Deciding where to buy your first home can be a tricky proposition, especially if you have any gaps of understanding about the property market. Here’s a few things to consider. Arcline by RACV. Read the full piece here.
What Airbnb hosts are doing to ride out the COVID-19 crisis
Airbnb hosts reeling from a drastic dive in bookings are offering special “self-isolation packages” — with Netflix and food delivery on tap — to try and ride out the coronavirus crisis. With Airbnb changing its policy to offer guests full refunds for many reservations, many home owners who rely on the rental are feeling the pinch of mass... Continue Reading →
Meet the Australians who have already given up on toilet paper
It’s no secret the country is in the grip of toilet paper pandemonium. But search hard enough, and you’ll find a rare breed of Australians who don’t rely on the soft stuff when visiting the smallest room in the house. Here are two of them – and another with a canny back-up plan should the... Continue Reading →
The very adult business of buying your own house
When I was on the hunt for real estate nirvana I didn’t know it was going to be like this. All I had were optimistic goals and a Pinterest board full of coastal decor ideas. Buy house at beach – tick. Put cool pictures up. Yep. Have an amazing veggie garden and compost system and... Continue Reading →
Sustainable House Day: Inside three homes that slash your power bill
Quentin Irvine’s house in Victoria’s Beaufort, 165 kilometres west of Melbourne, was built to go the distance – and beyond. All the elements of The Recyclable House, or at least the vast majority, will find new lives down the track. Domain, The Age. Full story here
I’m an Airbnb host and I’m falling out of love with Airbnb
COMMENT I’ve started to wonder whether Airbnb has become, well, too “mainstream”. Do people no longer respect the trust that underpins the whole deal? Is it OK to smoke in a no-smoking apartment, to leave rubbish all over the place? Domain, Fairfax Media. Full story here
The Australian couple restoring an 18th century French chateau
When Perth couple Karina and Craig Waters hired a car and headed on a scenic drive towards the Pyrenees, they weren’t seriously expecting to buy an 18th century, 96-room chateau. After all, what business would an Australian taxation accountant and a neurological surgeon have in pouring their blood, sweat and savings into a French historical... Continue Reading →