Making headlines this week, National Architecture Awards winners; investor loans soar; and warnings about online Xmas shopping scams
Believe it or not but there are only five weeks until Christmas which may send a few of you into a panic. Many prospective property hunters set themselves a buying timeline and a lot of them choose the end of a calendar year as their end point...
One of the most exciting themes in this year’s National Architecture Awards was the way architects and clients are exploring new approaches to living, and ‘Hedge and Arbour House’ by Studio Bright is a standout example.
Guided by the client’s wish to foster a closer connection to nature, the house is designed to be almost entirely enveloped by the landscape. Image: Rory Gardiner
Lending to buy investment homes lifted to a three-year high in the September quarter, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The total value of new investment loans was $39.8 billion in the September quarter, a rise of 17.6 per cent ($6.0 billion). The average loan size rose by $11,686 to $685,634 over the quarter.
One of the most important rooms in any house is the bathroom. It is also one of the rooms that come under the most scrutiny when buyers are considering whether they like your home enough to live in.
You might love the retro look of those pink and black tiles which go so well with the pink claw-foot bath, but the chance of others appreciating the same look is random at best. So how do you make your bathroom appealing to the widest variety of potential buyers?
As Christmas shopping and Black Friday sales loom, Australian shoppers are again being urged to stay alert for online scams disguised as genuine deals.
“Scammers love Black Friday sales because they know shoppers are looking for bargains and they rely on creating urgency and pressure that can come with a busy shopping period,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
A Phoenix, AZ apartment building inspired by Nintendo’s Mario Kart video game is ready for occupancy, developers have announced. The 36-unit Rainbow Road complex features a black exterior with geometric windows, while the interior uses the bright colours featured in the racing game: red, yellow, green, cyan and blue.
“Rainbow Road is a reminder that cities don’t have to be neutral”, the creative director at Räkkhaus said in a press release last week. “They can be playful, imaginative, and alive.” Image: Intersection Development And Räkkhaus Studio
Having groceries delivered within an hour can be handy for busy households, es[ecially at this time of the year, but consumers are being warned they could be paying up to 40 per cent more for the convenience.
Consumer group Choice found that individual items were on average 11 per cent more expensive when purchased via a third-party delivery service like DoorDash, UberEats and MilkRun, but some items were as much as 42 per cent more. Adding delivery app charges alongside the product prices increased the total order cost by up to 39 per cent.