Why is the kitchen such a big deal, you innocently ask? BECAUSE IT’S THE KITCHEN! Central Station of your home or investment property! There’s no doubt, the kitchen is the heart of your home. It’s where everything happens. The feeding. The socialising. The nibbling. The drinking. The living. It’s the glue that holds everything and…

TV reno shows like The Block and House Rules have long promoted the idea that property flipping can be a rewarding path for those with the right creative know-how. And the internet is full of stories boasting the tidy profits that clever investors have made through a strategic flip. Indeed, my students regularly post their…

It’s no secret that a new bathroom is one of the most labour-intensive and challenging renos you’re likely to tackle, especially if you’ve decided to project manage it yourself. Brace yourself for weeks without the convenience of a shower and loo, and for the procession of tradies a typical bathroom reno demands. Luckily, with the…

Let’s face it, renovating a kitchen is not for the faint-hearted. This engine room of the home can be out of action for weeks on end, as tradies come and go. While it might be tempting just to outsource the job and pay a kitchen showroom to design and project manage the whole thing for…

Before you dismiss that cheap stool or basic set of shelves, consider giving them a stylish new twist with these really easy DIY tricks. With just a spray of bright paint or some vibrant fabric, you can give any ordinary furniture your own personal stamp. I recently did a segment on Channel 9’sToday Extra show…

Cherie Barber explains why certain colours can stir powerful emotions. Learn which colours suit certain rooms.

Ask anyone who understands market cycles when to develop property and they will probably tell you to purchase development sites in a time of recession or trough and to sell the developed property when the market is on the way up. While this sounds like a logical plan, it can be notoriously difficult to time…

With so many people jumping on the Airbnb bandwagon, leaving guests spoilt for choice, it’s more important than ever to make sure your property stands out. Lame copy, fuzzy photos and poor presentation simply won’t cut it in today’s highly competitive short-term rental market. You want your property ranking high up in search results, and…

So you’ve renovated your property, you’re ready to sell and now you want to place it in the hands of your suburb’s top real estate gun. Hopefully you’re not going to be seduced by the first silver-tongued sales person you meet. Your goal is to find the top real estate expert in your local area,…

We all know colour trends come and go, but some shades have timeless appeal – like pink, for example. Its staying power in interiors and homewares has lasted long after Pantone named “Rose Quartz” its colour of 2016. It’s a popular accent colour in retro interiors (think pink bath, tiles or pedestal basins) and the…

It might be one of the most practical rooms in your home, but with research showing Aussies spend more than a year of their lives slaving over their laundry, it’s no wonder the old wash room is now getting its time in the limelight. Sure, it doesn’t have the pulling power of an amazing kitchen…

Nobody is born to be a property developer. You have to learn the process and ultimately hone your skills by actually developing a project. That said, I believe there are attributes that  certainly make the task easier and more effective. Here are my 9 traits guaranteed to give you a head start in property development.…

Let’s face it, buying a property is one of the biggest investments you’re going to make, so it always amazes me when I hear about the spectacular purchase blunders some people make. Either they buy the wrong kind of fixer-upper, the one that is not going to make them money, or they find the right…

With so many new ‘looks” and interior products to choose from, it’s really important not to get distracted when creating the overall look for your property. That’s because design continuity has a welcoming effect that is not immediately obvious, but definitely noticeable if it’s missing! Your theme can be anything from an industrial feel, to a…

If there’s one upside to the chore of lodging a tax return, it’s that nice little windfall that hopefully lands in your account as a refund.   Most people wouldn’t think to reinvest their tax refund into something that can make them money. Yes, I’m hinting at small and achievable updates to your home, guaranteed to…

I’m often asked the question, particularly from non-property people, how profitable is property development? Well, it largely comes down to risk versus reward. This risk and return paradigm is well understood by many investors – if you want a higher level of return, you need to accept a higher level of risk, and vice versa.  It’s…

We all know your kitchen is the most important room in your home, but if you’ve been putting off a reno because it all sounds too hard,  you’ll be pleased to know there are some clever shortcuts to make it easy. For example, you can gloss over the bones of your old kitchen carcasses with…

If you’re in the process of building or renovating a bathroom, your choice of tiles is going to be one of the most effective ways to add visual interest and a dash of wow factor. The texture and colour of the tiles you’re considering is important, but you also need to pay attention to their…

A prized waterfront location with gobsmacking views of Sydney harbour doesn’t necessarily guarantee top dollar when you come to sell. Amid all the property bloodbath headlines, you have to be highly strategic in order to entice buyers to pay top dollar and secure a speedy sale. That was certainly the case with this luxury property…

If you’ve been procrastinating about whether to buy property, here are some important reasons why you shouldn’t wait around much longer to take the plunge. Since the May election, there have been several pivotal changes that signal the tide has turned for investors. For one, there’s more political stability. The government has put incentives in…

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…