer. Sure, we’re all familiar with the usual (beautiful) suspects like Bondi, Byron Bay, Burleigh and the Gold Coast, but what about those hidden gems that don’t make the headlines? I've done some swimming on the net…
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Picture Perfect Pool Ideas for your Backyard
Hello Summer! Nothing like a little early summer heatwave to get you thinking about installing a pool this season and with Australia boasting more backyard swimming pools per capita than anywhere else in the world, we’re certainly blessed with plenty of innovation and choice when it comes to the humble pool. Installing a swimming pool is so much more than the perfect spot for lounging with cocktails. Pools are great for exercise, relaxation, entertainment, as a social hub for kids and can even add value to your home. I mean lets be real, who wouldn’t want that holiday feeling all year round with a backyard pool? There is definitely a…
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Tips to Host the Perfect Christmas!
I think we are all saying it, it's been a BIG year and it's time to bring in some holiday joy and happiness as we get to spend precious time with our family and friends this Christmas. The festive season beckons as a ray of sunshine, after what has been a stormy year for most of us. Getting into the Christmas spirit and spending quality time with loved ones for a spot of festive cheer and overindulgence is the perfect way to close off the year with a bit of normality. This year more than others, we will be cherishing our time with loved ones over Christmas and I have…
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NEW RENOVATE OR DETONATE SERIES
WATCH THE SERIES HERE Click Here 5 bedrooms, 2 studies, 3 bathrooms, 2 lounge rooms, 2 kitchens, 2 decks and a council order to fix it or they’ll tear it down! This home may look fine from the outside but unfortunately none of the back extension done by the previous owners has been council approved nor has it been built to building code. With a council enforcement notice in place, I’ve got to make this house a home. It’s challenge after challenge, one gruesome discovery after the other. I’ve been tasked with transforming this condemned house not far from Noosa, in the beautiful Sunshine Coast hinterland. It has major structural…
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10 Mood Boosters for Mental Wellbeing
With the year we’ve had so far… mental health and mindfulness has never been more important than right now. Whether it’s the stresses of the COVID-related work from home juggle, new financial worries, pressure on relationships or social isolation, most of us have now experienced some level of anxiety. Our hope is that with a greater understanding and ability to relate to these feelings, we’ll all find it easier to talk with others, seek help when needed and ultimately remove the stigma around mental health. With Mental Health Week coming up in October (10th -18th), I’ve pulled together ten simple tips to boost your wellbeing and practice mindfulness in the…
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6 Ways to Boost Your Property’s Value
Australia has experienced one of the longest ‘bull runs’ in the country’s property value history, and even though COVID-19 restrictions have tempered growth, so far we’ve only seen incremental declines in home values – apart from the luxury price ranges. We’ve had some very good price increases in most state capitals, particularly over the past 5 years. For a lot of Australians that’s meant it’s a great time to sell your home and take advantage of those gains. Regardless of whether you’re considering sprucing your property up for a quick sale, putting a few things in place to add value for later, or simply getting ‘spring ready’ to make your…
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8 Tips For Styling Your Home This Spring
With most of us having spent a significant amount of time within our own four walls this winter, we’ve had plenty of time to dream and get inspired about our home-style, creature comforts, and interiors. Being in real estate for over 20 years, I get to see interior trends first-hand; and the one clear styling trend I have seen stand-out for 2020 is colours, styling and furnishing all created and tastefully put together around ‘mindfulness’. Our homes are a refuge from the stresses of the outside world (and now more than ever before), so bringing a sense of serenity to your home this spring will give you a much-needed…
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Summer Bodies are Made in Winter
If you’re feeling like the past few months have resulted in a lot more ‘lounging around’, then you’re probably not the only one. For a lot of us, ‘staying at home’ has meant exactly that – a lot of ‘couch and PJ time’, often at the expense of our fitness, general health and wellbeing. For some of us, it has also been challenging to resist the temptation to over-indulge with easy access to unhealthy snacks and beverages and the fact that when you are bored, you eat! In our defence, cold rainy days have made getting outside less appealing – but have no fear, warm sunshine will be upon us…
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5 Tips to Puppy Proof your Home
Moving into a new home is an emotional time. After being squashed into a place that was ‘just what you can afford’ for so long, now you have space and permission to do what you like and really make it your own. Once things are unpacked, the pictures hung and your new neighbourhood explored, it’s not uncommon to start to feel like something is missing. Maybe it doesn’t feel quite as much like ‘home’ as you were expecting, or maybe you are ready to take the next step and care for someone else now. A new baby may be too much of a commitment, but a pet can be ‘just…
