The world is quickly grasping the tiny home concept and looking at these homes it’s no wonder!  They may be small in size but there is just so much to love about these gorgeous designs.  What’s your favourite?
​

Patrick Wood, ABC News Breakfast
31 October 2017

​The micro-home fascination is building in Australia as those driven out of the traditional housing market turn to alternative designs.

Author and researcher Catherine Foster has travelled Australia to document how 21 architects have made functional living spaces in 90 square metres or less.

"We're not inventing the wheel, we are repurposing the wheel," she told News Breakfast.

"A few generations ago here in Australia, 90 square metres was a family house.

"It is only in comparatively recent decades that it has crept up and crept up and crept up."
​
Ms Foster has now released a book, Small House Living Australia, to showcase her findings and outline the floorplans that work.

PHOTO: The inside of the retreat shows how simple the designs can be. (Supplied: Peter Clarke)​

PHOTO: A floorplan of the Balnarring Retreat in Victoria. (Supplied: Branch Studio Architects)​
​

​A CommSec study found the average new-home build in Australia in 2015/16 was 231 square metres — just shy of the US average of 249sq/m.

A recent study by Griffith University research fellow Heather Shearer also found a growing interest in small homes in the past two years.
​
She found people were primarily drawn to the concept for economic reasons, rather than an aesthetic desire.

PHOTO: The floorplan for The Copper House in Sydney. (Supplied: Takt Studio for Architecture)
​

"In a possible reflection of the strong demand for urban living, the most important driver was, 'Too expensive property in preferred area'," Ms Shearer wrote.

"Then came: wanting to reduce overall debt, not wanting a mortgage, wishing to downsize, and housing too expensive in general."

Ms Foster said she found people were seeking flexibility as well as affordability, and that lifestyle was a big factor.

"Young people are [saying] 'get me a home' and 'we would rather it not be out in the suburbs an hour along the motorway, we would rather be close to our community'," she said.
​
"Older people, perhaps downsizing and Baby Boomers are going, 'We want to free up ourselves. We want to go travelling. We want to have a small place where we can go for coffee at the end of the street'."

PHOTO: The Doll's House in Melbourne hides behind a simple facade. (Supplied: Fraser Marsden)​

PHOTO: The floorplans for The Doll's House. (Supplied: Studio Edwards)
​

​When it came to successfully creating a smaller living space, Ms Foster said they key word was "multifunctional".

"No longer do you have a dedicated room for a laundry or a dedicated room for a TV or whatever. You are going to have those shared," she said.
​
"The dining room would be an integrated thing within the living space … they are all there."

Logan City Council has announced this week that as of 1 July 2018, new granny flats and other auxiliary dwellings will be hit with a further $23,000 infrastructure charge… what are your thoughts on this, fair or unfair?  And is it really the solution to halting overcrowded developments with inadequate parking and facilities??
​

Quest Newspapers
November 3, 2017

Logan to charge $23K for rentable granny flats otherwise known as auxiliary units.
​

DEVELOPERS of rentable granny flats in Logan City will be slugged with infrastructure­ charges of $23,000 as of July 1.

The date was agreed on last week after some developers complained an abrupt change in the rules would unfairly leave property investors­ out of pocket.

Complaints were mainly from those who had bought blocks of land but were yet to get council approval to build two rentable units.

The council decided last month to crack down on the practice, known as auxiliary units, after residents’ complaints about the lack of parking and pressure on sewers and local parks.

The average infrastructure charge for an auxiliary unit, or rentable granny flat, in Logan will be $23,000 and will be levied at the plumbing and drainage approval stage.

Division 5 councillor Jon Raven said the charges were critical to discourage entire streets of dual occupancies being built.

“But we also need a reasonable time frame. March would be my first preference, but aligning payments with the financial year makes sense and gives investors time to plan for the changes,” he said.
​
An officer told last week’s City Growth committee a minimum lot size of 700sq m and a minimum 18m frontage would slow the practice.

It’s been a long time coming, but now the proof is out there… women are just as good (and often better!) at making smart decisions when it comes to property investment! 
 
It’s great to see that women are successfully taking control of their future!
​

Aidan Devine, The Daily Telegraph
October 13, 2017

​Women are putting a new twist on the outdated and somewhat offensive suggestion their place is in the home — by making more profit from home ownership than men.
 
Analysis of Australian Taxation Office (ATO) figures has revealed women are proving more adept at investing in real estate over the long term, buying properties with better returns and long-term growth.
 
The proportion of women who own an investment property has also risen at a faster rate than men in recent years, despite women earning less than blokes on average.
 
Calla Property’s Susan Farquhar, who mentors men and women on getting into the market, said Aussie women were better investors because they took a keener interest in property and were more comfortable committing to a mortgage at a younger age.
 
They were also better at saving for a deposit, more inclined to seek advice and less prone to risky investments, she said.
 
“Women tend to start when they’re below 35, often when they’re still single,” Ms Farquhar said. “Much fewer men will invest when they’re single and they tend to wait till they’re older and in a secure relationship.”
 
Women’s keener focus may help explain changes in the gender balance of property ownership.
 
Roughly 13 per cent of women taxpayers owned an investment property in 2010 but in five years the figure rose to 15.2 per cent, according to ATO data.
 
In the same period, the proportion of men with an investment property was fairly consistent, going from just under 15 per cent to 15.7 per cent.
 
Men were also more likely to rely on negative gearing benefits, claiming an average $9904 per property in the 2014/15 financial year compared with $7253 for women.
 
About 47 per cent of all investment properties are now owned by women.

​BEFORE: Investor Carla Barton's property in Dulwich Hill purchased for $505,000 and later sold for $640,000.

​This success in the property market mirrored results in other asset classes, such as shares. A US study of 8 million investors in 2016 by investment firm Fidelity revealed women outperformed males by 0.4 per cent over the year.
 
Investment tracking app Openfolio revealed a similar trend after evaluating 60,000 American investors, showing women’s returns performed better in the past three years.
 
Property Women mentoring group director Jo Vadillo said women often lacked confidence, which tended to be an advantage.
 
“They know they need to do research,” Ms Vadillo said.
 
“They are not easily impressed with glossy sales speak or agents’ sharp suits and cars.
 
They look at the house and the numbers, assess who the tenants will be and take the time to conduct due diligence.”

​A lower appetite for risk was another key advantage for women, Ms Farquhar said.
 
“Men are more likely to gamble and take risks, so more will buy in ‘hot spots’ or mining towns,” she said. “Women take a longer-term focus and want to minimise their risk. That’s vital for being successful ... because it’s a long-term thing.”
 
Investor Carla Barton, 31, has made hundreds of thousands of dollars from flipping houses in her spare time and said she attributed her success to a cautious approach.
 
“I’ll only buy homes 15km from the Sydney CBD because I know it’s very difficult to lose money there,” Ms Barton said.
 
She recently bought a unit in Dulwich Hill for $505,000, renovated it for $40,000, and sold for $640,000. She’s now renovating a Leichhardt house for $1.2 million in a joint venture.
 
Investor Diana Lovasi, 34, is onto her third property deal, despite only starting investing just four years ago on a $55,000 a year income.
 
“I feel like women have to start earlier,” Ms Lovasi said. “If you want to have children and take time off work to care for them you have to sort out your finances when you’re younger.”

Call Sonia on 0403 309 136
​