BUILDING BONANZA
HOMEBUILDER KEEPS CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ALIVE
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n June 4, the Federal Government announced a time-limited scheme that gives eligible owner-occupiers a $25,000 grant to build a new home or to substantially renovate an existing home. The measure is aimed at supporting jobs in residential construction amid the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not limited to first-home buyers, nor is there a limit to how many people can get HomeBuilder; however, applications need to be made between now and the end of the year. For more information, visit: treasury. gov.au/coronavirus/homebuilder To be eligible for the HomeBuilder grant you must: • Be an Australian citizen. • Be a person, not a company or trust. • Be aged 18 years or older. • Earn less than $125,000 a year for singles or $200,000 a year for couples based on 2018-19 or later tax returns. • Enter into a building contract between June 4 and December 31, 2020 to either: • Build a new home, where property value (house and land) does not exceed $750,000; or • Substantially renovate your existing home, where the contract is between $150,000 and $750,000, and where the existing property value does not exceed $1.5 million. Construction must begin within six months of the contract date.
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hen the Federal Government announced its HomeBuilder grant for owner-occupiers, it created a housing boom in Greater Shepparton and all around Australia. Vacant blocks in Shepparton and surrounding areas were snapped up quickly. Our Home caught up with Tatura’s Beth Seccull, 20, who seized the opportunity when the funding was announced and is about to become a homeowner. If you are worried you have missed out on the grant, Sessions Builders sales manager Rocco Iaria believes there’ll be more titled land ready to be built on before Christmas. STORIES: SPENCER FOWLER STEEN PHOTOGRAPHY: MEGAN FISHER AND SPENCER FOWLER STEEN OUR HOME // SPRING 2020 // 11
