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Property & Home

Discover the latest news, tips, and advice on property and home for over-60s.

Latest news & insights

5 ways to make your downsizing experience easier
Starts at 60 Writers avatarStarts at 60 Writers
Downsizing your home
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Essential Reads

Downsizing your home
Money
Money
Selling your home
Home
Source: La-Z-Boy
Back pain

Living with back pain? This home upgrade could make a world of difference

Living with back pain? This home upgrade could make a world of difference

Whether you’re looking to improve your personal comfort or looking after the needs of a loved one, this could significantly improve health and happiness in the years ahead.
Source: halfpoint.
Tips

How to easily clear a blocked sink

How to easily clear a blocked sink

Don't bother dropping a plumber a call; with this hack, you can purge your sinks of any blockages.
Source: Getty images
Home hints and DIY

Could you be saving more on your electricity bill?

Could you be saving more on your electricity bill?

There’s a free and easy way to find out.
Source: Amazon/ECOVACS
Property & Home

Get more than half off a robot vacuum and make cleanup easier this Christmas

Get more than half off a robot vacuum and make cleanup easier this Christmas

Save up to $1,050 on this great sale, ending this Tuesday!
Source: Provided
Home Decorating

Sleep easy this Christmas with Emma Sleep’s extra comfy mattresses — up to 60% off

Sleep easy this Christmas with Emma Sleep’s extra comfy mattresses — up to 60% off

Secure amazing discounts and save up to $2,909 before they're gone!
Source: Pexels.
Tips

7 other uses for toothpaste that will make life easier

7 other uses for toothpaste that will make life easier

These brilliant tips can help you with the worst of your cleaning chores, such as persistent scuff marks on your floor!
Source: Wattanaphob Kappagos.
Tips

14 surprising uses for dishwashing liquid around the house

14 surprising uses for dishwashing liquid around the house

From preventing our glasses from fogging up to making nail polish last longer, dishwashing liquid has a range of other uses that make it more than a kitchen cleaning solution.
Source: Getty Images.
Home hints and DIY

Six ways to keep your home snake-proof this summer

Six ways to keep your home snake-proof this summer

There are ways that you can ensure your house remains safe and serpent-free with what you might already have in your home.
Source: Koala.
Home Decorating

Nicked your finger one too many times on an Allen Key? Get furniture that is 100% tool-free

Nicked your finger one too many times on an Allen Key? Get furniture that is 100% tool-free

Discover a range of stylish furniture, made easy and convenient with tool-free assembly.
Source: Getty Images.
Tips

Got a dirty oven? Here are three easy ways to get it back to sparkling clean

Got a dirty oven? Here are three easy ways to get it back to sparkling clean

Cleaning the oven is a task that's easily forgotten over time — sometimes on purpose — but it's something we need to do.
Source: Getty Images.
Tips

6 surprising uses for baking soda around the house

6 surprising uses for baking soda around the house

Baking soda has a whole range of other purposes, including helping you cope with summer.
Source: Getty Images.
Home hints and DIY

Five ways to revitalise your patio or backyard in time for summer

Five ways to revitalise your patio or backyard in time for summer

You only get three months of summer each year. That’s three months to really make the most of your outdoor living areas.
Source: Getty Images.
Home hints and DIY

The secret hack to hanging your pictures perfectly

The secret hack to hanging your pictures perfectly

This sneaky trick will make sure your portraits are safely and securely on the hook.
Source: Liven Communities.
Property Market

Considering a move to Hervey Bay? Here’s how to REALLY make the most of it…

Considering a move to Hervey Bay? Here’s how to REALLY make the most of it…

Whether you’re planning to retire or you’ve just hung the hat up, this new community will keep you active, energised and excited for adventures to come.

Resources

FREE Downsizing Essentials eGuide

Need more help? Register your interest to download the Starts at 60 Downsizing Essentials eGuide, packed with insights from both the Starts at 60 and recognised industry experts that will help you understand your downsizing options and all. the big need-to-knows.

Register your interest

Explore the sections

Downsizing & decluttering

Downsizing & decluttering

This section covers selling a home, choosing a new home and making over-60s lives simpler by decluttering.

Home decorating

Home decorating

Add some zhuzh to your home with tips, ideas and inspiration from design and decorating experts

Gardening and home improvement

Gardening and home improvement

Our expert gardeners guide over-60s on what to grow and when to grow it

The property market

The property market

Real estate experts keep us up-to-date on the property market

Retirement Villages & Lifestyle Communities

Retirement Villages & Lifestyle Communities

Experts and insights to assist you when considering community living.

Property porn

Property porn

Stunning properties to inspire your next move.

Expert contributors

PROPERTY EXPERTRachel LaneThe Retirement Living and Aged Care Guru
Planning expertCraig ChristensenPrincipal Urban Designer
Money ExpertBrian HerdThe Elder Law Legal Eagle
DOWNSIZING EXPERTLorraine CoxThe Downsizing & Moving Guru
LIFESTYLE EXPERTSDi and Geoff EastRetirement Reviewers

Property & Home

The step-by-step guide to selling your home
Downsizing Your Home

The step-by-step guide to selling your home

It can be difficult to know where to start when you have decided to downsize and sell your family home.
Written byJessica Galley
‘Great house, nice neighbours, lots of wine: The Barossa is retiree heaven’
Bloggers

‘Great house, nice neighbours, lots of wine: The Barossa is retiree heaven’

Robin has lived in pretty much every state in Australia so knows the pros and cons of each.
Written byRobin Henry
Julia Zaetta’s 10 best tips for lower-stress decluttering
Downsizing Your Home

Julia Zaetta’s 10 best tips for lower-stress decluttering

"You CAN love something and still let it go and free yourself up."
Written byRachael Rosel

We ask retirement expert Rachel Lane

'What's the difference between a land lease community and strata title?'

How does the land-lease model used at lifestyle communities compare with strata title, which is more common in apartment buildings? 

Read more

Your Property Questions Answered

‘If we sell our farm and buy something smaller in town, how does that affect our pensions?’
Rachel Lane avatarRachel Lane
Downsizing & Decluttering
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From our Bloggers

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If I sell my house, how long do I have to buy another one before I lose my Age Pension? Image source: Getty
Downsizing & Decluttering

‘If I sell my house, how long do I have to buy another one before I lose my Age Pension?’

‘If I sell my house, how long do I have to buy another one before I lose my Age Pension?’

Property and finance expert, Rachel Lane, answers the questions: 'If I sell my house, how long do I have to buy another one before I lose my Age Pension?'
Beware of these hidden costs associated with selling your home. Source: Getty
Selling your home

The unexpected costs to budget for when selling your home

The unexpected costs to budget for when selling your home

Selling a house involves more than simply listing it on the market. Here are some of the hidden expenses that sellers should not overlook.
Handing your house over to your kids when you're still alive can come with more complications than just naming them in your will. Source: Getty.
Estate planning

‘Should I give my home to my daughter now or will it to her?’

‘Should I give my home to my daughter now or will it to her?’

"I have seen many of these types of arrangements fall down because no one applied the 'what if' analysis."
There are some hurdles to jump over before a de facto can successfully contest a will. Source: Getty.
Estate planning

‘Can my ex-wife’s new partner rob our kids of her home if she dies?’

‘Can my ex-wife’s new partner rob our kids of her home if she dies?’

There are several hurdles a de facto partner must jump to successfully challenge a will. But it's not impossible.
Family fights are bad enough on their own, let alone when there's money involved. Source: Getty.
Estate planning

‘Can my estranged brother fight my attempt to sell our late dad’s house?’

‘Can my estranged brother fight my attempt to sell our late dad’s house?’

"I've received no benefit from my father’s will over the past 37 years, unlike Dad's de facto wife or my half-brother, who've lived rent-free for all of that time."
Downsizing expert Rachel Lane says the two options are like apples and oranges. Source: Getty.
Retirement Villages & Lifestyle Communities

‘What’s the difference between a land-lease community and strata title?’

‘What’s the difference between a land-lease community and strata title?’

Land-lease and strata title are two of the most common types of property ownership downsizers have to choose from – and knowing which one suits you best is vital.
Downsizing expert Rachel Lane says people should avoid falling into the trap of thinking land-lease communities are just full of oldies. Source: Getty.
Money

‘I’m a young 52! Should I wait until I’m older to buy into a land-lease community?’

‘I’m a young 52! Should I wait until I’m older to buy into a land-lease community?’

You don't have to be 'old' or even retired to live in a land-lease community.
Here are the top tips on staying financially secure in the current environment. Source: Getty.
Investment

‘How to protect your investment property portfolio in a risky environment’

‘How to protect your investment property portfolio in a risky environment’

Here's how to make sure your assets are always protected no matter the situation.
As this reader's assets increase, her pension may consequently be reduced. Source: Getty.
Age Pension

‘I’m worried that releasing $200K in home equity will impact my pension?’

‘I’m worried that releasing $200K in home equity will impact my pension?’

There are clever solutions that could allow this reader to downsize AND keep as much of her pension as possible.
Adding together all the building blocks of your finances will help to understand how much rent assistance you're eligible for. Source: Getty.
Financial planning

‘How much Rent Assistance can I get with a pension and nearly $600K in assets?’

‘How much Rent Assistance can I get with a pension and nearly $600K in assets?’

Bad news for self-funded retirees, as the rules around Rent Assistance are only applicable to those in receipt of a pension or government allowance.
Deciding which bucket to put your income and assets into can be difficult. Source: Getty.
Age Pension

‘Is it feasible to upsize, rather than downsize, to get a bigger pension?’

‘Is it feasible to upsize, rather than downsize, to get a bigger pension?’

Noel Whittaker has an answer for this community member, plus others on equity release and downsizing to pay off rental properties.
Building on family property might be more hassle than it's worth. Source: Getty.
Age Pension

‘Are there pension or estate issues if my parents have a granny flat on my land?’

‘Are there pension or estate issues if my parents have a granny flat on my land?’

Granny flats are an Aussie institution but they come with serious legal, financial and tax implications.
The rental market is a ticking time bomb according to the newest data. Source: Getty.
Money

‘A ticking time bomb’: Rental affordability crisis gets worse for pensioners

‘A ticking time bomb’: Rental affordability crisis gets worse for pensioners

A pensioner looking to rent can afford less than 1 per cent of all rentals, which is equivalent to just 625 rentals on offer out of the total 77,000 rentals that were surveyed.
This reader is tying to avoid being kicked out of her home. Source: Getty.
Estate planning

‘I live rent-free in a friend’s unit. If he dies, can his wife or kids kick me out?

‘I live rent-free in a friend’s unit. If he dies, can his wife or kids kick me out?

There are two ways to remove this worry, one more reliable than the other.
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