As part of the due diligence process when appraising properties,  agents use mappings services to obtain an overview of a property, its location and surrounds.
There are 5 sites that we at RE/MAX Hills & Country use.

 - Property Assist – https://www.propertyassist.sa.gov.au/pa/   & then go to the property locator section.
  > used primarily to locate titles, parcels of land etc. Will also show roads in new subdivisions, and location of strata & community titles. Once the required property has been located, then there is the functionality to order title searches if required.

 - Google Maps  – http://maps.google.com.au/      very handy and good for locating properties. Works well on smart phones and tablets as well.

 - Near Maps  – https://www.nearmap.com/welcome-new     
  >   probably the key mapping service we use at the moment. Has high resolution maps, useful overlays plus the ability to search some ‘historical mapping’
    * please note that this site is a high data use site.
    * offers the opportunity to check out various national sites of interest eg resource projects of WA coast,  flood areas

 - Mud maps  – http://www.mud-maps.com/  
  >  useful if you are using co-ordinates or wish to overlay different information.

 - RP Data  -  http://www.rpdata.com/index.html
   > primarily a sales research tool, it does have a view map function as well.

RE/MAX International have recently launched a new website to cater for this International movement of people.

global.remax.com

I am a member of the International Real Estate Federation FIABCI and was recently in Malaysia attending the APREC 2011. Government & Industry experts provided insights into the individual real estate markets in the Asia Pacific region to real estate professionals from around the world. Attended by approximately 1000 delegates it was a great chance to gain some understanding of the thought processes of both Government & private industry professionals and real estate trends in this part of the world.
An added bonus was the opportunity to meet with Chris Tan, Managing Partner of Chur Associates Malaysia and author of ‘Turning Green – The journey of the Green Sugar Merchant’( a book I recommend ). Chris took time out of his busy schedule to give me a personalised tour of Kuala Lumpur. It was also a chance for me to enjoy some of the world renowned Malaysian cuisine! 

Useful links are  www.fiabci.org     &  www.greensugarmerchant.com

 While thousands of South Australian households have installed solar panels in recent years, there appears to be some uncertainty as to how solar systems should be dealt with in the sale contract process.
The confusion stems from the issue as to whether a solar system is a fixture of fitting.  Generally speaking, a fixture stays with the property, whereas a fitting can be removed.
As a result, the contract needs to stipulate whether the solar panels are either included with or excluded from the sale.  As they can be removed, care needs to be taken to address this in the contract.
Our advice is to confirm with your Vendor when listing the property whether the solar panels will be staying with the property – some property owners are choosing to take the solar panels with them – and to then explicitly state in the contract whether the solar panels are included with or excluded from the sale.
It is also recommended that you state within the sale contract what level of solar feed in tariff applies to the property, if the panels are included in the sale.  The tariff is attached to the meter, that is the property, not the solar panels.
The State Government’s recent changes to the solar tariff feed in scheme mean that different tariff rates apply to systems installed before and after September 30 this year.  The level of tariff for that specific property should also be stated in the sales contract for the purchaser’s information so they can inform their electricity supplier and ensure they receive the correct tariff.

Reproduced with permission of Penny Erskine of Conveyancing Matters.          www.conveyancingmatters.com.au

We are proud to announce we won the State Website of the Year Award for Excellence in Real Estate 2011. This exuberant awards dinner was held on Friday 14th October at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and put on by REISA, RP Data & The Advertiser.

Louise Sexton from our team at RE/MAX and David Miller of Split Mango get a special thank you as they teamed together creating this fantastic website with many hours of testing and trialling. Well done to the RE/MAX Hills & Country team who put their time & effort into making it an award winning website.

It is wonderful to have our hard work recognised! Please have a look around now that you’re here and let us know what you think.

For more photos of the night, go to www.facebook.com/REMAXHC

Questions to be asking include: are there any easements? Is there a land management agreement? Is there an encumbrance? Are there design guidelines? Is there an encumbrance manager? What are the plot ratios? What is the LHS offset? What is the RHS offset? What is the front set back? What is the rear set back? Are driveway locations pre-set? Is there a building envelope? Is there any fill? Where will the street trees & water meter be located? Is there a time limit on building? What services are available? Where are the connection points?

The controls are in place to set standards, protect services, maintain the value of developments & underpin peoples investment. They are there for good reasons, it is just a matter of ensuring you are fully informed in your buying decisions.

What do you think?

The tulips behind give a vibrant red burst of colour to the garden, peeking over the Englishbox hedge.

Spring is to enjoy as gardens everywhere burst forth in new growth and blossom throughout the Hills.

RE/MAX is a real estate phenomenon that operates in 85 Countries from 6,287 Offices with 88,444 Sales Associates and hence James’s results are truly amazing. The fact that he practices real estate in the Adelaide Hills, which is a small area by world real estate standards,  makes these results even more remarkable. It is the client care, hard work, professional approach, support from his wife Julie & family that enables James to operate at this world class level. Congratulations to James and all the people who support him!

Camellias reign supreme in the garden in August.
Julie picked these in 5 minutes walking around the garden. Pretty but hardy they live for over a century and thrive in the hills. Related to tea they can brighten any corner of the garden in late winter.