Ikea Ideas

Today we headed to Ikea to get some ideas for the home. On Friday we purchased our massive flat screen tv. Ninong M's place of employment was having a staff sale and we were able to grab a brand new tv at half the retail price.

Going to Ikea can be hit a miss. I think if you become over whelmed by the options available, the amount of people in there, the frustration of unable to get any help, you walk out of there feeling annoyed at even wasting your time.

If you have a plan of attack regarding what you need to get and just head straight to those sections. Avoid any eye contact with cute lamps or fancy storage compartment ideas - you'll save yourself time and guilt realising you purchased something you didn't really need.

We knew we needed an entertainment unit, wall shelf ideas and a storage unit we could double as an ottoman. When we were living in CN we could never find an ottoman long enough for our 2m dining table. I figured since we're short on space and going with the whole maximising as much storage as possible, I came up with the ideas to use a storage unit as an ottoman. It will only get used as an ottoman when we do have guests over and every other time if can be tucked to the side of the room as a unit. Something like this ...

But not as wide ... and no glass on top. We would probably add cousins on top of the unit when it is used as an ottoman so its comfy and it has to have wheels so people can wheel in and out of the dining table when it is used as a ottoman.

We found the entertainment unit we want to get.

 

I think we will opt for the white gloss colour (as seen under the red one)

There is also a matching wall shelf with this range (as seen above the tv) which we probably will get too

Other wall shelf ideas options and ideas I saw. I'm thinking I want to have another long shelf that goes across the living room. I also want to put one in each of the bedrooms. Ian's not liking the idea of putting too many wall shelf's but in my opinion its either shelfs or bulky pieces of furniture to compensate for storage.

There's a massive kids area in Ikea. Our little man is too small to be left alone in there but he did notice the other kids. He watched in awe especially the ball pit area, again he kept saying "baaww".

Next time little man

Moving Out

On the weekend we cleaned our RH investment property. Note: need to add a post regarding that purchase.

Looks like we may be moving into the property for a little bit. Not the plans I had for this property or for us but trying to see the positive in the situation.

The positives include:

• Being on our own as a family and all the joy that comes with that. We can do what we please, when we please and not think about bothering anyone else. We can leave the house as clean or as messy as we want to.
• Decorating a brand new home!! I can’t wait to buy furniture and slowly decorate our home. I can’t wait to start hanging personal photos on our walls. I’m already starting to scope ideas online from all the excitement!! 

Here are some inspiration for our living area:

Going for a minimal, contemporary look with lots of storage possibilities. Minimal so we can hide everything from the little one who likes to grab everything he sees. Low maintenance is a requirement for me too so need storage options where I can dump the mess into places no one will see and give the impression of cleanliness. I want something that can be reused with different furniture and interiors for when we update and upgrade.

What interior style are you?

Investment Property #3

This afternoon we drove past our potential new investment. 

It's going to be a brand new 220sm one story free standing home comprising of 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a single garage. What made the property attractive was not only is it a brand new free standing home but all the inclusions included with the price. Extras which you would normally have to pay on top for such as the driveway, fencing, landscaping and blinds. It's a ready to move in home in an ideal location of the suburb and believe we can get premium rental and resell value for the property. 

We are taking advantage of the no stamp duty the government is offering to NSW home owners for any new homes being built under $600K or land purchased under $400K. This will exempt us from paying for up to $40K worth of stamp duty.

At this point in time we're not planning to move into the house only because its so far from our network of support people who are helping us look after Eli. 

I feel this purchase is a sound investment especially for the price we purchased it at and it's going to strengthen our financial portfolio. I've always believed in smart investing and making well calculated decisions not just going with the trend. My approach to property investing is to purchase decent, not expensive homes that will provide strong rental income and has the potential to make profit when we come to sell it.

Another bonus is settlement isn't until the completion of the property which isn't scheduled until the end of the year. What that means is we don't have to pay anything except the 10% until the home is complete therefore we can take advantage of securing the property now at the price we negotiated at the time without having to pay the banks back just yet. 

I see us keeping this property for 5+ years and just sitting on it for a little while until the property market picks up again or the area continues to grow, hopefully increasing the value of the home. 

Now to find a home for us. We're so undecided as to what we want to do. I don't mind renting however renting is so unstable at time. I was made well aware of this reality this week when my sister was given her 4 weeks eviction notice from her landlord. The reasons for the eviction is unknown however whatever the reason is its within contract grounds. 

Do we want to buy around our parents? My parents want to sell their home and move between states or countries in the colder months so then what's the point of staying in the area if my parents aren't around for support? I also don't want to stress either parents with the expectation that they have to be so involved with raising our children - they've done their time and I want them to enjoy their retirement period, they deserve it. 

Do we want to buy closer to work? The 1.5hr each way commute to work is killing my life. I know the M2 road works will cease in a year and in 10-15 years time there will be a North West train line. But how much time will I be saving anyways? Besides being close to our families we do live in an ideal location. Good schools, family orientated, people within the same salary bracket. C'mon lets get real the homes in this area aren't cheap. It is assumed a certain salary amount is required to even get approved for loans to buy homes in this location. So it is a good area regardless its just that the travel into the city is so tedious everyday. 

Do we want a sea change? Ian and I have been taking about getting away from Sydney. The cost of living, the lifestyle, the mortgages and everyday living expenses are ridiculous in Sydney. We complain but we don't do anything about it and maybe its time we did. Time we moved to some place that isn't so expensive. The con would be that we won't have support people around us and potentially salaries wont be as competitive as the salaries in Sydney.