New Home Buyers Blog

Sustainability and knock down rebuild go hand in hand due to the new sustainability standard in the new home.  Water is a key area of saving with the Wels ratings system controlling water flow and ultimately saving water. The Average Australian homes uses 200,000 litres a year and with the new Wels system new homes use 110,000 litres which is approximately a 45% reduction in usage.  Larger savings can be made with the use of a plumbed to service water
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By renovating an old home that has little or no energy efficiency and replacing it with a minimum 6 star rating new home makes sense.  Not only is the environment the winner but the new home owner can save money on energy costs and have peace of mind their new home is having a lower impact on the environment. 
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Monday 8th September was the start of the Stockland spring campaign. Berstan Homes have home and land packages in the campaign with all Lots covered with prices starting at $295k up to the popular Berstan Homes Astoria32 package being $550k.  All packages are including a full turnkey solution and of course a quality build all our clients have come to expect from Berstan Homes.
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Over the weekend I met up with a couple wanting to do a knock down rebuild in Coburg. The couple had purchased a property in Coburg that had a proposed planning permit for the construction of three units.Instead of going down this path and constructing the units the couple have decided to knock down the old house and rebuild an Astoria32 with a few custom design alterations to suit their family needs.  The meeting was held at a Berstan Homes
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Could be affected by the budget due to lack of confidence in the market by new home buyers. A lack of confidence is creating uncertain times for investors and new home buyers alike. Once people realize the budget will probably be blocked in the senate confidence will soon be restored.
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We have been seeing strong enquiry of late from clients interested in costings for knock down rebuilds in Templestowe and Templestowe Lower lately. With so many residents getting to retirement age in the area it is little wonder they want to cash in their land investment and down size.  With average price for townhouse around $800k plus for 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car townhouses a knock down rebuild is proving to be a real solution heading into retirement. 
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When looking for a new home as an investment property the key train of thought should on facilities. What is located close to the new home or what will be coming to the area in close proximity to that new home?
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The best way to capitalize on your land and reap the benefits. By utilizing your existing land and building several new homes is an ideal way of making money by selling the new homes or renting them out for a passive income for your retirement or investment. A knock down rebuild is a relatively simple process if you engage the right building company for the project. The company you require for this process is not only a builder but a
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Berstan Homes is now selling and installing Bamboo flooring to nearly 40% of all new homes built. It has been a great success since Berstan Homes has introduced the Bamboo flooring range as a selection choice. 
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My wife and I Just want to say a special thanks for your patience and commitment to us as we waited for our house to sell in Epping and for your expertise and willingness to design and build a home using our ideas. The whole building experience with Mark and Paul was effortless, our home is just what we both wanted and we would highly recommend Berstan Homes to our friends and family. Regards Alex & Veronica P. Mernda
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Problem solving with knock down rebuild in Mitcham. Interesting problem with some of our clients in Mitcham the old home was situated on Whitehorse Road and the traffic noise was driving my clients mad. They have been looking for a suitable property with their chosen area of Mitcham but have been unsuccessful.  The homes are either too small or of poor design so problem being what to do. The answer was a knock down rebuild in Mitcham their chosen suburb. With
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Buying a new home off the plan means you purchase a property without the home building component being in place. This concept is not new but there are many advantages. Large savings in stamp duty because you only pay tax on the land component not the home building. Depending on the home building company chosen you could have varying amounts of input into the selection of the homes interior. Your new homes facade input is not always possible due to
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Retirement living shouldn't be hard and finding a suitable home at an affordable price is not a challenge with Berstan Homes. We have homes for sale under $300k and are located in the best estates available with all properties under 30km from the CBD Melbourne.  Our homes feature low maintenance gardens, easy use kitchens, secure garage parking and low maintenance floor coverings. Another great feature is the rear decking for those days in the sun reading a good book in
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Mr and Mrs W came to see me with a common scenario. An old home in Blackburn purchased in the 1980's at a very low price considering today’s prices. Their problem is they are looking to retire and the home requires major repairs including re-stumping.  The land size is 750m/2 and is situated on a side street with town houses already constructed in the same street. My advice was to knock down the old and rebuild two new town houses.
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Berstan Homes and Stockland are pleased to announce another release of our special price packages at the Eucalypt Estate in Wollert.  There are a limited number available each year and this year is no exception with just 8 properties being released. With 3 of the properties already sold we are not expecting them to be around long. A quality build and value for money are the main factors with this product and by having a complete turnkey price of $285
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We are currently quoting many knock down rebuilds in the Box Hill area. Most lots are of good size and suitable for knock down rebuilds. The council for the Box Hill area is Whitehorse and they are very helpful with the many applications being submitted.  With Box Hill offering everything from Hospitals to schools and shopping centres a plenty it is little wonder so many people are wanting to call Box Hill home with a knock down rebuild being a
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Berstan Homes and Stockland have combined again in releasing another group of affordable home and land packages on White Bark Street in the Eucalypt estate.  The last release of eight packages sold out in 4 weeks so we expect the release to sell out quickly. The new home Epping market is very strong at the moment with most estates struggling to keep up with soon to title stock. Eucalypt estate in Epping/Wollert is a master planned community with magnificent parkland
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A transport forum will be held at the Mernda Activity centre on Sunday September 28th from 2 pm until 4:30. All residents living with the affected areas of Whittlesea should attend, as a show of strength to send a clear message to the State Government that we really need the rail line extended to Mernda. Find out more details here.
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Greens candidate Daniel Sacchero first to support the access denied campaign by announcing the Greens will start working on the rail network to Mernda as soon as possible after the election. The postcard part of the Access denied campaign has now hit a huge 6500 and still plenty of time to go until the election. Berstan Homes strongly supports the Access denied campaign and are looking forward to the major parties committing to the construction of the rail service.
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Mr and Mrs D came to me last week looking for a knock down rebuild price on their land 860m/2 and a corner lot.  We discussed the possibility of constructing two town houses and the costs associated. Demolition came in at $14k and the construction for two 25 square homes around $650k they were very interested. We are currently designing the two town homes with an intention of lodging a planning application to the Manningham council in six week time. 
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 Mernda Villages is entering their 8th year and sales are stronger than ever with Mernda Villages currently selling over 20 lots per month. The first residence moved into Mernda Villages in 2007 and there have been some massive changes since then. The construction of the town centre with Woolworths and 20 speciality shops with plenty of free parking. One of the stand out features of the shopping centre is the ability to park so close to the shops unlike many
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Kallo at Mickleham/Donnybrook is a boutique estate offering over 730 home sites.    As the estate grows there will be schools, maternal child health services, town centre incorporating shopping centres and speciality shops. There are also 5 hectares of football ovals and sporting facilities 22 Hectares of parklands surrounding the Merri Creek. One main feature of the Kallo estate is the close proximity of the train station being only 10 minute walk and a 35 minute ride to the CBD. 
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What a broad item to discuss, many younger clients come to us with ideas of buying properties well beyond their means and this can lead to many problems. Most want their big dream home first off without really being able to afford it so the finance is tailored to suit their payment capabilities at the moment.  All people know that circumstances can change so quickly from there being a duel income to a single income overnight. I suggest to my
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Interest rates are at all-time lows and now are the time to take advantage and lock in a good rate. Buying an investment property is a great way to grow personal wealth and save on your tax.  Buying a new home is also a great way to save on stamp duty because when building a new home you only pay stamp duty on the land.
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A client of mine contacted me yesterday with a problem; he and his wife are looking at travelling around many sites in this great country of ours in a caravan. Fantastic ideas however they have no where to store their caravan at their present property when they are not touring.  They own their home in an inner Melbourne suburb and have it on the market and are looking are releasing some equity. Their plan is to purchase a new home
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Berstan Homes is currently working on a knock down rebuild in Templestowe. The project has involved the demolition of a 1970's home and the replacement with a French provincial home by Berstan Homes known as the Florence51.  A stunningly designed home from the grand entrance with wrought iron balustrade staircase to the grand master bedroom and traditional European ensuite. Some of the other features are formal dining, formal lounge, theatre room, open plan living, cellar, guest bedroom with ensuite and
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Several new estates by Stockland have been spoken of and the stand out is Lockerbie. A 1125 hectare estate with an expected 11,500 home sites. A massive project spanning over 30 years and is located only 35 km from Melbourne'S CBD. A little history about Lockerbie the property was once owned by Ernie Burgess, a family furniture manufacturer from Melbourne. Ernie owned several rural holdings with Lockerbie just being one of many.  I first came across Ernie in the late
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After a huge success of the small lot campaign, Berstan & Stockland have combined again to offer more lot packages in the North. With strong demand of these value packages in the Eucalypt estate Wollert and the Mernda Villages estate Mernda we have now decided to add the small lot packages into the Highlands estate Craigieburn.  The packages are offered at under $300k and are suitable for a mixture of clients from first home buyers to down sizes or singles.
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As our population gets older, people are looking for housing solution for the older members of their family and duel occupancy is definitely an option worth considering.  A client came to me some 12 months ago with a common situation my client's mother was living in a large home and maintenance of the home was becoming an increasing problem at her age. The home was a double story and way too large for a single person and the stairs were
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Berstan and Stockland are currently offering single deposit and no more pay until complete investment packages in the many leading Stockland estates across the Northern growth corridor. The estates that are participating are Mernda Villages Mernda, Eucalypt estate Wollert and the Highlands estate Craigieburn the packages range from $399k to $400k and offer a complete turnkey investment solution.  The quality build of the packages and the location of the estates will lead to strong growth in the years to come.
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