Felicity Costigan
Why smart investors should follow their favourite artists
Brooklyn, in inner-Melbourne, is a little different in character to its better-known American cousin, but it does share the same humble beginnings...
Rental tenancy laws are bad news for many pets (and their owners)
Victorian Josh Anders’ heart broke when he had to give up his beloved Chihuahua, Shazza, because she wasn’t welcome in his shared...
Happiness is having everything in walking distance
It’s official: The happiest people in Australia live in the Adelaide hills. Much of the Adelaide hills are in Mayo, the federal electorate...
Life on the outer: Why housing estates fail residents
We bought our first house in Melbourne’s inner-western suburbs five minutes before an avalanche of gentrification. We didn’t encounter the famous Australian...
Plumber, electrician or builder … how much will that tradie cost?
According to the latest survey data on hourly rates for tradies, Victoria’s tradies are officially the cheapest in Australia, except when it...
DIY don’ts: The household jobs best left to professionals
My parents’ first divorce was sparked by a housing recession in the early ’80’s. Dodgy builders were thick on the ground and going...
Tradies trade macho for manners, survey finds
There’s a new breed of tradies taking over building sites, with builder’s cracks and wolf whistles being traded for health-conscious habits and...
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as residents see the light(s)
It’s as if no one has heard of Advent. Each year the yule-tide enthusiasts get more and more brazen about pushing the...
The little tweaks that can make a big difference when you sell
Recently while stuck in traffic, an SUV loomed up in front of me with an impressive company slogan on the back windscreen,...
Mansion madness: Why bigger isn’t always better
We knew we were in trouble when the size of the excavation next door spanned the width of the Taj Mahal. Four...