Do I organise connections myself?
We can take care of this for you. Aston Rose Real Estate has partnered with connectnow to help our tenants enjoy a quicker and easier moving process.
This extends to connections for electricity, gas, internet, phone, pay TV and much more. It also includes moving services, discounted car, truck and van hire and quotes for cleaning and handyman services.
Becoming a tenant
1. Find your property online
Don’t underestimate the importance of choosing the right property, because the wrong one could ruin your renting experience. Simply Search your property on our website for properties located in your preferred areas.
You can also narrow your search by pricing, suburb, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, or number of car spaces.
Once you’ve shortened your list to a handful of properties, you can start comparing the ones that fulfil your needs, and pick your favourites to take a closer look at.
The next step is arranging your inspections.
2. Attend an inspection
Arrive on time to the inspection and keep a sharp eye as you look around. It’s important that you know a home has all the features you need before you apply to live in it.
3. Submit your application
Once you’ve found and inspected a property that you love, the next thing you need to do is put in your application.
ou’ll need to provide the following crucial information:
- Basic personal details
- Details of your current and previous addresses
- Next of kin contact details
- Personal and professional references
- Details of rental history
- 100 points of identification – for example, your driver’s license, passport, birth certificate, or bank statement
- Employment details or proof of income
- Any other documents requested by the property manager
Sending through your application is easy. You can do it online or in person at the property inspection, or email us admin@[email protected].
4. Accept the lease
After you find out that you’ve been approved for the tenancy, you’ll need to come in and sign the lease within 24-48 hours so that we can cease advertising the property.
5. Make your new home liveable
Your lease will have a start date, but it’s your responsibility to ensure that you connect power, gas, phone, internet, and any other service you need before you move in.
We can make this easy for you. If you’ve indicated on your application that you’d like us to arrange connections on your behalf, we can do this with connectnow – and we’ll organise your basic utilities free of charge.
You will have been provided with a property condition report in your lease pack. You’ll need to fill this in, sign it, and return it to us within the first week of your tenancy. If this isn’t returned, the original inspection will be used for end of tenancy comparison.
When buying a new home, what upgrades should we go for? What holds the most value? Do we upgrade the lot? Pick more square footage in the house? Add an extra bedroom?, etc.
A lot depends on why you are buying the house. Are you buying it mostly as a home or mostly as an investment? There is a difference.
For the most part, upgrades are high-profit items for builders. They aren’t designed to enhance the value of the house, but make you happier with the house you do buy.
If you are looking at your home as an investment, then you buy from the smaller to medium size in the tract and spend only a minimal amount on upgrades. If you are looking at your purchase as a home, then you select upgrades that will enhance your quality of living.
One rule of thumb is to always upgrade the carpet and padding.
I have to make a choice between an updated home in an older neighborhood or a newer home in a more modern neighborhood. The home in the older neighborhood has almost everything I want and is much larger, but which makes the most sense as an investment?
If your goal is to buy a home for it’s resale value and the one you are thinking of buying in the older neighborhood is at the upper end of values for that neighborhood, then it may not be the wisest choice. If it is similar or lower in price to the others, then there should be no problem, because pricing should be considered in relation to the local neighborhood and not compared to homes in other neighborhoods (for the most part)
Plus, is it a neighborhood on the decline, or are others going to be fixing things up, too, so that it is a neighborhood that is improving? It could turn out to be a very good deal as long as you don’t “overpay” because of the recent improvements.
Remember that you also buy a home for it’s value to you as a “home,” and that is something else you should consider. Which neighborhood would you AND your family feel most comfortable in?
Why should I use a real estate salesperson?
A real estate salesperson is more than just a “sales person.” They act on your behalf as your agent, providing you with advice and guidance and doing a job – helping you buy or sell a home. While it is true they get paid for what they do, so do other professions that provide advice, guidance, and have a service to sell –such as Certified Public Accountants and Attorneys
The Internet has opened up a world of information that wasn’t previously available to homebuyers and seller. The data on listings available for sale is almost current – but not quite. There are times when you need the most current information about what has sold or is for sale, and the only way to get that is with an agent.
If you’re selling a home, you gain access to the most buyers by being listed in the Multiple Listing Service. Only a licensed real estate agent who is a member of your local MLS can get you listed there – which then gets you automatically listed on some of the major real estate web sites. If you’re buying or selling a home, the MLS is your agent’s best tool.
However, the role of an agent has changed in the last couple of years. In the past, agents were the only way home buyers and sellers could access information. Now agents are evolving. Because today’s home buyers and sellers are so much better informed than in the past, expertise and ability are becoming more important.
The real estate agent is becoming more of a “guide” than a “salesperson” — your personal representative in buying or selling a home.