Issues such as rental prices and cost of living have been front of mind for many in recent times.
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Now it's been revealed that the average unit rent in the Wollongong local government area - and Illawarra overall - has grown at a faster rate than house rents over the past year.
Renters looking for a unit in Wollongong are now faced with an average weekly rent of $541. That's a two per cent increase over three months, and 8.3 per cent over the past year.
In contrast those looking to rent a house have seen no price rise in the past three months and an increase of 6.4 per cent over 12 months, taking an average rent to $719.
We talked to Wollongong renter Chloe Lawton about budgeting for the increased rental prices.
On the topic of budgeting, Illawarra home owners who recently purchased could be $125 worse off each month following the Reserve Bank's decision to increase the cash rate again.
On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia board decided to increase the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 3.85 per cent.
Two Illawarra first home buyers weighed in on the latest rate hike.
Illawarra property prices enjoyed a slight increase during the month of April, according to new figures.
This follows the region's home values going up during the month of March, which was the first rise since April last year.
According to CoreLogic's Home Value Index, Illawarra house values were up by 0.7 per cent for the month.
As soon as Therese Petre and partner inspected a 1950s fibro beach cottage in Stanwell Park, they knew they had to buy it.
Ms Petre is a renowned ceramicist and designer/art director.
She takes us inside their extensive, yet sympathetic renovation of the home, which is now on the market.
A Kiama Downs property that sold after dozens of bids was among the highlights of last week's Illawarra auction activity.
The home was snapped up by a Sydney buyer.
Find out more by reading this week's Illawarra auction wrap-up.
Finally, for the latest House of the Week, we feature a property that's located in the heart of the Shellharbour Marina, yet has plenty of space to stretch out and enjoy the sea and bushland views.
Do you have an interesting property story? Let us know at brendan.crabb@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
-Brendan Crabb, Illawarra Mercury property reporter
