record fine for altering your home

When we bought our house just over two years ago, we did loads of research, as you do when you buy a house, right? It was an old house so we figured it could be heritage listed. As it turns out it wasn't, thank goodness.



Anyway, why am I telling you this? In yesterday's Courier Mail, I stumbled across an article on a local owner who got stun for $350,000 (no its not a typo) plus another $20,000 for costs for altering the internals of his house (read the article here....do yourself a favour and read some of the comments).

I walk past the home quite regularly - its a beautiful home (terrible and I mean terrible external colour - I keep on telling my husband that would be the first thing I would change if I owned the place LOL as if!) on an amazing block of land overlooking the Brisbane River.

As you read the article you have to wonder what in goodness name was the guy thinking? He is the founder of RPD (a real estate information service), paid $6.4M for the house so one would assume you would have done some due diligence before buying? Surely he didn't think no one would notice? I'm sure these heritage society people, drive the streets checking up on these homes waiting to pounce at the first sight of a rubbish skip!

Whilst I do sympathise that you can't alter your own home to suit your lifestyle, I suppose that's the price you pay for buying a heritage listed home?

What would you do if the heritage society came knocking on your door saying your home is about to be listed? I hear, apparently there isn't much you can do if they do. Don't think I'll be answering the door!