More first homebuyers than ever are planning to purchase a home alone rather than with a partner and most are happy to make sacrifices to do so, new research shows.

The 2008 Mortgage Choice First Homebuyers Survey found that 36 per cent of Australian first homebuyers-to-be will purchase their first home on their own, despite rising costs and having to sacrifice holidays or other luxuries. Last year, this figure was 30 per cent.

Stamp duty could soon be a thing of the past for NSW homebuyers after the State Government announced its decision to abolish it altogether if a federal review of tax recommends it be scrapped.

The news was received with cautionary approval by the Real Estate Institute (REINSW).

Over the past few years we've seen a range of people put a price on their life, and internet trading sites seem to be the best place to do so.

Following in the footsteps of the US Barbie-esque woman who offered her home and love to the highest bidder and the heartbroken Perth man who sold his life (home and contents, job, friends, etc) on eBay earlier this year, an eccentric British lord has put his lifestyle on the auction block.

Billionaire David Piper has put his possessions up for sale on eBay - along with his title as the Lord of the Manor of Warleigh, he is also selling two Bentleys, two hotels, and several paintings worth over AU$5.5M. The eBay advertisement stated that the sale was brought about as Piper has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

As the global funding difficulties continue to show no mercy for lenders, low-doc home loans are falling by the wayside with lenders questioning the on-going viability of their products.

Twenty-seven low-doc home loans are no longer available and a few lenders have dropped out of the market in the last six months, says financial products research firm Cannex who have released their latest low-doc home loan star ratings.

First home buyers and property investors in Victoria who want to find out more about the market will have the opportunity this weekend when the Home Buyer Show opens in Melbourne.

The Show, which was held in Brisbane last month and goes to Sydney in October, features information on current market conditions as well as government grants and incentive schemes.

Having overcrowded plug-boards around the house can be dangerous, yet there never seem to be enough outlets at times.  If you really need to utilise all the power available to you, take a look into the Eubiq System - an electrical power outlet system that allows you to add, remove and reposition power outlets with a simple twist. 

The system consists of tracks onto which power points can be clipped wherever they are needed around the house.  It also has a safety feature which grounds all conductive objects that come in contact with it, making electric shocks virtually impossible.