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7 steps to your Transform your SUCCESSFUL garden with a simple DIY project renovation June - July 14
Get street appeal in a day with SIX simple steps!
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buy | sell | cook | tips | homes | help | renovate
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An Introduction... Welcome
Buy & Sell
Welcome to the first edition of House Proud Magazine. This locally inspired, monthly magazine offers home improvement advice, tips and tricks and most importantly keeps you, the local residents, informed about your neighbourhood. With this in mind, we need you to get involved! So please, write in, send us your opinions, share your experiences, sell your items and support your community.
Do you want to sell something in a quick and easy way? Look no further than the classifieds section of this magazine! Send in a 50 word (max) description of your product, include all the vital information, your details, a photograph if applicable and leave the rest to us! See page 13 for more details. We reserve the right to edit or decline adverts and the space will be allocated based on first in, best dressed.
Have your Say Every month House Proud Magazine invites you to discuss any issues or topics of debate that you think are important in your community. Get your voice heard by emailing your letters and opinions and we will feature a selection each month in our dedicated community voice section.
Get in touch
contact 07 3272 1000 email houseproudmagazine@gmail.com visit houseproudmagazine.wordpress.com
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CONTENTS
6 Street Appeal in a Day 8 Staging the Perfect Open House 11 Cookbook 13 Classifieds 15 DIY Corner
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Coffee Break Quiz
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Handy Tips & Tricks
22 Real Estate Roundup 24 Kids Corner 27 Quiz Answers 29 Phonebook 31 Meet the Team at Professionals Runcorn
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Just for Laughs A property manager was showing a house to prospective tenants and was asking the usual questions: "Professionally employed?" "We're a military family," the wife answered. "Children?" "Yes, nine and twelve," she told me proudly. "Animals?" "Oh, no," she said earnestly. "They're very well behaved."
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Street appeal in a day
If your home's street appeal makes a great first impression, everyone -- including potential homebuyers and tenants -- will want to see what's inside. Here are a few day projects you can do to vamp up that curb appeal.
Dress up the front door.
Create an instant garden quickly
Give your front door a blast of colour with paint or install a custom wood door. Clean off any dirty spots around the knob and use metal polish on the door fixtures.
and affordably. Container gardens add a welcoming feel and colourful appeal to any home exterior. Ready-made containers are available at garden centres or create your own staggered, asymmetrical, design, which works best to create a dynamic setting.
Make your entrance appealing with a custom wood door
Replace old hardware such as house numbers, the entry door Install outdoor lighting to give lockset, a wall-mounted mailbox your home street appeal while and install an overhead light also providing safety and security. fixture. These add style and Fixtures can add accent lighting interest to your home's exterior. to trees or the house or can Use these features collectively illuminate a walking path. You for the best results and avoid could also install solar fixtures mix-and-match pieces. Oiled(remember their light levels are bronze finishes suit traditional not as bright or as reliable). homes, while brushed nickel suits more contemporary ones. Create perfect symmetry.
Not only is it pleasing to the eye, it's also the simplest to arrange. Symmetrical compositions of light fixtures and front door accents create welcoming entryways.
Give your mailbox a makeover if it is looking a little tired. Try painting the wooden post to match the exterior colour, surround it with plants or consider purchasing a new one.
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Makeover your mailbox with a new paint job
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First things first, make your entrance appealing. Most potential buyers will drive to your house to suss out the area. If your house fails to appeal from the street, they may not even come to the Open House. Try sprucing up your driveway, repaint your mail box and install some outdoor lighting if possible.
How to go from For Sale to Sold Selling your house can be a stressful time and may involve the staging of an Open House. You can help reduce some of this stress by putting into play a few tips that might just help you go from For Sale to Sold before you know it.
Make sure your house is spotless! Clean all the surfaces, walls, cupboards and windows and update the tiny details. New door handles or kitchen cupboards can completely transform a room and make it appear more modern.
Focus on the Floor! If you have old, tired carpets get them steam cleaned to add freshness to a room, or better yet have a look to see if there are floorboards beneath. Restoring the floorboards will give the new owners the option to recarpet or enjoy the newly renovated floors.
Declutter the house by tidying away knick knacks and any surplus furniture to give the illusion of a spacious home. Buyers will find it easier to imagine themselves in your home if they have the space to do it! Natural light is important for making your house seem bright and airy. Pull back the curtains, open some windows for fresh air and if a room is particularly dark, put on a subtle lamp or use dimmers.
Inspired by http://www.realestate.com.au/blog/9-expert-tipsprepare-home-ofis
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If you have pets at home, consider moving them from the property for your Open House. Pets might distract potential home buyers so make sure you remove all trace of them; smells, toys and litter trays.
Dress the bed with fresh, ironed sheet and stick to neutral colours
And finally... Do the final checks before your potential buyers arrive. Have you emptied the bin and hidden it away? Have you tidied away your mail? Clear your clothes line of washing and tidy the cupboards (people will look in them!). Let the buyers leave your Open House with the impression that your house life is pure perfection!
Keep the furnishings if you can. Furnished rooms help buyers interpret how space can be used in the house. Rooms actually appear smaller when empty as buyers often over estimate how big their furniture is. If you have already sold or moved out your furniture, beg, borrow and steal from friends and family or consider hiring a stylist to furnish your house. Dress your room to impress! Make the beds with clean and freshly ironed sheets. Try and stick to neutral colours and throw on some scatter cushions for a luxury feel.
Open up curtains for natural light and try to keep furniture in place for that homely feel.
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Cookbook
Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
Ingredients 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder 1L (4 cups) boiling water 2 teaspoons sunflower oil 1 large brown onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon red curry paste 2 carrots, peeled, thickly sliced 750g sweet potato (kumara), peeled, coarsely chopped 2 teaspoons lime juice 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar 90g (1/3 cup) extra light sour cream 1 long fresh red chilli, finely chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Method Step 1 Combine stock powder and water in a jug. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in curry paste for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic. Step 2 Add the carrot, sweet potato and stock mixture. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly. Step 3 Blend the soup until smooth. Heat over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and brown sugar. Season. Step 4 Combine the sour cream, chilli and coriander in a bowl. Serve with the soup.
Inspired by: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/29977/ spicy+sweet+potato+soup+with+chilli+ coriander+cream?ref=collections,winter-mains
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Classifieds for sale | new | used | advertise | services | annoucements
House Proud Magazine is hand delivered to 20,000+ people in your neighbourhood. You can advertise in the Classifieds section for FREE in the next edition by sending your information through to houseproudmagazine@gmail.com 13
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DIY vertical pallet garden Vertical gardens are right on trend at the moment. This vertical pallet garden is perfect for tenants, homeowners, and big and small yards.
Materials - Timber pallet - Piece of scrap timber - A roll of weed matt - Staple gun - Scissors - Flowering plants - Drill - Nails & hammer - Sheet of plywood - 4 to 5 bags potting mix - Gardening gloves - Dynabolts
Method Step 1 Nail a scrap piece of timber along the entire length of the bottom of your pallet (with no gaps), to hold the soil in. Step 2 Nail plywood sheet to the back of your pallet. Step 3 To make two sacks to sit side-by-side in the pallet, cut weed matting into four rectangles of equal size, to fit in the pallet. Place two rectangles together and, using a staple gun, staple along three sides to make a sack. Repeat with other rectangles. Step 4 Lean the pallet against the wall, place sacks inside and fill with potting mix, making sure it is compacted. Once filled, fold over the top of sack and staple closed.
Step 6 Cut holes in the weed matting, and dig holes in the potting mix so the plants will fit in. Remove the plants from their pots, soften the mix around the roots and position one plant in each hole. Step 7 Water thoroughly, ensuring water gets to the plant as some weed matting is not water permeable. Allow to rest on the ground for 1 to 2 weeks until the plants have had time to develop root strength. Step 8 Rest your vertical pallet garden up against a wall or fence in your yard. Or, using a drill and dynabolts (anchors that fix to concrete), attach it to the wall. Then sit back and enjoy the view!
Step 5 Place the pallet on the ground in a spot where it can be kept flat for a couple of weeks. Inspired by: http://homes.ninemsn.com.au/diy/craftprojects/8383807/verticalpallet-garden and theinsideroom.net
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growth
Coffeebreak
Q
uiz
Why not take five minutes to yourself, sit down with your favourite drink and have a go at some brain teasers! With thanks to www.printable-puzzles.com
Trivia
What am I?
What common household product is known chemically as NaCl? Of which country is Reykjavik the capital?
What goes up and down the stairs without moving?
What type of food is haloumi? What is a quetzal? Angelina Jolie has portrayed which video game heroine?
What goes around the world but stays in a corner?
On which continent is the Kalahari desert?
sudoku
sudoku
easy
medium
Answers on page 27! 17
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Bye Bye Pests!
Keep your bin smelling fresh!
It may sound cruel, but if you have an ant problem, desperate times call for desperate measures. Put small piles of polenta (available from your local supermarket) where you see ants and they'll gobble it up, return "home" and won't be able to digest it. Your ant problem (and the ants) will soon be dead.
Line the bin bag with newspaper and a little baking soda. The paper will absorb any liquids and the baking soda will take care of the nasty smells!
Handy tips & tricks for your home Suck it up! To vacuum hard-to-reach gunk from under your fridge or behind a bookshelf, insert an empty paper towel roll into the end of your vacuum cleaner. Bend or flatten it to squeeze into these difficult spots.
Declutter for Open Homes Selling your place? Clear out some clothes from your cupboards to create more space. Make sure you remove all pet bowls and toys as these can make your house look cluttered. You might also want to consider removing your pets from the property during inspections to allow potential buyers to walk around the property freely.
Wrap cheese chunks in aluminium foil and store in the fridge to keep your cheddar fresher for longer and to keep mould out.
Coffee stain on the carpet?
Hung out to dry
Apply a solution of ammonia and soak up. Follow this with a solution of white vinegar and soak up. Keep alternating until the stain has gone. For best results do this immediately after the spill. Make sure to do a patch test on an inconspicuous area of carpet before proceeding with the full process.
hing on the When putting was s that are line, hang any item the cupboard normally hung in er. This saves directly on a hang s creases. time and minimise Genius!
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Real Estate Roundup What is the current state of Real Estate?
ARE you aware of recent changes in the real
Howard Groos, Principal of Professionals Runcorn comments; “The local market is going from strength to strength. In Runcorn 65 properties are currently for sale and 38 have already been sold in the last 3 months. A high proportion of these buyers are investors, which reflects an equally strong rental market.�
estate market? Here is a bit of information to keep you updated. Recent market analysis from realestate.com.au has shown Queensland property market is set for strong growth this year, with Brisbane in a favourable position to become the nation’s strongest property market in 2014.
Runcorn
Stretton
Calamvale
Properties sold Jan - March 14 38
Properties sold in Jan - March 14 11
Properties sold in Jan - March 14 39
Properties for sale today 65
Properties for sale today 33
Properties for sale today 84
Highest sale price in Jan - March 14 $620,000
Highest sale price in Jan - March 14 $1,261,000
Highest sale price in Jan - March 14 $1,930,000
Lowest sale price in Jan - March 14 $280,000
Lowest sale price in Jan - March 14 $600,000
Lowest sale price in Jan - March 14 $322,000
Median sale price in Jan - March 14 $479,500
Median sale price Jan - March 14 $935,000
Median sale price in Jan - March 14 $556,000
Predictions have been made that property value in Brisbane is set to increase by 7%, perhaps more in some areas, over the duration of 2014, creating a competitive, seller friendly market.
Statistics from realestate.com.au reveal Runcorn to be a High Demand Market, with an average of 30 people looking per property; well above the Queensland average of 13. This is commonplace among the surrounding suburbs, for example Stretton sees 25 people per property, Eight Mile Plains 34 and Sunnybank Hills a staggering 36!
Affordable properties and the desirable lifestyle of Brisbane and its suburbs is attracting a diverse range of buyers, from retirees from Melbourne and Sydney to professional fly-in / fly-out workers, as well as local young professionals and established families.
Whilst due care is taken to ensure information contained in reports is correct, we apologise for any discrepancies that may occur.
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Kuraby
Properties sold in last Jan - March 14 13 Properties for sale today 43 Highest sale price in Jan - March 14 $635,000 Lowest sale price in Jan - March 14 $275,000 Median sale price in Jan - March 14 $600,000
Eight Mile Plains
Underwood
Properties sold in Jan - March 14 33
Properties sold in Jan - March 14 16
Properties for sale today 67
Properties for sale today 64
Highest sale price in Jan - March 14 $877,600
Highest sale price in Jan - March 14 $750,000
Lowest sale price in Jan - March 14 $398,000
Lowest sale price in Jan - March 14 $335,000
Median sale price in Jan - March 14 $655,000
Median sale price in Jan - March 14 $589,000
Sunnybank Hills
Properties sold in Jan - March 14 40 Properties for sale today 76 Highest sale price in Jan - March 14 $1,100,000 The Stretton real estate market is showing a move from buyers to an equilibrium between November to January, a trend which is seen across most Southern suburbs and is expected to continue as the Brisbane property market strengthens. Graph: Commonwealth Bank
Lowest sale price in Jan - March 14 $120,000 Median sale price in Jan - March 14 $473,000
Your Investment Property Magazine recently labelled Runcorn as the Queensland suburb to watch. With its close proximity to the city and the M2, its wide mix of housing types, access to local amenities and diverse resident base, Runcorn is likely to experience attractive growth over the rest of the year.
New research from Commonwealth Bank and RP Data has revealed that the suburbs of Southern Brisbane are moving away from a buyers market, towards a sellers market and currently sit in a Buyer/Seller Equilibrium.
Rental yields currently sit at a healthy 5% and a vacancy rate of just 1% makes this area of Southern Brisbane an attractive investment location. But properties may be hard to come by, as only 0.9% of all properties in this neighbourhood were on the market in March 2014. This may lead to buyers facing some competition to get the house that they want, and can potentially aid an increase in property prices.
This means; Byers and sellers appear to be reasonably equally weighted based on the amount of homes being advertised for sale and the number of funding approvals.
Houses in this market tend to sell within a few months and buyers have only a moderate level of negotiation power. The real estate market is really starting to hot up as we move further into 2014 and market research is painting a positive picture for the months ahead. With the Brisbane property market in its current position to become one of, if not the strongest property market in the country, it has never been a better time to do your homework on real estate!
Howard Groos states; “As one of the leading agencies in the local area, we list houses for sale in Runcorn on a regular basis, and they never last long on the market. One of our properties sold in under two days, resulting in a very happy buyer and an equally happy vendor!� 23
K C
ids orner With thanks to www.kidspuzzlesandgames.co.uk
Answers on page 27!
The lion is lost! Help him find his way to his friend.
True or False? You see with your eyes Dogs have 10 legs! 3+4=8 Sheep cannot fly
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K C
ids orner
Find the names of the dinosaurs in the box!
With thanks to www.kidspuzzlesandgames.co.uk
Dinosaur Wordsearch!
Word Search
Princess Maths
To Colour
BELLE
TIANA
JASMINE
MULAN
ARIEL
MERIDA
RAPUNZEL
AURORA
Add the numbers to complete the pyramid
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Find the Princess
value
Coffee break The Answers! uiz
Q
Trivia Table salt Iceland Cheese A tropical bird Lara Croft Africa
K C
The ids Answers! orner
True or False? True, False, False, True 18 8 10 5 5
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20 8 12 3 5 7
life
Phonebook This handy list of contact numbers is ideal to stick on the fridge or keep next to the phone!
Emergency 000 (Police/Fire/Ambulance)
Police Link
13 14 44
SES 13 25 00 Flood/Storm Emergency)
Energex (Loss of Power)
13 62 62
Poisons Information
13 11 26
Public Transport Info
13 12 30
(Translink)
24hr Health Line
1343 2584
Police - All Suburbs
3364 6464
Crime Stoppers
1800 333 000
Dial Before You Dig
11 00
Brisbane City Council
07 3403 8888
Logan City Council
1300 156 426
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Meet the Team - Professionals Runcorn
Howard Groos Principal & Sales and Marketing Consultant howard@professionalsruncorn.com.au 0410 176 138
Julia Menzies Sales & Administrator julia@professionalsruncorn.com.au 0421 554 402
Amy Stephen Property Management admin@professionalsruncorn.com.au 07 3272 1000
Vicki Hiett PR & Marketing admin@professionalsruncorn.com.au 07 3272 1000
Adam Zoss Property and Marketing Consultant adam@professionalsruncorn.com.au 0404 858 882
Sue Yen Property Management rentals@professionalsruncorn.com.au 07 3272 1000
Dr George Jiang Property and Marketing Consultant george@professionalsruncorn.com.au 0438 155 880
Glenda Roberts Property and Marketing Consultant glenda@professionalsruncorn.com.au 0435 945 417
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