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What started out as a hobby, has since become a flourishing career for content creator Natasha Seager.

The 46-year-old started her Instagram account @natashainthecity about three years ago, which has since become a popular platform for sharing local brands and services.

“I fell into it after enjoying this type of photography as a hobby,” Natasha says.

“I’ve always loved being creative, so turning it into a job was a dream come true; as well as being able to support and showcase other businesses while styling their products.”

When she’s not creating or managing other social media accounts, Natasha loves spending time with her family in their gorgeous home.

“We are often ships in the night, so being able to have dinner together is a treat,” she says.

“I love the location of our home, being so close to the city and a lovely area to walk around. I also love our kitchen and living area, which is the heart of the home.”

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AGE

46

WORK LIFE

My work life has varied over the years from hospitality to ground staff with Qantas at Adelaide Airport, merchandising, retail and currently part time at Elm Paper stationery design studio and part time working for myself running my social media business through my Instagram @natashainthecity.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS/BEST KNOWN FOR

My dream was to work in the travel industry which I did and loved for 13 years. I also took a leap to work for myself which was scary to start with but I’ve never looked back.

I’VE LIVED IN MY HOME FOR …

13 years.

MY HOME IS A …

1960s brick home that has been rendered.

I LIVE WITH …

My husband Col, our son Isaac, 15, our daughter Ava, 11, and our three-year-old rescue cat Tilly.

I LOVE MY HOME BECAUSE …

It’s homely and comfortable and where I love being with my family. I also love our location.

BUT I STILL NEED TO …

Repaint the inside!

MY DECORATING STYLE IS …

Homely, comfortable and simple.

I COLLECT …

Spoons and tea cups.

FAVOURITE PART OF YOUR HOME

Our kitchen/living area. It’s the heart of our home and is light and bright for most of the day.

HOME FAVOURITES

● My book shelf

● Photos of my family and our travels, so
many special memories, I love looking through them

● Our portable pizza oven – my husband cooks them for us once a week

IN MY GARDEN I HAVE …

Lots of greenery and hardy plants that I can’t kill and we have an original Hill’s Hoist.

WHEN I GET HOME AT NIGHT …

Each night is different depending on what activities the kids have on. After dinner I love to relax and catch up on TV shows/Netflix and also scrolling my Instagram feed!

AT WEEKENDS I LIKE TO …

Spend time with my family and friends, eat out and go for walks.

MY FIRST CAR WAS …

A Fiat 500.

I LIKE TO LISTEN TO …

My taste in music is quite eclectic but I listen to Fresh FM a lot and love Windback Wednesday listening to songs from my younger years!

AT THE MOMENT I AM READING …

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.

FAVOURITE FILM

Love Actually.

CLEAN FREAK OR MESSY BESSIE?

I’m very neat and tidy which can be a full time job some days!

ON MY WISH LIST IS …

A photo studio at home where I can set up and not have to pack up everyday and where my props have a proper home!

WHEN I’M HOME I LIKE TO COOK …

I love baking – I have a favourite banana bread, choc chip cookie and brownie recipe that I make often!

FAVOURITE DRINK?

Tea, iced latte, champagne – but not all at once.

WHEN I WAS A CHILD I WANTED TO BE …

An interior designer.

FAVOURITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY

Going on holidays with my mum and dad, we always had so much fun together and created great memories.

FAVOURITE SA HOLIDAY SPOT OR ACTIVITY

Normanville.

MY NEIGHBOURS ARE …

The absolute best and some of my dearest friends. Our kids have grown up together and we’ve shared many fun times together, I live in a great street.

IF I COULD AFFORD IT I WOULD LIVE …

In the same neighbourhood. I grew up in the same neighbourhood as where I live now and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

HOME MEANS …

Family. It’s my happy place, my sanctuary and where I feel the most comfortable and at ease.

The post At home with content creator Natasha Seager appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Confidence in some sectors of the real estate market have taken a hit due to the recent setbacks in the fight against coronavirus – but there are promising signs for safe navigation through more economic turbulence.

The Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg prepares to hand down his ‘mini’ Budget for 2020-21 on Thursday, with the national economy again under siege due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in Australia’s two major cities Sydney and Melbourne.

Thus far property prices across the country have remained relatively stable during the pandemic, in stark contrast to the doomsday scenarios of a 30 per cent crash.

The stock market has reacted positively to news a vaccine could be available by the end of the year and the extension of the JobKeeper and JobSeeker programs beyond September have avoided fears of fiscal cliff.

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This will ensure more of a soft landing when government support programs do come to an end.

That timeline means that the real estate market should be able to enter the beginning of 2021 with buyers and sellers having a better idea of what lies ahead,

“The budget will be critical in supporting the incomes, well-being and confidence of Aussies adversely impacted by pandemic shutdowns,” chief economist at CommSec Craig James said.

Widespread mortgage stress unlikely

Due to record low interest rates and banks putting mortgage repayments on hold, there is unlikely to be a large-scale sell off of property by financially challenged owners, both residential and commercial.

In the shorter term as least, also with the propping up of household incomes by the government, owners who might be in a difficult position can sit on their hands, wait and hope for calmer weather.

Tax breaks cut through trouble

By some predictions, 10 per cent of small and medium business could go under due to the second spike in coronavirus infections that have been greeted by lockdown in Melbourne, fear in Sydney and concern in the rest of the country.

If that proves to be correct, it could result in a slump in the commercial property sector, that would hit some owners and investors hard. However further government stimulus packages, such as HomeBuilder, could alleviate this and enable the real estate sector and others to bounce back as the economy picks up pace.

The government has mooted bringing forward tax cuts it was due to introduce in 2022, which would also give more people money to spend and stimulate greater economic activity.

Home bargains might be hard to find

The near record lack of real estate stock coming up for sale is another factor that will likely ensure home prices don’t crash.

Over the last quarter, prices across our combined capitals cities fell by just 1.1 per cent, despite record levels of unemployment and the economy slipping into recession for the first time in three decades. In regional home prices they grew by 0.3 per cent over the same period.

Due to the health situation, spring may not witness a return to renewed economic activity and a spike in real estate transactions. However it also won’t likely witness many bargain buys for savvy sellers.

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Investors have retreated from the market but their places have been filled by first home buyers whose bottom lines have been boosted by stimulus packages such as the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and encouraged by record low interest rates set to remain in place for years.

Seachangers and treechangers whose outlook on life has been re-set by the COVID-19 pandemic have boosted demand in regional markets.

“We are selling whatever we are getting,” First National CEO Ray Ellis said.

“In regional Victoria and outer Melbourne we have been recording some of our best results ever and I can repeat that story around Australia. It’s not boom times everywhere some inner suburbs of Sydney are doing it a bit tough. But it’s not doom and gloom either.”

In the short and medium term, the excess of supply of apartments is likely to be off set by the lack of new builds, again pushing the balance of property sales into the hands of the vendors and significantly reducing the chances of a slump in home prices.

The post ‘Mini’ Federal Budget should provide more hope for the real estate industry appeared first on realestate.com.au.

A renowned island has hit the market for just the second time since 1961, with an optional oyster licence so guests can shuck to their hearts’ content fresh off the rocks.

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Pumpkin Island hit the market on Thursday for the first time in 17 years with a price tag of $25m. Two years ago it was named Australia’s most sustainable hotel at the World Boutique Hotel Awards, and became the first to offset 150 per cent of its annual greenhouse gas emissions, according to agents Pat O’Driscoll and Deborah Cullen of Knight Frank Australia – Sydney.

“Incredibly, this is only the second time Pumpkin Island has come to the market and the second time since 1961, with the last sale being in 2003,” was how they described it.

The island in The Keppels, is 20 minutes by boat from the famous Great Keppel Island, both located off the coast of Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast in Central Queensland.

According to Knight Frank, the oyster lease belongs to the owner and “can be sold with the island allowing guests to shuck their own oysters off the rocks”.

The island comes with a boutique eco-tourist resort that can take 34 guests, with five self-contained cottages, two oceanfront bungalows, staff quarters, a manager’s cottage, double storey lookout building, and a licensed bar and lounge function venue.

The resort opened to guests in 1964, and comes with a children’s playground, two registered moorings, a helicopter landing pad and a custom-built 36-passenger boat.

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The post Own your own award-winning island, oyster shucking optional appeared first on realestate.com.au.

A rare chance to “own the sand” at your own private beach is part of the one-of-a-kind offering at this Mornington Peninsula retreat.

The beach is on title at 2 Mentor Road, Balnarring Beach, which has come up for sale for the first time in generations.

With a slice of private waterfront paradise as part of the package, the property has a hefty $4.5-$5m price guide.

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McEwing and Partners director Dean Phillips said it was difficult to find private beaches for sale “anywhere in Australia”.

“A chance to own the sand on a private beach is the reality of what’s on title here,” Mr Phillips said.

“It’s a very unique offering with gorgeous views and absolutely no foot traffic nearby.”

He said the modern four-bedroom house was in a “magical location”, set in an exclusive street shared by just three other tightly held houses.

“All the houses have been held by families for generations … some have been passed down for up to 80 years,” he said.

“This property was built about 10 years ago by a high-end peninsula builder and his fabulous stylist wife. The property had been in the family for a very long time.”

Renovations have added high-quality finishes, including a new kitchen with stone waterfall benchtops, a DeLonghi gas stove and coastal pendant light shades. It’s connected to a north-facing living room with a fireplace, and a theatre and games room are upstairs.

The large backyard includes a self-cleaning pool, sleek undercover terrace with a barbecue zone and an outdoor shower.

The holiday haven is complete with four huge bedrooms and three luxe bathrooms across two levels.

Mr Phillips said the property was expected to attract plenty of interest from those looking for a “holiday home on the peninsula that’s a little bit different to those in more suburban settings”.

The retreat is for private sale.

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The post Mornington Peninsula private beach for sale with dream home appeared first on realestate.com.au.

A GEELONG real estate agent has sounded a warning over public auctions conducted on the city’s streets where organisers have no way to control crowds during coronavirus restrictions.

It comes as locked down Melbourne buyers were turned away from Geelong open homes at the weekend and three agents were forced into isolation after coming into contact with a COVID-19 case at inspections.

Auction crowds are limited to 20 people in Geelong under current restrictions but Buxton director Ben Riddle said there was confusion about the rules.

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Mr Riddle said there was no way to control the number of attendees if public auctions were held out the front of properties.

“It’s frustrating to see 60, 70 or 80 people gathered at an auction, you can’t control that environment,” he said.

“We’re not doing public auctions at the front of the house where you can’t control the attendees.”

His company has moved towards restricted auctions, with only registered bidders allowed to attend in confined outdoor spaces like a backyard.

Mr Riddle said some Melbourne buyers also defied bans to try and attend open homes on the weekend.

Under the current rules people living in restricted areas can only inspect properties in regions like Geelong by private appointment.

Agents must also limit the number of people inspecting open homes to 20 at any one time.

“We turned away three Melbourne people at open homes on the weekend because we ask for ID,” Mr Riddle said.

“These were people that turned up and we basically had to say to them ‘you can’t come in the home’ but these people are allowed to turn up to the front of a house at the auction.”

Regional real estate agents have previously raised concerns some Melbourne buyers could be using property inspections as an excuse to escape lockdown.

McGrath, Geelong director Jim Cross said public safety was the agency’s highest priority.

“We are strictly adhering to all current COVID guidelines,” Mr Cross said.

“We’ve found that most people who are visiting homes are very respectful and they are expecting to see the rules adhered to.”

Maxwell Collins, Geelong director Nick Lord said his agency now required people to register to attend its auctions.

The number of Geelong properties being auctioned has increased in recent weeks, with 12 scheduled to go under the hammer this Saturday.

Several have sold to Melbourne buyers, who were able to bid remotely or employ an agent to bid on their behalf.

The Real Estate Institute of Victoria has confirmed buyers are still able move home during lockdown, even if it involves travelling to a different region.

The post Coronavirus: Warning over crowd control confusion at Geelong auctions appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have added a Manhattan pad to their international real estate collection.

The actor and country music singer’s main residence is their Nashville mansion, but the celebrity couple also has homes in Los Angeles and in Sydney.

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Now they decided to add another home to their portfolio, with the purchase of a two-bedroom apartment at 108 Leonard St. for around $AU 5 million ($US3.5 million), the NY Post reports.

But the couple won’t be able to make themselves at home just yet, after recently touching back down in Austrlia, with Kidman reportedly set to begin filming a new mini-series ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’.

“I am thrilled we are able to make Nine Perfect Strangers in Australia,” Kidman earlier told The Sunday Telegraph.

“It is a great opportunity for me to give back to the community that nurtured me through so much of my career.”

Their new NY home in the landmarked McKim, Mead & White building in Tribeca — which once held the grand headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company but was converted to condos in 2018 — spans the entire block between well-known Manhattan streets – Lafayette and Broadway.

The sprawling building is so large that it has three separate entrances.

“That’s one reason why she liked it — and there’s a garage she could drive her car into,” a source said.

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The ability to enter discreetly is also what Kidman prized in her last paparazzi-proof Manhattan pad, which boasted a “sky garage” that allowed residents to park their vehicles by their apartments instead of in the basement.

Other amenities at 108 Leonard include an expansive indoor pool area, a hot tub, a gym and a media room.

The Aussie power couple have spent over $25 million on property in the past decade.

After getting married in 2006, Kidman and Urban are reportedly now worth more than $282 million.

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Parts of this article originally appeared in the NYPost and was repurposed with permission.

The post Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban drop $5 million on new Manhattan pad appeared first on realestate.com.au.