12 minute read
Jess and Ash - Design with Sess and Sass
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EASY AND AFFODABLE WAYS to t t HOME
OFFICE
tSESS AND SASS
With most of us working from home these days, we wanted to share with you some inexpensive ideas that can spruce up your home offi ce, promoting a clean, calm and inspirational space you will love.
Get organised – Set up practical ways to keep your home offi ce organised. Decluttering will provide a clean base to begin organising and will instantly create a sense of calm and order. Storage solutions like baskets and folders to keep paperwork in order are a must. Clear labelled containers are great for fi ling and archiving. These can be stored away from your desk in the garage, keeping your workspace free from clutter and excess paperwork.
Inspiration board – To help you achieve your goals we recommend installing a large inspiration or memo board to your workspace; this will add interest to your walls, help you stay on top of your priorities and achieve your goals. We personally love pinning magazine cut outs, quotes, holiday destinations, family photos and other images that inspire you.
Lighting – Good lighting is essential in every workspace. The easiest way to add task lighting to your desk is with a table lamp and with the great range of lamps out there, you’ll be sure to fi nd one that can become a feature. Our favourite suppliers include MRD Home, Milk & Sugar and Beacon Lighting.
Offi ce chair – Is your offi ce chair uncomfortable? Is it falling apart? Past its used by date? If you said yes to any of these, it’s time to treat yourself to a new chair or upcycle an old chair. Refurbished armchairs look great and are an affordable alternative.
New stationery – New stationery not only adds colour and refreshes your workspace, it’s fun, too! Typo, kikki.K and Temple & Webster are a few of our favourite places to shop for beautiful yet affordable notebooks, pens and other stationery. Consider setting a colour theme in your offi ce i.e., soft neutrals, pretty blushes or bold navys and look for stationery that complements.
Indoor plants – Indoor plants are one of our favourite styling props because they not only look beautiful but also offer a lot of positive health benefi ts – from helping to purify air to reducing stress and blood pressure. If you are lacking that green thumb, consider opting for low maintenance plants in your offi ce, such as ferns, succulents or cacti.
Candles – Candles create ambience, they transform an atmosphere through scent, changing the way we feel in space. Choose a scent that stimulates your mood; both Citrus and Cinnamon are perfect scents for your home offi ce space: • Citrus – Citrus smells are great for wakefulness and alertness and they're great to give people an energy boost. • Cinnamon – This scent can improve performance on high-focus work and is also linked to better memory.
Music – Music can play an important role in improving focus and productivity. Dust off your speakers and play your favourite Spotify tunes in the background to lift your mood.
What are you waiting for? Get creative and give your home offi ce the spruce up it deserves!
Stay Safe!
Jess & Ash xx
How to
Taking the first step is probably the hardest, because you just don’t know which is the best way to go.
Even if you’re not a first home buyer and have purchased a home before, you probably still lack confidence in knowing what to do – things will have changed since you last went to buy a house, your situation would be different, and you would be looking at the market from a different perspective with different needs.
So how do you know what’s the best way to buy a home? Is there a best way?
Hibbard Homes is so committed to Australians realising their dream of home ownership, we just encourage you to take A step. Any step is a step closer – but we also encourage you to align yourself with someone or a team that has good intentions toward you achieving your goal. Hibbards make purchasing a home easier than anywhere else by making the process simple, and we’ve been doing this for over 50 years.
There’s often a lot of confusion about where to start so people don’t actually make a start. With Hibbards, it all starts when you fill in the form online. Filling in the online form doesn’t mean you’re obligated to go further and it doesn’t mean you’re going to get a house, BUT what it does is it allows our team who are SO DEDICATED to helping people realise their dream of home ownership, to take a look at your situation to see if there is a way that you can become a home owner through Hibbards.
What do you need to qualify to buy a home?
If you have a good job with regular income and a clear credit history – that’s a great start! Everything else needs to be looked at case by case.
What’s included in our homes?
Everything you need! All you will need to do is turn the key and move in. We build the home so that you can walk straight in and make it your own. Neutral internal colour schemes. Our kitchens have stone benchtops, soft close drawers, dishwasher, and depending on the floorplan a walk-in pantry – but of course every one of our kitchens have a pantry. Ducted airconditioning, coloured driveways, tiled alfrescos are the latest additions to our standard inclusions.
How long does it take?
This is a question that is very much dependent on your situation. The actual building of one of our homes can take between 16-26 weeks, dependent on things like weather/floorplan/suppliers etc.
How long does it take for a client to be ready?
That is up to each individual’s situation. Some people are ready with their deposit, finance, everything and can purchase immediately. Others need to work on the finance, or savings etc – if they have the “affordability” but not quite the savings that are required they can go on one of our savings programs.
Sometimes we check out our client’s situation and we can't help them – they may have too much debt or need to earn more so they actually walk away from Hibbards at least knowing what it is in their situation that could be holding them back. More often than not these people come back in 8, 12 or 24 months and have worked so hard to pay off their debt or better their situation and then they find themselves in their own home just weeks later.
How do Hibbards help first home buyers?
First home buyers are very green when it comes to buying a home. Often filled with all
If you pay $400 a week rent over sorts of conflicting and 5 years that’s over confusing advice from $100,000 wasted! We friends, family and the have home buying internet. They may programs to assist have gone into a bank people that have affordability but li le savings to work and been knocked back or given more advice to add to the confusion. towards becoming a Simply filling in our homeowner. online application form is the first step toward knowing what it would take for them to work towards home ownership and if their affordability is ready right then or in the near future, we will hold their hand from there. Otherwise, they form a relationship with our team in their region and can check in any time – seriously, our guys LOVE that!!
Are you no longer a first home buyer?
Not many people have a great deal of experience in buying their own home, even if they have purchased before chances are it feels like a completely new experience again. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you planned and you’ve had to sell your home, you may need to up-size, down-size or for any other reason you’re no longer considered a First Home Buyer or eligible for any Government grants so it’s necessary to have a deposit in order to satisfy the financiers, but how much is enough?
We can help answer all your questions by looking into your current situation, just take a couple of minutes to fill in the Next Home Buyer form on our website and one of our experts will be able to give you a great indication of what your circumstances mean and what to expect.
Did you pay rent this week?
If you pay $400 a week rent over 5 years that’s over $100,000 wasted! We have home buying programs to assist people that have affordability but little savings to work towards becoming a homeowner.
Contact our team today – it’s the easiest first step you will take towards purchasing a home.
selling agenty. We simply wanted to get away from the stereotypical, dog-eat-dog image of real estate and create a model that focuses on what is important, the clients and homes we are selling or renting. Essentially, all agents have the same “tools”, but we feel it’s the approach, attitude and what you do that is the difference. For us, a great sale price or sold sticker is not enough. People come to HEM because of our proven track record, reputation for great service and results, but above all because we are good to deal with. We treat people how we want to be treated ourselves and that is the key to our philosophy of happy ever more.
DONT DELAY, NOW is really your BEST CHANCE TO BUY A HOME
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If you are one of the many that have been looking to buy a home in 2021, you will know just how diffi cult it can be. Our property market is experiencing one of the biggest booms in history, with rapid price rises and homes selling faster than ever. Sounds great, but it has presented a lot of challenges for buyers. The lack of supply, combined with sharp rises in demand from buyers coming from metropolitan areas, resulted in huge numbers at open homes and multiple offers being placed on properties. Offering the asking price is no longer a guarantee of securing a home, as in this competitive environment, sales often end up going well over reserve or advertised prices.
So for buyers, 2021 has been tough, and when you have missed out yet again to a higher bid or a cash purchaser, it can be disheartening.
But it appears the tides may have turned for local buyers. This latest latest lockdown has meant harsh restrictions on people’s movements. Luckily, the Real Estate industry is still able to operate, albeit under new rules, which means sales have continued to be very strong. But without open homes and buyers travelling from other areas, this terrible situation does, without doubt, in turn present the best opportunity for local people to buy.
At HEM, our advice to all local buyers is to get out there and look to buy NOW. If we have learnt anything from last time, it is that when lockdown fi nishes and we all open up again, we could expect another surge of buyers into our marketplace and more competition if you are looking to buy.
STUDIO
BY METRICON
METRICON TO OPEN A STATE-OF-THE-ART SELECTION CENTRE IN NEWCASTLE
Australia’s leading home builder, Metricon, is set to bring next level design, style, and innovation to Newcastle, when their brand-new customer selection centre – Studio M – opens later this year.
In a move to further support the growth of its home building business throughout the Hunter Valley, Metricon Homes will be opening a second NSW state of the art showroom, with the lease signed and fi t-out underway, for a planned late 2021 opening.
The 1000m2 space located in Hamilton is currently undergoing an extensive build program with Cunsolo Architects working closely with Metricon, to develop a contemporary and interactive interiors and exteriors showroom.
The amenity-rich customer experience facility represents a signifi cant investment in the Hunter region. The progressive customer selection centre will enable Metricon to deliver a seamless customer service experience with great levels of personalisation and customisation of homes.
The strategic location on Donald Street in Hamilton will prove to be a convenient access point for customers building in the burgeoning region.
Patrick Eather, Metricon’s General Manager, NSW said, “the Hunter region is Metricon’s second largest market in NSW and this move cements our commitment to customers building new homes throughout the area. We are creating a world class environment which is focused on a highly personalised experience that allows customers building with Metricon to step into the next generation of home building and customer service innovations right here in Newcastle.
“The innovative Studio M is designed to be very interactive for the visitor, while showing a wide range of possibilities and examples of interior and exterior products.
“Now, more than ever, home buyers crave access to interior design expertise. The Newcastle Studio M will offer a personal experience under one roof, with authoritative advice from our qualifi ed interior stylists.
“The fl oorplan design has allowed for a range of gallery and showcase spaces, but also for private retreat and breakout zones, for when refl ection and discussion might be required.
“We are also designing the space to be able to comfortably host a range of design and style inspiration events and educational seminars. The space really will be more than a showroom, it will be a true design and style inspiration hub,” concluded Mr Eather.
