News and updates

Do some lazy laps at Carlton Baths this Sunday to the sound of laid-back soul and blues music. The Teskey Brothers are a group formed on the banks of the Yarra River, in the small town of Warrandyte. The band consists of brothers Sam and Josh Taskey and also features Brendon Love on bass and Liam Gough on drums. Their music is relaxed, fun and nostalgic and is the perfect backdrop for your Sunday afternoon swim or gym work-out at
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At Berstan Homes, we are often asked for a base price for a new home build. But we don’t have a base price. We find out exactly what the client wants in a house and then we will give them a detailed quote, with no hidden extras. Many large volume building companies give what we call a “teaser price”. This is a very low, too-good-to-be-true price designed to attract clients. They are then hit with huge price increases for extras,
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What would a Melbourne summer be without a trip to an outdoor cinema? You don’t have to head into the city if you live in the Eastern Suburbs, just head for the hills to the Cameo Outdoor Cinema in Belgrave. The cinema features new releases such as Jasper Jones and Logan, as well as some classics. There are even some canine-themed films where you can bring your dog along as well! Grab your picnic blanket or hire deckchairs and bean
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The Lonsdale St Greek Festival celebrates 30 years in 2017. Melbourne’s biggest Greek street party is on this weekend for a festival of Greek culture, food and entertainment in the city’s historic Greek Precinct. It features three stages of free entertainment, children’s rides and activities, and more than 60 food, drink and craft stalls. Legendary performers such as Glykeria and the Stratakis Brothers from Crete will entertain the crowds. The annual singing competition, Magic Mike, is open to anyone who
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A frustrated couple walked into Berstan Homes display today absolutely sick to the teeth having to deal with Sales Staff at Display Homes. They had been to a number of display villages of major Builders and not one Sales person could give them a price on their build. The fact is these Sales Staff are basically trained to sell the name of that particular Building Company. When asked for instance, about the Site Costs related to the build it was
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Berstan Homes Co-founder Beryl Bryson has been awarded an Appreciation Award for her 30 years of community work within the Doncaster district. Beryl was presented her award at the Doncaster police station in a special ceremony recently. Beryl has been a member of the Manningham Neighbourhood Watch group for the past thirty years, and has faithfully delivered the group’s newsletter every second month to all the houses involved. She said when the group was first formed, residents paid $5 to join
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Christmas is over, 2017 is well underway and everyone is back at work and school.This is the time to make your New Year resolution come true and build that home you are always talking about. Summer is the perfect season to start a new custom-built home, or knock down rebuild in Melbourne. The weather is warm, dry and settled and will stay that way for months.With builders back and stockists reopen, the build will go smoothly and quickly at this
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Stop buying properties with part planning permits if you want to make money on investment! What is happening? Investors are buying properties with planning permits thinking that they can go straight to a builder and start construction soon after. This is definitely not the case, nearly all properties sold with planning permits are not supplied with completed documentation. Items that are in most cases missing are the following: water retention systems designed by engineers, landscaping planning, and energy rating reports.
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What great news for home buyers the reserve bank has lowered the interest rates yet again. The interest rate cuts are making home loans more affordable and there are still plenty of cost effective homes in the market place.  Apartments are not the flavour of the month at the moment with more home buyers purchasing standalone properties. One reason for the move away from the apartment option is the ongoing body corporate fees and these fees can become very expensive. Home and land
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Investment property sales at Berstan Homes are experiencing strong growth with many clients buying Berstan properties for their SMSF. Buying an investment property is a great way of growing your wealth and managing your tax. Berstan Homes have a number of special home and land packages available for the property investor in various high growth areas around Melbourne. Buying a house and land package is a great way of saving on your stamp duty because you only pay the duty
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