5 Tips to farewell your landlord without farewelling your bond.

Let me paint you a beautiful word painting. You’ve placed a deposit down on a home of your own and now you get to call your landlord and tell them that you won’t be throwing away money on renting their house anymore. They wish you well, tell you what a good tenant you were, yada-yada-yada, then you hang up. And that’s when the clock starts counting down!

You’ve got until the end of your tenancy to do everything you can to get your bond back. Because you can bet your bond, they will go through the rental to find anything that wasn’t exactly like it was when you first moved in.

Yep. You need to get rid of every trace of every get together you’ve ever had… Remove the damage from that time you decided to have that epic Australia Day party… and make the backyard resemble something less like a jungle and more like a garden.

So here’s some simple ways to GO GET THAT BOND MONEY!

1. Fill ‘er up!

You wanted to make your rental property a little more ‘you’, so you decided to do a little decorating and put a few pictures up. Now that you’re leaving you’ve taken all those hooks out and there’s so many holes in your walls it looks like a piece of swiss cheese.

Here’s what you do: go to Bunnings with a photo of the rooms, so they can colour match the paint. Pick some Spakfilla up while you’re there. Voila, you’ve got everything you need to execute the perfect cover up.

While you’re at it grab some “Magic Eraser” sponges – these are perfect for getting out all the scuff and marks on the walls living them looking as pristine as the day you moved in.

2. Rain bloody death upon weeds!

So you’ve let your gardens get a little out of hand. Before you attempt the whole “controlled burn” weeding technique we’ve all considered when moving from a rental, let’s save your matches for the campfire instead of your yard. Here’s a nice trick you can do that won’t end in an attempted arson lawsuit.

Mix vinegar and dishwashing soap together and – boom – you’ve got yourself an organic weedkiller. Spray it all over your weeds and they’ll die real fast leaving your backyard looking like your Nana’s been taking care of it.

3. The dreaded (But Necessary) big clean up

The main factor that leads to people not getting their bond back is that the house isn’t cleaned properly. And let’s face it: when you’re getting ready to move into your first property, you’re so stressed and busy that you could do without the added stress of spending days cleaning the house. Ask your property manager for a list of what their expectations are for vacating the property. Try getting started early with things that you can get out of the way like deep cleaning the cabinets or dusting the tops of doors and ceiling fans.

If you can afford it, we’d totally recommend considering getting a professional cleaner. When you’ve been moving and are completely exhausted, it will be money well spent. A lot of organisations offer special end-of-lease deals.

4. YouTube is your friend.

If there’s a few more things around the house that need fixing and you’re the brave sort who’s not afraid to lose a finger (it’s you’ve got nine spares), then try looking up some online tutorials on YouTube. Sure, you might make a mistake or two… but there are some great resources that can take you through how to fix things step-by-step so even if you’ve never attempted anything like this before, it will be hard to miss things up. Our pro-tip: watch the video once over before you start to make sure you have everything down before you get started.

5. Know Your Rights

Making sure you know what is expected of you and what you are responsible for is essential for getting back your full bond(or as much as possible). Read through your lease and see what you are obligated to do. Go through your condition report and see what may have had damage before you’ve moved in. Also, you may want check your state’s tenancy board-what your property manager may have included doesn’t always 100% line up with what you are legally obligated to do so it pays to do some research!

We hope you found these suggestions useful and remember: moving can be a stressful time, but the moment you step foot into your first property, you’ll forget all about it. Because nothing beats the feeling of owning your own home. And we hope we can be part of the journey with you.

Article Source: 5 Tips to farewell your landlord without farewelling your bond.

How to get your sights on the perfect site

You may be new to the property game, but you’ve already aced the first step of building your perfect home: find the right builder. We know that because you’re on our website. And to make sure building your first home’s easy-peasy, we’re here to help you with step two as well: choosing the right site.

However, before we get into the nuts and bolts of finding the right site, we should mention that WA Housing Centre offers a huge choice of House & Land packages. So if you want to skip finding a block of land on your own, you can check out some of the amazing ones we’ve already found for you here.

Start with the big picture

One big piece of advice we have for you when choosing a site is to always stay vigilant and don’t allow yourself to get too comfortable (until you move into a the comfortable new home we build for you). We say this because a lot of the following may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how often people forget to check off every element, only to regret it later.

Location: Look at its position in relation to school, shops, public transport and amenities (the pub). Remember: don’t just assess it based on what you need and want, think about what the buyers you’ll eventually sell it to (for a tidy profit, of course) are looking for.

Services: Find out how easy it will be to connect your home to utilities like electricity, water, gas, a sewer and telecommunications.

Sun’s Location: Your home’s position in relation to where the sun rises and sets can have a big impact on the temperature and natural light in your home, cutting electricity bills. If you do decide to build with us, we can map the journey the sun makes over a site, to give you an indication of light levels throughout the day.

Future Plans: Investigate the future plans for the area – especially if it’s part of a development. Make sure you don’t get stuck next to a future mega-highway or powerstation.

Get granular

When we say get ‘granular’, we mean it literally: you need to assess the condition of the soil on which you’ll be laying the foundation of the home. As you’ll see, this is where things start getting technical, which is why it would be a good idea to deal with a builder that really understands the detail. We don’t expect you to know all the specifics, so dealing with WA Housing Centre means the hard work is taken away from you.

Soil: Sites with soil that’s partly or entirely clay, silt or peat may require the removal and replacement of these soils with something more suitable for a foundation.

Stability: Unstable soil conditions often necessitate additional concrete and reinforcement for the footings and slabs. This will add $$$ to your project, but if the problem’s not dealt with properly it could result in cracked slabs and walls.

Trees & Shrubs: You need to pay attention to the trees and shrubs around the site, as well as the ones you’re thinking about planting. Certain species can affect the moisture content of the soil or create root systems that lead to cracked slabs.

Site Conditions: Other subsoil factors like the height of the water table and how much rock is contained in the ground, can impact the cost of building and even impede on the layout of your home.

Affect on Adjoining Land: Make sure the work you’re planning on undertaking won’t affect the site drainage or stability of any adjoining properties leading to house damage. You don’t want to get on your neighbours’ bad sides even before you’ve moved in.

Are you Excited?

This may all seem quite overwhelming – and yes, you’re making a serious decision. But at the same time, it’s an exciting decision: you’re choosing your first home. So find somewhere you can’t wait to move.

If you have any further questions, contact us today so we can answer any questions you have on finding the right block.

Article Source: How to get your sights on the perfect site

Changes to Keystart could unlock your first home!

It’s a great time to build in WA. The slump in the market means that you can pick up a nice bit of land at a price we haven’t seen for a long, long time. However, there’s been a catch: increased scrutiny on banks has made it tough to get a home loan – especially if you’re a first homebuyer.

That’s set to change for a lot of young West Australians including, hopefully, you!

The State Government has announced a huge change to the Keystart initiative that’s going to increase the income limit for their low deposit home loans by $15,000 (singles and couples) and $20,000 (families). Take a look:

Keystart was established to help first homebuyers get into the property market, so unlike other loans they don’t require expensive Lenders’ Mortgage Insurance or a Genuine Savings Deposit. In fact, a Keystart deposit can be as low as 2% — a fraction of what the banks ask. This boost to the income limit is estimated to make home ownership possible to an additional 11,000 WA households.

Now that you’ve heard the great news, it’s time for the ‘but’:

This is a limited time offer!

On January 1, 2020, Keystart’s higher income limit will revert back to the previous amount. Luckily, WA Housing Centre is here to help you make the most of this offer. So if you’ve been putting off getting into a new home because you thought it wasn’t the right time, it’s time to reconsider. See if you qualify for Keystart assistance today.

Article Source: Changes to Keystart could unlock your first home!