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Information for “First-Time Homebuyers” Buying or Building your First New Home

I am a “First-Time homebuyer” planning to purchase or build my first new home. Can you please provide me with some information on the First Home Owners Grant scheme and the stamp duty concessions available to me from the government?

- A First-Time Homebuyer

Hi First-Time Homebuyer,

Your question is both interesting and timely. Currently, Australia is experiencing a great construction boom with Queensland and Western Australia becoming biggest contributors to the boom.

I don’t know what state or territory you are from. But, I do know that this is the best time for you buy property. The current property market, together with the First Home Owners Grant (FHOG) scheme benefits and stamp duty concessions the government provides will help you buy your first home easily. You may even be pleasantly surprised to know that you may get a better deal now, than what you would have received a few years ago.

First Home Owners Grant (FHOG) Scheme and Stamp Duty Concessions available to First-Time Homebuyers

“Buying” or “building” your first new home should be a realisation of your dreams. And the following things will help you in fulfilling it:

• The various “First Home Owners Grant (FHOG)” schemes available to you as a first-time homebuyer.

• The range of “Stamp Duty” concessions or exemptions available in some states and mainland territories help in reducing the cost of your new property.

Understanding the First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) Scheme

The First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) Scheme:

• Is a one-off grant, payable to you as a first-time homebuyer if you want to “purchase” or “build” a new residential property to live in; and

• Is a national scheme funded by each state and mainland territory, and is administered under their own legislation.

Understanding Stamp Duty Concessions for First-Time Homebuyer

Every state and mainland territory has a first-time home buyer concession in place for stamp duty, which differs quite considerably between each state and territory.

How does First Home Owner Grant Scheme work?

The process is similar across Australia. However, you need to provide supporting paperwork in order to prove your eligibility including:

• Proof of identity (you must be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident);

• “Contract of Sale” (i.e. if you are “buying” a new home), or a “contract to build” (i.e. if you are “building” your new home); and

• Proof that you and your spouse must not have previously owned a home in Australia

Note: For further information on the amount of grants, stamp duty exemptions and concessions payable by each state and territory, please visit your state government or territory website at:

New South Wales www.osr.nsw.gov.au

Queensland www.osr.qld.gov.au

South Australia www.revenuesa.sa.gov.au

Tasmania www.sro.tas.gov.au

Western Australia www.treasury.wa.gov.au

Australian Capital Territory www.revenue.act.gov.au

Northern Territory www.treasury.nt.gov.au

Obtain the Services of an Expert

As with any aspiring new home owner buying or building your first new home at any stage of life can be an overwhelming process. You will have to find a specialised lender/credit provider who is willing and able to assist you. All these things can be daunting and time-consuming. So, having an expert finance broker on your side will save you lots of time and help you to complete your home buying process quickly.

Singh Finance is a reputed Australian finance brokerage firm that employs a team of experts and professionally qualified finance brokers who will leave no stone unturned in obtaining a first home loan for you. Call on 0424 190 908 today or visit our website and get an opportunity to obtain short term business finance.

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Compare Electricity Rates For the Best Deals

Almost all energy suppliers boast that they offer the cheapest prices, and this makes it difficult for consumers to be able to choose the tariff that best suits them. However, by considering your energy consumption pattern, and by applying this to find the most appropriate tariff, it will be easier for you to be able to identify which really offers the best deal for you.

You should start by checking that you do not have to pay a cancellation fee before collecting bills to get a better idea of your consumption pattern. Using this information you can ascertain the most appropriate tariff. Taking into account any special requirements you might have, such as a tariff for prepay meters, you can then compare electricity rates and make the switch to the cheapest provider.

Your Contract

You should always start with your contract. Some contracts have a tie-in period: a period during which you will be charged a cancellation fee if you try changing supplier. This cancellation fee may make it more difficult to profit from changing supplier, but you should check first.

Your contract will also contain other details. You will be able to determine whether you are receiving any dual fuel discount, direct debit discount, or any additional offers that have directly affected your prices. This is important information, because you may be able to get a cheaper deal while staying with your current energy provider.

Your Consumption

Collect your most recent bills so that you can look at precisely how and when you use your electricity. Without a clear understanding of your energy usage, it is impossible to be certain that you are choosing the best deal for your needs.

Ideally, you should be able to collect a year’s worth of data. This will enable you to take seasonal changes into account and, it will give you a much clearer picture of your usage than a single month or quarter would. If you receive online bills then you should be able to export the data, or copy and paste it, into a spreadsheet so that you can work with the information you have.

Choosing a Tariff

Once you know the times of day that you use the most electricity, you can choose the most appropriate tariff. This is important because, while a single rate tariff is convenient and simple to understand, Ecconomy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs could provide you with considerable savings on your annual electricity spend.

You should also determine whether you want a fixed or variable rate deal, or a capped price deal. A variable rate price will go up and down, as your supplier increases and decreases their prices. A capped price will go up and down, but will not pass an upper ceiling. A fixed rate price will remain on the same price for the entire duration of the agreement.

Special Requirements

Some households, and some individuals, have specific electricity requirements. For example, a prepay meter can help you to more accurately manage your energy consumption and spend, but it will require that you have a special prepay tariff. Unfortunately, these usually work out more expensive than standard electricity prices.

You may want electricity that comes only from green energy sources, or a feed-in tariff that not only supplies electricity, but also pays you for the energy that you produce using solar panels and other forms of renewable energy. If you require any of these special types of tariff then your options will be fewer, and you may find it more difficult to access the lowest possible prices.

Compare Electricity Rates

Once you have found the type of tariff you require, including any special requirements, you can compare electricity rates provided by the suppliers. By choosing your tariff first, it means that you can compare on a like for like basis and, as long as your energy consumption pattern does not alter, it will help ensure that you get the best prices for your consumption.

Remember to take all fees, discounts, and charges into account when you compare electricity rates. Subtract any direct debit or dual fuel discounts that you would receive, and consider any cancellation fees that might be included in the deal. These may play a significant part in helping you to determine which is the best tariff for your electricity needs.

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How To Get Relief From Insomnia And Cure Sleep Disorders Naturally?

Initial loss of sleep can affect learning, memory and thinking abilities, and long term deprivation makes it difficult for the person to take moral judgment as the condition can restrict the speed to execute mentally changing works. The condition of sleeplessness can cause inability to integrate emotions and do correct things. The person feels more tired all the time and gets irritated too fast.

Headache, tension and anxiety are common in such people. Inadequate sleep can raise sensitivity to pain and effect performance and compromise immunity, while, chronic sleeplessness can have serious health risks such as diabetes (due to reduced control over blood sugar), atherosclerosis, inflammation, hypertension due to change in blood pressure and heart rate. It can cause changes in biological age as one gets older fast, and with increased strain on cardiovascular conditions one suffers from greater risk of heart conditions. People suffering from sleeplessness desperately seeking ways to how to get relief from insomnia can use meditation techniques to relax mind and can take herbs to cure sleep disorders naturally.

Rauvolfia serpentine is a great herbal sedative widely used to cure sleep disorders naturally and is one of the ingredients of Aaram capsules. It is hypnotic, used in Ayurveda to cure diarrhea, poisonous insect bite and cholera. It contains bioactive chemicals e.g. ajmaline, yohimbine, reserpine, deserpidine, serpentinine, rescinnamine which can be used as anti-hypertensive. It is one of the herbs which were given to Alexander when he was poisoned by arrow. It was also taken by Mahatma Gandhi as tranquilizer recurrently during his life. This was a famous herb in 1954 to 1957 in the West, which contains alkaloids to reduce blood pressure, restrict activities of the central nervous system and work as hypnotic.

Eclipta Alba and Bacopa monnieri are other herbs in the pills which can improve mind power and cognition. It can reduce anxiety and improve memory formation. The herbal extract Eclipta Alba can interact with dopamine and serotonergic system to promote neuron communication. It can increase the communication and growth of nerve endings. These herbs are rich in antioxidants and are highly distressing in nature. These herbs have mind-enhancing properties and when tested in laboratory could increase cerebral blood circulation and reduce blood pressure significantly. It can increase nitric oxide in the endothelium as it shows anti-depressant activities in mice in laboratory, where the depressive symptoms in epileptic subjects were reversed by the herb extract. The herb can inhibit pain and works as neurological anti-aging compound in the herbal remedy.

The intake of herb Eclipta alba provides the best ways to how to get relief from insomnia as it can reduce the impact of psychological stress, when tested in brain regions where the administered intake of the herb extract could reverse the level of PROD and EROD compound in the brain to baseline and the change in neuro transmitter dopamine and serotonin can also be restricted with the intake of the herbal extract to cure sleep disorders naturally. This was also tested on healthy humans where it could enhance retention of new information and reduce the rate of forgetting.

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