March 2014 edition

Facebook Google Plus Twitter Pinterest Website Got a question? Here’s where to find the answer! Well wasn't that a relatively dry and mild summer! I hope this March edition of my "Living the tropical dream" newsletter finds you well. The First National Cairns Central team and I have been so busy this year, listing and selling properties EVERY week. Everything is going great guns! Don't forget to check out my new website - www.chriseustace.com Click here to book your free appraisal Real estate is a life journey. Whatever your questions are, come to me for the answers. Question: We’ve outgrown our house. Now what? Are we better off extending or looking to buy a bigger home? It’s a tough question isn’t it? Sometimes it’s faster and less traumatic for your family to buy a more suitable home than to renovate or extend. A new location can also provide lifestyle benefits you may not have expected possible. Ask yourself these questions when looking at upgrading your home:   ·         Will your local council approve the type of renovations you would need to complete? ·         Is your area likely to serve your needs well into the future? ·         Are you prepared to live through a renovation?   ·         Do you have enough time to renovate? ·         Are you prepared to supervise a renovation or would you need an architect?    ·         How much would the renovation cost, compared to buying a new home? Question: Should we buy before we sell our current home? The main advantage of buying before you sell is that you have certainty that your new home will deliver exactly what you’re looking for. Some of the other advantages are: ·         You can move straight from your old home to your new home, so there’s no need to rent or pay removalist costs twice ·         There’s no pressure to buy a new home that’s not quite right, because your settlement date is looming on your old home However, some disadvantages you should consider are: ·         Without having sold your current home, you don’t know what price it will achieve and this can make it difficult to budget effectively ·         If you have financed the full price of the new home, you may feel pressured to sell your old home urgently ·         If you have difficulty selling your old home, you may need to service two mortgages ·         Should your old home fail to sell, you may need to generate income by renting it out and this may make it more challenging to sell in the future The following advice is of a general nature only and intended as a broad guide. The advice should not be regarded as legal, financial or real estate advice. Did you know? More than 65 per cent of people looking for property are using their smartphone or tablet computer, so video marketing is also of growing importance. Anecdotal evidence already shows that properties marketed with video sell faster and are perceived to be of higher value. Cairns Market Update As I mentioned in the last edition of "Living the tropical dream", the Cairns residential property market is at the start of the 'recovery phase', the buyers who are doing most of the sales are locals buying to upgrade to their dream home before the property prices rise. This is a good thing because it opens sales opportunity for first home buyers to be able to find an affordable home as the seller moves on to bigger and better things. The Cairns market is still in the process of finding its feet, but when it does you better hang on because the only way is up! We are seeing higher property prices in some areas of Cairns starting to appear, this is moderately increasing the median house price. The Cairns median house price in December 2013 finished at $369,700, which is a 2.9% increase since December 2012. Rental vacancy rates in the Cairns rental market have been increasing over the last six months, but still indicate modest rental shortages relative to supply. The trend vacancy rate for houses stood at 2.6% in December 2013, while units recorded a trend vacancy rate of 2.8%. The market vacancy trend overall stood at 2.7%. With strong buyer activity, most notably from investors, both local and interstate, market confidence continues to be very positive. Sales & Growth Chart till Dec 2013 Looking for a home loan? Australian Finance Group (AFG) is one of Australia's leading financial services companies. Our local representative is Nick Barr and he can be contacted on (07) 4055 427 or nickbarr@mortgageaustralia.com.au Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype Recently Listed Free Offer Call me for a free appraisal today and get this book FREE!!! "How to sell your home for more" written by Ray Wood (RRP $24.95) will teach you how to maximize you chance of top dollar when selling your property. Call me on 0412 852 369 Recently Sold Mount Sheridan Mt Isley Estate - Block of land SOLD Land Bungalow 3/201 Aumuller Street SOLD Unit Bentley Park 114 Robert Road SOLD Double Duplex Edge Hill 2/106 Greenslopes Street SOLD Duplex Manoora 3/40 Armbrust Street SOLD Unit Kewarra Beach 23 Monterey Street SOLD House Click here to book your free appraisal Feature property Great value holiday investment apartment located in sunny Cairns. This ground floor apartment with two bedrooms and one bathroom is located 7 minutes from the city. It is fully furnished and has a roomy open-plan living and dining area flowing onto the rear courtyard. A good-sized kitchen and fully equipped laundry complete this picture. It’s only a gentle stroll down to esplanade, lagoon swimming pool, shops and restaurants in the city. Owning this holiday let apartment gives you the freedom and option to use the apartment from time to time when you visit Far North Queensland. Property features: Tropical gardens with pool and spa Undercover BBQ area Secured Undercover parking City bus service nearby Rates: $2200 PA (approx) Body Corp: $5000 PA (approx) Room Rate: $170 PN (approx) Testimonials This is a very interesting and valuable report. Even though we get excellent feedback from Chris, this will add another interesting dimension to the open for inspection feedback. Any seller would welcome this kind of report. Certainly a great innovation. - Frank Chituta Just a quick thanks for all your help in selling our duplex on Greenslopes St. We appreciate your pushing things along so we could complete our paperwork while we were in Cairns. We are back on board our boat now after a really busy but great holiday. Best wishes for a happy 2014. - Sue and John Woods Chris is an excellent representative and great ambassador for First National. Polite, helpful, friendly, punctual and great communications made for a seemless transaction, Well done! - Paul Paisio Thank you Chris Eustace for selling my home.Your enthusiasm and professionalism was so refreshing. You got my price without any "to and fro's". Such a smooth, no fuss sale...and it took just 8 days!  Both myself and my buyer are over the moon! - Karen Bergman Thank you so much Chris Eustace, Cairns Realtor for selling my unit!!!! I seriously can not reccomend you enough. Coming from having my unit listed ... for over 800 days and having less than a handful of enquiries to listing with you and having numerous offers and a signed contract in 21 days!!!! You rock!!! - Kelly Doyle Solutions to storage problems Storage space may not be the first thing that jumps to mind when considering must-haves in your home, but as those with little storage space know, a tiny bit of room goes a long way. Fortunately, there are plenty of crafty ways to create more storage space, whether in the bedroom or the kitchen. Think vertically Most people think in terms of floor space, but there is plenty of room being unused higher up. Whether you invest in tall bookshelves, hooks to hang from walls and doors or simple shelves installed in bare areas, make sure you maximise your vertical space. Stay out of sight Luckily there are plenty of empty spaces in most homes. Under beds is one great option, as guests will not notice if you expertly pack boxes and bins that can easily slide under where you sleep. Closets should also be utilised to the fullest degree, whether this means taking advantage of the coat closet in the entryway or simply adding shelves to your bedroom closet in an attempt to create more space. Slim down Perhaps the best but least popular piece of advice regarding storage is to get rid of what you don’t need. Holding on to things you no longer use makes storage an issue. Think long and hard about what you can part with and then have a garage sale. Your local guy in real estate Born and raised in Cairns, Chris has a great relationship with this town and its people. He believes Cairns is an ever growing, conscientious and innovative community, a great place to live and raise a family. Cairns provides many great opportunities and a lifestyle that is the envy of almost anywhere else in the world. We are living the 'tropical dream'! After years managing in the events industry both in Australia and overseas, Chris decided it was time to follow his passion into real estate and apply the lessons learnt. Chris feels that this has been a natural progression and now allows him to help many of his friends buy and sell property. Buying or selling a property can be stressful as you are dealing with one of the biggest investments of your life, and Chris believes that it is his job to take the stress out of the equation and turn it into a positive life changing experience. Chris works for First National Cairns Central, and caters for the needs of buyers, sellers, renters and property investors. First National Real Estate Cairns Central is REIQ accredited. "Trust, honesty and integrity…always, that is my motto in work and life" says Chris. "Whether you are a first home buyer, an experienced investor or a developer I have the experience to help you achieve your goals in real estate. I have Cairns real estate knowledge and the support of one of Australia's largest networks putting me in a great position to help you in real estate." Chris's interests away from real estate include spending time with his fiancee, taking his dogs for a run, fishing, touch football and mountain bike riding. Contact me for a no-obligation appraisal and receive a book that will teach you how to sell your home for more (valued at $24.95 RRP), absolutely FREE! Click here to book your free appraisal Copyright © 2014 First National Cairns Central, All rights reserved.