Locale Homes

You're not imagining it, rent really is spiralling out of control.

Five years ago you were paying around $500 a week. Now, in 2026, it's $705. That's an extra $12,000 a year, for the same home.

And here's the part that keeps people up at night: it happened in the blink of an eye. Rent is climbing faster than most people can save, and every price rise takes another chunk out of whatever savings you had left.

If this feels familiar, you're not alone, and you're not behind. They just keep moving the goalposts.

The good news is the door's not closed. It's just time to find out where you actually stand.

If you'd like to look at what's possible for you, reach out to the team today.

$5,000 straight into the hands of someone who deserves it, every few months, no catch.

This time around we're turning to emergency services; the paramedics, firefighters, police and SES volunteers who take hours away from their own families to show up for everyone else.

The Locale Legend Grant is open now. Link below to enter 🤍⁠
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https://localehomes.com.au/locale-legend/

One of the most common questions first home buyers ask: does using a building broker cost me more?

Daniel Dinelli from Move Homes clears it up once and for all.

Building brokers are paid by the builder, just like a mortgage broker, and just like an internal sales rep would be. The difference is builders don't need to run a full marketing team when they partner with brokers, so the cost base doesn't change and neither does your price.

Listen to the full episode of Own It below.
https://bit.ly/4em15yG

Your block may be empty but there's still plenty going on.

Pre-construction doesn't look like much from the outside. There's no tradies, no frames going up, just an empty block and what feels like a long wait.

But behind the scenes your contract, your engineering, your approvals, your build schedule, are getting passed through multiple teams, all getting sorted to go to site.

If you're eager to keep the process moving, here are three things we tell our clients:
1️⃣ Lock in your pre-start fast. The quicker you finalise your fittings and finishes, the quicker everything downstream can move.
2️⃣ Leave structural changes alone once you're through approvals. Any change after that point can mean new drawings and another lap through the approvals process (sometimes adding months).
3️⃣Get your financing sorted early. Have it ready to go so it's not the thing holding up your schedule.

Got a question about your own build that we haven't covered here? Ask away.

Everybody meet Quentin, New Homes Advocate Manager at Locale Homes and occasional Pitbull impersonator.

Loves: good food, good drinks + spoiling his wife.
Loathes: hiking, mess + anyone who isn't our Operations Manager, Ali (ouch).