r/AusProperty

Seeking opinions.

In need of some advice and feel this group would have those with the most experience in this matter, I am based in Victoria.
I am not after legal advice; just wanting to hear from those who have been in similar/ the same situation.
We placed an offer on a brand new house (FHB) subject to finance and building and pest
Upon receiving our building and pest report it was absolutely terrible. It is clear the house was thrown together hastily and without care. There were 2 things classed as ‘major building defects’
One was that the building is clad in EPF; being as we are not builders we did not notice this. We do not want to buy a house with this, it does not feel safe in the slightest and means terribly high house insurance (2300 in comparison to a house of the same size and area being 1000)
The second was exposed wiring on the outside of the property handing down which we honestly did not notice on our own.
As soon as we received it back we initiated cancellation of the contract through our conveyancer.
We just heard back today at 5pm that the vendors legal team has declined the cancellation due to the wording of the building and pest clause stating that as it is not classed as a ‘major structural defect’ then it is fine.
There were also many many other defects like lack of waterproofing being completed properly etc.
Our finance and building/ pest clause expires on Monday.
We feel as though it is incredibly dodgy and immoral to try and force a young couple into buying a house that is a substantial financial risk.
Our conveyancer is trying their best I think
What would you do?

Hi everyone! Im a 23F, working as an RN, making $100k annually and have 110K in savings. I need to move out of my parent’s home due to significant issues amongst the family I need to get away from. They do not support my decision and get verbally and physically aggressive and threatening when I bring up. They are also psychologically manipulative and say things that make me guilty about moving out.

I hope to buy my first home early next year. I will be buying this home alone with no support from anyone. I have no kids or pets. My only financial costs at present are groceries, gym membership, subscriptions, bills, and other essentials like clothes or entertainment like books which I get from op shops.

I’m looking to buy within 50km of the Melbourne CBD as I work in the CBD and my social network is around the area. However, I’m conflicted on whether I should buy or rent.

I have hopes to move interstate within the next 5 years because I want to pursue a specific career opportunity- but this is not guaranteed- meaning I may never move interstate. That’s one of the reasons why I want to buy instead of rent because I may indeed stay in Melbourne.

I’m hesitant about renting because I have the mindset (whether good or bad) that I’m ’losing money’ by renting.

The reason I’m posting this here is to get any advice from those who had a difficult time moving out of home and whether it’s more responsible to rent right now and save for a possible move interstate? Could it be a financially damaging thing to buy and sell a home in 1-2yrs? Do you think I’m in a good place financially to consider buying? I really want to leave my parents home but also know staying at home means less costs and more savings.

What are your thoughts? Any input is much appreciated! 🫶

I recently purchased a new multi-level attached house. I’m not sure whether it would technically be classified as a townhouse, but it is classified as a house. It’s a luxury inner-city build constructed in 2021.

I can’t hear any voices, music, or other typical household noises. However, I constantly hear heavy footsteps and running upstairs from the neighbouring properties. The noises that affect me the most come from the master suite, where I hear loud thuds and what sounds like someone running up the stairs. It’s almost as though someone is throwing heavy objects onto the floor or bouncing balls against my walls. The constant thudding and banging wake me up in a panic every morning, and it’s becoming very difficult to deal with.

The noise occurs almost nonstop between 6 am and 11 am every morning. Sometimes, it genuinely feels as though someone is inside my house running up the stairs, which causes me to panic.

These are the only types of noises I can hear. I can’t hear conversations, televisions, music, or voices. The master bedroom is on the top level of the house, but I can hear the noises on every level. The bedroom is by far the most disruptive because I can’t rest without being jolted awake.

The property is managed by a body corporate, if that makes any difference. I’m not about to complain to the neighbours, as they could simply be going about their normal daily lives. However, I still want to understand why the noise is so disruptive.

I find it hard to believe that someone could be making noises this loud through normal daily activities. I suspect the walls or structure of the building may be amplifying the sound. My friend thinks the neighbours are simply being too loud, but I find that difficult to believe because I can’t hear any voices or other typical signs of people being loud.

Hi
I heard somewhere that there was a shop which was like an opshop but for hardware, in Melbourne- if this is real can anyone tell me where it is? Thank you

Solved! I found the post I had seen - it was restore opshop in Kilsyth which has hardware and tools - it is among the other regular opshop items so not an entire store, the post made it sound like an opshop version of Bunnings

The prediction is interesting as most houses have already dropped more than $100k. Come January I think this will be around $300k drop on average. This is good news for those trying to buy a family home.

First home buyer, single income, looking to build a 4-bed in Adelaide's northern suburbs with up to $700k for land and build combined.

I've narrowed it to Angle Vale vs Munno Para (open to other northern suburbs).

If you've built or bought in either — which would you pick and why? Keen to hear about the commute, the estates, and anything you'd do differently.

Thanks!

Asking all body corp property owners - how did your committee deal with large special levey? How did owners react? Did you have an influx of owners selling?

Anything you learnt in hindsight?

The levy is the same cost as all body corp fees, effectively doubling the yearly cost for all owners :(

I'm on the committee. We have a $4 million project quoted for major building repairs. The works HAVE to be done. We've had financial advice. Builder's advice. A tender process. Town halls. The works.

New figures show 102,594 first home buyers have used the government’s 5% deposit scheme over the last year after the Labor government expanded the initiative.

One in two first home buyers nationally are now using the scheme to get into the market. Government figures estimate the policy has saved Australians more than $2.5bn in lenders mortgage insurance in total, with about $1.4bn of that saved in the last 12 months.

99% of buyers are ahead or on track with repayments.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said in a statement:

>This scheme is helping Australians, particularly young Australians, get their foot in the door and achieve the dream of home ownership. When it comes to housing challenges, we’re tackling it from every angle – making it easier for first home buyers, boosting supply and helping renters get a better deal.

This gets asked a lot, so here are the actual numbers we work with. They're indicative ranges based on Rawlinsons and RLB 2026 benchmarks, not a quote.

All-in (4-bed, double storey): roughly $560k–$1.1M+

https://preview.redd.it/kc59922ahysh1.jpg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c60ad6281817dcf7ef7aa0d3ac280f442b5abfc

https://preview.redd.it/2zgpp6y2hysh1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=f3227e9273b683ad5ff84c9441a4d64b89439695

Demolition:

Structure only: ~$12k–$28k for a typical home

Asbestos: +$2.5k–$8k if it's limited to eaves or bathrooms, $15k–$25k+ if it's throughout (very common pre-1990)

Service disconnections: +$3k–$6k

Construction per m²:

Project-home spec: $2,000–$2,400

Custom mid-range: $2,600–$3,500

Architectural/premium: $3,800–$4,300+

External works (driveway, landscaping, fencing): +$25k–$70k

Things that blow budgets:

Council contributions (s7.11/7.12): anywhere from a few thousand to $30k+, and often silently excluded from "all-in" quotes

Reactive soil: +$10k–$40k

Slope/retaining: +$20k–$70k

Rock excavation: +$15k–$50k

DA vs CDC: a DA takes longer, which means more months of rent (often $8k–$16k extra)

My single best tip: read the exclusions schedule line by line. If a builder can't tell you clearly whether council contributions are included, assume they're not.

Anyone done a KDR recently? What was your biggest surprise cost?

(I'm with MNA Construction in Sydney. Happy to answer general questions in the comments.)