Happy Holiday Homemaking - Seasons Greetings from the Cramer Team

Whether celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, the holidays or long summer days, it is a great time to give your home a touch (or a grand flourish) of festive season accessorising in the lead up to the silly season. Christmas decorations come in all incarnations, from the ridiculous to the sublime, so with some spare change or a full wallet, you can dress up your home in style.



There is nothing like the pine smell of a real Christmas tree so for setting the scene, nothing will beat it. The tree doesn’t have to be Times Square size, you can even get miniature versions of the real thing, so no matter how much space you have to work with, you can have your home smelling like Christmas in an instant. In the age of reusing and recycling, a small tree can be popped in a larger pot and placed on the balcony for use next year in a slightly taller form.



You don’t have to feel guilty if you opt for a faux Christmas tree. The range is extensive nowadays, so you will find the perfect faux tree to complement your style and existing home décor. Many faux trees are incredibly realistic, but keep in mind you that need to store them during the non-Christmas months if you want to look after the planet by reusing them each Christmas.

For a hark back to the old school days, crepe paper makes nostalgic decorative chains. Mix it up by using your favourite colours to complement the rest of your home. Get creative with a little water-colour on some card and transform them into a gorgeous string of cut-out angels or stars.



Tree ornaments can be gorgeous or garish. A great tradition to start is buying a few beautifully crafted new ornaments every year. They accumulate fast and if you have children, they will look forward to this and appreciate them much more than if you buy a whole house-full at once - quality over quantity at work!

 

Wreaths can be home made and are easier than you’d think. Since we have a hot Christmas, collect bits of driftwood, shells and leaves and glue them onto a hallow round circle of wood or wire (Bunnings will have something.) If you are time poor, wreaths are easily available to buy at all major stores and the choice is extensive.

For Hanukkah, blue, silver and gold are the colours to go with and candles for the menorah can go either in the family heirloom candelabra or be lined up in individual holders. You can create your own star of David or Hamsa shapes with the age-old art of stencilling. You'll need a cutting mat,  scalpel or craft knife, stencil paper and flat ended stencil brush which can be purchased from a craft store. Get your gelt (gold) in the form of chocolate coins, Australian coins or if you are as rich as Rockefeller, the real thing.



And if you just want to celebrate summer, create decorative displays using shells, driftwood and flowers galore. A few sculptural pieces of driftwood wrapped delicately in ivy, jasmine or bougainvillea will look glorious. And with so many flowers in season at the moment - even the Queen of all flowers, the Peony, is affordable now - uplift your home with floral displays.

Then top it all off with gorgeously scented candles to evoke holiday season vibes and further set the scene – Try Glasshouse’s Night Before Christmas or White Christmas. Now sit back, crack open a decent bottle of wine or your favourite craft beer and enjoy!

Wishing you the happiest and healthiest holidays from the Team @ Cramer.

ONCE IN A GENERATION ECONOMIC WINDFALL FOR NSW PROPERTY BUYERS

For decades, NSW stamp duty has been the bane of every property buyers’ existence, adding an unwelcome and excessive excess to the price of the property they are purchasing. This has especially affected would-be First Home Buyers, where stamp duty can be the factor that prevents them from getting on the property ladder. 

A new once-in-a-generation change to stamp duty and land tax laws mean people purchasing a home in NSW up to the value of $1,500,000 are able to opt for a radically smaller annual land tax payment instead of the crippling upfront lump-sum stamp duty. Although the legislation has not been completely signed off on, as of this weekend, if you purchase a property for $1,500,000 or less, you are eligible to get a stamp duty refund and pay the annual tax if you prefer. 

The NSW Treasury has projected that under the new program, if you purchase a property for $1,500,000, you would have a period of 63 years to reach the upfront stamp duty cost. The economic benefits are substantial when taking into consideration the average 7 years someone owns their property. It would take a further 58 years to reach the equivalent initial stamp duty figure of the existing payment system. 

Cramer Property have a number of outstanding properties for sale at $1,500,000 and under. And they have the additional benefit of being off-the plan, allowing you to better plan for your future. They are all impeccably designed by highly regarded developers with excellent track records and located within master planned developments in sought-after suburbs with great infrastructure and public transport systems.

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Spring fever – Time for giving your home a domestic detail!

There’s nothing like spring to motivate us to clean up our act on the domestic front. Depending on the state of your winter housekeeping, this will either seem like a very doable weekend activity or a task of monumental (and non-achievable) proportions. Either way, you can nail this. No matter how daunting, you can stay positive by thinking in baby steps.



However, if you feel like tackling this head on, get out your pen and paper and do a home-wide reconnaissance. Go from room to room, and take note of dusty shelves, desktops etc; grimy marks on walls, doors and cupboards; any mould on walls and ceilings; cluttered drawers, wardrobes and cupboards that need tidying; old dusty, fraying cushions and any sheets or towels that need replacing.



Don’t forget to look up high if you want to do an excellent job of this – think tops of doorframes and paintings, ceiling smears and don’t miss any wall and ceiling cobwebs or the upper areas of your kitchen. Seems like this is taking it just a tad too far? Well, wait until you get up there and see the build-up of grime on top of the cupboards and rangehood. You’ll want it gone, believe me. And don’t forget windows… clean windows make your house look so much better and have the added benefit of letting in more light.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Don’t panic, just do things methodically, in bite sized tasks to make it all more doable amid your busy schedule. And once you actually start to tick off this list, you will find that not only does your house begin to feel miraculously cleaner and clearer, but so does your head. So just tackle what you can, when you can.




If you don’t like to work alone, get help. Enlist the help of a friend by trading a yummy home cooked dinner for some elbow grease. Pump up the music and think of it as a workout. It’s amazing how much muscle you can build with hard labour around the house. Then if you can afford it, have your carpet steam cleaned and if you live high up, have professional cleaners come and clean the outside of your windows. You won’t believe the difference.



Finally have a reward in mind for the day you have your house spick and span again. Maybe an hour massage, movie and dinner, deluxe mani-pedi – or for those with higher expectations and a bigger budget – a day spa or weekend away. Whatever it is, after your hard work you’ll be able to look forward to some well-deserved R&R and then return to your pristine home to greet spring head on.

And if your home is looking so good that you think it may finally be time to sell, don’t hesitate to contact us for an obligation-free appraisal of your home’s worth. With our decade’s of experience and highly competitive sales outcomes, Cramer will market and sell your home with the utmost of creativity and professionalism.

Contact Emma Chappell today:

Emma Chappell

Head of Sales & Marketing

Tel 02 8302 1500
Mob: 0404 769 509

INVESTOR ALERT! There's no time like the present to invest in an apartment

Whether you are considering purchasing your first property, or increasing your existing property portfolio, now could be the perfect time to take action. Sydney’s apartment market is remaining strong and outperforming houses for the first time in three years. And return on investment is soaring with rental prices rising fast.

Putting your money into apartment projects is smart thinking according to many renowned commentators. Murray Katz of LogiX Financial Services reports “There are certainly opportunities in this market for apartment investors. Rental yields are slowly coming back after being depressed for quite a while, and the tax benefits are more advantageous. As an asset class, they’ll probably be more on the rise than before and, of course, they’ve always been more affordable than houses.”



Additionally, demand is vastly outweighing supply in the Sydney rental market. According to a recent article from ABC news, “Sydney has become a landlord’s market and renters are paying the price.” With demand being so high and supply being so low, it is not uncommon to have 30 applications for the same property. Interested renters who are able are regularly offering above the listing price to secure a property. And with a 1% vacancy rate, the only properties on the market are snapped up almost as fast as they hit the books, as we are experiencing firsthand in Cramer's Property Management division.

There is a housing crisis predicted for Australia in the very near future, with immigration resuming next year and more and more international students already coming onto our shores. Additionally, many people who made a regional move with the covid-induced rise in working from home, are finding that their workplaces want them back in situ or the regional lifestyle is not what they have hoped for. We predict these people will be returning to Sydney in droves. 

In terms of asset value, there is still a big gap between apartments and houses, so apartments still offer better value for investors with far less investment outlay on purchase. And if you look for the property fundamentals of great location, excellent project facilities, great access to transport and a developer with a stellar track record, you will have a blue chip property that will ensure continuing demand and great long term capital gain. 

Cramer have a number of outstanding apartments for sale that fit the bill. Call the Cramer team today to find out more.

Why Redfern is fast becoming Sydney’s place to be

 

With its chequered past, Redfern can easily be overlooked in terms of Sydney’s places to explore. But come for a day and you will quickly become a Redfern convert, won over by this eclectic suburb’s individuality, thriving culture, bespoke boutiques and outstanding bar, restaurant and café scene.



Feel like a delectable bite to eat? Try Three Williams, Scouts Honour, Little Evie, Henry Lees and Bean and Berry for the quintessential café experience; indigenous-owned Tin Humpy for house-made pastries and hearty breaky bowls; Flyover Fritterie - Sydney’s first vegan fritterie and chai bar; and vibrant Vietnamese at Yellow Fever.

 

  

Explore the globe at these unforgettable restaurants - remarkable ramen at RaRa, La Grillade and Bistro St Jacques for French, Ron’s Upstairs for cool Mediterranean, La Coppola for pizza, Kepos & Co for marvellous Middle Eastern and Juan Bowl and Tea for Japanese. Then wrap it up with a sensational sweet treat head to Ciccone And Sons, where you can step back into the 50s and enjoy exquisite homemade fresh gelato.



For the best bar scene outside of London, go on the ultimate pub crawl from Bart Jnr, Arcadia Liquors, the eccentrically names Bearded Tit, Atomic Beer Project Brewery, The Dock, Hustle and Flow Bar, Noble Hops Bar, Misfits and the super cool DD’s cocktail and dining room out the back of The Sunshine Inn. And if you have a taste for gin, don’t miss Moya’s Juniper Lounge.

Stock up on gorgeous homewares at the DEA store, where you will find Japanese influenced earthenware to beautify your table and ceramics from Tom Dixon.

 

And if you are a fan of mid-century furniture, head to Rudi Rocket for super cool vintage pieces, then make your way to the gargantuan Mitchell Road Antiques for the best antique store in Sydney. Or for something utterly different, head to Redfern Convenience Store – “The Greatest Convenience Store on Earth.”

 

For exemplary art, check out the Vandal Gallery, showcasing some of the best emerging contemporary artists in Australia. 

Then pop across to 107 Projects, a cool not-for-profit community art space that’s home to loads of events, exhibitions and workshops. Then be blown away at Carriageworks, a multi arts precinct that offers weekly farmers’ markets, festivals, fashion shows and global art exhibitions. Finally head to the Aboriginal and Pacific Art Gallery for glorious indigenous paintings and sculpture.

 

Want some quality threads at a fraction of the cost, pop over to nearby Assembly Label Surplus Store. Then for an old school barber experience, visit Tommy J Barber. For all things Zen, head to Humming Puppy, a New York loft-style yoga studio. For the place that was voted Best New Independent Gym, get fit at Lift Performance Centre. Follow up with a dip at the outdoor heated Prince Alfred Park Pool, where you’ll also find basketball and tennis courts and outdoor fitness equipment.

And if you are so impressed you’d like to make the move on a permanent basis, check out our exquisite apartments on the verge of Redfern at Surry Hills Village.

The realities of inflation, interest rates and how best to ride economic waves

As 2022 has unfolded, we have all seen the headlines regarding Australia’s inflation rate and many of us listen to the RBA’s periodic announcements with bated breath. Almost every Australian is feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living as the consumer price index soars. Accustomed as we were to the historically low interest rates, we’ve responded with everything from reservation to alarm as we’ve witnessed three consecutive rate hikes in the RBA’s efforts to curb inflationary pressure.

But what we are not remembering is that an official cash rate of 1.85% is still ridiculously low from a historical perspective. Some of us have been around long enough to remember the rates of the early 1990s, where we paid home loan interest in the high teens. And inflation and mortgage rates have continued to fluctuate all the years before and after this time.

Most of us have a decent idea of what has caused inflation to soar and much of the blame can be squarely laid on the Covid-19 pandemic. This, along with the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and the ongoing rain and flooding throughout Australia have conspired to wreak havoc with supply chain issues, and where there is heightened demand and under supply, inflation is sure to occur.

In response to the sudden inflationary pressures, the RBA has reacted quickly with its most aggressive tightening cycle in history. And whether we like it or not, lifting the cash rate to bring inflation down to its 2-3% target band is the most responsible course of action.

So what can we do to lighten the load of the increasing cost of living? Where home loans are concerned, your best bet is to shop around. Arm yourself with the knowledge of which lending house is offering the best rates out there and call your bank. Never be afraid to pick up the phone and negotiate as invariably your bank will come to the party and offer you a better deal if they think they are about to lose your business.

Be in it for the long game. As most mortgages are 25 to 30 years, much can happen to rates over this time frame. Future proof by locking in a rate that will prevent you from losing sleep every time the RBA is about to make an announcement. And remember that the flip side of inflation is that the economy is growing and people are spending. The trick is to keep any interest rate rises on the slow and steady path, which is exactly why the RBA is acting to curb any further rapid increases.

Toga Awarded Very High ICert Rating By Independent Government Backed Body

Cramer Property is excited to announce that TOGA, developers of Surry Hills Village and Wicks Place, has just been awarded an outstanding 4.5 star rating under the Independent Construction Industry Tool (iCIRT). This exceptional ranking is testament to TOGA’s reputation as one of Australia’s most experienced and trusted fully integrated property developers. 

iCIRT uses a five-star system to rate builders and developers on their capability to deliver apartment buildings, which must meet the minimum average of three out of five stars or above to be deemed "trustworthy".

TOGA’s 4.5 star rating is a testament to TOGA’s reputation as one of Australia’s most experienced and trusted fully integrated property developers.

 

Generally speaking, purchasing a home is likely the biggest single financial investment we will make in our lives. And when buying off-the-plan, we have previously only had a glamourous display suite and brochure to reflect the property we will be acquiring. But now with this new independent rating system, iCERT in place, we are able to far more accurately see the developer’s credentials. And this is doubly so, as since the system started a year ago and is at present voluntary, you can be sure that any developer who puts themselves forward for this type of rigorous independent assessment has great confidence in their ability to deliver exemplary properties with integrity. 

For many of us, these rating systems can seem unimportant but once we understand exactly what is being rated, by whom and why, we can see that an iCERT rating is an excellent reference for homebuyers when choosing an off-the-plan property. This rating helps purchasers identify developers who have outstanding credentials through an unbiased and independent assessment. Any developer who scores above 3 stars is deemed trustworthy and the higher the score, the more this adds to their credentials and abilities. And a high rating allows a purchaser to buy with full confidence and transparency. 

This independent construction industry ratings tool has been created by data analytics house, Equifax, backed by the NSW Government. Equifax meticulously analyse each developer’s full financial and development history prior to awarding the accreditation. 

The system works by drawing on thousands of rating points endorsed by NSW Fair Trading including the following:

• developer’s credit ratings

• the relationships between development counterparties

• the entity’s history in corporate dealings

• history of the nominated directors

• Additional objective evidence to reflect the developer’s capability to deliver good quality buildings

Given that TOGA has scored an enviable 4.5 star rating, purchasers can have full confidence that their developments reach a significantly high level of quality and integrity across the board.

Why Rental Prices Are Rising So Fast

If you are looking for a property to rent at present, you will be confronted by a lack of stock and rapidly rising prices. Conversely, if you own an investment property, it is becoming more and more of a landlord’s market, and you will be seeing your return-on-investment flourish. 

So, what are the chief causes of rising rent? Primarily, supply is outweighing demand. A considerable number of would-be first home buyers have been priced out of the market recently and heavily affected by the rising interest rates. And sadly in some cases homeowners who locked in a property at the historically low interest rates, are no longer comfortably able to service that loan, inducing them to rent until interest rates stabilise.

Airbnb listings as proportion of rental dwellings in Sydney Photo: supplied

Another factor contributing to the short supply of rental properties is the Airbnb effect that has attracted many long-term rental properties to transition to short term rentals. Although the increased maintenance required to sustain an Airbnb property is not attractive to all investors, there are still enough out there who have withdrawn their long-term rentals, creating an even greater shortage in supply. 

Add to this, the number of homes that were purchased by first home buyers (see previous blog here) over the last ten years, assisted by increasing state and federal government incentives, has left the rental market under even more pressure from a supply perspective.


There has also been a resurgence of international travellers and students who want to live medium term in Australia. Many wealthy parents of international students are once again seeking high quality rental properties in areas that are well connected transport wise, have multiple local amenities and are reasonably close to universities placing further strain on supply (see previous blog here).

Finally, with the escalating prices of the Sydney real estate market across recent years, many landlords chose to sell their rental properties to homebuyers, and capitalise on the record high property prices, further draining the market of rental property. 

All these factors combined have affected the market considerably, meaning that what is out there now is snapped up quicker than ever due to high demand and scarcity of product. However, if you are an existing investor, looking to invest in your first rental property or add to your existing property portfolio, things are looking pretty darn good. 

Cramer have a large selection of apartments that each bear the ideal investment property fundamentals – incredible location in some of Sydney’s most popular suburbs, award-winning architects, impeccable design, premium build quality aimed at longevity, fabulous finishes, great development facilities and some of the best restaurants, cafes, bars and boutique shopping in Sydney. See below for intrinsically rentable apartments…

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