News Land

Cheap Victorian farm land just add water

H&G Real Estate Kyabram agent, John Lilford, has seen many changes in property listings since he began selling farm real estate 16 years ago. Based in irrigated mixed and dairy farming country in northern Victoria the firm also has a Nathalia branch that sells farm real estate in central and north east central parts of...

Reliable Reg knows what makes NE Victoria farm sales tick over

Farm Real Estate has collected Victorian farm sales results and discussed issues with a number of rural real estate agents since 2000 who know what makes the industry tick.  We have got to know the credible agents who are the best equipped to help farmers and rural property buyers locate suitable rural properties. Reading about their...

Rural agents who make Victorian farm sales tick over

Farm Real Estate has analysed Victorian rural property sales and discussed issues with rural agents since 2000 and knows what makes the industry tick.  We have got to know the credible agents who are the best equipped to help farmers and rural property buyers locate or sell suitable rural properties. Reading about their experiences in...

Do it yourself Wimmera farm land for sale

HORSHAM real estate agent John Neville and colleagues have a lot of competition listing farms for sale in the Wimmera as neighbours often sell directly to each other “through the fence”. “A lot of the (property) deals straight through the fence have occurred,” John said. Most rural real estate agents face this dilemma in the...

Buyers hungry for South Gippsland beef grazing farm land

The 2017-2018 traditional spring and autumn rural property sale season saw estate agent Ray Cullen hearing the message loud and clear – many people wanted land suitable for grazing beef.Ray said the most noticeable inquiry over the spring 2017 sales period and into the 2018 autumn sales period was for land to produce “beef, beef,...

Sunraysia market garden and orchard farm land in demand

OVERSEAS and interstate interest in buying orchard land in the Sunraysia region has increased remarkably since the start of the year according to a long established Mildura real estate firm.Roccisano Property Group agribusiness specialist real estate agent, Michael DePalma, says there is a growing amount of foreign investor inquiry. Inquiry from both interstate and overseas...

Living self-sufficiently in a recycled house

Kieren Lewin lives a self-sufficient lifestyle on a 26ha property at Elphinstone in central Victoria.On his property is a recycled house that is equipped with a stand alone 4.1 kilowatt solar energy electricity system, 150,000 litres of rainwater storage and an A and A worm farm septic waste treatment system. Kieren bought the land 3...

How to make a Straw Bale house and get insulated

JOEL Meadows and Cath James wanted to build a sustainable home but the more they explored the rammed earth option the more their research led them back to the superior insulation of rendered straw bales.“Originally we were interested in rammed earth and we didn’t really like the aesthetics of the straw bale houses we had...

Going Up the Country

BUYING rural land to build a country lifestyle for yourself requires more specialised knowledge compared to purchasing a residential property. If you buy an established rural property with an existing house and other structural improvements then a thorough expert inspection of each is recommended – just as you would if buying a residential property in...

How to Value a Farmland Lease

THERE are no specific laws that regulate leases of rural farmland or even official data on how many farm leasehold arrangements exist in Victoria. Experienced rural valuer and former property lecturer, Simon A. De Garis, said the uncertainty that surrounds the rural leasehold and land licence property rental market stems from this lack of regulation...

A house built with straw and mud sustains Lee

BUILDER Lee Hunter knew central Victoria had the ingredients to create a sustainable lifestyle and build a straw and mud brick house. Lee’s 48ha Strathlea property has dams, self-replacing native forest to provide wood for fuel and the area is a goldmine for his favorite building material – dirt. He bought the land in 2003...

Wind farms change property values

EXPERIENCED rural valuer Alan Hives believes wind farms affect some property values. Mr Hives is a partner in the Ballarat-based Leader Property Practice valuation firm and has concentrated on rural valuations for 27 years. “I have been involved in numerous valuations of properties affected by wind farms over the last decade or so,” Mr Hives...

Look Mum no bills

TIM Adams and Pip Watt live in a sustainably built, energy efficient house that is warm in winter, cool in summer and has no bills all year round. Tim designed their 7-star energy rated home on about 7ha at Gherang near Geelong and fitted it with alternative energy systems, heating and cooling techniques to make...

Energy efficient stars

ON BLACK Saturday February 2009 bushfires and 45 degree heat seared Victoria but inside John Morgan’s energy efficient home at Lexton it was 33.9C. The energy efficient principles built into this northwest Victorian home means a comfortable temperature is possible in most weather conditions with no extra heating or cooling appliances. Non-profit sustainable practises promotions...

Goulburn Valley farm land values

THE values of Goulburn Valley properties offered for sale are being affected by the amount of irrigation delivery shares attached to them. Former local farmer and now licensed rural estate agent for Youngs and Company in Shepparton, Paul Durden, says some potential buyers have baulked at buying a property with too many delivery shares attached...

Insulation Info

COUNTRY Victorians are retrofitting insulation to existing dwellings according to a national non-profit group that promotes sustainable living. The Alternative Technology Association Melbourne office fields enquiries from country Victorians virtually every week asking about insulation for older homes. Melbourne-based ATA insulation expert and technical editor, Lance Turner, says there were generally more inquiries about insulation...

Finding a rural property and home takes research

Allan Windust is the author of Buying Your Bush Block published by Landlinks Press and distributed by CSIRO Publishing (www.publish.csiro.au). Farm and Land Auctions Australia, the creator of the www.farmrealestate.com.au website has permission to publish advice from Allan’s book (see his advice below). Allan was Victoria’s last District Surveyor with the Crown Lands Department He...

Ember Attack

Former Chief Officer of the Country Fire Authority says it is not what you build a house from that helps make it fireproof but how it is built. CFA chief and director of Operations from 2001 until 2010, Russell Rees, says CFA fire-fighters often found many properties were burnt after the main fire front had...