Howard Pinkston

Everyone seems to have a friend, family member or colleague needing assistance to conceive and going through some form of infertility treatment to start the family they desire. Why? Generally we are physically best suited to having babies in our 20s, although the reality is we're usually in our early 30s before we are ready to start a family.

IVF stories are not only informative, but can also be incredibly reassuring. In vitro fertilization stories are not an uncommon topic in all forms of today's media as well as over coffee at the local café or with friends at a dinner party. As the trend in Australia to start families later in life becomes more apparent, hearing or reading about other people's IVF stories is high on the list of topics of interest for couples who may require assistance with conception.

Most women spend the majority of their adult lives taking appropriate measures to avoid pregnancy. Yet these days, more and more women trying to conceive in their 30s are turning to IVF treatment to help them achieve that dream.

The price of housing in Australia's capital cities has declined by 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2011 with Brisbane, Perth and Darwin bearing the brunt of the areas hit hardest. Housing prices have declined by 0.6 per cent over the past year.

Buying a house is an emotional process. It will determine where you live, how far you will be commuting to work and what schools your kids will attend. You will have to be sure that whatever home you purchase that you can still make ends meet and that you have made a rational decision.

Those with home mortgages are defaulting on their repayments much faster given the current global financial crisis. Tight household budgets and elevated cost of living expenses are causing great stress to customers.

There are some things to consider if you are thinking of jumping into the market of being a landlord. Being a landlord can provide you with extra income but does not come without hassles. If you have a property that you are considering leasing out to tenants there are some aspects to consider:

Many Australians are suffering from the cost of living pressures and the high interest rates putting them in danger of possible home loan difficulties. Australians' pocket books are feeling a little lighter due to the increasing petrol and utility prices. Couple that with the natural disaster of the floods and the increase in interest rates and it is a struggle for Australians to keep up with their bills.

A number of industry groups have reported that a new cap on charges remains much too high to allow further development of several commercial and retail construction projects across Queensland. Premier Anna Bligh announced that there would be a cap on the commercial retail charges ($180) and office charges ($140) per square meter at the recent Building Revival Forum that was held in Brisbane.

The latest figures point out that the numbers of mortgage customers defaulting on their loans is running a pace much faster than it was even at the worse part of the global financial crisis. The link between this trend and the rising costs of living should not be hard to miss. More households are straining beneath the expense, some to a breaking point.