The website itself offers information on each of the suburbs in the area – Padstow, Padstow Heights, Revesby, Revesby Heights, Panania, Picnic Point, East Hills and Milperra – including photos, the history of each suburb, details on each suburb today, and the features that are loved by their local residents.  Locals are loving reading about their suburb, and people looking to move into the area have also found the suburb pages incredibly helpful and informative.

The I Love Padstow to Picnic Point website also offers blog posts on all manner of topics, including local news and events, local property market updates and real estate tips, as well as articles on the local area and health and wellbeing.  There is also a link to local properties currently for sale and for lease, as well as the option to download self-help pathways booklets to help you understand the selling, buying and investing process.  Lastly, you can click on the Subscribe tab and by entering your email address, receive the weekly local blog updates straight to your inbox.

Professionals Padstow have also set up a Twitter page and Facebook page to compliment the blog website.  The name of the Twitter Page is Padstow-PicnicPt and can be found at www.twitter.com/ilovepadstow.  ‘Like’ them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ilovepadstowtopicnicpoint to follow and receive lots of great local area info on upcoming local events, community news, and features on local businesses.

If you own a local business, and would like some details of a special offer or promotion you are conducting, shared with locals on the community blog website or Facebook page – send your details through on the message options on either of the above pages, or phone the office on 9771 4555, as they would love to include it for you.  Similarly, if you have local news or an upcoming local event such as a school fete, local sporting club event, or even a garage sale, be sure to send the details through to them for it to be shared on I Love Padstow to Picnic Point!

Subscribe at: www.ilovepadstowtopicnicpoint.com

Like and Follow at www.facebook.com/ilovepadstowtopicnicpoint

Follow at www.twitter.com/ilovepadstow

Brand New Website: www.professionalspadstow.com – in addition to their current properties for sale and for lease, there is a Sold database if you are researching the market, open house lists for both rental and sale properties, the option of signing up for emailed Property Alerts, an option to request a market appraisal on your home, finance calculators and real estate tips, and information on the local community, our local area, the local property market and the business itself.

A Facebook Business Page: www.facebook.com/professionalspadstow – click on the link and Like them to follow and receive updates on the local community, the real estate market – especially the local property market, real estate tips and information on the local area, local news and events.

The Office’s Own You Tube Channel:  www.youtube.com/professionalspadstow The other fantastic medium that this technologically advanced office utilizes is their own You Tube channel, where they are now starting to post recent Auction videos, as well as instructional videos to assist the community on things such as: How to prepare your home for sale.

Mobile Website:  www.professionalspadstow.mobi  Would you like to be able to search for properties to Buy or Rent while you’re on the go? If so, type the link shown into the web browser of your Smart Phone, for their Mobile Website – which includes property descriptions, photos and open house inspection times.

Owsnett Family’s LinkedIn Profiles & Blog: In addition to the above, you can join Belinda or Dean Owsnett’s professional networks on www.LinkedIn.com, or follow Todd on his own blog page at todd.professionalspadstow.com

Additional Office Technologies:  Additional technologies employed by Professionals Padstow in marketing their property listings include – online database marketing, electronic digital window displays, property specific QR codes for every property listing, professional photography, floor plans and video tours, as well as social media marketing, and the utilization of 12 real estate websites.

Chambers Fleming Professionals Padstow are consistently ranked as the Number 1 Professionals Real Estate Office in NSW, and last year were awarded Australian Professionals Office of the Year for 2011, and their motto is, “Let our family take care of your family”.

The First Home—New Home scheme provides eligible purchasers with exemptions on transfer duty on new homes valued up to $500,000 and concessions on transfer duty for new homes valued between $500,000 and $600,000.

Eligible purchasers buying a vacant block of residential land to build their home on will pay no duty on vacant land valued up to $300,000 and will receive a concession on duty for vacant land valued between $300,000 and $450,000.

First Home—New Home exemptions or concessions do not apply to the purchase of an existing dwelling.

An ‘eligible purchaser’ is a natural person (i.e. not a company or trust) at least 18 years of age who has not, and whose spouse/de facto has not:

Note: If all purchasers are not ‘eligible purchasers’ you may still qualify for a partial concession if the first home buyers are purchasing at least 50% of the property.

The suburb of Picnic Point is situated within the original 640 acre land grant of Thomas Graham, which was made to him on 6th December 1928.  The grant was called Horsehoe Bend, later changed to Bononton Park. In 1888 Charles Tompson purchased the land and it was known as Ferndale. In the flatter area south of Tompson Road, the family operated a market garden, and the remainder of the whole of modern day Picnic Point was their backyard including the river.  They used to ride their horses down to Yeramba Lagoon and to their river. The area was informally referred to as Tompson’s Bush at this time.

However, by the 1910s it was hard for all of this wonderful land to be kept under control of one family over generations, especially when the railway line had arrived in Bankstown in 1909, which made Picnic Point a lot better serviced by public transport, albeit a very long walk to Bankstown.  By the 1920s about a dozen families lived in Kennedy Street, and a bus service connecting the area to Bankstown commenced. The Picnic Point General Store and Post Office opened in the 1930s.  More people settled in the area in the next two decades enticed by the large blocks with a bushy outlook. However the 1960s through to the 1980s, was the time where Picnic Point was finally transformed from large bush blocks to the modern suburb we know today.  In recent times, many of these larger blocks have been subdivided into town houses and sometimes large enough to have three and four torrens title homes via battle-axe designs.

Today people pay a premium to purchase in the area for much the same reason as the early settlers did, nice large blocks and so close to the bush and river.

Fitzpatrick Park, Georges River 1960's

Picnic Point Estate, 1919 - showing the long blocks available of Henry Lawson Drive

Picnic Point Today

The size of Picnic Point is approximately 4 square kilometres.  It has 3 parks covering nearly 38% of total area.  The population of Picnic Point in 2006 was 5,940, and the predominant age group in Picnic Point is 40-49 years.  Households in Picnic Point are primarily couples with children, and are likely to be repaying over $2000 per month on mortgage repayments.  In 2006, 84.3% of the homes in Picnic Point were owner-occupied, and the current median sales price of houses in the area is $672,500.

The suburb of Picnic Point is very popular because of its quiet location and proximity to the Georges River and National Park, with many of the popular large blocks boasting waterfront access or water views.  The area is also still very close to Panania train station and shopping centre.  The local shopping area of Picnic Point offers a convenience store, a chemist, medical centre, hairdresser and beauty therapist and Chinese Restaurant.   The Picnic Point also boasts some very popular primary and high schools, churches, parks with picnic grounds and fishing spots, the fantastic Lambeth Reserve river boardwalk, all the wonderful uses of the Georges River National Park, plus Carinya Road waterfront parkland and boat ramp.

If you would like to know more about the Picnic Point area, please ask us about the ‘History of Picnic Point’ books by Andrew Molloy, exclusively sold in our office of Chambers Fleming Professionals Real Estate, here on the corner of Faraday and Howard Roads, Padstow.

Alan Ashton Foreshore Reserve Picnic Point

Fitzpatrick Park Picnic Point

Fitzpatrick Park Picnic Point

Lambeth Reserve Picnic Point Boardwalk

Picnic Point High School

Revesby Heights is entirely located on a land grant made to Lewis Gordon in 1840.  In 1848 the land was subdivided into 15 streets and was called George Town. However no settlement took place, and the land remained unsettled. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, a few families built shacks down near Little Salt Pan Creek.

During World War 2, the top soil was removed from the entire site leaving it as barren as the moon. In the early 1950s the government decided it would be used a new housing settlement for soldiers returned from World War 2 – thus bringing the warm nickname for the suburb of “Hero’s Hill”.  There were just over 400 soldiers and their families who settled on their land and built homes. There were six different designs to choose from, thus giving the older homes there today their similarities.  The homes were sometimes constructed as 30 being built at the same time.

The precinct has always had a close knit community and in 1958 banded together to form the Revesby Heights Ex-Service Association which eventually led to a club which is still to this day very central to the lives of the residents.

Centaur Street, Revesby Heights - 1964, showing the newly constructed Ex-Servicesman Club.

Revesby Heights home being constructed in the 1950's

Revesby Heights Today

The size of Revesby Heights is approximately 1 square kilometre.  It has one park covering nearly 15% of total area.  The population of Revesby Heights in 2006 was 1,322, and the predominant age group in Revesby Heights is 40-49 years.  Households in Revesby Heights are primarily couples with children, and are likely to be repaying between $800 – $1000 per month on mortgage repayments.  In 2006, 86.8% of the homes in Revesby Heights were owner-occupied, and the current median sales price of houses in the area is $650,000.

The popular feature of Revesby Heights is its quiet, tucked away location bordering the Georges River National Park, with many homes offering stunning bush views, and its older homes boasting loads of character, with many being renovated in keeping with the era in which they were built.  The area is also still very close to Revesby with its fantastic transport options and shopping facilities.  The local shopping area of Revesby Heights offers a family medical centre, a beauty therapist, a fitness studio, printing shop, and a Japanese restaurant, plus the convenience of the facilities of Revesby only a short drive down the road.  The Revesby Heights area also offers great primary and high schools, churches, parks and the Georges River National Park walking areas.

If you would like to know more about the Revesby Heights area, please ask us about the ‘History of Revesby Heights’ books by Andrew Molloy, exclusively sold in our office of Chambers Fleming Professionals Real Estate, here on the corner of Faraday and Howard Roads, Padstow.

De La Salle Revesby Heights

Georges River National Park Revesby

Heros Hill Ex Servicemans Club Revesby Heights

Heros Hill Memorial Park Revesby Heights

Bill Delauney Reserve Revesby Heights

To view the full article click here.

We’re glad you popped by and we hope you find some great information here about the local area as well as some real estate tips that might help you improve the value of your home and lifestyle, or help you through the buying, selling, investing or renting phase of your life. For further information about what is on in our local community click here to visit our blog on the local area.

To answer this question first we need to look at the pros and cons of both property types.

Buying a house has its obvious advantages. Houses are generally bigger, and if you’re looking at it from an investment point of view houses are known to have a better long term average growth rate than units. On the downside though, houses cost more to buy and they can sometimes be more work to maintain.

Then there are units, apartments, and townhouses. The big advantage with units is convenience. Units are generally found closer to amenities, are easy to maintain and you don’t have to worry about mowing the front lawn. Units are also generally cheaper than houses, but still offer a high rental yield.

Of course the issue many find when buying a unit is the inability to expand, as well as having to abide by the rules of strata management.

I think the decision really comes down to lifestyle. Not everyone requires a lot of space or a big backyard. Some people prefer an easy to manage unit, while others a large home with room to move.

At the end of the day, a decision about property type will depend largely on your individual circumstances. If you are planning a family, or you want pets and a backyard then a house is probably for you. If on the other hand you want convenience and low maintenance then perhaps you should take a look at units or townhouses.

It is also a good idea to consider the area that you plan on moving to. Some property types are more popular or common for certain areas, so have a talk to your local real estate agent to find out which type of property is most suitable for you.

It is a method used to gain additional finance while you wait for a reasonable expected flow of cash.

There are 2 common types of Bridging Finance – Open and Closed.

Open Bridging Finance: you have found your dream home, but have not yet sold your existing home, so how can you purchase the dream home without the proceeds from the existing property? This is higher risk as you have no specific date for when you can repay the money.

Closed Bridging Finance: For most people it is far more advisable to sell your existing property before you commit to a new one, however you may be in a position where the settlements of both the sale of the existing property and a new property do not match up. This is considered a lower risk for a lender as you have a specific set date for when the money can be repaid.

For more finance information contact Luke Torossian of Aussie Home loans on 0401646964 or visit http://www.aussie.com.au/Luke.Torossian

With that in mind, we thought it would be a good idea to put forward some ideas to help you boost your home security without breaking the bank.

The number one thing to do is get sensor lights installed around your home, especially near doors and accessible windows. You can purchase solar sensor lights and do it yourself, or you can purchase sturdier versions that will likely require an electrician to install if they’re not simply replacing an old light fitting.

Secondly, if you have gates that allow access to your front or backyard, a good way to deter trespassers is to lock them. If they don’t have a quick and easy means of entry and exit, then your house isn’t probably going to be the one that trespassers want to break into.

Thirdly, and the cheapest thing of all… don’t leave valuables in plain sight, either in your garden or viewable through windows inside your home. If the temptation isn’t there, then there’s no reason why your home would be a target of a break in.

If you’re looking to spend a little more on the security of your home, then we’d recommend getting security screens fitted to your doors and windows, installing deadlocks or bolts on entry doors, and looking at alarm systems if you want to go the whole hog with your home security.

Your family’s safety should always be the number one priority, so if some of these ideas give your home some boosted security, then we’re glad we could be of some assistance.

If you have other ideas or tips on boosting home security in, please leave us a comment so that everyone in the community can benefit!