With markets in fluctuation across Australia, it makes sense to adapt your level of risk to the property market you’re operating in. That’s certainly what the banks have been doing! In a rising market, for example, there’s a certain amount of “cream on top” that renovators and property developers can reasonably expect that comes from…

Selling a property in a challenging market requires that extra creative push to make sure it’s in tip-top shape and stands out from the crowd. This tired-looking Sydney apartment was definitely a candidate for a sizzling makeover, however the owner’s limited budget meant there was no cash for an all-out, no holds barred renovation.  …

With its dated eighties cabinetry and severe lack of storage, this kitchen required a major rethink in order to better capitalise on the existing space. A bookcase served as the owners’ pantry, and sat beside their large fridge and chest freezer on the only free wall, visually blocking one whole side of their kitchen. There…

The furniture you choose for a room – and where you place it – is one of the most powerful ways to dictate the look and feel of a space. If your room is quite dark, quite narrow or it feels crowded, the solution may be as simple as choosing furniture that has long legs or a thin…

With the election now over and Labor’s loss relegating its controversial property tax changes to the scrap heap, there’s a collective sigh of relief from property investors in Australia. It means negative gearing remains intact and there’ll be no changes to the current capital gains tax laws. Thankfully, certainty has now been restored, and investors…

In a competitive market, it’s more important than ever to make sure everything is perfect for your open for inspection. Potential buyers will be scrutinising every detail, pouncing on any shortcomings, and judging you heavily on first impressions. Your renovations have undoubtedly added great value to the property, but these may not be what visitors…

A special makeover for a single mum of 2 battling breast cancer highlighting the importance of a good financial plan. On Monday, I had the honour of doing a special master bedroom renovation in just 6 hours (yep, you read that right) for Cath, mummy to 8 year old Georgia and 12-year old Lily. No-one…

There’s no getting around the fact that a full-blown bathroom renovation is a costly, time-intensive and stressful affair. It requires an army of trades and your bathroom is likely to be out of action for several weeks. That’s why it makes so much sense to work with your existing bathroom, and avoid the nasty surprises…

You normally wouldn’t buy a sofa without road testing it in the store and you wouldn’t buy a house without walking through it at an open for inspection. Yet for the biggest investment some of us will make, we are expected to trust a floorplan on paper. If you’re about to embark on a structural…

In the lead-up to the May 18 federal election, proposed changes to negative gearing have been a key issue of discussion. negative gearing in a nutshell Negative gearing is when the interest on a loan is higher than the net rental income, meaning the investor is making a loss. Under current tax laws, this loss can then…

The botanical trend has come and gone over the decades, largely because it plays to the idea of bringing nature into our homes, adding a fresh and airy vibe to any interior. There are many ways to incorporate this trend, from using old botanical drawings to the contemporary look of overscaled printed images of green leaves…

It’s no surprise that times are tough if you’re banking on a property loan. Lending criteria with banks have tightened up and record numbers of applicants are being turned down for a loan they probably would have easily secured five years ago, when the market outlook was a lot rosier. And before last September’s release…

This house in the Hunter Valley has a most unusual roofline: in fact it is so wacky, the home was dubbed by locals “the Kentucky Fried Chicken house”. My renovation strategy was to cosmetically refresh the front facade and right side of the house only, due to the home owner’s budget constraints. Down the track,…

Adelaide students Martin and Leanne have been property investors for over 20 years, but tackling a renovation was something they had little experience of until completing a Renovating for Profit bootcamp in May 2017. Since then, they have done four renovations in and around the Adelaide suburb they live in, none more audacious than this…

A cosmetic renovation is by far the cheapest, easiest and most effective way to instantly manufacture equity in a property. The fact you can do a lot of the hard yakka yourself, whether it’s coordinating trades or some strategic DIY, means you save money and time compared to a lengthy structural renovation. So here’s 5…

This bedroom project is the first step in the transformation of Mick my chippie’s unrenovated home in Sydney’s west. Recently married, Mick and his new wife Joanne bought this modest brick house just one month ago, so they have their work cut out turning it into the dream home it will undoubtedly become. With Mick’s…

With so many people jumping on the Airbnb bandwagon, it’s easy to seize on the upsides (all that extra cash rolling in, for one) and play down the time and effort involved if you want to be a truly successful host. Gaining Superhost status, with the all-important badge that automatically appears on a host’s listing and…

Whether we realise it or not, managing risk is something we deal with every day. For example, the simple process of crossing a street involves a certain degree of risk that we manage without even blinking an eyelid. But what about managing the risks of something as complex as a property development project? Let’s take…

I’m asked to write or contribute to many different media outlets over the course of a year, and I find there are a few recurrent themes that pop up. One of them is common rookie renovator mistakes. Maybe it’s comforting for fellow renovators to know they’re not alone in the inevitable stuff ups they’ve made…

The three sisters who owned this unrenovated suburban house in Sydney’s west were caught in a bind and desperately needed my help. With Sydney house prices in freefall, and similarly unrenovated houses in this suburb failing to sell, they knew their best chance of securing a quick sale was to do a well-targeted renovation. However, they…

We spend time styling spaces in our homes, aiming for a special look and feel that helps us relax, recharge and be ourselves: the bedroom, the living room, the garden… but it’s often the bathroom that gets overlooked. Too often relegated to quick showers and cleaning teeth, the bathroom quickly becomes filled with containers and half-used products, the…

Having grown up in Wollongong, first-time renovator Anne was familiar with the NSW south coast city and its surrounding suburbs, even though she now lives in Sydney. Priced out of the Sydney market, she decided to return to familiar roots and look for a rental property around Wollongong. Even though Anne and her husband own…

Whether you’re saving for a deposit, starting your own business, or simply want to get a better handle on your finances, there might be a major roadblock that you’re not even aware of: the way you think about money. This could be a result of your upbringing, early conditioning or maybe just a financial setback…

The owners of this Californian bungalow are the first to admit they made a bad choice with the original colour scheme for this facade. What they thought was going to be a striking grey, turned out to be blue, and they’d never got around to updating the colour scheme. So it was time to get…

Through all the trends that come and go, a neutral colour scheme is arguably the most enduring, whether it’s shades of white or any of the soft beiges or greys. It’s a calming, restful retreat from the “busyness” of modern life, as well as a neutral backdrop for bold feature walls, artworks and colourful accessories.…

So you’ve decided to dip your toe in the water and try your hand at Airbnb hosting. Maybe you have a spare room that you never use, an investment property you could furnish and rent out for short stays, or perhaps even your own home that you could list on Airbnb while you debunk to…

Even if you’ve stayed in one hundred Airbnb places, you may not have a realistic idea of what it takes to be a successful Airbnb host. All those tiny touches you’ve taken for granted have likely been carefully orchestrated to earn a five star review for your host – and THAT, my friends, is what…

We often promote, but rarely showcase, the success of joint venture projects and the opportunities they offer those willing to think outside the square. These two enterprising Cosmetic Renovations for Profit graduates, Marjorie and Mark, teamed up together to pull off a $100,000 profit, which is pretty amazing when you consider they paid no deposit…

One trade fair I never want to miss is the  annual International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings (CERSAIE) in Bologna, Italy. This massive event draws more than 100,000 visitors from around the globe and features 160,000 square metres of exhibition space – so basically it’s huge! Armed with cameras and a good pair of…

The latest Top Rental Performers report from CoreLogic is a heartening counter to all the doom and gloom in the media about Australia’s property market. It demonstrates once again there’s no such thing as “the property market”, as if it’s one great mass of bricks and mortar. You absolutely have to delve into the detail…

So you thought you needed a lazy few hundred thousand in the bank before you could even think about embarking on a multi-million dollar property deal? While a lump of cash never goes astray, the good news is that you can pull off a profitable small development with virtually no money at all. Bob Andersen,…

As an official Brand Ambassador for Taubmans, I was amongst the first to be let in on the Taubmans Colour of the Year 2019. Being a huge fan of green (anyone who knows me well is aware of my weakness for green eyeshadow), I couldn’t have been happier to discover it was a lush green,…