R and R Property Podcast With The Real Estate Girl Denise Haynes

Welcome to the R and R Property Podcast with the real estate girl Denise Haynes. In our podcast we talk about all things real estate in rural New South Wales. We discuss a diverse range of topics to do with real estate. Whether it is about making the tree change, doing a reno or getting to know our awesome country community. If ever you are in the area please pop by and meet our team. R and R Property are an amazing all women real estate agency working with in the Stroud, Gloucester and Bulahdelah areas.

#19: The Boardroom Series - Denise Haynes 06/27/2018

#18: Lisa B Interviews Denise Haynes Marketing Expert 11/24/2017

#18: Lisa B Interviews Denise Haynes Marketing Expert Firstly Denise can you tell us a little bit about your area – Regions/Councils: Our area is quite vast because we cover a number of council areas, from & . Rural and Residential: We also work in rural and residential areas. Population: Within the town of where we have one of our offices the population is only about 700 but there is a large farmland area surrounding the town. We are the only agency with an office in Stroud, but there are numerous agencies that work within the area. Country to Coast: We are so lucky that our areas cover coastal strips through to rural so we really do get to enjoy the best of both worlds. Community: We have an amazing community that all work together and help each other out. As a business we find that our community supports us so much – it’s wonderful and we love to return that by sponsoring whatever local event or causes we can. Lots of customers make mention that they have found our community to have such a great vibe. : Actually that is also something Andrew Winter from said upon his arrival and when we featured on the Lifestyle show. He was truly amazed at the vibrant feel we had for such a rural community. We love to share the area: count their blessings everyday living in this area,and that’s why we love to promote it and share it with new locals whenever we can. You have an all female team and you are in a rural area. Tell me about your experience in rural and how you are qualified to sell rural property. Does anyone ever think you can’t do the job as well as a man? Born & bred: I’ve grown up rural, being born and bred in this area so it comes as second nature to me but from the real estate perspective, Training: I’ve trained extensively; amongst other things I’m a licensed stock and station agent. But honestly where you learn the most is from being in the field so to speak. Experience: I started my career in Real Estate in 2004 and it was within an agency that sold rural property, from this job I acted like a sponge and soaked in all the information I possibly could. I also live on a 300 acre beef cattle farm so you learn from that too of course. Reluctance Because We’re Females? : Honestly yes we do get some buyers who initially are reluctant to deal with us regarding rural but the minute I start speaking with them they realise that I know my business. Excellent Reputation: Our vendors are well aware of our excellent reputation as rural sales agents, so they don’t hesitate. Working in Hardware: It’s similar to when I worked in my family’s hardware business – H & D Timber & Hardware in Raymond Terrace for many years. All the tradies had no hesitation in dealing with us ladies in the shop, because they knew we were knowledgable. It was the weekend warriors we had trouble with if any, but it didn’t take long to sort them out. Market Share: We are an award winning agency with a massive market share, so that doesn’t come without extensive knowledge. Sales: My rural sales over the years speak volumes! You have 2 offices now in the area, Where are they exactly… I also want to say that I always see your new listings and sales coming through on social media – you really are going amazing. What’s your secret to success? We have offices in Stroud and Bulahdelah Sheer hard work and determination! The support of our community who are a lovely bunch of people. Team: An amazing hardworking and passionate team who treat the business like they own it. I truly am blessed with that combination! New Team Members: I am always looking for passionate new team members to place into R & R Property whenever I can. I love seeing them thrive and create themselves a career and immense self confidence. Staff Going into their own businesses: I’ve also been blessed enough to have trained up and seen a couple of my team members gain the confidence and knowledge to go out on their own and create their own Real Estate businesses.That makes me so proud! You have become an amazing ambassador for your town like no other real estate agent I have ever seen. What’s your inspiration? I LOVE IT: It’s simple – I just love it! I truly never ever get sick of the beauty of the landscapes, whether they are our coastal strips or our rural rolling hills.I am a keen amateur photographer so I’m always pulling over on the side of the road to take an amazing shot that just can’t be missed! The community members are used to seeing me doing this! There she is at it again they say! My poor daughter is always like – “Muuum can we go nowwww?!?” I was asked if we could supply the photography for the decorating in a local cafe with my photography. It’s like a permanent art gallery showcasing our area. Calendars: We also have our much sought after R & R Property calendars which have a different local photo for each month, all usually taken by me. We give these as gifts to our clients for Christmas each year. Social Media Photo’s: I’m in charge of all of our marketing which includes loading up all of our social media pages with beautiful lifestyle shots. Sharing the area: We really love sharing the area. We see people come from the city who are stressed out and need to escape from it. They settle in our area and then the only regret they have is that they didn’t do it sooner. It just changes their lives for the better. How can you not want to share that! You get amazing testimonials from your clients. So amazing that someone thought that they were too good to be true didn’t they.. Can we talk briefly about that. Only because i think it’s funny. : Aah yes, we do get some amazing testimonials.I guess that comes from not only working really hard for people but also caring. I certainly don’t want to feel as though I have ever done the wrong thing by anybody so we always walk them through the processes and make sure we disclose absolutely everything we can about a property and ensure it’s the right decision for that customer. And whilst we don’t have a crystal ball in knowing exactly what a buyer would be prepared to pay for a property we never ever buy listings, always stating the price we think it would sell for, even if that means we miss out on the listing. And yes the situation you are referring to is where we put out a flyer with a couple of our testimonials on it and we received a letter from the Real Estate authorities to say that we were being accused of writing our own testimonials, they were just too good. Of course we were able to supply evidence that they were in fact real testimonials from real customers. You sponsor local fairs and sporting clubs – what a great way to meet people and be involved with the community. What do you sponsor exactly and what’s involved? Gosh there really are way too many to mention individually but we do attend our towns shows & fairs with our marquee supplying free facepainting & balloons for the littlies plus we financially sponsor the events. We sponsor our local football teams and other sporting events. We attend the most months and just get out and chat with our community. We recently sponsored the and we sponsor the in Port Stephens. , it really is extensive. It’s about giving back to our community. We believe that the more we can assist, the stronger the community will be and the more businesses and new people to the area will come from that. You have an eye for marketing.. Do you think that’s something you were born with, or is it something you have to work on? Creative as kid: Yes I’ve always been naturally creative, even as a little kid so I love beautiful marketing. I also find human nature fascinating, so forever trying to figure out the mystery of what works marketing wise with people and what doesn’t. Many touch points: So we use a very very wide range of marketing because I believe marketing is not a one hit wonder, it is providing many touch points. Think outside the box a lot: I love to think outside the box a lot. I’d find it very insulting if someone said we were just the same as any other agency, because I don’t think that’s true. Local photography: For example I use local photography as a marketing theme because it’s about making people aware of the life we lead here. Sure I do post on Facebook and Instagram for example our “Just Listed” and “Just sold” information but I mostly post my day to day life on the farm, in our lifestyle, at the beach etc etc. #notrafficjamshere: One photo range which is particularly popular is the #notrafficjamshere ones where I post pics of cows along our driveway, they always get a great response. Street Library: One of the other unusual marketing tools we have are our Street Libraries. So outside of each office is a little red house shaped box on a pole (somewhat like a large letterbox) that is a container for people to place the books that they have finished reading for someone else to collect and read. It’s a great talking point. I can hear people discussing it from my office and they’re fascinated by the concept. Kids especially love the idea.It works because I see the book collections changing from day to day. The Pioneer: We also have a newsletter for our area which has a local history story on the front and then real estate information on the back. We try to issue these monthly by letterbox drop but they are also printable from our website. They truly are the best marketing piece we have because I actually have people ring & complain they they never received theirs in the mail!!!! Sports Bottles: We also not only financially assist our local sports teams but we also supply them with R & R Property branded sports bottles, just as yet another touch point. Hints & Tips: We issue regular Hints & Tips about all aspects of Real Estate for Buyers & Sellers on our Facebook pages. Podcasts: We Podcast as well, all things real estate and especially tree change questions/concerns people have. Vendor tips, buyer tips, decorating & styling advice.Anything that we think people will find informative. Blog/Vlog: I create informative blogs and vlogs to educate people about our area, help them in their real estate journey. Tree Change Guide: we created a downloadable Tree Change Guide.We were receiving the same questions & concerns over & over again so we’ve put the answers all together in a booklet for our relevant clients. Radio Interviews: I currently have two radio interviews a week on two different stations where we discuss all things real estate, whether that’s the property of the week or hints & tips for buyers & sellings, plus market updates. You’ve won loads of awards! Tell us how many awards you have won.. Gosh heaps! Agency of the Year: we have won the a for our Stroud area for the past 2 years running with rate my agent. : We recently won the Midcoast Business Award for Excellence in Small Business. That was pretty massive as the Midcoast is a huge area and includes many many businesses, including large franchised agencies. We are a small independant agency. We also walked away that night as finalists in the Customer Service Category & Excellence in Professional Services Category. I was also personally awarded as a Highly Commended Business Leader which was an incredibly humbling experience. Regional Business Awards: This also led us to be Finalists in the Regional Business awards which was another amazing night and made me very proud of the team. LAST QUESTION What else can you elaborate on as far as your marketing goes.. It’s been a massive year for R & R Property. : We opened up a second office this year, this one in Bulahdelah, due to popular demand. Since then we have also purchased one of the existing agencies there so the owner could retire. This doubled our rent roll and of course team members. Book Features: Next year I am featuring in two new book releases about Real Estate. Success Secrets: We are not finished yet though with a number of new ideas in the pipeline heading forward. I guess that has always been one of my success secrets; to never stay stagnant and to not take success for granted. You’re only as good as your last sale is one of my motto’s. You’ve always got to move with the times and try to be ahead of the pack all whilst staying grounded and empathetic to people’s needs, customers, team members and of course family. And of course there will be plenty of further training as learning new skills is essential. Thank you Denise! /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/5975965

#17: Award Winning Agency – Why Should You Care? 05/15/2017

#17: Award Winning Agency – Why Should You Care? Award Winning Agency – Why Should You Care? If you had a life threatening heart condition would you use a specialist to give you advice and treat your illness or would you choose the cheapest alternative? I have no doubt that you would use the best in the field that you possibly could. Property is usually a person’s largest financial investment and yet they don’t always realise that they should have a specialist selling their property for them. Worse still, some GIVE the cheapest agent their business. There are also regular sites popping up that advocate that owners can “sell their own”. Buyers love trying to deal directly with the owners as they know that they can get them down in price, thus defeating the seller’s purpose of selling privately. Some Real Estate Agents are trained in negotiation and marketing and deal with buyers and sellers every day. When you employ a real estate agency that has won multiple awards in many categories, you know that you are dealing with an office serious about their customers and their career. Awards don't come easily as results and effort must be proven. You have to go the extra mile every time. R & R Property have won many awards, acknowledged by their customers and fellow business owners. R & R have been awarded Agency of the Year, as voted by their customers, for two years running with “Rate My Agent” for the Stroud district. They have also won the 2017 Excellence in Small Business Award for the Midcoast. They were also Finalists in Professional Services and Finalists for Customer Service. Denise Haynes the owner of R & R Property also received “Highly Commended” as a Business Leader for 2017 as well. This is a huge achievement given that we were up against a big brand agency as well as other much larger independent agencies, and various businesses throughout the Manning Valley, Gloucester & Stroud district. Now this achievement doesn’t come easy. In the past as a small agency starting off as just one person (myself) I have worked night and day to achieve these results, thus bringing my clients the best service that I possibly can. At R & R Property, we also invest heavily into the business to ensure that we keep up with ever changing technology & services. Our client’s properties are presented to the world with R & R’s up to the minute marketing skills and tools. Now this is important because you are competing with so many properties on the internet, you need your property to stand out amongst the crowd. These wins are such great news for you if you are considering selling your property. You need the BEST agency at the ready to sell your largest financial investment, get the BEST PRICE and move on to the next stage in your life. Seriously think about who you would rather have working on your property’s sale; an award winning real estate specialist or the cheapest agent you can find? Someone who dedicates their life to their business or someone who just does it as a hobby or considers it just a 9 to 5 job? R & R Property’s slogan is “A Passion For Property”. Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love assisting others to make the move from city to country. The team are a combination of lifetime locals and tree changers so their vast experience and knowledge is your asset. You’ll find their free Real Estate advice on their Website, Podcasts and Facebook - “Hints and Tips”. YOU SEE OUR FOR SALE SIGNS EVERYWHERE! Stroud : 02 4994 5766 | “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425 Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423 E: [email protected] www.randrproperty.com.au Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @randrproperty Award Winner for Excellence in Small Business for Midcoast 2017 “Rate My Agent” Agency of the Year award for Stroud District 2017 “Rate My Agent” Agent of the Year award for Stroud District 2016 Featured on Selling Houses Aus. with the Fastest Sale in the History of the show Licensed Real Estate Agent Licensed Stock & Station Agent Licensed Business Broker Accredited Auctioneer Author/Blogger Trained in Marketing & Graphic Arts /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/5356437

#16: How to Attract Tree Changers to Your Property 04/07/2017

#16: How to Attract Tree Changers to Your Property At R & R Property, through our extensive research, we know that the majority of our buyers are tree changers (clients leaving the city or highly suburban areas to move to the country) and where they are coming from. As a group, we generally know their habits, their dreams and their concerns. What we are finding though is that they have an ideal property style in their mind and we know that what we have with a little razzle dazzle could be what they’re looking for. But, they can’t see this. They can’t see past the privet lined creek bank, the farm rubbish lying around the paddock, the falling down old dairy. You – the seller, need to make it easier for them! So what we suggest to our sellers who may be receiving inspections, but their property keeps getting rejected is to look at it from a city persons point of view. Does your property appeal? Is it magazine worthy? Buyers today expect a well presented home in a certain style and a property to match. They would like to be able to envisage their stylish furniture in what could possibly be their dream lifestyle property. They are watching programs such as Escape to the Country on the Lifestyle channel. What your tree changers are reading is magazines like Hunter Lifestyle, Australian Country Style, Australian Country etc etc. Look at your property with fresh eyes: Does it fit the ideal? These magazines present beautiful images of homes where the furniture suits the home, a bit country but clean and modern. The front of the home is welcoming, tidy and stylish. Possibly a picket fence, which is painted, a gorgeous old style fancy gate, an attractive feature front door and a neat and tidy pathway leading to it. Gardens need to be relatively low maintenance but stylish and set the home off like a piece of quality jewellery makes an outfit. Do you have carefully placed attractive tables and chairs for morning coffee, afternoon bubbles, bickies and cheese? Or for that matter an alfresco dining area? Don’t forget a verandah space is another room and should be tastefully decorated accordingly. The paddocks should be slashed and park like if possible, with no rubbish or old building materials, dead tractors or cars etc lying around. If there is shedding or stables it needs to be well maintained and attractive, setting off the home and paddocks. If you have a river, creek or dam on your property, is it clear of weed such as privet? Is it easily accessible? They want to see it and be able to get to it without effort. Let them imagine them taking their little children or grandchildren down there for a paddle. A cute little moored boat on a large dam also does wonders for eye candy appeal! The interior preferably should be freshly painted in light colours, with plenty of natural light coming into each room through either doors, windows or skylights. Under foot, usually timber floorboards or natural style flooring like bamboo or floating timber style floorboards is ideal. A minimal amount of attractive pieces of furniture, décor and artwork placed throughout. No clutter. All prospective buyers say they can see past mess and clutter – this is not the case. So make it easy and you’ll have far more chance of selling to this target group of buyers. These buyers are usually cashed up after a sale or living in an area where their current home could possibly sell within a week of hitting the market. Quick Checklist Front gate attractive Front fence freshly painted and attractive Pathways clear and neat and preferably attractive Gardens attractive but low maintenance, suit your home Front door, great pop of colour, attractive fittings Exterior paintwork in neutral colour and neat & well maintained Interior, clean, clutter free, light and airy, smells good. Shedding, useful and attractive, especially if it is stables Paddocks, slashed, rubbish free, fencing in good repair Creeks, river, dam attractive and easy access. If you are struggling to do any of the above yourself or are not sure if your home fits this description please let the team at R & R Property know. We can provide you with free feedback, helpful hints and tips. We can also provide trade references to local builders and handyman services etc. R & R Property assist their clients with a regular Hints and Tips Service on their Facebook Page – R and R Property, and also hold regular Radio Segments with Great Lakes FM (101.5 FM) on Friday afternoons at 5.15pm and twice on Bucketts Radio Gloucester (104.1 FM) at 8am & 9am on Saturdays. The bottom line is that you are less likely to receive low offers on a home and property that is well presented and ultimately meets the dream. The old tag line of – “Move in – Nothing To Do” has been used for years for good reason. _________________________________________________________ Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love assisting others to make the move from city to country. The team are a combination of lifetime locals and tree changers so their vast experience and knowledge is your asset. You’ll find their free Real Estate advice on their Website, Podcasts and Facebook - “Hints and Tips”. YOU SEE OUR FOR SALE SIGNS EVERYWHERE! Stroud : 02 4994 5766 | “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425 Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423 E: [email protected] Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @randrproperty /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/5245039

#15: Sustainable Living Discussion with Paul and Sarah 04/07/2017

#15: Sustainable Living Discussion with Paul and Sarah Denise Haynes: Welcome everyone. I'm Denise Haynes from R & R Property. Today I'm interviewing Paul and Sarah Chambers on R & R Property's podcast number 15. Paul and Sarah are living in a shipping container home which Paul built himself. Hi Sarah and Paul. Sarah Chambers: Hi Denise. Paul Chambers: Hello. Denise Haynes: Congratulations. Now, you guys are a YouTube sensation and have also written two highly successful eBooks called, 'How to build a shipping container house'. It all started when Paul was offered a career move in 2005 from Scotland to Australia. Paul Chambers: Yes definitely. It started a big adventure. Denise Haynes: You went off on a new adventure in your life and initially you were living in suburban Australia. Sarah, I understand that you then initiated the move to a rural area of Booral. Can you tell me what fuelled that decision? Sarah Chambers: When we were living in Scotland we lived in the Highlands and we lived in the middle of nowhere basically. We'd been living in that location for 20 years. When we originally got to Australia in 2005, it was a bit of a culture shock. Paul Chambers: I've never seen houses where the roof lines are nearly touching. That puts your neighbours in very close proximity. Denise Haynes: It sure does. Now Paul, you had a little sideline project of building shipping container accommodation located on friend's farm. Where did that idea come from? Paul Chambers: Either myself or myself and a friend thought we'd conceived the idea of using a shipping container house, but I think the idea is actually as old as the hills. It's just that some people stumbled across it for the first time. Sarah Chambers: We were very interested in sustainable living and basically getting out of the system. There were several options that we looked at that we could do this with, but shipping containers seemed to be a structurally sound option. Paul Chambers: It's a nice standing start and my idea was to build something, and I didn't know what it would be, that was sustainable. Sustainability was what I like. I like the concept of solar power, collecting drinking water and we'd been introduced to the composting toilets. I thought that sounded fabulous but what I didn't know was, was that realistic for someone like me to actually pull off, so I was experimenting. Denise Haynes: Once you had sold your home in the city area, you decided to relocate using your half started shipping container home to live in. Paul Chambers: Yes. I came home one day and Sarah said, "I've put the house on the market. I've called in your promise that we can move out of suburbagatory." Which is what Sarah called it. Denise Haynes: That's a great name for it. Tell me, is the project finished now and how long has it taken you to get to this point and under what circumstances have you had to do it in? For example, do you work? Paul Chambers: I work full time. I'm an engineer and I've got a full time job. Sarah works full time but she's got a variety of careers. Sarah Chambers: This is going into our 6th year of being in Booral and it's taken that long because we have both been working. Paul initially obviously had to start off just working on weekends. He didn't stop for five years. Paul Chambers: No, for three years it was just continuous. That's because I was working full time. That got us to viable- Sarah Chambers: Well we didn't have a bathroom for three years. Denise Haynes: Right. That sounds like a challenge. Paul Chambers: Yeah. Sarah Chambers: I think that if anybody was thinking about doing this. If were to go and to do it again I think that we'd probably do it from scratch but have it in a different location to where were living. Whereas we'd actually moved in, were doing it as we were going. Denise Haynes: Working around yourselves. Paul Chambers: We made it much harder by trying to live in it whilst we built it. If you could build it and then live in it, that would be much easier. Sarah Chambers: This came about by the fact that the house in suburbia was put on the market and it sold within a week. Denise Haynes: Oh okay. Sarah Chambers: We thought it's going to be on the market for a while and you'd have time to bring the containers up to scratch for living in, but no. Within five or six weeks we had to move. Denise Haynes: The best laid plans….. Paul Chambers: Yes. We were setting out to have an adventure. This wasn't just a house move or relocation. This was an adventure. Sarah started hinting that she wanted to go rural and I thought that she wasn't going to make it and I did not want to buy a house and then her say, "I don't like rural." Denise Haynes: Okay. Paul Chambers: I was actually having a social experiment on myself to go, could we do this? It turns out absolutely. Sarah loves it. Denise Haynes: Oh that's great. Sarah Chambers: Well city life does not suit everybody and it certainly doesn't suit me. I need to be in nature. Denise Haynes: I think a lot of people think the idea of living off the grid sounds like a great idea. One which they'd like to try but they are daunted by the prospect and don't really understand how it works. Can you clarify a few things for us. For example, are you connected at all to mains power? Paul Chambers: No. Not a bit of it. No. We've got solar panels. We've got a battery bank that collects the sunshine and then we draw it back in the evening. What we do differently is we live according to our electrical means. We use the electricity when the sun shines and we only use a modest amount in the evening when the sunshine goes down. It's a very simple trade off. Denise Haynes: So you live around it to make it work the best that you can? Sarah Chambers: When you've got full solar power during the day, you can run anything. I make bread in the bread making machine. Denise Haynes: Okay that's great. Sarah Chambers: There's nothing that you can't run when it's on what's called float, which means it's just pure energy. Denise Haynes: Right. So you don't have special appliances or anything to suit solar? Sarah Chambers: No. Paul Chambers: No. Sarah Chambers: We've got freezers, fridges. Paul Chambers: We bought all of our white goods from suburbagatory. Denise Haynes: Okay. Paul Chambers: We use the same stuff. You can either go down the 12 volt line which for the RV, camper vans and things like that, which use 12 volts or you can make enough electricity to run real devices and we picked that option. Denise Haynes: Okay. Paul Chambers: I've got a back up generator but with the exception of the amazing summer that we've just experienced it largely doesn't go on. Denise Haynes: Right okay. Paul Chambers: In actual fact I've got a kilowatt of solar panels under tarpaulin that I just haven't bothered to put up because truthfully, I don't need them. Denise Haynes: That's really good. If someone wanted to be connected to mains just as a back up. They could though, couldn't they? Sarah Chambers: Yes. Absolutely. Paul Chambers: They could but….. Sarah Chambers: You could take our shipping containers Denise, and you can make them into a granny flat next to your house. You could make it into an independent living accommodation. Paul Chambers: Or an office or anything. Sarah Chambers: Have it on the mains or not on the mains. Denise Haynes: Sure. Paul Chambers: If you're trying to connect to the grid, then you're looking at $10,000 per power pole. My whole solar setup is about $12,000. Denise Haynes: Wow. Okay. Paul Chambers: and very few ongoing bills. If you'd like to put your off gird house set a long way back from the road on a large acreage. You could spend $30,000 or $60,000 connecting it. Sarah Chambers: Easy. Paul Chambers: If you went shopping with $30,000 for a stand-alone solar system, you're going to run a palace. Sarah Chambers: It's not about the solar system. It's about learning how to used it properly. It's about learning not to drain the batteries. It's about learning actually how sustainable energy works and how to use it to the capacity that you need it. Denise Haynes: Have you just learned that from trial and error? Paul Chambers: Absolutely. Denise Haynes: Research maybe? Sarah Chambers: Research yeah. Paul Chambers: YouTube. The university of YouTube. I love it. You just say, what about this? Then you watch videos of people doing it and they show you step by step. The universe is now a different place. You have all of this wisdom and experience and you watch real people do it and it's not that complicated. Denise Haynes: Okay. You're also off the grid for water. How does that work? Paul Chambers: It's very simple. Australians have understood this for a very long time. It rains, you collect it, you filter it and you drink it, you're done. It's that simple. Sarah Chambers: All our water is filtered. Paul Chambers: We filter it to a very high degree. We filter for our normal water just for the washing up down to about 10 microns. The stuff that we drink, we filter to about half a micron, which is probably better than tap water. Our water doesn't have fluoride in it. Sarah Chambers: It takes any bacteria and parasites out. Sarah Chambers: And of course heavy metals which people get from tin roofs. Denise Haynes: Right yes. It takes all of that out. It's incredibly healthy then? Sarah Chambers: Absolutely. Paul Chambers: We think so. Sarah Chambers: Much better. Denise Haynes: That's good. You said you use a generator or you have one but you don't really have call to use it so that's good. What about gas? Do you use gas for anything? Sarah Chambers: We have gas bottles that we use for cooking. Paul Chambers: For cooking. Tall gas bottles with a change over valve. It's very simple, you're done. Denise Haynes: Yeah, that's good. I know a lot of people do prefer the gas for cooking so that's good. Okay. We've just come out of a few weeks of extreme heat in New South Wales. How did you cope with that in your shipping container home? What do you have for heating or cooling? Paul Chambers: Well, we've got solar panels that provide the energy during the day. When the sun is shining it's producing the energy to run the air conditioning because we do have an air conditioner. Denise Haynes: Wow. Paul Chambers: The sunshine drives it. Paul Chambers: We don't do what a lot of houses do. We're not trying to cool down a shopping mall. We cool down a small little area and when the sun goes down we were still experiencing phenomenal temperatures that Australians just haven't experienced for as long as they could remember. I think we saw 49 degrees. Sarah... /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/5245037

#14: Bush Fire Safety 02/20/2017

#14: Bush Fire Safety Something that seems to concern buyers when they are considering moving to the country is the threat of bushfire. This is understandable given the tragedies that have occurred in Australia previously. The good news is that there are ways to help prevent the damage and prepare yourself and your family should it occur. We are lucky enough to have dedicated volunteer rural fire brigades in each of our areas, who all band together to save our communities and homes when bush fire does threaten us. They are an amazing crew who risk their lives to save ours, sometimes fighting for days on end in extreme heat and danger. The community is so lucky to have them. The RFS also has an aviation unit and contracts aircraft for fighting fires from the sky. Helicopters and planes water bomb areas, extinguishing or slowing down the flames before they get near homes. Here are some tips that we have put together for you according to the Rural Fire Service (RFS): Preparing your home to be survive: Make yourself aware of whether you are in a bushfire prone area Clean your gutters regularly from sticks, leaves and debris Metal gutter guards, steel flyscreen on doors and windows are recommended Make sure you maintain any holes, gaps, missing roof tiles etc on your home to eliminate places for fire/embers to enter. Install a sprinkler system on your roof spaces and filling gutters Have quality hoses long enough to water down your entire home and shedding. Ensure gardens and surrounding trees are trimmed and maintained. Keep lawns short. Keep a separate water tank full, specifically for firefighting purposes Of course ensure you have home and contents insurance that covers loss from bushfire Keep Your Family Safe: Always have a bushfire plan that you discuss and stick to if the need arises Watch the fire/wind rating/updates regularly if there are bushfires in your area Have a survival pack which you can quickly grab and take with you if you have to evacuate. Items recommended by the RFS to take are: battery operated radio, spare batteries, first aid kit, waterproof torch, candles with waterproof matches, woollen blankets, emergency contact numbers, waterproof bag, cash, credit cards, medications, toiletry items, mobile phone & charger, pocket knife, important docs & photographs, a change of clothing for each family member plus drinking water. Ensure your pets are in a safe place if you can. Have a little safety pack for any that you can take with you ie; cage, leash, medications, food, drinking water, toy. Identify a safe community place that you can evacuate to in the event of a bushfire Keep drinking loads of water to prevent dehydration. Wear clothing that will protect you as much as possible such as denim jeans, leather boots or shoes, a wide brimmed hat, glasses or goggles, gloves, a non-synthetic mask or cloth and a cotton or wool long sleeve shirt. All in all bushfires are a part of an Australia Summer, something we all have to deal with from time to time, one way or another. Thankfully they don’t seem to occur frequently but being prepared and having a plan is the best bet you can make for survival. I have lived in the Stroud area all of my life and yes there have been bush fires over the years but they have always been controlled by our wonderful teams of Rural Fire Brigade Women & Men Volunteers. Here is a link to download your FREE Bushfire Plan: Check if you live in bushfire prone land: I have sourced information from the Rural Fire Service website for this blog: Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love assisting others to make the move from city to country. The team are a combination of lifetime locals and tree changers so their vast experience and knowledge is your asset. You’ll find their free Real Estate advice on their Website, Podcasts and Facebook - “Hints and Tips”. YOU SEE OUR FOR SALE SIGNS EVERYWHERE! Stroud : 02 4994 5766 | “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425 Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423 E: [email protected] Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @randrproperty /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/5100166

#13: Tenant Tips 02/20/2017

#13: Tenant Tips Tenant tips Inspecting a property – Turn up on time for the inspection. Show you are reliable. Note any issues you may have or matters you would like addressed if your tenancy is accepted on the application form. Application – Complete your application in full and honestly. Give as much detail as possible and ensure you have all of your supporting documents. Be prepared – You will be required to pay a bond equivalent to four weeks rent plus two weeks rent when signing the lease if approved. Rent – Pay your rent in advance as agreed when you sign the lease. Late payments remain on your rent history and can affect your chances of securing a rental in the future. We all at times have unexpected cost and should you experience difficulty with your rent, talk to your property manager, they understand and will work with you in difficult times. Presentation of the property – Maintain the lawns and gardens regularly and keep the property clean. Routine inspections will be carried out and reports provided to the landlord on the condition of the property Smoke alarms – It is your responsibility to replace the batteries in the smoke alarms. Smoke alarms are installed for your safety if you suspect they are faulty report it to your agent immediately. Please don’t take the batteries out because they go off when you burn the toast. Light Globes – Yes these are the tenants responsibility to replace. On commencement of the tenancy all light globes should be working and it is your responsibility to ensure they are all working at the completion of your tenancy. Pets – If you have been approved for pets you will be required to have the carpets professionally cleaned and the property fumigated for fleas. Receipts will be required at the completion of your tenancy. Maintenance & repairs – Please let us know about maintenance issues or repairs required at the property. There is no need to wait to raise these during the routine inspections as its best to have these matters attend to as they arise. Respect your neighbours – Complaints from neighbours are recorded on your tenant history. Most common complaints are noise and animals. Ending the tenancy - When vacating ensure the property is in the same condition as it was at the commencement of the tenancy to ensure your bond is refunded in full. /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/5100164

#12: Suburb Profile on Stroud 02/06/2017

#12: Suburb Profile on Stroud By R & R Property - Stroud's Real Estate Specialists Established by the Australian Agricultural Company in 1826, Stroud is an incredibly picturesque rural town which is steeped in history. Many gorgeous heritage buildings and convict built structures such as the 8 underground grain silos within “Silo Hill” still remain today. Located along The Bucketts Way, inland of the beaches of Port Stephens, approximately 1 hour from the Hunter Valley and approximately 2.5 to 3 hrs from Sydney, Stroud falls within the Midcoast Council area. The residential area of Stroud is surrounded by farmland, both working farms and lifestyle properties. It is incredibly pretty, framed by rolling hills and mountains, plus a high average rainfall ensures it is almost always lush and green. Stroud has an approximate population of 1000 people, the highest percentage being made up of families in owner occupied homes. At R & R Property we regularly receive enquiries from clients wishing to rent in the area but the town does not hold enough investment properties to accommodate the demand. (Pic sourced from yourinvestmentproperty magazine) For the littlies Stroud Public School has an excellent reputation and there is also the choice of nearby Booral and Stroud Road schools as well. Pre-school and 2 x day care centres are available plus playgroups. Because the schools are small the children benefit from being able to work closely with their teachers and also form strong friendship bonds with their peers as a group. For higher school education children have the choice to commute via school bus to Dungog, Gloucester, Medowie, Bulahdelah, Raymond Terrace, Maitland and Newcastle. Stroud has a commercial hub of retail shops and services within the main street and surrounding areas including a pharmacy, a medical centre, produce store, antiques store, hand made goods, second hand furniture shops, a grocery store with newsagency service, post office, butchers, bakery, hairdressers, beauty salons, café’s, remedial massage, mechanic, tyre service, auto electrician, fuel stations, Hotel, Country Club & Golf Course, Chinese Restaurant, and a Real Estate Agency. There are also a high number and large variety of small businesses operating from homes throughout the area. We currently have one Farm gate/road side stall business operating, where fresh organic produce is sold. There are also regular Permaculture and related classes available. A cluster of boutique vineyards exist, some offer cellar door services, another holds regular muso functions, weddings, parties and markets. Yamahas number one motocross champion, Josh Green has a riding school here as well; perfect for kids and adults alike to learn new riding skills. Community spirit is strong in the country and this certainly applies to Stroud. I have always found that whenever a family or person is in crisis the community all pulls together to help them. It is truly wonderful to see and experience. I also love walking down the street when locals stop you for a chat or sing out a greeting. You certainly feel like you belong in this amazing community. There are numerous groups and activities to be enjoyed, anything from boot camp, trail riding, trail bike groups, pony club, historical society, garden club, quilting to acting & writers groups, whatever takes your fancy. We have the Stroud Raiders Football Team, The Wild Cats Soccer Team & the Cricket Club should you be a sporting enthusiast. Annual events include the Stroud Show, Stroud Rodeo & Camp Draft, International Brick & Rolling Pin Throwing Contest and the Stroud Fair. R & R Property always attend these events, have their marquee up and provide face painting for the littlies. It is a great time to catch up with our community as a whole. R & R Property are always sponsors for Stroud’s events. Our next major event coming up is the Stroud Annual Country Show in which this year we will be sponsoring the wife carrying competition and the token booth. Stroud and its surrounding localities have an amazing array of varying waterways, both fresh and salt water, therefore lending itself to be enjoyed by kayakers, boating enthusiasts, fisherman or just having plain old splashing about fun. I personally grew up in the small town of Allworth. Allworth is located just south of Stroud and is placed along the banks of the Karuah River which is salt water at that point. It has a boat ramp and jetty and we have a very popular fishing club who hold an annual flathead catching competition. I spent my childhood swimming, fishing, boating and catching mud crabs in the river, with friends and family. It’s truly an amazing and beautiful river. Stroud features public parks and BBQ areas, a free 25m public swimming pool, skate park & a beautiful showground with camping facilities. A little known fact is that Stroud has a “Common”. A 30 acre parcel of land on the fringe of the residential area to be used by the community. Locals who live in the residential area can keep their horse on the common for as little as $3 per week. Locals either work in the area in various trades and employment or commute. Stroud has a large poultry & beef industry and a handful of dairies still. We are within easy travelling distance to the RAAF base and the Newcastle Airport which provides employment. Others commute to the surrounding suburbs or to Newcastle City, Central Coast or Hunter Valley for employment, finding it an easy drive along our roads once they’re out of the city areas. As previously mentioned as well, a lot of locals are working small businesses from home. Affordability is excellent in the Stroud district with the current median house price sitting around the $325,000 mark. Our prices range from vacant ¼ acre building blocks in the vicinity of $120,000 and up into large prestige properties in the $1 Million+ range. We have some new rural/residential estates coming onto the market in the near future which will be exciting and meet the demand we currently have for small acreages. We are currently incredibly short on stock given the successful year we had last year which came through into the Christmas period. In Stroud we’ve always had the Sydney market either for weekend getaways or complete relocations but these days it has changed to mostly complete relocations. Central Coast clients have become one of our largest new player groups to the field. It seems that because Sydney is still in boom mode at the time of writing, vendors are selling up and moving to the Central Coast. In fact the Central Coast locals are calling their home town “Little Sydney” and looking to escape from the rat race by moving our way for a Tree Change. We also have quite a bit of interest from the Newcastle area and Medowie. Medowie has the RAAF Base and the Newcastle Airport not far from it; which are an approximate 45 minute drive from Stroud. This leads workers to buy in our area and make the easy commute as needed. Having the Airport at such a handy distance suits business people who possibly work from home but have to attend meetings at Head Office, or meet with clients on a regular basis. It is also popular with mine workers who fly in and fly out to Western Australia. Currently our most popular properties are the smaller acreages, between 2 to 50 acres. These are classed as hobby farms. The smaller sized parcels of land allow people to have the space they yearn for as well as keep animals, have vegetable gardens, ornamental gardens and chicken coops. These smaller sized acreage properties are not as much maintenance, especially helpful for the owners who are working away from home. Here is a handy link to our Business Directory: Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love assisting others to make the move from city to country. The team are a combination of lifetime locals and tree changers so their vast experience and knowledge is your asset. You’ll find their free Real Estate advice on their Website, Podcasts and Facebook - “Hints and Tips”. You can grab your FREE Tree change Guide at : YOU SEE OUR SIGNS EVERYWHERE! Stroud : 02 4994 5766 | “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425 Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423 E: ***PLEASE NOTE: This information is meant as a guide only and clients should always undertake their own independent research. /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/5058222

#11: My Story Jan 2017 01/27/2017

#11: My Story Jan 2017 I am Denise Haynes, My Business is R & R Property and this is My Story......... I am regularly asked how my Real Estate career came to be and what the journey has involved. I have therefore written a brief version of my story for you, hoping that this may give you an insight into who I am and where I’ve come from. I’m not sure where my Passion for Real Estate stems from. It certainly wasn’t from my family growing up. Although Mum & Dad always owned our family home there were never any other Real Estate transactions made whilst I was growing up. Our family home was originally a 2bdm old weatherboard home with lots of holes to let the rats and mice come and go as they pleased. When I was aged about 12 Mum and Dad overhauled it and it was converted to a 3bdm and it was pretty neat when I finally got my own room. The long-drop toilet was still proudly located in the back yard though. No luxury such as an inside flushing toilet for us! Times have changed so much with homes, we used to have little old homes and share bedrooms as children. The new homes today are huge in comparison and usually very modern. When I was 20 I purchased my first home to live in, an old 1930’s weatherboard on small acreage. I then sold this and purchased a historic convict built cottage which I still hold to this day. These purchases were achieved with me working up to four jobs at once (1 full time, the others part time) plus my husband at the time working his job. These processes although exciting because I was purchasing a home for myself certainly were underwhelming as far as a Real Estate transaction is concerned. I sold my own property myself but there was no celebratory congratulations from the Agency I dealt with to buy the cottage and in actual fact it was quite a dodgy experience. Not a good introduction to the world of Real Estate I must say. Some years later and now single and having bought my ex-husband out so I could keep the cottage I somehow got it into my head that I should buy myself an investment property. So I scoured the papers, seeking something within my very small budget. Eventually I found a 2 bedroom unit which I thought I could rent out easily enough and purchased it. This was followed by a second sometime afterwards and so my portfolio began to grow. But again all these transactions were totally un-exciting. Not once did I even receive a settlement gift pack from my varied Real Estate Agencies for my trouble. Maybe a bottle of cheap wine some years later from one of them whilst still on my Real Estate investment journey. From these earlier experiences I have gained the knowledge that these are momentous transactions in our life and from this I have ensured that R & R Property have the most amazing settlement gift packs (full of local products) for our clients and hand them over very ceremoniously. After all it’s usually a celebratory occasion finalising from what is generally an emotional roller-coaster ride As an employee I have never ever been the go to work, start at 9 do as little work as possible and go home on the dot of 5 type girl. No not me, I have always been that pesky employee who goes above and beyond, has regular fantastic ideas about what the business can do next to improve and service the customer better. I was the girl who stayed behind if she didn’t complete all her tasks knowing that she wouldn’t be paid any overtime but just wanting the satisfaction of a job well done. For my good willed efforts I have pretty much always been labelled as being a troublemaker. I’m still not sure why, maybe my actions make people nervous or feel inadequate themselves. I re-call when I told one of my Aunties that I was working hard to purchase another investment property she asked me with such disdain – “What do you want to be, a millionairess???” Tall poppy syndrome is rife. At that point in time I was saving as much of my wages as I could each week by sticking to a super strict budget, just so I could try to get ahead. I think the writing has always been on the wall that I needed to own my own business, but it took a while to happen and only because I got thrown in the deep end. When it’s sink or swim – you’d better start swimming real fast! I would like to advise that I am self-titled as unemployable these days. Having been to the other side where I can make decisions, bear the brunt of them when they don’t turn out well or rejoice when they do. Although having my own business is up there with one of the hardest things I have ever undertaken in my life it certainly does give you the benefits of artistic freedom. Whether that is worth it is something you would have to decide for yourself as everyone is different. Some have gone back to being an employee after a stint as a business owner and are happy as can be, just to have a regular wage coming in and no big decisions to make. Not me I seem to like doing things the hard way. In 2004 after being treated what I considered to be unfairly, for quite some time at my current employment, I told my boss to stick it were the sun don’t shine and walked out. There are only so many knocks you can take before self-preservation kicks in. At the time there was a Real Estate Agency in my tiny little suburb. I’d had it in my thoughts that a job in Real Estate might be quite interesting. I quite liked having my investment properties and just thought that it might be something different and interesting. Having no experience whatsoever I plucked up the courage to walk in and ask if there might be something going job wise for me. There wasn’t of course but at least I had registered my interest. I later found out that it was purely because I was a local that he didn’t even consider me. A few months later I thought I might like to have my cottage appraised after having completed some improvements, so I telephoned the local agent and asked him to pop in to do so. Well he must of thought I wasn’t so bad after all and rang me the next day to offer me a casual job, one or two days a week just doing general tea/coffee making, filing, general dogs body type stuff. I jumped at this chance and went in and was a total sponge, listening to everything and following instructions. In my usual mode and work ethic I worked as hard as I could, over and above, learnt as much as I could and I loved it. I was soon invited to take up a full time position and through the years worked in every role along the way. From Filing clerk to Property Manager (rentals) to Sales Assistant. My office manager/sales agent who had given me the job was over the moon because he had someone who would do absolutely everything for him except go out and sell the properties. All the behind the scenes work was completed happily by me and as I said before I just stayed there each evening until it was all finished. Sometimes working diligently into the night without overtime just to meet deadlines and get all my extensive amount of work completed. He had hit the jackpot! One part of the general roles I did was the marketing. When I started within the agency the marketing they had was very crude & basic to say the least. I seemed to absolutely love this creative part of my role and I was soon re-designing their brochures, window cards and general marketing material. I also took it upon myself to produce editorials and advertising to attract people to come to live in our area. Another trait I have is to take people along with me as a bonus. So whatever I was creating was not only for this business but for the town as well, therefore I was effectively marketing for the whole town – for free. I still do this to this day, sometimes it’s reciprocated, sometimes not. I am a strong believer in supporting local businesses regardless, so I purchase whatever I possibly can from them before outsourcing, no matter the price difference or waiting time. The marketing campaigns I created were all very successful. The agency owners that I worked for at the time had 3 offices. One day they organised a meeting with me and asked if I would like to take on the role of marketing officer for all three offices. I was ecstatic and accepted immediately. I was so stoked to think they had such faith in me and I had been given this amazingly creative role as well. Some months later with the takeover of a new owner I unfortunately lost my job with this business as they advised they had no room for a marketing officer. And so the next chapter began. I had a short stint with another agency that left me feeling deflated. I applied for a role with this agency because I loved their marketing. Sadly this company was unsuitable and I was terribly unhappy there. My dream job totally sucked, so disappointing, but oh well time to move on. It was not a waste of time because I learnt more skills and had more experiences under my belt, again things to do as well as things not to do. By this time my previous manager from the original agency had started his own Real Estate Agency. He invited me to be a commission only sales agent and work out of his office. It didn’t take too much thought for me to say yes. By this time I had considered that I wouldn’t mind turning my hand to sales and I saw this as an opportunity. So I grabbed it. Off I went and completed all the courses to become fully licensed (which you are required to do as a commission only sales person, as opposed to a wage earner who at the time of writing can work under a certificate of registration and someone else’s license). I was responsible for providing my own car, which had to be a 4WD (as we work in a rural area), training, phone and motivation. Commission only sales means if you don’t sell a property you don’t get any pay whatsoever. You always have your ongoing & never ending operating costs to deal with though, and when you do sell you only receive a percentage as, of course, most of it goes back to the business. So I had to swim real fast! This was all fine except of course I turned into not only a commission only sales person but his private personal assistant again as well. Never mind, I soldiered on and did everything I could. As a new business we had nothing and I basically helped him create the business bit by bit. The business was created in one of the biggest economic down turns in a long time so things were tough. I just worked as hard as I could trying not to miss any opportunities to learn and sell. I also worked hard to become the best Real Estate Agency within our area and to obtain the lion’s share of business. I was putting in hours and hours of work, doing the km’s, taking the calls, making the calls – then going home and working on it at night as well. I remember clearly one of the business owners friends at the time said – “you will end up being the owner of this business Denise”. At the time I just laughed this off thinking that I would never be capable of doing that. That all sounded way too scary to me! During this time I was a sponge and followed the current owner around and took in as much information as I could. I had done this for years previously when we worked together and I truly believe this, along with being thrown in the deep end is the best way to learn. No amount of text book reading and classes will ever teach you how to or how not to deal with people and the many facets of Real Estate that on the ground foot work will. Of course I do believe in doing courses and have done many in my time and still do. I love self-improvement but it all falls into place when you put what you’ve learnt into practise. Just over 12 months after starting, the owner of the business said “I’ve had enough and it’s all too hard, do you want to buy the business”? Prior to this, for the past 6 months, at the age of 41 I had been trying to fall pregnant with my partner unsuccessfully. I thought to myself, well I’m obviously too old to fall pregnant, that’s just not going to happen for me so why not give this a go. I was terrified to say the least! So my partner and I quickly sold one of our investment properties to fund the purchase. Ironically enough, and against everyone’s advice I paid the owner what I and others perceived to be way too much money for the business, because I knew he was experiencing hardship. Mind you I also knew that I was paying him for something I had helped create, but being the kind hearted person I am, I overlooked this and just decided to run with it. The day I signed the contract of sale I found out I was pregnant. Oh my goodness what a surprise! I had been so busy stressing over buying the business I forgot about trying to fall pregnant and of course that’s when it happened. Good old Mother Nature! After much discussion with my partner I made the decision to keep going with the business regardless and just multi task with bubba in tow. We still laugh today that my husband found me in the lounge room at 3am madly sending emails and completing work because my water had just broken (2 weeks early) and I needed to get this work completed prior to going to hospital. I was also speaking with clients during labour in between contractions. I had to ring and explain this to them afterwards as I thought later that I probably sounded a bit strange at the time. After I had given birth to our beautiful daughter I had my little temporary office set up in the hospital room, as I was to quickly find out neither a baby nor a business sleeps. Everyone who came to visit us in hospital still laughs about my little hospital office set-up today. Then from hospital back to the office we went after a short stint at home getting to know each other. I still laugh today that half of our area have seen my boobs due to the fact that I would be breast feeding in my office when people would bowl in to see Miss Newborn. From the day of her arrival she has been known officially as “The Boss!” The failing business that I purchased in 2010 is absolutely nothing like the business I have today. All aspects except the name have changed. Everything has been overhauled. We have tested and trialled many things, some worked, some didn’t. Over the years I have had many competitors trying to move in on the business, take advantage of the popularity of our area which I have had a huge hand in creating with the continuous stream of editorials, social media campaigns and marketing promotions to draw people here. We’ve even been on Selling Houses Australia, an award winning homeowner TV show on Foxtels Lifestyle channel. I’ve had the ex-business owner and ex-employees go out in competition with me, which is truly heart breaking but hey - That’s business! My mind set being; Do your absolute best at all times and just keep moving forward! It is frustrating though of course, having limped along when times are tough as hell, keeping your head just above water, risking everything you’ve worked all your life for, only to have competitors come in when times improve, taking the cherry so to speak. Being a business owning mother is certainly a challenge and we have had many stressful and funny moments together. From catastrophic poo explosions whilst out with clients to doing $1.4 Million dollar deals at 6am whilst breastfeeding. I must say though “The Boss” has been an awesome business partner winning many hearts. I will be very happy if she has learnt some life and business skills from working with her independent, never give up mummy. I absolutely love changing people’s lives by selling their property or making them new locals. Of course it’s not always roses and sunshine. No matter what the situation, selling and buying property is always an emotionally charged situation. I think a lot of agents forget this, but I strive to always keep the clients care and feelings front of mind. I always ask myself “Could I have improved this situation and process?” If the answer is “yes” then I try to rectify it and if the answers “no” then at the end of the day I can only do my absolute best. It’s always good to learn through any situation and my motto has always been to keep doing the best I can with passion and honesty. I have always had a move forward approach to the business. Never becoming stagnant and always trying to grow. I have had many fails as a boss, a business owner, a mummy and a wife but I have always tried to overcome these and get back on track. I have considered quitting many, many times when things have gotten so tough I didn’t think I could go on, but there’s obviously a tough stubborn streak in me that keeps whispering “keep going – work through it”. There have been many celebrations along the way as well and we continue to do so. I have a fabulous team and we are all passionate about the business and helping others both change their lives and also to be able to enjoy our way of life. Today we have two offices in two locations, have expanded our footprint throughout the area. The two offices although both totally different are both amazing in their own right. Very stylish and upmarket but the down to earth appeal that our clients love about us remains. Although we work really hard, fun and laughter are definitely a daily occurrence and not frowned upon. The whole team are working together wonderfully, but in general the team has always been an ever changing and evolving being in its own right as people come and go for different reasons. I have always been incredibly shy by nature and have had to work really hard to overcome this. I still to this day dislike networking functions as I always feel awkward and nervous. Also unfortunately in today’s society if you aren’t a regular drinker, spending a fair amount of time at your local watering hole you are deemed as odd, stuck up or both. I truly hate that about today’s society and although I have been a regular drinker in my time I am certainly not these days. I also enjoy my own and my family’s company. After a long day working in Real Estate I just want to go home and spend my down time with them. I’m not stuck up, I just love spending my limited spare time in my own company or with my family, having spent all my working day each and every day with everyone else and their family. This also gives me time to indulge in my other passion and stress reliever which is photography. Being a Rural and Residential Real Estate Agent is seriously one of the hardest jobs I have ever done. It is sheer hard work, both physically and emotionally. It is also incredibly rewarding! I have made so many amazing friends from clients who have both bought and sold through R and R Property in and around all of our areas of Stroud, Bulahdelah and Gloucester. And it is a great feeling to walk down the street and have everyone chatting to you, or singing out greetings to you. I am incredibly excited about the future knowing that we have new & amazing projects in the pipeline which will be rolling out during the year. Never satisfied to be the same as every other agency, we definitely don’t cookie cut and we always look for out of the box ideas. That is also why I have never accepted the invitations from franchised agencies to join them. I love our independence and am incredibly proud of having full authority over everything we do. The R & R Property Team are now a force to be reckoned with and I also have a team of awesome contractors behind the scenes who have our back and know what we are seeking to achieve. Trust me I love this business, our slogan is “A Passion For Property” and it has my heart and soul poured into it. I’m not going anywhere and you’d better watch this space to keep up with us! Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love... /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/5028835

#10: Positions Vacant 01/16/2017

#10: Positions Vacant As the business owner of R & R Property I have been told by a high number of people that they have always dreamed of working in Real Estate, which is great. The industry does attract a glamour tag though and I find that sometimes the reality is a bit of a shock once that dream is obtained. You are dealing with what is usually the client’s largest investment they’ll make in their life and within all sorts of emotional circumstances. People can love you and hate you within the space of 10 minutes, depending on how their day or the transaction is going. The various roles can be emotionally exhausting and may also be physically exhausting, especially if you are selling rural properties. Real Estate can also be incredibly rewarding though and we have many celebrations. We love assisting people on their Real Estate journey and especially welcoming new locals to our area. The roles within the Real Estate industry are numerous and will vary depending on what area you work in ie; city, suburbia, rural and commercial. I can say that having the experience of working within small agencies and having completed or helped out regularly in most roles within those agencies has been of great assistance. As a leader I know how each person feels in their role and what it takes to complete it and can therefore empathise with them. I’ve been there and done it. Sure, systems change over the years but the basics of the job remain. To be successful within the Real Estate industry you really have to give your absolute all. It truly is a lifestyle not just a job. If you want a 9 to 5 role with weekends off this probably isn’t the best industry for you. It is usually a roller coaster of seasonally slower and busier times, so when it is busy you have to pull out all the stops to get your many responsibilities completed. To work within the industry and be able to speak with clients about Real Estate matters you will be required to obtain at least a certificate of registration. If anyone is trying to find work within the industry I suggest you obtain this and keep it current. At the time of writing it is required that you complete 12 CPD points annually which are received through study and/or authorised seminars. Some of the main roles within the Real Estate industry are: Owner/Managing Director – usually the Principal (Licensee) as well. This is the person who is the head of the business, where all responsibility finally sits. They usually hold the license that the business is operating under. Amongst many other things they have to ensure the business is compliant in both its operation and its trust accounts. They also have to ensure that the team is trained, happy and functioning correctly, the business is making money and of course that our customers are happy. If customers aren’t happy this is the person at the end of the day they want to speak to. Sales Agents The sales agents are responsible for the listing and selling of the properties. They complete price appraisals on client’s properties, obtain new listings to sell, show buyers through properties, complete open homes and negotiate to sell the properties with buyers and vendors. They are in constant contact with their sellers and buyers with updates and follow up calls. Depending on the agency they may be responsible for their own marketing; social media, letterbox flyers etc. The time each sales inspection takes depends on what type of property it is. A residential inspection could take 15 minutes and a rural inspection can take up to 4 hours just as an example. Sales agents are also called upon regularly for presentation and styling tips when a property is about to go on the market. A Real Estate agency cannot survive without properties to sell so it is crucial for the agency to obtain new listings. This usually falls under the role of the Sales Agents within the business. An agency that is busy selling and not listing will soon find itself in trouble. Sales Assistants The sales assistant role is a large responsibility and quite varied, depending on the size of the agency. They are the behind the scenes person who is organising basically everyone. The properties that we have for sale on the internet, social media, updating our in-house data base, marketing in its many forms including organising newspaper advertising, filing, mail, banking, printing, calling clients and usually sitting at front of house (reception/front desk). Generally this role is being a personal assistant to the whole team. Property manager This is the person responsible for the agencies rent roll or our landlord’s investment properties. They have to find tenants for our landlord’s properties through a screening process of internet search and references. Once a tenant is found they have to complete a lease, an in-going report of the home which means recording how the property is presented prior to the tenant moving in. Regular inspections are completed throughout the year, repairs and maintenance have to be attended to and rent must be accepted, recorded and paid out to the landlords. Once a tenant moves out an out-going report must be completed and compared to the in-going. Make any claims on damages and repairs. The PM also has to make sure each property is compliant for safety reasons including smoke alarms and swimming pools before and during rental. There are more roles within the industry depending on the size and location of the agency but these are the basics. If you are in a large agency for example your role may be just one part of one of these roles as opposed to a small agency where you have quite a varied amount of responsibility and the roles may blend. To succeed in Real Estate you have to be prepared to study, be a sponge; soak up knowledge and always go above and beyond your duties. You also have to have goals, write them down, complete an action plan and have a vision board as a daily reminder of them. Be passionate about your job. Because of the amount of work that is involved you will only succeed if you have an absolute passion for the industry. Ultimately it can be an extremely rewarding career and offers an amazing lifestyle. R & R Property are continually growing and expanding their footprint across the Great Lakes and Port Stephens areas. Accordingly they are always on the lookout for exceptional team members that are willing to work with absolute dedication and passion; always prepared to work above and beyond the norm and aligning with our amazing team culture. If you think you are one of those people please let us know. Denise Haynes Managing Director and Principal R & R Property 73 Cowper St, Stroud 2425 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah 2423 P: 02 4994 5766 | 02 4997 4325 /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/4993711

#9: Landlord Tips 01/09/2017

#9: Landlord Tips Here are some FREE handy tips for a great start: Prepare your property for lease. It is crucial that the property is clean at the commencement of the tenancy to ensure it must be cleaned by the tenant on vacate. The tenant is only obligated to leave the property as it was at the commencement of the tenancy. Repairs – attend to any repairs required before commencement of the tenancy. This will reduce any complaints from, or inconvenience to your new tenants. Presentation of the property. Ensure the property is presented as you expect it to be kept during the tenancy. Lawns and Gardens should be tidy and gutters cleaned. Water efficiency – Your property must be water efficient to enable the water usage charges to be passed on to your tenants. The cold water tap on the kitchen sink and bathroom vanity must have a maximum 9 litre flow and so does each shower head. This applies even if your property is on tank water as you will be required to refill the tanks or pay water usage should the property not be compliant. Smoke Alarms. Ensure smoke alarms are fitted in compliant positions , working correctly and are not out of date. We strongly recommend for a small annual charge a Smoke Alarm testing company who Service and Certify the smoke alarms for peace of mind. Blinds and curtains – always ensure blinds and curtains are safe for children. Appliances and furnishings – If possible remove all appliances and furnishings from the property. You are required to maintain and replace all furnishings and appliances left there should they require repair or replacement. The tenant would be responsible for any damage however, recovery of the cost can be difficult if the appliances and furniture are aged. Heating and cooling - Consider installing a reverse cycle air conditioner – This will add value to your property and make the property more attractive to prospective tenants. Seek advice from your accountant – Talk to your accountant about your investment and what Tax benefits are available. Landlords insurance – Take out landlord insurance for damages and loss of rent. Use an agent – Tenants are screened thoroughly through various sources to ensure the tenant is suitable for your property. At the end of the day everybody wants the tenancy to go smoothly; "So like beautiful paintwork, the prep work is an imperative starting base". R & R Property offer a premium Property Management Service so please call us today to discuss. Or there is further information on our website and our Facebook page @randrproperty. For more assistance with Property Management call the Team at R & R Property. They have an organically grown rent roll which has been handpicked and nurtured to create happy landlords and happy tenants. Stroud: 02 4994 5766 | Bulahdelah 02 4997 4325 E: [email protected] | Web: www.randrproperty.com.au Denise Haynes - Managing Director R & R Property, Stroud and Bulahdelah /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/4975333

#8: 5 Effective Habits for a SOLD Sticker in 2017 01/02/2017

#8: 5 Effective Habits for a SOLD Sticker in 2017 Well we are drawing to a close for another year, which always gives us fresh opportunity to get it right in the New Year. Let’s make this year your time to slap that SOLD sticker on your home enabling you to start the next chapter in your life, the one that you’re yearning for. Here are 5 Effective ways to kick that goal sooner rather than later: Have a spring clean; look at your home with fresh eyes or get a friend to visit and give you their opinion. (Just don’t shoot them down for it) Too much clutter within a home is stressful and unattractive. It may also make your home look smaller than it actually is. Have a garage sale or give away any quality items to a charity group or a neighbour who you know is struggling financially. You will realise once you start what a positive impact it has on both you and your home. Clutter does start to overwhelm us eventually so do it for yourself and your buyer. Besides it gives you a head start on packing for your next move. A lick of paint in fresh neutral tones will give your home a face lift, both inside and out. Remember light colours give an impression of open, airy spaces which attracts buyers. Off whites, very light creams, and latté are great colours to use. And always paint ceilings white. The smell of paint gives the home a recently renovated & fresh smell as well, which buyers tend to like. It means they won’t have to do it themselves the minute they move in. If you can’t afford to paint maybe sugar soap the walls, sometimes this can be just as effective. Replace stained or worn carpets and soft furnishings. Carpet really isn’t that expensive in the overall scheme of things and can rejuvenate a room straight away. If you have pets living inside you may not be able to smell their presence but visitors certainly can. The same goes if you’re a smoker. The smell seeps into soft furnishings and carpets which you become accustomed to but again your visitors can smell it straight away. If you can’t stretch the budget for new carpet & furnishings try having them steam cleaned or shampooed. Consider having a professional stylist or a friend/relative whose home is modern & stylish give you some tips and advice. The correct furniture & décor can make a massive difference to a home’s presentation. You may think that buyers can see past old fashioned furniture but 99% of the time they just can’t, even when they say they can. As an agent I’ve seen it over and over again. Think about how popular the Lifestyle Channels Foxtel show ‘Selling Houses Australia’ is. I think we’re up to season 10 - enough said!!! If your garden is unattractive or non-existent spend a weekend planting some low maintenance but structurally stylish plants in your yard. Paint the front fence, have a nice gate & mailbox. First impressions are timeless. The opposite applies here too though. If you have a large garden which really for someone who isn’t a gardener could be a challenge then you need to simplify. Chances are your non gardening buyers (who are the majority) will be intimidated by your lovely garden and not purchase thinking they just couldn’t possibly maintain it. Remember to plant according to what grows successfully in your area as well so that your garden looks healthy. The local nursery will be a wealth of knowledge for this information. The R & R Property Team are Specialists in Selling Homes and Rural Properties. If you would like FREE tips and regular advice checkout and follow their Facebook Page @randrproperty. OR you will find them in the two office locations “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425 & 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423. Or pick up the phone - Stroud: 02 4994 5766 | Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 Click through to our informative Website for extra tips and advice: www.randrproperty.com.au /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/4956024

#7: The Advantages | Disadvantages of Buying & Selling in the Festive Season 12/16/2016

#7: The Advantages | Disadvantages of Buying & Selling in the Festive Season Yes folks it's that crazy time of year again when we are all racing from Christmas party to Christmas shopping trip and back again. For some though there is yet another stress factor to be fitted into this equation and that’s whether to buy or sell within the Christmas and New Year Season. Sometimes for the people involved this situation just happens without them realising before it’s too late. For example, they’ve had the excitement of selling their home and then “oh no” settlement it seems is smack bang in the middle of Xmas season. Or maybe they’ve excitedly just purchased a home and yes again the settlement sits within that time frame. Possibly they have to sell their current abode before they can complete settlement. Either way, what are the benefits of buying and selling within the Holiday Season? People are generally more motivated to get things completed at this time of year – just ask any tradie about their workload before Christmas. The odds are he or she is in high demand to complete jobs prior to Christmas because that’s the client’s deadline, when all the family are turning up. At this time of year there may be more people on the ground that require a house to move into very soon. People like to have a fresh start for a New Year which in effect gives them the motivation to get it completed sooner rather than later. Buyers also like to have their children change schools at the beginning of a new year rather than during. We tend to make New Year’s resolutions creating moves for a better lifestyle or a career change, therefore pushing them to move house. Placing your property on the market during this time when others are thinking it’s not such a great idea could be quite beneficial. For the seller, take into consideration that workers or business owners who may not otherwise have time to search the internet and inspect properties may be on leave at this time of year and therefore now have the time to do so. Buyers who are inspecting at this time of year may have their family on hand to assist them with the big decisions they need to make. There can be some difficult situations to deal with at this time of year. Most solicitors and conveyancers take leave over the Christmas break. There are some that do work through though so it’s worth checking out who they are. As mentioned previously getting tradies to complete any job at this time of year is difficult because they are usually booked out already. For the seller the home yard may be difficult to keep looking pristine due to the high temperatures and stress on lawns and gardens at this time of year. You may not wish to be bothered with home inspections whilst you have friends and family visiting. For the buyer there may not be a large selection of property on the market at this time of year. You may need to rent before buying, again to overcome not being able to find the right property to purchase. This could possibly prove difficult if there are not a lot of rentals on the market at that time. All in all no matter what time of the year it is there are always buyers on the ground. Being on the market during the Christmas period and New Year period may just give you the edge over others who have taken theirs off the market. As a buyer it may also give you the edge over others who have decided to take a break over the holiday period from seeking a new property and may also give you more buying power. If you would like assistance with buying or selling please contact the Real Estate Specialists at R & R Property. R & R Property have listed and sold an extensive amount of property for our clients and are the leading estate agency in the Mid North Coast. We deal with these matters every day and are always open to your questions and willing to assist however we can. Contact the R & R Property Team on www.randrproperty.com.au P: 02 4994 5766 Denise Haynes and the R and R Property Team cover Stroud, Bulahdelah, Gloucester and Karuah areas. They specialise in Tree change or Sea Change properties. /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/4917997

#6: Karen Hutchinson talks candidly about moving to the country 12/07/2016

#6: Karen Hutchinson talks candidly about moving to the country Announcer: Hi and welcome to the R and R Property Podcast with The Real Estate Girl, Denise Haynes. In our podcast we talk about all things real estate in rural New South Wales. We discuss a diverse range of topics to do with real estate, whether it is about making the tree change, doing a rental, or getting to know our awesome country community. If ever you're in the area please pop by and meet our team. R and R property are an amazing all-women real estate agency working within the Stroud, Gloucester, and Bulahdelah areas. Now for our podcast. Denise: Hi everyone and welcome to podcast number six. I'm Denise Haynes from R and R property. Today I have invited a special guest into the R and R office to chat with us. You know at R and R Property we specialise in assisting our clients in making the move from city areas to the country, what we like to call a tree change. Our guest today is Karen Hutchinson, one of the busiest ladies I know. Firstly I'd like to welcome you Karen, and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us. Karen: Thank you Denise. It's a pleasure to be here. Denise: Karen is a local council representative from Mid-Coast Council. She also runs her own businesses and a thousand acre farm, is that correct? Karen: Yeah. Denise: She's a very busy lady. The reason I wanted to speak with you is because you have actually done the tree change yourself. As everyone knows I'm always advising our clients to chat with others that have already made the move just to get an experienced account of things. I know you packed up your family and moved to the country and we'd love to hear your story, Karen. Firstly, how long has it been since you made the move and where were you living before? Karen: It's 19 years since we left the Northern Beaches in Sydney, which I thought was God's country. We've re-established that God's country is up here. Denise: Very good. I agree with that. What were you worried about with moving to the country area? Karen: I had my own business in Sydney and I'm a bit of a people person and I was only momentarily concerned about the move and I just thought, "Well, let's run with this." I suppose I had plan B in my mind that I could always run back to Sydney but never, never, never. Denise: Very good. I'm very pleased to hear that, I must say. Karen is a very big advocate for Stroud, she's Stroud proud and we love her. People are often concerned about finding work in a country area. That's one of the major things that I hear all the time. Have you had trouble finding work? I know that's not true because as I said you are one of the busiest people I know, but maybe just let everyone know what it is that you do do and how you've come about that. Karen: Okay. Eight years ago I broke my leg on our farm and while I was recuperating I designed a label to go on a jar. I didn't know what I was going to put in that jar but I thought I wasn't going to waste this nine months of being incapacitated and not come out with something positive out of it. We now run a very successful family-owned and run jam and condiment business and you'll find our products scattered between Sydney, Newcastle, America. We're very, very delighted about that. I think as far as employment is concerned, there's a lot of casual work up here if you're willing to have a go and I have seen so many home-based businesses evolve in this valley, is unbelievable. You would be surprised what's in a lot of people's homes with creative arts, men with mechanic businesses at home. It's just amazing. Denise: That's true. There really is plenty of work there depending on what you want to do. The work is there to find if you want it. Just so everyone knows, too, Karen's business is called Stroud Valley Harvest and it's absolutely beautiful. We stock our settlement gift packs with Stroud Valley Harvest goodies and everyone always raves about them. She's a very busy lady and am I correct in saying you do all that out of your home kitchen? Karen: Yes. We do. We run it, we cook it, we package it and we have fun. It's a family involvement because when you've got a few hundred jars of jam to label you call in the troops for help. Denise: Even the grandkids get a helping hand, do they, or actually help you out, sorry? Karen: Absolutely. Absolutely, and they help on the farm. We have an egg farm with birds that are free to range. We're now with Woolworths with our farm fresh eggs. The five grandchildren help on the farm, too. Denise: That's great. I've seen them on Facebook digging veggie gardens and having a great time riding their motorbikes around. What are your eggs called? Karen: Stroud Valley Harvest Eggs. Denise: Excellent. I can recommend those, too. Another thing that people worry about is their friends and family. "Will they ever, ever come and visit us?" Maybe have a chat about friends and family. Do you still see them? Do you still go back to Sydney? Have you made friends here? Let us know what that's about. Karen: I've got a huge friend base in this valley. I go back to Sydney for business only and I go down and I run straight back. Friends and family, we had a very big influx of visitors when we first moved up here and they were amazed that we actually had running water and electricity. The visits that we have now, are sort of spread far apart, because they thought my husband was taking me away from the city into the boondocks but they were flabbergasted when they saw the way we live up here. Denise: That's good, that they come and visit you. Have any of the made the move themselves? Karen: Yes, actually. We have some friends at Bulahdelah that were friends on the Northern Beaches and they've embraced the community in Bulahdelah, too. It's wonderful and you can be as busy or as relaxed as you like. It's all about choice. Denise: That's it. It's all about quality of life isn't it? Yeah. That's great. How do you find our local community? Karen: Our local community are just absolutely amazing. They've got the biggest hearts. If anybody's in strife there's always somebody that you can call on and it's an amazing community. Denise: Yeah, that's true. Everyone pulls together when the time is needed, don't they? If there's any sort of drama or disaster or someone's struggling everyone pulls together and that's when you really find out what the community's like. Another thing that we do here quite often is about the commuting and I quite often say to people, "Look, yes you can commute to work but you are travelling along lovely country roads taking in the landscape, not stuck in gridlock." Have you actually found that to be the case as well, because I know you do a lot of travelling? You work from home but with the council you're also travelling a lot. Karen: It's amazing. You don't realise until you look at your speedometer and go, "Wow, have I done that many kilometres?" It doesn't feel like you're doing that many. We actually live on the Bucketts Way and there is a peak hour and it starts about 5:00 a.m. in the morning and there is a stream of people that go down the Bucketts Way to commute to Newcastle. I know for a fact that there's even a few people that commute to Gosford for work. It's an easy drive. Denise: I love to listen to podcasts just like this while I'm travelling around. It's a great time to think and reflect and to learn as well, isn't it? Okay, so how has your family adjusted to the move? Karen: Our family, we brought our two girls up, well we brought one daughter up from Sydney and her daughter and one daughter went to uni at Bathurst the same year that we moved up here. She's finished uni and she's moved back home and we are all on the farm. We all have our own separate homes of course. Then I've had more grandchildren born into the area and they just love it. They go to the local schools and they play netball down in Raymond Terrace which is not far to go. All their sporting requirements are all fulfilled. Denise: Yeah. That's it, they can do whatever they want really, can't they? Can be, again like us, as busy as they want to be. Karen: Exactly. Exactly. Denise: Okay. Do you have any tips for those considering moving to the country? Karen: My biggest tip would be think positive, embrace it, and enjoy it. Denise: Good advice. Karen, Dayanna your daughter is now studying again isn't she? Karen: She's studying at Newcastle University and she's actually doing her master's now in work health and safety. Our granddaughter who is now 21, she's studying by distant education with UNE at Armidale. She's doing ag-business. Our oldest daughter who is actually running our farm now, she picks up every little biosecurity course, any course that's going through the Tocal College which is only 45-50 minutes away from here. Everything, as far as education is concerned, everything is at your fingertips. Denise: Yeah. It's great. They certainly don't miss out on anything here, do they? Karen: No, no. They don't and if your child's keen well then they will find these courses just like my children do. Denise: Yeah, exactly. Just thinking about that we've also got an Olympian in our area as well, haven't we? Karen: We do. Denise: Certainly the children can do whatever they choose to do. Karen: Yes, yeah. Look, and they can. Our oldest granddaughter is a State Age champion in rowing, in doubles. She used to train at Morpeth. She would leave the farm at 4:30 in the morning but that was her choice and she enjoyed that before going to school. Denise: Yeah. Yeah. Just the dedication's there so they just take that opportunity. Karen: Exactly. Denise: Yeah. No, that's wonderful. I just wanted to check with you before we finish up. Do you have any regrets about moving to the country? Karen: I have no regrets whatsoever. It's just been fantastic and when I see the news of the night I just think, "How lucky we are that our grandchildren are growing up in this area." They have everything at their fingertips and they just love being outside, they just love the atmosphere. They have their friends. Yeah, you've got to travel sometimes to drop little friends off and pick your grandchildren up but that's all part of country living. Denise: Exactly. Like we said before, the commuting's very enjoyable as well isn't it? It's not a chore. Karen: No, not at all. Not at all. Because I, just like yourself Denise, I do a lot of thinking, a lot of planning, in the car and I am fulfilling a lot of dreams I've always dreamt and that was to own my own patchwork shop which we've done. We've run retreats and patchwork lessons on the farm and hopefully in early 2017 we start the building of our café and farm gate shop on the farm. Denise: I can't wait for that, I must say. That's going to be amazing and just another wonderful thing for our community. Thank you so much Karen for coming and chatting to us today. It's been a pleasure. Karen: Thank you for having me, Denise. It's a pleasure to share our experience. Denise: It is. Thank you. Thank you everyone. That is podcast number six. I hope you've got great value out of that and once again I'd like to thank Karen for coming in and joining us. It's been wonderful. Announcer: If you would like to find out more about R and R Property and the Stroud, Gloucester, and Bulahdelah areas, whether buying or selling, contact us on (02) 4994 5766 or via our website at www.randrproperty.com.au. On behalf of Denise Haynes and the team, thank you for joining us and please remember to subscribe to our podcasts. /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/4893198

#5: Tree Change - Sea Change 12/05/2016

#5: Tree Change - Sea Change Families it seems, are so stretched & stressed with debt and commitments in life today. Given that interest rates are at an all-time low and technology is meant to be making our lives simpler and easier, it is really troubling. There is no room for error and I’m not sure where on earth it will all end. I don’t know how families can even afford to eat, given the prices they are paying for properties the size of a postage stamp in the city. And for what; to have to endure gridlock traffic, road rage, being able to hear your neighbour’s conversations, ever increasing crime rates and then there’s the pollution. The total sum of this stress is of course resulting in poor health, both in body and mind. Parents who are in these situations are considering making a move to a tree change environment to enable them to bring their families up with a grounded, back to grass roots life. Seeking for their children a good life of healthy food, fresh air and a new freedom to run and play. A move to the country will also assist children to make the connection in regard to farm to plate. It is always an educational adventure tending to chickens, ducks, goats, cows and vegetable gardens. I still find the daily collection of freshly laid eggs totally enjoyable and mind soothing. And don’t get me started on watching a calf or foal being born and chickens hatching. Quite often the parents or grandparents in the family grew up in the country and have fond memories of this life. The pulling of the heart strings back to the country never seems to leave people, even if at first they deny its calling. This in itself tells us that it is a better life and beneficial to the body and soul. It’s like when pregnant women crave certain foods because their body requires some vitamin or mineral that is within that food. It’s always helpful of course to discuss your thoughts of a move to any new area with those who have already done it. Did they find the transition difficult? Do they have any advice for you? Everyone it seems has been talking sea change or tree change but taking the next step of course is another matter. So therefore it can be very beneficial to have the chat with others who have done it. Visit and stay overnight in country areas and mix with the locals a little. This may give you a sense of the area and the people within it. Also don’t just visit once and buy, inspect your preferred tree change property at least a couple of times. Take notes and photo’s so that you can remember certain details along the journey. So if you have been yearning for a get back to nature life, if you hate the city and you think your next abode could well be waiting for you in the country then take the next step. Denise Haynes and The R & R Property Team are Tree Change Specialists living and working within the beautiful areas of Stroud, Gloucester & Bulahdelah areas. These tree change destinations are located around an approximate 2.5 hour to 3 hour drive from Sydney. R and R Property specialise in assisting their customers make the move to a happier and healthier life in the country. You can grab your FREE Tree change Guide at http://www.randrproperty.com.au /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/4886381

#4: Vendor Tips 11/25/2016

#4: Vendor Tips More Money in Your Pocket - Selling Tips for a Quick & Well Priced Sale Presentation! Presentation! Presentation! I cannot express to you enough how important this is to a sale & a great price. Good presentation is not only easy on the eye but it also leaves the prospective buyer feeling as though there isn’t too much to do. If a property is poorly presented with daggy dated furniture, needs painting and even minor repairs your prospective purchaser may be left thinking the property needs updating & a fortune spent on it. A well-presented home is also a good blank canvas, usually allowing your buyer to feel uncluttered and unstressed enough to visualise their furniture in this home. The proof is in the results - why do you think Selling Houses Australia is so successful! Lawns and Gardens Please have these tidy! The lawn needs to be kept constantly mowed, any potholes/bare patches need to be filled and grassed over. Water if necessary. Gardens should be weeded and preferably no fuss. High maintenance gardens can definitely be a purchaser turn-off. But again, presentation is important as your lawns and gardens provide the framework for your homes street appeal. Doggy No.2’s need to be cleaned up and preferably your pets restrained or even better visiting elsewhere for an inspection. Get Cracking & Start Packing! Clutter can be a major killer for your homes sale so why not take the opportunity upon listing your property to cull anything you haven’t used for a long time or start packing away decorations and furniture that you don’t use on a regular basis. Have a garage sale and make some money! Self-storage is always a good option or if not appropriate store it in a shed. A clear and uncluttered home is always a pleasure to show, clients can walk clearly through the property and it gives off a more light and spacious feel making the home seem even larger. Go & Have a Coffee Please vacate the property for the sales inspection. We sometimes have vendors who insist upon staying in the home for the viewing, quite often interrupting, trying to do our job for us whilst we are showing the clients through. Although we realise that the vendor is only trying to help it is actually at a huge disadvantage to themselves. The prospective purchaser will usually feel uncomfortable; not inspecting as thoroughly, not openly asking questions or commenting as freely as what they would if you’re not there. This can be detrimental because if we are unaware of any objections we cannot try to overcome them. So go and have a coffee up the street if you have nowhere else you need to be. Listen to your Agent If your property is reportedly receiving lots of views online but no inspections are being booked your agent will possibly be contacting you to advise that the problem could be price. Although we always like to test the market, we also have to listen to it loud and clear. An agent can usually tell within the first 3 – 4 weeks if the property’s price has missed the mark. At this point you need to listen to your agent’s advice and re-consider listed price. Overall everybody involved dreams of an easy and speedy sale and if vendors are prepared to work hand in hand with their chosen agent by doing the prep work to present as best as possible then the odds are that it will flow onto a clean and quick sale – Happy Days! Denise Haynes and The R & R Property Team are the No.1 Agency in their area with a rapidly expanding footprint throughout the valley. If you would like more advice and tips on buying and selling please visit our website or give us a call on 02 4994 5766 /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/4860879

#3: How to relax in the country? 11/21/2016

#3: How to relax in the country? We live in a crazy mixed up world these days, and there is one absolute certainty that has come from this - stress is one of our major killers. We race from minute to minute, hour to hour trying to fit so much in. So much more is expected of us than it was of our forbears. At the end of every week I marvel at how quickly the time has gone, and how it feels like the week just began. And don’t get me started on the years flying by! I have found myself lately wondering why this is so. Then I remember that each week at work I am flying from job to job, managing the team, putting out constant fires, trying to win new business, trying to make ends meet. As well as this I am making sure my daughter is organised for each school day, play dates, excursions, parties etc etc. Then of course there are family commitments and social functions which crop up in an ever-increasing frenzy towards the end of the year. Add to this a house to keep, meals to cook, groceries to buy … the list goes on and on. But if there is one thing I absolutely love it’s getting out in nature. I am so blessed to live in an area where I can just step out of my front door and walk down bush tracks, head into State Forests and paddle into pristine creeks and rivers. And yes I do these things and yes I always, always feel better for it. Getting out and enjoying country life and the beauty of nature truly will melt your stress away. One of the things I like doing most is exploring our mountain tracks. After what is usually a rather steep walk or climb, admiring the native flora along the way, I sit up on the crest of a mountain and overlook a beautiful scene or town below. It is just the best ever relaxing thing to do. I also love to photograph the beautiful plants and scenery along the way, another very relaxing thing to do, marvelling at how awesome Mother Nature really is. What intuition has always led me to believe is being confirmed by scientists these days. Yes it seems it’s official, getting out in nature is amazing for your health. Even a 10 minute stroll outside is apparently enough. The combination of exercise and nature is even better. So next time you are feeling stressed to the max, go for a walk or run out in nature. Stop and smell the roses so to speak, (or the wildflowers for that matter). I always feel so much better after doing this, no matter what my worries are. Nature’s anti-depressant is in my opinion totally amazing and I urge you to try it. Here are some tips for getting started: Walk along a country lane, across a field, in a park, in your garden, go mountain climbing Grow a vege/ornamental garden, it’s very therapeutic – just pottering around, drinking tea Take your shoes off and paddle in a nearby creek, river or dam, just sit by the water & reflect Get off the treadmill & run outdoors; in a nearby park, State Forest or along a country road Take a leaf from my daughter’s book & collect feathers, pretty rocks & interesting sticks Take up art and paint your collection of treasures, the scene you are sitting in, the landscape Take up mountain bike riding in nature, lots of groups do this together & it’s great exercise Join a horse riding group. Our area has a couple of different groups who ride together Take up nature photography. Mother Nature truly is amazing and even better in macro Pack up & go camping (or glamping if required), we have so many wonderful spots to do this. Trust me – getting out and enjoying country life and the beauty of nature will melt your stress away. Denise Haynes and The R & R Property Team are Tree Change Specialists living and working within the beautiful Stroud Valley. Stroud is located around an approximate 2.5 hour drive from Sydney. R and R Property specialise in assisting their customers make the move to a happier and healthier life in the country. You can grab your FREE Tree change Guide at /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/4848674

#2: Moving to the country 11/14/2016

#2: Moving to the country When considering a move to the country, some people have concerns about how their lives might change. While it may seem daunting, moving to the country has many benefits, and you might find the things you are concerned about turn into a positive! Here are some questions we are asked by those looking to make a tree change: • Will I ever see my friends? Many people find that the ‘country’ is only 45 minutes or so from their suburban friends. Once they make the time to come and visit you they will realise that it’s not far away at all. You may find that they see how happy you are and what a fabulous healthy lifestyle you now have and consider making the move themselves. We find that family & friends quite often follow suit. Maybe they’ve been thinking about it for years but weren’t brave enough until they saw you do it. Skype and telephone is always great to catch up with too and remember you will be visiting them sometimes as well. A move to a friendly local town will also result in new friends being made, which is always a positive. • Where will I shop? We have the most amazing small businesses in our area selling all sorts of goods and produce. Lovely farm gate stalls selling fresh produce, a local butcher, bakery, grocery store plus your standard service providers and retail shops. To do a Woolworths, Coles or Aldi specialty shop trip could be as little as 20 mins drive away. We are very centrally located so you can take your pick which direction you go in. Otherwise online shopping is always fab fun! • What about travel time and the quality of local roads? Travel time may sometimes be longer in distance than what you’re used to, but you will be taking in beautiful rural landscapes instead of being stuck in gridlock for the same amount of time yet going a shorter distance. No pollution here either! Our quality of roads varies but for the most part the roads are improving steadily bit by bit. They are certainly a lot better now than in times past. Even if you live along a gravel road they are usually quite well maintained. My advice is to take your time and enjoy the trip. • Will I get a job? If you need to seek employment within a country area, there are certainly roles available just depending on what you wish to do. Quite a lot of people are able to work from home these days as technology is improving. Some people choose to commute and their trip to and from work is relaxing and pleasant. Phone and internet providers are varied but there is usually always something available for all situations to get you up and running. • How do I deal with rainwater tanks? Rainwater tanks collect rain which falls onto your roof – either house and/or sheds. You can generally have as many as you feel comfortable with and they’re not expensive. The water then goes through a fitted filtration system before coming out into your drinking taps within the house. We historically are in a high rainfall area and so therefore most people have plenty of water. But if you do need extra, there are water carters who will deliver a truck load of water to re-fill your tanks at a quite low cost. • What about those creepy crawlies and critters? Yes, just like in the suburbs we do come across snakes and spiders at times. It is a matter of being conscious and showing common sense to look out for them in certain situations (for example, around long grass and rubbish piles). You can also purchase sonic detectors which when placed around your house and yard emit a deterrent to keep snakes at bay. But just like in the city, leaving critters alone is probably the biggest tip I can give here! • Will I know what to do on a property? If you are new to owning property it is always a good idea to do as much research as possible about what you would like to have on your property before taking over. But in saying that you will learn the most once you actually put it all into practise. You may wish to keep chickens, grow organic vegetables, cultivate a flower garden, maintain livestock, or even use your property to ride trail or quad bikes. There are always locals who will help you work things out, or who will be happy to answer your questions. Community spirit is strong in the country! Denise Haynes and The R & R Property Team are Tree Change Specialists living and working within the beautiful Stroud Valley. Stroud is located around an approximate 2.5 hour drive from Sydney. R and R Property specialise in assisting their customers make the move to a happier and healthier life in the country. You can grab your FREE Tree change Guide at /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/4828691

#1: Buyer Tips 11/11/2016

#1: Buyer Tips As an agent dealing with rural and residential property sales, my team and I are lucky enough to meet and speak with lots of lovely people. Each of them has their own personal stories to tell, and differences in what they are seeking in a property. It’s this variety that makes our work so interesting. As much as I’d love to be able to recall each one of these details to share with you, my brain capacity just won’t allow it! So to assist me and my overwhelmed agent/boss/wife/mummy brain, I’ve come up with a checklist of things to help you as a potential buyer. I hope this list makes preparing to buy your dream property a breeze. As a minimum, as a potential buyer you should: Work out what your budget is, what type of property you are seeking, and the criteria the property has to have. Break the criteria down to the absolutely essential as well as simply preferred (ie. the things that you’d like, but which aren’t a deal-breaker). Have some sort of finance at least pre-approved. Request that you be added to the Real Estate Agency database, along with the criteria of what type of property you are seeking. Even if you’re not 100% sure, at least give us a rough guideline. That way we can notify you of properties either on the market that you may have missed or be alerted to new ones coming up. This can always be updated as we move along in the process of property searching. Keep an eye on or subscribe to the Facebook and Social Media pages of your preferred Real Estate Agencies. Sometimes listings get placed on here first as sneak-peeks, which can alert you to enquire about an upcoming new property listing that looks appealing. Does your agency have a podcast that you could listen to for tips and latest listings or a radio segment where they feature a property of the week? If so subscribe to it or schedule it into your diary to listen to. Also keep an eye out for letterbox drops/flyers as they may be promoting a new listing which might just suit you. Build a relationship with your preferred agent. They will remember you and you will become front of mind if they speak with you or email you on a regular basis. And of course always be nice, and respectful of their time. Make sure that what you are inspecting at least for the most part fits part of your guidelines and criteria. When completing an inspection with your agent, especially if viewing a number of properties in succession, take your camera or phone and take some relevant snaps so that you can remember which property had which features you liked or disliked. By the end we find that buyers become confused with the list of inspections and they tend to blend the features and benefits for each property. On a similar point … don’t try to fit too many inspections into one visit! Especially if you are looking at rural properties, as these can be a good distance apart and depending on size could take quite some time to inspect. Book an overnight stay in the area. This will let you explore your chosen area a bit more as well. Have a checklist of what features you are seeking in your next property. Take that with you on inspections for each property. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy but it will help you to narrow properties down to a definitely interested or not interested You can also jot down short notes for each property on these sheets. Sometimes you have to compromise. Not very often a property matches your criteria and visualisations by 100%. We find that those searching for a 100% match to their dreams and checklist very rarely buy. Those that have exercised a little give-and-take have forgotten about that as soon as they move in, loving their new home just as it is. Overall you have to put in the hard yards, inspect and narrow properties down until you find the right one for you. This may happen quickly or it may take some time, depending on your wants and needs and the supply of properties in the area you have chosen. Patience is key! /episode/index/show/randrproperty/id/4822737

R and R Property Podcast With The Real Estate Girl Denise Haynes

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