Posted to The Age (26/11/2010) on 26/11/2010 at 10:04 AM
Commenting on “Bill for myki rises again”
MyGod, it's myki in the news again! The money spent on the modernisation of ticketing system could have been spent on new trains and tracks
Friday 26 November 2010
Wednesday 10 November 2010
House hunting tips
Posted to The Age (9/11/2010) on 10/11/2010 at 2:34 AM
Commenting on “House hunting tips”
Carolyn Boyd, can we believe in what you have been writing so far? Buying a property as a home is different from buying it as an investment. While the latter exercise can be accomplished in a matter of hours, the former requires a lot more than a week, unless you are the buyer and decision maker, not subjecting to any influence from another party, and have additional reserve money to cope with surprises.
Many people are clouded by irrational reasons and ended up in spending substantial sum of money fixing up the defects. Magnificent big trees near the house or belonging to the next door neighbour grown close to the shared boundary can mean a root system which can cause problems to the house foundation, driveways, old style terracotta drain pipes, barren ground unable to grow lawn or beautiful flowers.
End Part 1 of 2
Things like blinds, curtains and flooring, are normally mentioned in just a single line as an inclusion in the vendor statement and sales contract. Replacing such old, dirty or dated can offset the budget by thousands of dollars.
Many people still buy a house with a bath tub which is hardly used. It is undesirable and dangerous for the aged and very young to "climb" over the edge of and stand in the tub to take a shower. This introduces an additional risk, and future removal will lead to expensive bathroom renovation.
When buying an old house, be prepared to replace the hot water unit, toilet cistern, tap valves, wires, stoves, exhaust hoods, kitchen cabinets, low-energy light bulbs, etc. There may be other nuisance such as clearing of blackberries and ivy; filling up disused ponds with soil; removing upground pools; repairing / repainting the decking, etc. These can cost a lot more than you think - well, tradesperson's call out charge is formidable.
Glad to be able to shed some light on what to watch out before digging into the hard earned reserve fund.
End Part 2 of 2
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