Spring into your garden and reap what you sew

Wondering whether to get stuck into your gardening this spring? There are plenty of reasons why it’s a great idea. Not only will your garden look good, you could also be boosting the value of your property!

A well-designed garden is the perfect way to frame your home and add significant value. So putting down roots and sowing the seeds now will pay off when you eventually sell up.

According to a recent Husqvarna Global Garden Report, a well-kept garden can increase the value of your property by 12 per cent. The report stated that homeowners could receive 3.6 times more than the amount invested in their property if they maintained their garden.

Martyne Bird from Birds Landscape Design and Management says a well planned and eye-catching garden can turn your investment into further added value for your home. She explains that garden elements which contribute to the value of a property include a well-maintained lush lawn, inviting entertaining areas, stonescaping with designed stone paths, decorative trees/bushes and colourful plants.

“Planning a garden implies bringing all the outdoor elements together, in perfect harmony to complement each other. Capture your vision by combining a blend of materials, water usage, plant selections, form and function to bring life to your home,” says Martyne.

Michael Roberts, principal of Louis Carr Real Estate, says your home is frequently neglected in favour of interior renovations, but come sale time it's first impressions that count. “A lawn and garden are the first things people see, so all could be lost before they even enter the house,” Michael says. “Investing in your garden can go a long way in improving your home's street appeal and saleability.”

Martyne adds that it’s important to make the best use of your largest living space. Today homeowners tend to spend most of their time outdoors – so by creating an indoor/outdoor room you bring the garden into your home, thus providing a tranquil environment for the family.

“There is not a garden past or present where the element of water hasn’t improved the garden,” Martyne says. “Water adds sound and movement, which is soothing to the spirit and adds a dramatic way of including a feature or focal point that gives your garden depth and interest. Water features can be clean cut and formal or rambling rock creek beds that are informal. The decision is purely up to the personality that creates it.”

Brad Wheatley, principal of BW Property Consultants, says showing your home at its full potential and helping buyers fall in love with it will mean more dollars on sale day.

“Tasteful landscaping and gardens are a successful and cost-effective way of doing this,” Brad explains. “An average home can be lifted by a gorgeous garden; a $10,000 investment could add $30,000 to the value by attracting stronger interest.”

Martyne suggests a few ways on how to go about creating your own masterpiece. Decide on a theme. It could be about relaxation, your favourite colour or echo your personality. The plants selected will entirely be based upon what you want to achieve. Focal points. Think about which areas you want to draw attention to, what patterns and designs appeal to you, and where you want designs repeated. Those extras. A water feature, bird bath, stepping stones, pathways or statue. Anything small and simple or big and dramatic. Be mindful. Try to match your outdoor spaces to the style of your home. Having a formal, manicured garden outside a weatherboard house doesn’t make sense, anymore than having a wild cottage garden in a brand new contemporary house does. Be smart. Observe other gardens and talk to people who have done the job themselves. Work out everything from design to cost – and avoid getting carried away.

Betting on a Melbourne Cup day rate cut

Nearly 12 months ago, on a day when most Australians were preparing to watch the race that stops the nation, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announced what many argue was the rate hike that stopped the nation. For the seventh time in just over a year, the target cash rate was increased by 25 basis points. To make matters worse, over the months that followed we were being threatened with further increases, as the RBA battled to keep inflation in-check.

What a difference a year makes. We haven’t seen an interest rate hike since, and as we approach Melbourne Cup day for another year, the sentiment among economists is in stark contrast to 2010. With economic outlook being downgraded across the globe, the prospect of the RBA reducing interest rates on the first Tuesday in November could be at shorter odds than the favourite for Race 7 at Flemington.

“Consumer confidence has been weakened by the lurking threat of interest rate hikes,” says Greg Mitchell, Homeloans general manager of retail sales.

“But as economists have now changed their outlook, we’re seeing this consumer sentiment improve”.

The latest retail sales figures, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) last week, validate Mitchell’s claim. The past two months have seen positive, albeit modest growth in retail trade of 0.6% (seasonally adjusted) per month.

“Despite global economic concerns, particularly in Europe and the US, many Australians are feeling comforted by the fact that their mortgage repayments don’t appear to be increasing in the foreseeable future,”  says Mitchell.

The international financial volatility has led to significant decreases in fixed rates in recent months, giving home owners more certainty when it comes to their mortgage repayments.

“Fixed rates reflect forecasts of where interest rates are headed,” Mitchell adds.

“So not only do they provide borrowers with the ability to guarantee what their repayments will be over a given period of time, they paint an optimistic picture of what the future holds for interest rates.”
If lenders are pricing for it, and economists are predicting it, then the possibility of a rate reduction on Melbourne Cup day is looking increasingly likely.

“The Reserve Bank has certainly started hinting at the possibility of ‘easing monetary policy’, which it doesn’t do lightly,” Mitchell concludes.

“So at this stage a rate cut looks like it might be a good bet, if not in November then in December this year.”

Homeloans has three-year fixed-rate home loans at 6.49%pa* and variable rates from 6.89%pa*.

If you would like to enquire about our low fixed or variable-rate home loans, contact us today!

Homeloans offsets 1,000,000 kg of carbon!

Since the 2010 launch of its Carbon Conscious program, whereby a tree is planted for every new loan settled, Homeloans has now planted enough trees to offset one million kilograms of carbon emissions.

“This is a great milestone,” says Homeloans national marketing manager, Will Keall.

As an organisation we’re proud of the steps we’re taking”.

Homeloans’ Carbon Conscious program involves the planting of a Mallee Eucalypt tree for each new loan settled. Over its growing life, the Mallee Eucalypt will store about 200kg of carbon.

Keall explains that the planting of trees is not the only way Homeloans seeks to act in an environmentally responsible fashion.

“We regularly implement changes within the business to lower our carbon footprint, such as enhancing our recycling systems and implementing power-saving initiatives,” he says.
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We are currently running a competition among our four main offices to see who can reduce their print quantities by the most.”

Homeloans also offers its customers the ability to reduce their own carbon emissions.
 

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