The days are getting warmer, the nights are getting shorter, and the good news is that there’s plenty of things to do in Brisbane in the upcoming weeks ahead.

Although controversially dubbed “Australia’s Hippest City” by the likes of Lonely Planet, advancements in infrastructure and culture has seen Brisbane well and truly shake off its reputation as being a little bit daggy. These days, the spotlight shines brightly on our local arts scene, pumping nightlife, great coffee, and our good working relationship with the sun. 

With our low density suburbs, large backyards and a sunny climate that favours a lifestyle in the great outdoors, there’s never a shortage of things to do in Brisbane. However, with the end of winter edging optimistically closer, what events do we have to look forward to in the spring?

What’s On In Brisbane During September 

Hugging the Brisbane River, the appeal of the city stretches far beyond the central business district. Each suburb of Brisbane doubles as an urban village, with the likes of bohemian West End, leafy New Farm or the ultra hip hilltop borough of Paddington all attracting both new residents and tourists alike. 

While there’s always things to do in Brisbane at any time of the year, spring always tends to mark a return to the great outdoors, with a range of new and exciting events designed to cater to Queenslanders from all walks of life.

What: Brisbane Festival 2022
Where: Various venues across Brisbane City
When: Friday 2 September to Saturday 24 September 

About: As our key celebration of all things arts and culture, the annual Brisbane Festival presents a bold international program designed to showcase captivating performances and installations from across the world. With key highlights including live music, theatre shows, art programs and the famed Riverfire fireworks, it’s a source of local pride and not to be missed. 

What: Redcliffe Kitefest
Where: Pelican Park, 101 Hornibrook Esplanade, Clontarf
When: 9:00am Saturday 17 September to 4:00pm Sunday 18 September 

About: Marked as the ultimate kid friendly festival, the annual Redcliffe Kitefest is set to transform Pelican Park into the ultimate family-friendly weekend with international kite displays, entertainment, live music, activities and workshops, market and food stalls, and even live shows from one of our state’s most beloved and famous exports, Bluey. 

What: Big Sound Festival
Where: Various venues across Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
When: Tuesday 6 September to Friday 9 September 

About: Big Sound is the southern hemisphere’s biggest music industry gathering, where some of the world’s most influential artists and music lovers come to discover the future of music over three exciting, fun-filled nights in Brisbane every September. By day, key industry figures attend conferences to unpack the new world, but by night, their music brings the city to life. 

What: Brisbane Arcade Spring Flower Show
Where: Brisbane Arcade, 160 Queen Street, Brisbane CBD
When: Saturday 3 September to Friday 9 September 

About: The annual, much-loved week-long celebration is back and blooming in Brisbane Arcade, in September. Watch in awe as the beautiful heritage interiors are transformed into an awe-inspiring sensory floral wonderland with large flower installations, heady fragrance and other sculptural works of blooms and greenery.

What: Buy From The Bush Queensland Market
Where: Summerland Camels, 8 Charles Chauvel Drive, Harrisville
When: 9:00am to 3:00pm Saturday 18 September 

About: Experience the very best of a boutique country market while you eat fantastic food, have a great time with friends, visit the bar for refreshments, enjoy the stunning views from our property, meet and feed our friendly camels and relax to the sounds of a local entertainer while you browse through the stalls during this unique one day event. 

What: 2022 Brisbane Home Show
Where: Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre – Glenelg St, South Brisbane
When: Friday 9 September to Sunday 11 September 

About: With hundreds of innovative home products, exclusive event specials, free seminars, expert advice and exhibitions from some of the best homegrown Aussie renovation businesses, the annual Brisbane Home Show is the place to start when considering a home improvement project, and is back and better than ever after a two year hiatus. 

Needless to say, it’s understandable why Queensland is seeing some of its highest domestic migration levels in decades. With significant infrastructure investments, affordable real estate and plenty of things to do in Brisbane, making the move to the Sunshine State has never been more appealing. 

Whether you need to be close to the M1 for work or prefer to be closer to the beach for the kids, partnering with a local expert can be revolutionary when it comes to mastering the world of finance, particularly if you’re new to living in the great city of Brisbane – but where can you find them?

Partnering With Home Loan Professionals 

Navigating the complex world of home loans has long been regarded as stressful, frustrating and time consuming – but if you can find the right advice on sourcing how mortgages work, then the good news is that it doesn’t have to be.

Since their inception in 2012, the team at Madd Loans have worked tirelessly in providing over 2,000 Queenslanders with finance options to help turn their dreams into reality. With the entire brand being built on referrals, owner George Samios takes great pride in making the loan process both fun, educational and stress free – and he has a swag of awards to prove it.

If thinking about your financial future strikes a chord with you, then it might be time to speak to a professional. Whether you’re chasing mortgage solutions or a financial fairy godmother, the team at Madd work together as a collective to turn your goals into reality.

Despite the news indicating that the world of real estate is in a downward spiral, this couldn’t be further from the truth for the Brisbane property market.  

Although Australia is home to some of the most transparent and factual news sources in the world, we are still not immune from the sensationalist headlines that are designed to capture the attention of the general public. 

With popular buzzwords currently including inflation, interest rates and real estate, one such example of these anxiety inducing headlines includes the likes of ‘Australian house prices fall at fastest rate since 2008 financial crisis’. 

While this may apply to the nation’s most expensive markets that are traditionally the first to feel such fluctuations, the state of the Brisbane property market tells an entirely different story. With record low rental vacancy rates, property values holding steady and a healthy low economy, the real estate freefall affecting other parts of the nation simply isn’t as relevant here in Queensland. 

Unpacking The Strength Of The Brisbane Property Market

According to data sourced from property analytics firm CoreLogic, figures generated in the last financial quarter show that the nation’s median property value has dropped by 2% since to $747,182, which includes houses and apartments.

While this may bring a sense of optimism to first home buyers and a contrasting sense of dread to investors, what the numbers don’t show is that not all corners of the nation are following this trend – particularly the Brisbane property market. 

Although Brisbane’s house prices have increased by a staggering 32.1% in the past twelve months alone, the latest quarter saw our median house price fall by just 0.1% – a very different story when compared to the national average of 2%. In addition, the retraction is nowhere near the fall in median values in Sydney, which fell -2.2%, Melbourne at -1.5%, Hobart at -1.5% and Canberra at -1.1%. 

While the River City is not immune to feeling the pinch of inflation and rising interest rates, the Brisbane property market has a number of other big factors that are protecting it against the drops that other capital cities are currently facing, and a healthy economy that is only set to secure the health of our real estate market even further. 

Interstate Migration Levels – While Queenslanders have long championed the fact that there’s no better place to live than the Sunshine State, it would seem that the data is finally there to back this statement up. Given that our state was relatively lockdown free for the last two years, it’s not surprising that Queensland is currently the fastest-growing state in Australia driven by interstate migration, with over 50,000 new arrivals in the last twelve months alone. When compared to our southern counterparts, the attraction of moving to Brisbane for a better lifestyle is undeniable. If the forecasts are to be believed, it would seem that this isn’t set to slow down anytime soon, which is ideal for filling our many employment vacancies. 

Upcoming 2032 Brisbane Olympics – On the back of Queensland’s bid to the first ‘carbon positive’ Olympic Games, this is expected to drive further investment into our already burgeoning renewable energy industry. In fact, ANZ plans to commit an eye watering $10 billion dollars to Queensland energy projects over the next decade, particularly those targeting bioenergy and hydrogen, to help fund the state’s clean energy transition. Moreover, our Institutional business will support Queensland’s ambition to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030, in addition to providing as much as $15 billion dollars in funding for the green infrastructure Brisbane will need to support the upcoming Olympic Games. 

Employment Opportunities – Westpac has predicted that the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games could produce at least $17 billion of economic and social benefits for Australia, with approximately $8 billion of that figure flowing straight into Queensland. In fact, the Value Proposition Assessment from the Queensland Government is expecting roughly $20.2 billion in international visitor expenditure alone. Furthermore, forecasts indicate that the event could generate up to 130,000 jobs, particularly in the construction, logistics and transport sectors. In addition, tackling transport issues is one of the key areas covered by the recently announced $1.8 billion dollar funding package, known as the SEQ City Deal. 

Industry experts believe that regardless of the upcoming Olympics Games, Brisbane is also likely to outperform the market as it’s long overdue for a surge after years of sluggish growth. The probability is that outperformance could go on for longer than one or two years post-Games, and Brisbane property investors who take the opportunity to capitalise on the northern regions with a view to holding can expect to have more than sporting wins to celebrate in 2032.

In a nutshell, our strong economic growth and bright future means that the Brisbane property market isn’t set to fall off a cliff anytime soon. If you’re one of the thousands of people currently considering making the move to Queensland, partnering with a local expert can be revolutionary when it comes to mastering the world of finance, particularly if you’re new to living in the great city of Brisbane – but where can you find them?

Partnering With Home Loan Professionals 

Navigating the complex world of home loans has long been regarded as stressful, frustrating and time consuming – but if you can find the right advice on sourcing how mortgages work, then the good news is that it doesn’t have to be.

Since their inception in 2012, the team at Madd Loans have worked tirelessly in providing over 2,000 Queenslanders with finance options to help turn their dreams into reality. With the entire brand being built on referrals, owner George Samios takes great pride in making the loan process both fun, educational and stress free – and he has a swag of awards to prove it.

If thinking about your financial future strikes a chord with you, then it might be time to speak to a professional. Whether you’re chasing mortgage solutions or a financial fairy godmother, the team at Madd work together as a collective to turn your goals into reality.

While demand for swapping to a fixed rate mortgage is currently going through the roof – and for good reason – what are the primary benefits of doing so?

Regardless of whether you identify as a first home buyer, budding property baron, or are simply chipping away at paying off your family home, almost every Australian has been paying close attention to what’s happening with interest rates.

As one of the only tools left to fight skyrocketing inflation, the Reserve Bank Of Australia has repeatedly raised the cash rate – and therefore, interest rates – since over the course of the last three months. While the measures have started to dampen market prices for real estate, inflation is a figure that’s proving to be much more stubborn. 

While homeowners are at the forefront of bearing the extra cost of living, there is one thing that many people can still do to combat the price hikes and minimize their financial stress: swapping over to a fixed rate mortgage. 

Why You Should Consider A Fixed Rate Mortgage

While all interest rates are known to fluctuate as a response to global economies and key events, variable rates are arguably more exposed to them. As the name would suggest, a variable interest rate loan is a loan where the interest charged on the outstanding balance fluctuates based on an underlying benchmark or index that periodically changes. 

Although benefits usually associated with a variable interest rate often include access to an offset account or redraw facility, plus greater flexibility, the downside is that homeowners are ultimately left exposed to market fluctuations. In turn, a growing number of homeowners have decided that opting for a fixed rate mortgage is the safer bet, with just a handful of the benefits of doing so including the following. 

Clear Repayment Schedule – The primary benefit of opting for a fixed rate mortgage is the clarity that comes with knowing just how much you’ll need to pay off your home loan every month. This valuable information can work wonders when it comes to formulating a good budget, increasing your savings, and reducing anxiety around the cost of living. 

Protection From Increases – Economists from all corners of Australia are collectively agreeing that interest rates are only set to increase further from now until at least the end of the year, and a fixed rate mortgage is one way for homeowners to protect themselves against the all but guaranteed higher loan costs set to come. 

Lower Long Term Rates – Although this theory will depend on the current fixed rates on offer and the agreed contract duration, which is usually between one and five years, homeowners can expect to pay lower interest rates during that time if the cash rate is predicted to increase further – much like it is now. 

While homeowners will have the stability of knowing what their repayments will be under a fixed rate mortgage, it does mean that if rates fall in the future, they will need to continue to pay the higher rate for the fixed rate loan term.

However, the current economic climate means that this is highly unlikely to happen, and therefore the benefits of securing a fixed interest rate outweigh the standard perks that would normally be on offer with a variable interest rate loan product. Ultimately, the right choice will boil down to your own individual circumstances, such as your current financial health and grand plans for the future. 

If you’re one of the thousands of Australians currently feeling the pinch of rising interest rates, rest assured that you’re not alone. With inflation only set to increase further, there’s never been a better time to be proactive and get in touch with your local mortgage broker – but where do you find one?

Partnering With Home Loan Professionals 

Navigating the complex world of home loans has long been regarded as stressful, frustrating and time consuming – but if you can find the right advice on sourcing how mortgages work, then the good news is that it doesn’t have to be.

Since their inception in 2012, the team at Madd Loans have worked tirelessly in providing over 2,000 Queenslanders with finance options to help turn their dreams into reality. With the entire brand being built on referrals, owner George Samios takes great pride in making the loan process both fun, educational and stress free – and he has a swag of awards to prove it.

If thinking about your financial future strikes a chord with you, then it might be time to speak to a professional. Whether you’re chasing mortgage solutions or a financial fairy godmother, the team at Madd work together as a collective to turn your goals into reality.

If you’ve recently been pre-approved and are on the hunt for the right house, it’s never been more important to get a property report prior to a purchase. 

Undertaking a property valuation report is usually a task required for property owners, real estate agents and investors alike. For a variety of reasons, the owners may want to know the real price of the property, settle family disputes, to know the insurance premium amount, to calculate house taxes and most importantly, to sell or purchase the property in question. 

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While a property valuation report acts as a guide for both buyers, sellers, investors, and real estate agents, this type of document doesn’t cover a wide range of factors that have the potential to affect the value of the dwelling in the years to come – which is when you need a property report. 

Madd Loans Launches Partnership With PropCheck 

When looking for approval from a local council, property developers can encounter significant obstacles due to not being familiar with current codes and regulations, but this is an issue that can be avoided by employing a town planner.

Town planners are professionals who ensure that the development is planned strategically. They work with landowners and developers as advisers and create assessments, reports, and strategies related to developments. Planners deal with various types of developments and work towards the best possible outcome, and the end goal of every planner’s work is to make local council approvals easier to get. 

However, it’s not just multi million dollar property developers that can benefit from the skillset of a town planner, and using them to generate a residential property report is a trend on the rise amongst owner occupiers and investors alike. Nobody wants to purchase a property without having as much information as possible, and this is why Madd Loans have partnered with Brisbane based start up PropCheck to encourage Queenslanders to buy with confidence. 

In simple terms, Propcheck sources all of the town planning information on behalf of buyers, and presents it in one easy to read property report. Once upon a time, this information would traditionally take buyers hours to source, but Propcheck uses a combination of technology and experience to streamline the process and help buyers to avoid any hidden surprises that could potentially come with a property purchase.

As Propcheck owner and founder Vass Stammes has a background as a town planner, he’s seen countless instances where buyers have used the information in a property report to determine whether a dwelling is worth the investment or not – and according to Vass, it’s never been more important to do so. 

“I’ve seen countless occasions where buyers struggle to determine if a property floods, what the council zoning is, or where future infrastructure is located. These types of searches can take hours, if not days, so PropCheck was born out of streamlining and automating that process on behalf of buyers.”

For buyers curious on the types of information that a property report from PropCheck includes, many are surprised to learn just how much the document covers – 

• Easements – determines if easements have been identified on the property
• Heritage – determines if heritage protections have been identified on the property
• Character – determines if character protections have been identified on the property
• Flood Risk – determines if the property is subject to the risk of potential flooding
• Biodiversity – determines if biodiversity has been identified on the property
• Koala Habitat – determines if the property is identified within a Koala Habitat Area
• Bushfire Risk – determines if the property is subject to the risk of potential bushfire
• Noise Impact – determines if noise impact has been identified on the property
• Odour Impact – determines if odour impact has been identified on the property
• Sewer – determines if sewer infrastructure has been identified on the property
• Water – determines if water infrastructure has been identified on the property
• Stormwater – determines if stormwater infrastructure has been identified on the property
• Electricity – determines if electricity infrastructure has been identified on the property
• Public Transport – determines if the property is located within 500m of public transport
• Shopping Centre – determines if the property is located within 500m of a shopping centre
• Parklands – determines if the property is located within 500m of parklands
• Emergency Services – determines if the property is located within 500m of an emergency services building
• Coastal Hazards – determines if the property is subject to the risk of potential coastal hazards
• Waterways and Wetlands – determines if waterways and wetlands have been identified on the property
• Steep Land – determines if the property is identified as steep land and/or possible risk of landslide

If you’re pre-approved and ready to start sourcing your next property purchase, the team at Madd Loans have partnered with PropCheck to offer an exclusive discount for Madd customers. Simply use the code ‘Madd20’ at the online checkout, and receive a special offer on your property report. 

For those ready to purchase their first home, refinance their existing one, or even kick start their journey as a budding property investor, it should come as no surprise that six in ten Australians are now working with a mortgage broker for help in navigating the world of home loans – but where do you find one?

Partner With The Property Finance Experts

Since their inception in 2012, the team at Madd Loans have worked tirelessly in providing over 2,000 Queenslanders with finance options to help turn their dreams into reality. With the entire brand being built on referrals, owner George Samios takes great pride in making the loan process both fun, educational and stress free – and he has a swag of awards to prove it.

Relentless in their pursuit of gold star customer service, the team at Madd have now expanded their services to include end to end financial planning. Through Madd Life, the aim is to collaborate with clients to identify long term goals, and transform them into a road map. 

If thinking about your financial future strikes a chord with you, then it might be time to speak to a professional. Whether you’re chasing mortgage solutions or a financial fairy godmother, the team at Madd proudly work together as a collective to turn your goals into reality.