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Starting 2022 making a difference to our planet! Here are some small, yet important ways you can make your home more sustainable.

Easy ways to upgrade your home.

Towards the end of last year, there were an array of new incentives for homebuyers announced by both the state and federal governments, including the extension of the Homebuilder Grant and the introduction of Stamp Duty Savings.

If you’ve been considering building a new home by now you will have heard about the Federal Government Home Builder Scheme or Grant. Homebuilder is intended to bolster the property market and construction industry due to the COVID 19 pandemic by offering a $25,000 cash incentive from the government towards building a new home.

Let’s look at some simple ideas that can have you feeling proud as punch of your new home.

After days, weeks and possibly months of dreaming about a new home, you finally make the decision to take the plunge and reach for that goal of purchasing land to build your dream home! Emotions and excitement are running high and within seconds those same emotions can plummet into a sinking feeling of fear. The questions start spinning in your head, how do you buy land, where, what & who do I need to speak with??

Did you know Warralily has been designed to ensure the best possible access to the surrounding amenities? We can be at Bancoora Beach in 7 minutes, Geelong City in 10 minutes, and in Melbourne in 1 hour. BUT… it’s what’s within our community that we are excited about! From the Surf Coast Highway right through to Barwon Heads Road our 380-hectare greenfield site is packed with hidden gems to discover.

Did you know to live a comfortable retirement as a couple you will need to have $640,000 in combined super. I use the term comfortable because that is the terminology the Association of Super Funds use. 

Coles, Gyms and food, oh my!
Some seriously exciting progress has been made at the Armstrong Creek Town Centre on Surf Coast Highway that neighbours Warralily Coast and Grange!

The Winter months are upon us and combined with the last eight weeks of travel restrictions you’re probably spending more time at home looking around at how you can improve your lifestyle. It’s as good a time as any to practice some new habits and we think that Sustainable Living is a great place to start.

Enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits by bringing the outdoors in.  
For many staying at home, this has been the perfect time to tick off those home improvement jobs on the to do list, with the focus being outside the home. With the days getting shorter and cooler there’s no denying that winter is coming. The cooler weather will mean more time inside. Take this time to really to enjoy your home and perhaps look to make some decorating updates and improvements.

For the past three years Warralily and Flora Victoria have been cultivating and harvesting native grass seeds from our very own conservation reserves to restore the native vegetation in our neighbourhood.

With all of us at home social distancing, a lot of households are embarking on home improvement projects including new ways to improve your garden. One of the best and easiest ways to improve the quality of your soil and ultimately the heath of your plants is through compost. 

With the school holidays in Victoria “officially” coming to a close on the 14^th April , it will only be a matter of time until the new term begins, and despite the Victorian Government advising schools will be reopening in some capacity, remote online learning will become the new normal for families.   To assist parents with navigating these unchartered waters here are some tips to make sure that you and your child is prepared and ready to learn in their new home classroom.

The First Homeowners Scheme is an initiative run by the government aimed at getting first homeowners into the property market sooner. From 1^st January 2020 the government launched an initiative offering 10,000 low deposit loans for eligible applicants.

“I’m not sure it’s the right time to buy, I hear interest rates will come down more”
“The economy isn’t going so great, so I might wait”
“Garry at work said it was a terrible idea to buy property, bit coin was the way to go…”
“We are going to go overseas and will use our deposit to pay for the trip; I mean property isn’t going anywhere is it?”

Saving for your first home can feel overwhelming, but it is achievable goal.  Follow these steps and you will find yourself in a position to own your first home quicker than you think.

It seems activities involving gardening and sustainable living have become essential to our community culture. Over the years, Warralilian’s have naturally connected through communal gardening activities, holding regular clean up days in conservation spaces and park lands, celebrating the indigenous flora and fauna of our wetlands at events or volunteering at nearby community gardens.

Thousands more people will spend their tourism dollars in the Geelong and Great Ocean Road regions thanks to an agreement between the Federal and State Government that unlocks the region’s visitor economy.
The $355 million Geelong City Deal is a ten-year partnership to revitalise the city and the broader regional economy.

The house keys are finally dropped into your hands and the house is yours!  Move in day is just around the corner. Your dream home is ready to be decorated with your personal touches, new furniture, and special photos.

A common question we get when we are assisting first home buyers who are just starting the process. Where do you start? Do you buy the land first, get pre-approval from a bank, choose a builder etc?

Chocolate Mud, Lemon Butter…..mmm Red Velvet!!!!   
You would be forgiven if you started licking your lips when walking around the Warralily Estate and you get a ‘wiff’ of these aromas.  In fact, you have stumbled on the location of a home based business called Warralily Cakes. 

So, you have chosen your little patch of dirt, now it’s time to choose the house and more pertinent to this blog, it’s time to choose your builder.
This decision can be a challenging one as you certainly won’t lack for options in what is a very competitive market place. Depending on budget you could pick from over two dozen builders display homes at Warralily and in the Greater Geelong region. 

The modern world is fast paced and high speed broadband has paved the way for users to adapt to and compliment it. Infrastructure such as the fibre optic network is transforming the way we live. Some things that barely seemed feasible even a decade ago are now becoming cultural norms as we take advantage of modern technology. When you purchase a recently constructed land allotment and a brand new house at Warralily it only seems fair that your awesome new internet connection will be up to *20 times faster than your previous ADSL connection.

The phone rings and you hear those magic words you have been waiting for ‘your land has titled!’ As excitement builds, it is natural to focus on the construction of your future home, colours, and interiors. It is also the perfect time to start designing the landscape for your front yard for submission.  The Warralily Design and Siting Guidelines do provide the information required to submit your landscape plan, but it is always best to use the landscape guidelines which were provided in your contract. So, you might ask how do I begin?

We all know that time old saying ‘A man’s home is his castle’ With Interest rates at record lows,  many mortgages cost less than rent. Rent money is now truly dead money!. With new home ownership filled with inducements and appeal, let’s have a look at first home buyers’ entitlements, so that those looking to open the door on their first home, can have that door blown off its hinges

One reason people dream about owning their own home is the opportunity to create their own sanctuary - and your home office should be no different. This is the place where late-night emails are written, bills are paid and schedules are organised, so it’s a good idea to make sure spending time here is as enjoyable as possible. 

When it comes to cleaning your home, sometimes all-natural is the best way to go - whether you’re a keen greenie, or you’d like to protect your family and pets from nasty chemicals. Luckily, nature has quite a few tricks up her sleeve, most of which are simple household items!