2021 Summer ECHO LIVING magazine

P R OPERT Y / HO ME / L IVING

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

LIVING echorealty doing property differently

Finding FREE activities for kids during the holidays doesn’t have to be a challenge. See our list!

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LIVING COOL

Stay cool without blowing out your electricity bill with these energy saving tips.

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GOOD SERVICE

An amazing 90% of EchoRealty residents are very satisfied!

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A home OF YOUR OWN Split level 1 bedroom apartment located just a 15 minute walk or 5 minute drive to Ermington Shopping Centre.

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ECHO LIVING MAGAZINE / ECHOREALTY

a division of Evolve Housing

December 2020 | SUMMER

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ECHO LIVING

LIVING ECHOREALTY magazine

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CONTENT

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CONGRATULATIONS JOEL EchoRealty manager Joel Flowers received the WSABE Outstanding Employee award.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FOR KIDS Finding FREE activities for kids of all ages during the holidays.

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HOLIDAY BREAK EchoRealty closure times during the holiday break and how to contact us.

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LIVING COOL Tips on staying cool without burning up your electricity bill.

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SATISFACTION SURVEY The results are in and 90% of our tenants say they are happy with our service.

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The silly season can be challenging, where do you go if you need support?

THANK YOU EchoRealty would like to acknowledge and thank our partners who help deliver affordable housing: First State Super, Altis, Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Willoughby City Council, Parramatta City Council.

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

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PROPERTY LISTINGS Some of our list available properties.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

AFFORDABLE PROPERTIES We have many affordable properties available for rent for eligible applicants, located all over Sydney.

Please note that eligibility criteria apply to all our properties.

If you know someone who is looking for a new home to rent, please let them know about EchoRealty.

You can find more available properties at realestate.com.au/agency/echorealty-parramatta-mmybcp

EchoRealty acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land where we deliver our housing and services.

We acknowledge and pay our respects to all Elders past, present and future.

Artwork “Land, River, Home”

by Sal Lavallee.

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Congratulations Joel!

EchoRealty Team Leader

We are thrilled to let all our EchoRealty residents know that our Team Leader Joel has been awarded the DOOLEYS Lidcombe Catholic Club Outstanding Young Employee Award at this year’s Western Sydney Awards for Business Excellence.

Many of you may be familiar with Joel, who has worked at EchoRealty since 2016! Joel began in a contract position as a Property Officer, but was soon hired as a permanent Property Manager and eventually promoted to be Team Leader. This means that Joel has had experience in all parts of our operations – from handling tenancy enquiries and conducting open homes to now managing a team of four staff.

No matter what position he has been working in at EchoRealty, Joel has excelled and shown a dedication to his work and we are very proud to have him on the team!

Joel Flowers receiving the 2020 WSABI Young Employee Award

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ECHO LIVING

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES

• Get artsy or sporty for free with the NSW Government’s Creative Kids and Active Kids vouchers! Get more information and apply at:

service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-creative-kids-voucher and

service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-active-kids-voucher

• Watch educat TV shows, play g

fun ideas on cooking the ABC Kids websi Visit: abc.net.au/

tional kids

games and get g and crafting at ite

/abckids

5 FREE Programs/events The Summer school holidays are almost here so to combat boredom, we’ve put together a list of low-cost, fun activities aimed at kids (although adults may enjoy them too!).

• Visit a park! — There are plenty of parks in Sydney you can visit, whether you want to stay local or make a day of it. Western Sydney Parklands is a great option for people out west (www.westernsydneyparklands.com.au), or if you’re keen for a trip to the city, why not try the Royal Botanic Gardens.

See: rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

• Go to the library — borrow books and entertainment free at your local library or take a day trip to the beautiful State Library in Sydney. For more information on the State Library of NSW and a list of public libraries in Sydney visit:

sl.nsw.gov.au/public-library-services

• Learn about science for free from the science education experts at Fizzics Education. Their website has plenty of free resources aimed at primary school aged children, including instructions for 150 free science experiments, free science podcasts, articles and trivia.

Visit: fizzicseducation.com.au/free-resources

• Learn to code and program your own stories, games and animations with Scratch, a free service created by the MIT Media Lab. Visit: scratch.mit.edu

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ECHO LIVING

HOLIDAY BREAK As the holiday season is nearly here, we would like to take this opportunity to inform you that EchoRealty will be closed from Thursday the 24th December 2020, and we will be reopening on Tuesday the 5th January 2021.

If you have any minor repairs during this period, please send a detailed email with images and your contact details to: info@echorealty.com.au and it will be actioned on our return.

LIVING COOL

For urgent maintenance issues ONLY please call 1800 MY ECHO (1800 693 246). Urgent maintenance may include gas leaks, water breaks, electrical sparking, sewage leaks and flooding.

Should we experience any natural disasters during this holiday period please immediately contact State Emergency Service (SES) on 132 500.

Temperatures are expected to soar this summer. Stay cool without blowing out your electricity bill with these energy saving tips.

Try these cost saving tips: •

For life threatening emergencies phone triple zero (000).

• EchoRealty wishes you a very happy and safe holiday period and all the best for a successful and prosperous 2021.

Prevent heat from getting into your house by keeping windows, doors, curtains and blinds closed during the day. When the temperature drops in the early evening, you can open them back up to naturally cool your house.

Did you know that using electrical appliances and lighting can make your home hotter? Try to limit your use of ovens, computers, televisions and washing machines to the morning or evening and don’t leave them switched on and running idle during the day.

7 This will have the added bonus of saving some electricity and reducing your power bill.

• Try to opt for LED light globes over older style globes such as halogen and incandescent light bulbs — LEDs emit less heat, use less energy and last 5–10 times longer, which will result in longterm cost savings.

• Use fans rather than air conditioning where possible, as they use significantly less energy. When you do feel the need to use the air conditioner, resist the temptation to set it to the lowest temperature possible – opting for a temperature setting that is even one degree Celsius higher could use 5–10% less energy.

• Plan to do chores and physical activity in the morning or afternoon, and take it easy in the middle of hot days! You could also consider going out to the movies or local shops to take advantage of their air conditioning.

For more energy saving tips for summer, visit: https://www.energy.gov.au/households

SATISFACTION SURVEY This is the first year Evolve Housing has invited EchoRealty tenants to participate in the Tenant Satisfaction Survey and your feedback has been incredible, with an impressive 32% response rate!

Among other useful information we learned from the survey, the results showed that 90% of EchoRealty residents who responded stated they are satisfied with the overall services provided to them by our team.

Thank you to everyone who responded – we truly appreciate the time and effort spent by those of you who gave us feedback.

Congratulations to the winners of the 50 Westfield Gift Vouchers, who were drawn at random from all survey entrants.

Everything we do as a business is centred around improving the lives of our residents and your survey responses help us enhance the services we deliver. We look forward to further improving our services and growing our relationship with you in the years to come.

Mental health support

During challenging times like these, many people feel worried, anxious or overwhelmed. You can visit www.lifeline.org.au to get some mental health and wellbeing tips and strategies.

If you need someone to talk to, you can get in touch with Lifeline by calling 13 11 14 (available 24/7), texting 0477 131 114 (operating 12pm– midnight), or accessing web chat 7pm– midnight via www.lifeline.org.au Kids who need support can call Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800. Beyond Blue is also available on 1300 224 636 or at www.beyondblue.org.au.

available Properties You can find more available properties at realestate.com.au/agency/echorealty-parramatta-mmybcp

2/399 Victoria Road, Rydalmere

12/21–23 Rookwood Road, Yagoona

87/56–66 Lakeside Pde, Jordan Springs

Unit: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom Rent: $260 per week Available now

Unit: 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms Rent: $364 per week Available 22 December 2020

Unit: 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 parking space Rent: $335 per week Available now

This split level 1 bedroom apartment is conveniently located just a 15 minute walk or 5 minute drive to Ermington Shopping Centre, with a local school nearby.

This unit includes 2 bedrooms with mirrored built-in wardrobes, a good sized lounge room, a modern bathroom with a separate bath and shower, an internal laundry, a balcony and split system air conditioning. The modern kitchen features a dishwasher, gas stove and stone benchtop.

It features new paint throughout, tiled floors throughout, an en suite bathroom in the bedroom and a guest toilet downstairs, a built-in wardrobe, open kitchen with electrical cooking and fridge included, an internal laundry, and an intercom system.

29/375 Kingsway, Caringbah

The unit also has an intercom system and basement parking with a storage cage.

Studio: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1 parking space Rent: $308 per week Available now

to live in this beautiful property.

This studio apartment is in a perfect location, just a 5 minute drive away from the beach and within close proximity to Caringbah station, Miranda Fair and local schools.

We are offering one week’s free rent to the lucky tenant who gets

All community and transport amenities are also only a short

This modern unit offers two bedrooms with mirrored built in wardrobes, an ensuite to the main bedroom, a main bathroom with combined bath and shower, a combined living and dining area, and split system air conditioning.

There’s also a modern kitchen with gas cooking, a dishwasher and stone benchtops, an internal laundry with dryer, balcony access, an intercom system and basement parking. walk from the property.

This furnished apartment includes a microwave/oven, fridge, washer/dryer, LCD television, 2 seater lounge, double bed and double built-in mirror wardrobes.

It also has an electrical cooktop and range hood, gas hot water system, and lift access.