That's right, a $7236/quarter strata levy! This building is on the hook for a multi-million dollar repair.
Be careful out there, always check the strata reports
Heya, just interested to what others would do.
We just put up our property on the market, we did some renovations which went through strata and got everything signed off.
Today the first open home occurred and the dumb and difficult head of strata were approaching the buyers as they left the open home saying our renovation was illegal and we are getting sued for it? Yet nothing has happened and my husband is a builder so everything is up to scratch. Strata has not emailed us once about something needing to be changed.
The real estate told us she approached everyone and they quickly asked some of the buyers before they left what she was talking about and they expressed the above.
We are likely going to serve her with a cease and desist letter if she turns up at the next open home on Wednesday.
Is this the right approach? Could we call the cops for harassment if she tries this every time?
Australian auction results, clearance rates and recent sales for the week ending Sun 12 Apr 2026
NSW 46%
VIC 55%
QLD 46%
is this officially a buyer's market? if sellers want to sell they need to meet the market?
Newbie FHB here. Not sure what this is on the side of my house. Quick online search and my guesses are earthing point or termite chemical treatment port. Any ideas?
About a year ago, I had some plans drawn up for some home renovations however due to some very unfortunate and difficult life circumstances at the time I did not go ahead with the renovations.
The draftsman that I employed did a really terrible job and submitted the plans to council without even showing me a final copy first and made me pay for every single revision, which I feel is unfair he did such a shit job in the firstplace.
Recently I contacted him requesting the CAD drawings and he has completely ignored my emails. I even said it's for the engineering but nothing. I've been told that he had no obligation to provide me with the drawings. Is this true? Does anyone have any experience in this matter? Is there some sort of professional organisation or ombudsman I can turn to? It seems ridiculous that after spending so much money (overpaid from what I've been told) and not even seeing the plans before they were submitted, I don't even have a claim to these drawings of my own home.
Some additional info:
- Although I was extremely unhappy with his work, I never said anything to him so I can't imagine he's bearing a grudge of any sort
- The house has a heritage overlay
- The house is in VIC
- The builder who recommended him is a relative
- the council have said I can revise the permit but of course I will need the CAD for this.
If it's not already obvious, I have no experience in renovations so any advice or info would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Last week I shared some NSW price drop data which got a bit of interest. Since then I've expanded coverage from 10K listings across NSW to 90K+ listings across multiple states. Here's a snapshot of this week's drops.
By state:
| State | New drops | Avg drop % | Total $ reduced | Hottest suburb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 209 | 4.2% | $14.7M | Alexandria, Ryde, Liverpool, Harrington Park, Leura (4 drops each) |
| VIC | 127 | 5.2% | $8.4M | Point Cook (10 drops) |
| QLD | 35 | 6.1% | $3.6M | Maroochydore (2 drops) |
Top 10 biggest drops in NSW:
| Address | Was | Now | Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sunnyridge Rd, Arcadia | $2.7M | $2.3M | -$400K (15%) |
| 57b Rawson Rd, Greenacre (3BR) | $1.16M | $990K | -$170K (15%) |
| 12 Warrawong St, Eastwood (4BR) | $2.5M | $2.15M | -$348K (14%) |
| 46 Nairana Dr, Marayong (3BR) | $1.15M | $995K | -$155K (14%) |
| 12 Delaware St, Spring Farm (3BR) | $1.15M | $1.0M | -$150K (13%) |
| Cronulla (2BR house) | $2.85M | $2.5M | -$350K (12%) |
| 26 Kanoona St, Caringbah South (4BR) | $1.7M | $1.5M | -$200K (12%) |
| 6-10 Wills St, Blackheath (4BR) | $1.69M | $1.49M | -$200K (12%) |
| 145A Wallumatta Rd, Newport (4BR) | $2.25M | $2.0M | -$250K (11%) |
| 22 Carrington Rd, Waverley (3BR) | $2.2M | $1.98M | -$225K (10%) |
Top 10 biggest drops in VIC:
| Address | Was | Now | Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Longtown Ct, Craigieburn (2BR) | $495K | $395K | -$100K (20%) |
| 915 Canterbury Rd, Box Hill (4BR) | $1.55M | $1.3M | -$250K (16%) |
| 52 Fongeo Dr, Point Cook (4BR) | $1.0M | $850K | -$150K (15%) |
| 116 The Ave, Spotswood (4BR) | $1.65M | $1.43M | -$225K (14%) |
| 21 Rennie St, Seddon (3BR) | $1.15M | $1.0M | -$149K (13%) |
| 502/220 Commercial Rd, Prahran (2BR) | $575K | $500K | -$75K (13%) |
| 18/66 Montague St, South Melbourne (2BR) | $880K | $770K | -$110K (13%) |
| 86/115 Neerim Rd, Glen Huntly (2BR) | $480K | $425K | -$55K (12%) |
| 108A Beach Rd, Mentone (4BR) | $3.25M | $2.9M | -$350K (11%) |
| 6/36 Burke Rd, Malvern East (1BR) | $330K | $295K | -$35K (11%) |
Top 10 biggest drops in QLD:
| Address | Was | Now | Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodridge (5BR house) | $1.13M | $735K | -$399K (35%) |
| 402/67-71 Sixth Ave, Maroochydore (3BR) | $2.6M | $2.0M | -$599K (23%) |
| Lota (4BR house) | $1.36M | $1.08M | -$280K (21%) |
| 11/1-3 Normanby St, Yeppoon (5BR) | $2.0M | $1.8M | -$199K (10%) |
| 31 Newbery St, Newmarket (5BR) | $2.2M | $2.0M | -$200K (9%) |
| 82 Massey, Ascot (4BR) | $3.5M | $3.2M | -$300K (9%) |
| 8/10 Piers St, Moorooka (1BR) | $650K | $600K | -$50K (8%) |
| 22 Glenbrook Ave, Victoria Point (4BR) | $1.29M | $1.2M | -$90K (7%) |
| 10203/600 Coronation Dr, Toowong (3BR) | $3.49M | $3.25M | -$240K (7%) |
| 1/17 Rosecliffe St, Highgate Hill (3BR) | $1.5M | $1.4M | -$100K (7%) |
What is a price drop?
A price drop is when a property's current listed asking price falls below the original price we first recorded. For example, if a property was listed at $1,000,000 and the asking price is now $950,000, that's a $50,000 drop (5%). We track the initial price and compare every subsequent update to detect reductions.
Is this a real drop in price?
Not always. What we track is changes to the listed asking price, which is often just the real estate agent updating the listing. It could reflect a genuine price reduction, a strategy shift, or simply correcting an overpriced listing.
Why should I care if it's not a real drop?
Because it still reveals something useful about the seller's mindset. When an agent drops the asking price, it typically means one of three things:
In any of these cases, it's a signal that there may be room to negotiate. Many buyers miss out on properties because they don't realise the asking price has changed.
Why not track sold prices instead?
Once a property is sold, the listing price stops changing, so there's nothing left to track. Sold price data is useful for comparing groups of properties after the fact, but it doesn't help you spot opportunities in real time. We focus on the window where prices are actively changing, so you can act before a property goes under contract.
I've put all this data into dropbee.au where you can browse and filter drops by state, suburb, property type, etc, for free and no signup needed.
Let me know if this is something you'd like to see on a weekly basis, any suburbs or data cuts you'd like to see, drop a comment.
NSW Sydney (24F). hi, my dryer and my kitchen tap is not working well. my landlord has been unresponsive for 40 days for the dryer. the kitchen tap has started dribbling. I'm scared it will stop working altogether. however, my agent is not letting me fix anything without getting the landlord approval. this is the landlord's investment property I don't think she really cares about me, the tenant here 🥲. the sink has been reported for 2 weeks.
I'm so stressed. I'm scared I can't cook soon. I mean I could use another sink but 💀. hey my rent is increasing too in 7 days.
I have had it UP TO HERE with Sydney real estate agents, negligent solicitors and greedy boomer vendors. Tonight, after my eighth failed property purchase due to unsatisfactory building and pest report, my .25% deposit is being held ransom. I’m taking the power back and posting my steps to fight these dodgy d*ckheads:
* Download Anthropic’s Claude if you haven’t already (boycott ChatGPT but that’s another story)
* If you suspect the agent in ANY way has not disclosed something about the property, get as much evidence as possible about how the listing differs to reality. ‘Modernised throughout’ = misleading, ‘turn key first home’ = what’s the catch?
* Ask Claude to summarise NSW regulations for agent standards (they don’t just have to lie, omitting the truth or staying silent about known issues puts them in breach and their licence at risk)
* Knock on neighbours/other units doors and say you’re buying the unit in building (if strata), find out what they know and get the low down, if they’re owners and on body corp - even better. Most people are open to talking to you and telling you the real truth, if they won’t talk to you.. run. It’s a bad sign
* If agent is misleading or does anything untoward, REPORT THEM to NSW Fair Trading. Get Claude to draft it all for you in 5 minutes. The more screenshots the better. There is a NSW gov name and shame list of bad actors, it’s not exhaustive but the only way you can hold the wanker agent accountable is to report them
* Underquoting = breach of regulations and risk of loss of licence. Do the report so they stop doing it.
* If the listing is in ANY WAY inaccurate report the listing on the APP, you can do it in less than two minutes on both Domain and Real Estate.com. They have to look into inaccuracies and false claims
* Give contract deadlines. If you sign first and agent leaves you hanging without countersign, they’re f*cking with you to get a better offer. Give them an ultimatum, sign by 5pm or offer is withdrawn. Call them out before you get gazumped
* Get on Google, Rate My Agent, Trust Pilot etc and tell others. Those 5 stars, we know they’re rubbish but people are too scared or too lazy to help the next person.
* Be an upstanding buyer. Be honest, be accountable, tell the truth and answer emails quickly. Everything in writing. If something goes wrong, cover yourself by acting with integrity.
* Building and pest reports ALWAYS. Make the contract subject to it. Make your lawyer include it. Remind them and check. If the vendor does not agree, WALK AWAY.
I hope you all have better luck than I have had! Here’s to homes for all and an end to this capitalist profiteering off of a basic human right.
Please add your tips xx
I just had an aging solar boosted elec hot water system replaced with a full electric system. We have rooftop solar , no battery.
At present the HWS is wired up as control load 1, which gives access to cheap elec (17c/ KWH) from 10pm to 7am weekdays, plus some boosted times in the day (not clear from supplier website when), plus all WE. The regular rate is 35c/ KWH.
I'm wondering if it's more cost effective to take the HWS off that CL1 circuit and heat during the day on solar instead.
Not sure how to work this out. I think I can find out CL1 use from the meter. We have no smart meter. I run various appliances during the day, inc AC - NSW so quite a few days in summer I need AC on most of the day. Not sure whether AC plus HWS on together would exceed the solar?
How can I work out how much each appliance costs to run (in energy) whether 2-3 hours on solar would heat the HWS adequately? And what else do I need to know? Currently try up use appliances one by one when possible, eg oven separate from dishwasher, so as to stay within solar production.
Apparently you can't switch as needed from CL1 to not, so can't do it day by day depending on weather
TIA!
Hi all,
When I bought my property, there was no Sewer Service Diagram (SSD) for the house. The only SSD available is from 1977, when the land was still part of the neighbouring property.
The current house was built as part of a subdivision in 2000.
In the 1977 SSD, it shows the neighbour’s sewer line running through what is now my backyard and connecting to a Sydney Water point.
Today, I had a licensed plumber inspect and trace the services on site. He found that the old neighbour’s sewer line is no longer in use and appears to be decommissioned (broken and filled with soil).
This is reassuring, but I’m unsure what the next step is. How do I get Sydney Water to update their records and reflect the current situation so the outdated 1977 diagram is corrected? I want to make sure everything is properly documented for future development on that part of the land.
Looking to getting a tile roof looked at and a sagging gutter replaced
The house is located in the northern Melbourne suburbs
Are the following quotes reasonable?
Quote 1 - Total $12,800 (incl. GST)
Quote 2 - Total $8,540 (incl. GST)
I have terrible I-plex pipes, but that’s a whole other story. I’ve had 8 leaks in the past few years and have now bypassed all the iplex pipes with copper ones. But I did have one last leak 6 months ago that I’m still having restored.
What’s happened is all the carpentry was removed to dry out the wall, and a sink was removed to allow the cabinets to come out. So the copper pipes were capped to stop waterflow to that sink.
Months later, new cabinets were put in and the sink reinstalled. The pipes needed to be reconnected to the sink. However the plumber reconnected the leaking iplex pipes, and not the new copper ones. This has of course caused a new leak, which was discovered about 48 hours later once the walls started leaking out and the carpets were soaked, which has undone all the restoration work that was done in the 4 months prior. The building company stated this was a new leak and swore their plumber had done a pressure test, but was not been able to provide timestamped photos confirming this.
After a lot of back and forth and the opinion of an independent plumber, they’ve acknowledged it was their fault. There was no communication between the plumber that capped the copper pipes initially, and the only that uncapped them, and he’s not done a pressure test. However - this new leak has caused significant damage and I’ve been living in a construction zone for 2 months longer (with the restoration work yet to be complete, so it’ll be even longer). Am I entitled to any compensation for this, or is it just too bad so sad and they need to do the restoration work for free?
Hi Folks,
Received this Violation from the Council (Ballarat) this week about the vehicle cross over.
Edges of vehicle crossing have not been back filled as per Condition 10 of the Vehicle Crossing Permit.
We assume this regarding the edges of the vehicle permit, but just wants double check with you. I am attaching few pics for reference (circled in red).
Do we have to do something about area circled in blue as well (in Left Side)?
Thanks in advance.
Question for anyone who has bought an investment property using a buyers agent.
When it came time to pay the buyers agent fee, how did you handle it? Did it come out of savings, did you factor it into your borrowing, or was it just another cost you had to wear on top of the deposit and stamp duty?
I'm a property investor myself and I'm exploring a concept where the buyers agent fee gets funded upfront and repaid gradually through the rental income of the property once it's tenanted. So buyers can engage a buyers agent without needing that extra $10k to $20k sitting in their account at settlement.
Curious whether this is actually a pain point for people or whether most investors just factor it in and move on.
Drop a comment or inbox me if you've got a view on this. Would genuinely love to hear how people handle it.
Gday reddit, AITA here?
New build next door up to the fence line, gutters don’t seem to overhang but I’m not overly concerned about encroachment.
We live on an apartment complex, we are the only owner-occupiers..
Previously, the builders have used our driveway, drove a mobile crane onto it and swung materials over to the new lot.
Scaffold is also hanging over our property by a fair margin, with no netting.
I’ve asked the builder to have this fixed and access should be granted through the strata.
Today, a tenant allowed tradesmen to move construction materials from our driveway up to the roof.
I asked them politely if they’d gotten approval to do the works from our property and was met with ‘that lady said we could, this isn’t your property, you just own the apartment’
There were about 6 of them and they got aggressive almost immediately, with the remainder of their day spent jeering loudly.
The tenant and the neighbour building on the property are friends, and they seem to get a kick out of this situation, so they are almost doing it on purpose to annoy me.
I don’t have a problem with workers using the property for access. Only if they get proper approval. If they hurt themselves or our shared property, our insurance probably won’t cover it.
Overreaction on my part or nah?
