Latest news with #ShaneJacobs
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
'Too good to be true': how to spot and avoid a bad first home deal
Eloise Hughes and Shane Jacobs believe they were nearly tricked into paying too much for their first home. The couple, currently living on the northern Gold Coast, stumbled across an online ad but soon realised it was 'too good to be true'. 'We found on Facebook an ad that was very appealing for someone like ourselves, who had no experience,' Ms Hughes said. 'They said everything we wanted to hear … [but] we were going to be paying top dollar for something that wasn't even worthwhile.' The couple recently moved from Sydney to live with family in Queensland, hoping to afford a home in their price range. The Facebook ad they found offered a low deposit for first home buyers, giving the pair a chance for an affordable place to get into the housing market. The two almost sealed the deal in April, where houses were found by Ray White to sell at a median of $676,000 over the past ten years. This made April the month of the year where Brisbane houses typically sold at their highest prices. Ms Hughes said the home she and Mr Jacobs almost bought – a new build on a block of land – would have cost more than $700,000. But when they went to the display home, they found a barebones property at only 180 sqm in size, built with materials they felt were subpar. 'We were going to pay over $700,000 for this house that didn't even have brick – it was just this foamy stuff on the outside,' she said. 'Not just that … that was going to lock us on a five year [fixed] interest rate for 7.99 per cent.' Feeling ripped off, the couple pulled out before anything was put to paper. They recently bought a new block of land in Gleneagle, southwest of Brisbane, within a masterplanned community by Villawood. 'We didn't think that we would be able to get another house for 12-24 months time,' Ms Hughes said, but added government incentives helped them get over the line for an affordable new property. 'We've put a deposit down for the land, and we're also working with our own separate builder now.' 'That first bad experience we had, we definitely felt pressured – we were made out to be the silly ones if we were questioning anything,' she said. '[Now] we've got an amazing broker who's working with us, with the money we're able to save.'
ABC News
13-05-2025
- ABC News
Sydney man faces court over crash that left Sunshine Coast grandfather dead
A Sydney man has faced court over a crash in Queensland that claimed the life of a 70-year-old motorbike rider. Passionate motorcyclist Allan Henry Scheuber left behind 10 grandchildren and six children, some of whom were riding with him on the day of his death. Shane Lawrence Jacobs, 54, from Daceyville in Sydney's eastern suburbs, was charged with one count of dangerous driving causing death after the April 10 crash in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Police said early investigations indicated a motorbike collided with a Holden Colorado at the intersection of Hunsley Road and Obi Obi Road in the Kidaman Creek area at about 3pm. Mr Scheuber, from Palmwoods on the Sunshine Coast, was declared dead at the scene. Mr Jacobs was not injured in the crash, police said at the time. He appeared in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court in person on Tuesday morning and his bail was continued. The matter was adjourned to allow prosecutors to prepare a brief of evidence. Mr Jacobs will not be required to attend in person when the matter returns to court on July 14. One of Mr Scheuber's sons, Jonathon Scheuber, had been riding with his father on the day of his death, as had one of his brothers and his brother-in-law. "We'd only just parted ways 10 minutes earlier," Jonathon said. Riding was a long-time passion for his father, who rode across Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi two years ago and the family often attended motorcycle track days together. Originally from Nambour, Mr Scheuber lived in Palmwoods all of his life and had built up a car restoration business. He was married to Jonathon's mother Christine for 46 years and the couple retired recently. "He was a very healthy 70," Jonathon said. "He wasn't an older, out-of-shape, overweight man. "He was very healthy, very fit … still very active and still working every day of his life at home and around the house … still travelling." Jonathon said more than 400 people attended a memorial to celebrate Mr Scheuber's life. "He was a very kind and very loved guy," Jonathon said.
