HOME-GROWN
SUMMER//EDITION
ALBURY/WODONGA & SURROUNDS
SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER REPORT
IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome to our fourth issue of HOMEGROWN. An Albury Wodonga based Real Estate Magazine, keeping you up-to-date with the latest listings and information as well as current local market statistics. In this issue, we have a great article about using your superannuation to buy your first home and show you some amazing new developments happening around Albury. We also have some fantastic Christmas recipes from some of our staff members to share with you. We hope you enjoy reading our third issue of HomeGrown as much as we enjoyed putting this together for you! Here’s to a great Summer. HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR!
A SUPER TIME TO BUY YOUR FIRST HOME DEMAND EXCEEDING SUPPLY QUARTERLY RESULTS NEW LISTING LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT TENANT OF THE MONTH ALBURY’S ICONIC T&G BUILDING SOLD STAFF CHRISTMAS RECIPES DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE SOCIAL SNAPS
PICTURED ON FRONT - 6 LAYTON LANE, ALBURY
A SUPER TIME TO BUY YO U R F I R S T H O M E
A SUPER TIME TO BUY YOUR FIRST HOME If you’re starting your research process and considering buying your first home you should investigate the Federal Government’s First Home Super Saver Scheme.
A major advantage for couples who decide to buy a home together is they can benefit from the scheme even if one person has already owned a home. The ATO websites says “Eligibility is assessed on an individual basis. This means that couples, siblings Unlike the First Home Owners Grant, there is no or friends can each access their own eligible FHSS upper limit on home purchases to be eligible (First contributions to purchase the same property. If any Home Owners Grant is only available for new home of you have previously owned a home, it will not purchases up to $750,000). stop anyone else who is eligible from applying”. According to the ATO reported on news.com.au, For full information visit: https://www.ato.gov.au/ only 592 people applied for the first month of the Individuals/Super/Super-housing-measures/Firstscheme so the scheme is still not widely utilised. Home-Super-Saver-Scheme/ To be eligible you need to have never owned property in Australia, you will live in the home or intend to as soon as you can (for instance, after repairs) and you plan to live on the property for at least 6 months during the first 12 months that you own the home. You can access up to $30,000 from your superannuation fund to go towards your first home purchase which could be a significant boost. If you don’t have $30,000 in your super, you can make voluntary contributions of up to $15,000 per year and this is very tax effective with the 15% superannuation taxation rate.
Applying for a home loan can be a complicated process, especially for first-time home buyers who may not be as familiar with rates and prices. With ups and downs in the market, you may wonder when you can get the ideal loan. Our experienced team at Stean Nicholls can point you in the right direction with regards to finance options and offer expert advice on buying your first home.
*The information contained in this article is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser.
DEMAND EXCEEDING SUPPLY INCREASING DEMAND HAS BROUGHT ABOUT CONFIDENCE FOR I N N E R C I T Y C E N T R A L D E V E L O P M E N T, OFFERING TOWNHOUSE AND APARTMENT STYLE LIVING.
DEMAND EXCEEDING SUPPLY Sadie Lane, Albury
S A D I E L A N E - K I E WA S T R E E T, A L B U R Y
“The finest park front residences, plan for the future to build your dream home in Central Albury.”
Architecturally designed for each allotment is an affordable collection of contemporary homes defined by timeless luxury. Framed by a café and two additional commercial buildings facing Kiewa Street, this limited collection of 18 dwellings A unique combination of leafy streets, adjoining includes; parklands and the increasingly rare prospect of securing land in central Albury makes Sadie Lane 15 TOWNHOUSES Three bedroom, three living, two bathroom & two a once in a lifetime opportunity. car garage Moments from Albury’s hustle and bustle, Sadie Lane is all but a short walk to Dean Street, Noreuil Park, the tranquil banks of the Murray River and The Botanical Gardens. This location is a pivotal point between central and south, with all the convenience and culture one would expect from great inner-city living.
A DESIGNATED CAFÉ adding convenience and ambiance 2 OFFICE SPACES with shop top residences
“With its charming leafy streets, rare opportunity The design of Sadie Lane embraces the adjoining of adjoining parkland & established infrastructure parklands and the warmth of the established with all amenities close by – Sadie Lane is both Albury setting. A considered landscape features secure and an exciting place to live” beautiful planters allowing individuality, as well Jack Stean as feature trees and intelligent bollard street Contact: Geoff Stean 0413 888 788 lighting to mark the entrance of each home. Jack Stean 0434 588 664
DEMAND EXCEEDING SUPPLY The Hamilton, Albury
T H E H A M I LTO N - H U M E S T R E E T, A L B U R Y
The Hamilton Apartments on Hume Street, takes its name from one of Albury’s founding explorers, Sir Hamilton Hume. Located at the eastern end of Albury’s CBD, it offers the perfect balance of classic luxury and urban living in the heart of Albury. This collection of 30 exclusive apartments offer residents the freedom to enjoy a robust social lifestyle, before retreating into beautifullycrafted private sanctuaries. The Hamilton is designed by renowned architects Edmiston Jones whose broad experience enables a merging of conceptual and original design, detail and the best construction practices. This is a mixed use development that, in keeping with the character of the street, combines residential and commercial space. The first two floors will be home to businesses seeking contemporary office space of exceptional quality, while the four upper levels will house the exclusive apartments that range from one to three bedrooms with views over Albury.
“Rare and boutique this apartment complex is unlikely to be repeated in my lifetime.” Jack Stean
Just a short stroll to Albury’s main street and moments from local parklands, The Hamilton provides sophisticated living in unparalleled comfort.
Oversized, open-plan living areas flow onto large balconies creating an extra living space perfect for everyday occurances or celebrations. Elegant, timeless spaces that are luxurious but never pretentious, with an entertainer’s kitchen, possessing high standards of workmanship. Rear wall joinery is a combination of timber veneer and stone with natural-finish overhead cupboards, framing top-end appliances. Life extends beyond four walls at The Hamilton. More than just a residence, it’s an expansive lifestyle that draws together neighbours and enriches a growing community.
Contact: Jack Stean 0434 588 664 Geoff Stean 0413 888 788
QUARTERLY RESULTS
QUARTERLY RESULTS
3
2
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AUCTION Sat 22nd December 10:30am
LACHLAN HUTCHINS 0457 888 212 JACK STEAN 0434 588 664
NEW LISTING 6 Layton Lane, Albury
ARCHITECTURALLY DESIGNED, CONTEMPORARY LIVING
TENANT OF THE MONTH
GEOFFREY MICHAEL PÀTISSIER The Botanical, Dean Street, Albury NSW, Australia Phone: 02 6021 6733 Opening Times: Tue to Sat: 7:30am to 3:30pm Mon to Sun: Closed A modern French patisserie with Parisienne quality and finesse. Exquisite desserts, pastries, special occasion cakes and Geoffrey’s Signature High Tea. Geoffrey Michael Dimitrovski, the Pâtissier, is a local boy through and through! Geoffrey gained his experience at many fine 5 Star resorts and Patisseries throughout Australia including Hayman Island Resort. Geoffrey’s gâteaux are more than just cakes; they are amazing individual works of art. Geoffrey prides himself on his finished product, painstakingly applying elaborate garnish including gold and silver leaf for that “wow factor” visual appeal. His passion is to offer the same high quality and innovation to customers in his own pâtisserie, right here in Albury Wodonga.
LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Art can transform a house into a home by injecting personality and creating mood. But art is expensive, right? Not anymore… Local couple Erin Johnston + Daniel Lancaster believe art shouldn’t be reserved for those with fat wallets, so they recently launched ‘Middle Village Shop’ — an online print store specialising in affordable fine art photography prints that can be downloaded in the size you need + conveniently printed at home, online or at your local print shop. Original and curated prints are added to the website weekly and each purchase comes in 25+ sizes (with custom resizing included). hello@middlevillageshop.com www.MiddleVillageShop.com
@middlevillageshop
ALBURY’S ICONIC T&G BUILDING SOLD
“Rarely does a building of this calibre come on the market in Albury’s CBD”
Stean Nicholls have had management of the building for the past 7 years. Agent Michelle Jones said “rarely does a building of this calibre come on Michelle Jones the market in Albury’s CBD. We feel very privileged Stean Nicholls were appointed agents to sell the to sell the building for the Sawyer family’” iconic T&G Building in October 2018. The property offers 16 commercial shop fronts along Dean Street The property was auctioned on Friday 23rd and AMP Lane along with the basement of the November 2018, and successfully sold after auction building being fitted out for commercial purposes. to a local buyer. The vendors were extremely happy A destination for residents of Albury offering a with the results: café, restaurant and bar along with a mixture of retail and beauty. Vacancies along the laneway are “Michelle, you have been an absolute godsend to rare with the high demand for businesses to take us and we will miss you. You have been so capable, advantage of the buildings central location and organised, unflappable and totally professional. We really appreciate all you have done for the T&G high traffic exposure. Building. Please keep in touch and I wish you and The vendors have owned the building for the past Stean Nicholls all the very best for your future. 40 years, so it was a rare opportunity to purchase Please pass on our heartfelt and sincere thanks to a piece of Albury’s history. Built in 1933 by the Geoff, Sarah and the team too.”’ Temperance & General (T&G) Life Assurance Jane, vendor, T&G Building. Society, the T&G building remains in virtually an Stean Nicholls will retain management of the unaltered state. building and are looking forward to building a strong relationship with the new owners.
STAFF CHRISTMAS RECIPES
SARAH’S TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS PUDDING
Ingredients 1/2 lb flour (250g) 1/2 lb breadcrumbs (250g) Pinch of salt 1 lb butter (500g) 1 lb brown sugar (500g) 1 lb currants (500g) 1 lb sultanas (500g) 1/2 lb raisins (250g) 1/2 lb citron peel (mixed peel) (250g) 9 eggs 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 lb almonds (125g) 1 teaspoon mixed spice 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda Rum *Coins (optional)
Clean and prepare all fruit and soak overnight in rum. Chop almonds. Beat eggs in separate bowl, cream butter and sugar and add well beaten eggs. Stir in fruit, breadcrumbs, bicarb soda, salt, nutmeg and spice. Prepare strong calico pudding cloth by covering in a liberal amount of flour before adding mixture. Add mixture to cloth and tie up cloth tightly, allowing room for mixture to swell.
Cook in a pot of water on a constant slow boil for 6 hours immediately after preparing mixture. It’s important to keep the water boiling otherwise the pudding will be soggy. Hang pudding until it is to be used. Can be prepared months to days in advance. On the day the pudding is to be eaten cook in a pot of water on a slow boil for 3 hours. Serve pudding with custard, cream or ice cream. *If adding coins into the pudding mixture pre-decimal coins must be used.
JENNA’S REINDEER BISCUITS
Ingredients 250g Arnott’s Butternut Snap Cookies 65g unsalted butter, chopped 1/3 cup cream 200g milk or dark chocolate, chopped 10 vanilla marshmallows, halved 2 tablespoons vanilla frosting 20 jaffa lollies 20 mini vanilla marshmallows, halved Rich choc fudge writing icing 40 mini star pretzels Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fanforced). Place 1 biscuit over each hole of a 12-hole, 1 1/2 tablespooncapacity round-based tartlet tin.
Bake for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven. Using a small ladle or a lime, carefully press softened biscuits into tin to mould into a cup shape. Allow to cool. Remove from tin and transfer to serving plate. Repeat with remaining biscuits. Place butter, cream and chocolate in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir constantly for 7 minutes or until melted and smooth. Pour into a clean, dry bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until cool but not set.
Fill biscuit cases with 1 heaped teaspoon of chocolate mixture. Place in refrigerator for 20-25 minutes. Using the picture as a guide, gently press 1 marshmallow half, cut-side down into each tartlet. Attach 1 jaffa to each marshmallow with readymade frosting to form a nose, then attach 2 mini marshmallow halves above nose, cut-side up, to form eyes. Use a drop of writing icing to form pupils. Cut pretzels in half to form antler shapes. Place 2 pretzel pieces above eyes. Press to secure. Serve.
SHERYL’S CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHRISTMAS CAKE
Ingredients 185g self-raising flour 30g cocoa powder 2 tablespoons creme de framboise 95g caster sugar 95g muscovado sugar 250g dark chocolate (70% cocoa) 2 teaspoons good instant coffee made up with 370ml hot water 2 eggs, beaten slightly 250g raspberries (or more if using well defrosted, frozen raspberries) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a 22cm spring-form cake tin and line the base.
Sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl and put to one side. Put the butter, liqueur, sugars, chocolate and coffee/water mixture into a saucepan and stir over a lowheat until it’s all melted and is ‘thickly, glossily smooth’. Stir this mixture into the sifted flour and cocoa, and then beat until it’s smooth again. Then beat in the eggs. Do not panic at the fact this is quite runny, the cake will cook just fine.
Pour the mixture into the tin to a depth of about 2cm, cover with raspberries, and pour the rest of the mixture on top. Push down and raspberries that bob to the surface, then greedily lick your fingers. Bake for 40-45 minutes. I put mine in for 40, and my oven seems to be a bit of a scorcher, so it was done by then, perhaps a touch overdone. Don’t test with a skewer, as the middle is meant to be moist. Set the tin on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, and then turn out the cake.
DIRECTORS’ MESSAGE
Spring coming to a close generally marks the end of the busiest period in the real estate market. Our Spring sales campaigns have produced some amazing results for this quarter, in particular we achieved a record sale result for North Albury at 426 Bellevue Street which sold at auction for $722,000. This result is an example of the confidence still within the Albury/Wodonga market and is in stark contrast to the downturn being experienced in Melbourne and Sydney. This downturn has not however flowed on to our region, and at present, Albury’s current median sale price is sitting at $565,000, which is up from $508,500 in 2017. Historically, during the festive season many vendors are typically reluctant to put their property on the market. With many buyers hopeful of entering the market post-Christmas, this trend tends to lead to a build-up in demand which creates the opportunity for some highly competitive results in the Summer selling season. For any vendors considering selling in the Summer market, our advice is to get your property listed before Christmas, as there has been some fantastic “off-market” results recently for some vendors, allowing a quick and private sale before entering the market.
Throughout 2018, our residential property management department has had consistently lower vacancy rates than in 2017. Recent buoyant enquiry has enabled some properties to be leased without advertising, and we have seen a higher than normal number of prospective tenants searching for properties over $350 per week. We expect this enquiry to continue into the new year.
From all the team at Stean Nicholls, we hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.
Geoff Stean 0413 888 788 geoff@steannicholls.com.au
Nicholas Clark 0439 215 293 nicholas@steannicholls.com.au
Jack Stean 0434 588 664 jack@steannicholls.com.au
Lachlan Hutchins 0457 888 212 lachlan@steannicholls.com.au
SOCIAL SNAPS
SOLD - another successful Auction selling 426 Bellevue Street for a RECORD PRICE in North Albury.
Nick Clark paticipating in the Pub2Pub run in Albury.
Jack Stean on Sydney Harbour. Our Directors had the pleasure of spending the day with the best Agents in NSW.
Champagne Thursday open homes. What an amazing spread.
SOLD! Happy new home owners.
Lachlan Hutchins in action at the Guinea Street Auction. Another one SOLD!
Home-Grown is a Stean Nicholls publication. All opinions are our own. Compilation of statistical data relies on information from a number of external sources.
Copyright Š
Unit 1, Suite 19, 669 Dean Street, Albury 02 6021 5233 chantelle@steannicholls.com.au www.steannicholls.com.au
/steannicholls @steannicholls