Wednesday, 24 January 2018

Homebuyers Guideline for Buying Residential Property

Most of us wanted a place called home and buying resident has become a defining moment of our life. But are you equipped with the knowledge needed to streamline perfectly the largest financial commitment of your life. As people are preferring to buy a residential construction the buying becomes even more risky. There are numerous things a prospective buyer needs to keep in mind. When home ownership signifies so much, you need to ensure that your purchase decision is carefully analyzed, planned and executed.



Below, we’ve highlighted the basic home buying strategy all the prospective homebuyers should use as a guideline:

Verify the Price of the Property-

First, ascertain your budget and look for a property in that price bracket. A property commands a certain price due to its locality and amenities. Once the developer quotes a price for the apartment, compare it with neighboring areas and properties.

If the Residential Property is Built Under the Guidance of Project Managers-

Make sure the property you are willing to purchase is built under the guidance of the professionals of the project managers of residential construction. Do keep in mind that the residential properties usually have numerous loopholes at the development stage. On the other hand, the construction work supervised by the expert project managers are secure, safe and perfect for investing in. So always ask the builder about whether a project manager was involved during the construction stage of the property or not.

Amenities Offered-

You should also check what kind of amenities are offered along with property. Things like club house, parking, lift, power backup, swimming pool, gym are some of the amenities. A residential property packed with all the sophisticated amenities will increase your comfort as well as its resale value.

Legality of the Property you are Buying-

Before narrowing down your residential apartment options, make sure that the property plans are approved by the government authorities. Talk to the developer and make sure that they provide the government approved documents to you.

As a prospective homebuyer, you need to perform all the checks and tick the boxes we have discussed above. By following the advice, you can easily ensure your hard-earned savings is spent well.

Tuesday, 16 January 2018

The Practical Usefulness of Project Audits & Compliance

Conducting an audit is imperative to assess the progress of a project and regular audit sessions ensure that a project’s management is in-sync with the established project objectives. It is where an impartial person reviews your project and provides guidance on what could be done differently to improve its chances of being successful. The professional of project audit and compliance possess in-depth knowledge what the audit process entails is more likely to have a positive audit report.

This report will present a comprehensive overview of what a project audit is and demonstrate a case study to illustrate key points. This report is most frequently used in industry sectors where legislative compliance is extensive and in those where heavy penalties are used to ensure project completion is on-time.

To ensure that the right parameters are monitored and audited one needs to follow the project audit best practices. These best practice act as a guideline for planning the audit. A project management audit focuses on the following aspects of the project-
  • Financial record of the project
  • Plans
  • Resources
  • Schedules
  • Budgets
  • Accomplishments
Going beyond practice verification, project audits are also performed as a "check and balance" to evaluate project quality, necessity, value, and to examine the root cause of known project problems and reported failures. In addition, it can illuminate mistakes that can cause project failure and thus can trigger timely corrective action.

Failure to deliver a project on time, within budget and to specification can pose a major threat to the strategic direction and financial viability of an organization. The benefits of a project audit to the project are that it uncovers all the problems that the project is facing, and also suggests remedies. If the audit is carried out during the outcome period, it may be possible to make changes to the ongoing investment project, and to similar ongoing projects, to improve matters.

Tuesday, 2 January 2018

Achieving Next Level of Success in Construction Management Service – Updated

A construction project not only has to maintain its quality of work and along with that it also has to be
  • Wrapped up in time and
  • Within the estimated budget
However, it is never easy to achieve these aspects so easily. Thus, projects keep lingering beyond deadlines and the budget goes on escalating. To avoid such unwanted situations, project owners across the building and construction sector are depending on competent building and construction management services these days.

However, there is another approach to hire experienced project managers to supervise the overall execution process. But as such, this solution of hiring proficient experts proves expensive on all accounts. In contrast to that seeking the specialised service of the management services is guaranteed to save one’s pocket from the severe burn.

In a recent development a number of such specialised service providers have gained considerable prominence across Australia. Business for this sector is flowing in from all directions. As a matter of fact, the sector is providing quality service to an ever increasing customer base covering both public and private sectors.

The fraternity of property development project management professionals shoulders an array of responsibilities for their clients. These include
  • Maintaining quality of work
  • Managing job scheduling for fastest possible delivery
  • Shouldering the legal aspect from framing of legal papers to resolving disputes
  • Inspect and assess work progress
  • Deal with daily issues that crop up almost every now and then
  • Developing project plans
  • Outlining goals and KPIs for projects, etc.
The sector is exhibiting excellent signs of growth. According to industry experts, the fraternity of businesses, providing this specialised service, has an excellent prospect of growth in the near-future. The sector efficiently caters to a steadily increasing clientele that covers all existing domains of the industry.

Tuesday, 12 December 2017

Things that Matter Most While Selecting Building Materials

When you set out to start a construction project, it is the material that you are using is perhaps the most important element. With the advancement of technology, a wide variety of building materials are available in the market. According to the building and construction management professionals, it can be complex to identify the most suitable material for your construction project.



Longevity or price?

Whether you would like to go for the materials that last long but come with a hefty price or relatively cheap materials that you can afford easily but will not last long, the decision is yours. People who are involved with the project management in building construction suggest that, if you want to build a home where you would like to stay for the rest of your life, using top-notch materials are the best option as it may prove financially beneficial in terms of investment. The maintenance cost of your home will reduce a great deal. If you have a plan to relocate somewhere else in future, then you don’t need to spend high on the home your building for living temporarily. Picking what you want starts with knowing what you need.

Choose materials according to the weather conditions-

In a country like Australia, the selection of building materials should be adjustable with weather conditions. Do keep in mind that weather, location, and temperature of a certain place are the key components that affect a house significantly. The construction materials should be different for the houses that are located in the hot and dry areas, whereas the choice of material should be different for the cold and moist areas. For guidance, it is better to consult with the professionals of building and construction management companies.

Energy efficiency and environmental concerns-

Over the last few years, a remarkable change noticed among the Australians. They become more and conscious about the environment and showing extreme preference in building houses using green building materials that are composed of renewable resources. Green materials are environmentally responsible as the impact over the life of the product is considered. Houses built with these sort of materials are not only good for our environment but are also highly energy efficient.

When selecting building materials, it is important to consider construction materials that are readily and easily maintained. Generally, elements with higher maintenance requirements are likely to have lower initial costs but they may also have higher whole-life and environmental costs.

Thursday, 30 November 2017

Pumped Hydro is Australia’s Giant Stride Towards Renewable Energy

Giving extreme preference to pumped hydro is thought to be Australia’s giant strides towards renewable energy. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has told Malcolm Turnbull, pumped hydro could be the key to unlocking "cost-effective large-scale energy storage that can stabilize high levels of renewable energy in the national electricity grid", such as in South Australia.

How Pumped Hydro Works-

The pumped hydro functions by pumping water uphill between two connected reservoirs when power is plentiful, and dispatching power to the grid when demand is high or when wind and solar do not work. Pumped hydro is also widespread in Europe, especially in the alpine parts of Italy, Germany and France, and in Scandinavian countries like Norway. It is also widely used in Japan and the United States.

Pumped Hydro in Australia-

Pumped hydro is not something entirely new to Australia, the issue is there was no major development in it for the past two to three decades. Now the Australian government is galvanizing it to make some positives in the field of renewable energy. A joint Arena-Australian National University study has listed thousands of sites where other pumped hydro storage projects could be built, with a total capacity of a massive 67,000 gigawatt hours. The potential sites that are identified for pumped hydro are:
  • South Australia's Spencer Gulf
  • Valleys of the Hunter
  • Illawarra
  • Lower Blue Mountains regions of NSW
"Pumped hydro is the only mature, bankable technology that is readily available at scale," ARENA chief Ivor Frischknecht said. ARENA is itself already funding feasibility studies into pumped hydro storage in Tasmania, and in the Upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia and Kidston in north Queensland.

Benefit-

The Pumped hydro facilities will contribute to the stability of the electricity grid by combining renewable energy generation with large-scale energy storage capability. It is also expected to help meet the growing demand for electricity at peak times as well as help alleviate the state’s peak power prices.

Thursday, 16 November 2017

Fantastic Color Trends for Residential & Commercial Buildings

Colors are undoubtedly the most influential factor when it comes to purchase a residential or commercial building. It is the color that creates the mood, feeling and desire. Studies have found that colors play a huge part to add aesthetic value to a building. In many cases buyers make a purchasing decision solely because of the appearance of the building and the location comes second.
According to the property experts, there is a growing consciousness noted among the people about the color of the place they are living. Along with the interior color of their house the exterior color also playing a crucial role in shaping their decision.



A Sydney-based property developer shared a funny incident regarding the color of a building where one of his clients simply refused to buy a residential apartment because its color was blue. On asking the reason the client said he is an avid Manchester United (a football club in England) fan and the color of their jersey is red while their main rival Chelsea F.C jersey color is blue. And he can’t live in an apartment that color is blue. The incident may seem funny, but it has enormous significance in terms of judging the factors that influence the purchasing decision of the people by solely judging a property by its color.

Recent color trends for residential and commercial spaces-
  • Colors that spanned 16th- and 17th-century Europe are now being represented in new ways in this year and this color trend is likely to continue in 2018 . Deep reds, rich greens, subtle pale blues, and bright golds are getting extremely popular especially for residential building.
  • 2017 is the year of Greenery, a yellow-green shade that takes its cue from the environment is mostly preferred by the people for their office building. Other hot colors include earthy shades like Hazelnut, a warm nude, in addition to splashy shades like Lapis Blue, a vivid jewel tone and Flame, a fiery orange. These colors for office apartment generate a sense that the company is conscious to environment. 2018 color trend will remain same with the strong possobility of color blue will take the center stage and more attention.
  • Navy blue, this classic shade has reached neutral status for 2017. Navy blue cabinets, islands, and counters feel fresh and moderns in kitchens, particularly when paired with crisp whites and warm accents such as reclaimed wood and copper or satin brass.
  • As 2017 continues to advance towards its end, a number of commercial buildings are beginning to choose bolder and more eye-catching color options for facades and more. Bright, colorful installations highlight your exterior facades and give guests something interesting to view as they approach and enter the building.
Colors and finishes selected for building materials for residential or commercial projects can change time to time. The color trend set in 2017 will likely to continue for the coming five years.

Wednesday, 1 November 2017

An Exact Overview of Australia’s Current Property & Construction Sector

Activity levels across Australia's construction sector have never been stronger before. The latest industry forecasts released by the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF), the demand in the sector of residential building and construction development (mining-related construction, roads, rail and other large infrastructure) boom have pushed the growth beyond expectation.

According to the Ai Group head of policy Peter Burn, “September saw a continuation of the healthy levels of overall construction activity that have prevailed for most of the year to date.”



The commercial and industrial building will be driven by Sydney and Melbourne offices plus some further hotels building, now switching from servicing business travel to the tourist areas. Changes come through slowly but inexorably, like a slow train wreck. Sky-high Sydney prices flatlined this winter, inching up just 0.3 per cent over the past three months and holding steady during August, according to the CoreLogic home value index.

Sydney and Melbourne recorded the strongest property performance in 2017. This trend is likely to continue in 2018 but notably with some improvement in Brisbane and stability in Perth. The impact of lower interest rates has been directly felt in the retail and residential property sectors, while further downstream benefitting office and industrial. The lower AUD will increasingly factor into investment and consumption decisions, improving the economy at a broad level.

The property market in Australia has boomed and the most recent government data marked growth in residential property prices at 10.2 percent year on year for the 2017 March quarter. In a note, UBS Economist George Tharenou said any rash interest rate action from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) could trigger a crash. But its possibilities are less and investors don’t need to worry too much.

Australian property and construction market are likely to remain stable and perfectly steady. You can be sure that your investment will reap high value in the coming future.