Beecroft in Bloom Cocktail Party 9 Sep

Lions Club of Beecroft / Cheltenham is once again holding the Beecroft In Bloom art show, 9 and 10 September, in The Module, Hannah Street.

Ray White Beecroft is sponsoring the Inaugural Cocktail Party for the art show, starting at 6:30 pm Friday 9 September, to be held in the top floor of The Module, Hannah Street. Tickets, $20 each, are available from the Ray White Beecroft office. All proceeds from ticket sales go to The Lions, to be used for local causes.

Signs of Increased Buyer Activity

Weekend auction clearance rates in Sydney recovered to more typical levels this last weekend. No auctions were held in Beecroft of Cheltenham, but Ray White Beecroft experienced a significant increase in visitors to homes open for inspection, issued a number of contracts, and logged several good offers on houses.
One factor in this new interest was Westpac's report that they believe interest rates will fall. There has been a lot of newspaper comment criticising last year's high interest rate increases, which was followed by a major drop in buyer activity. Now it looks as though things are recovering.

Water Efficiency in Rented Properties

Further to my earlier post on this, Ray White Beecroft's property management sent an email to all our landlords reminding them of the end of year deadline, and this time we had over 50 responses asking us to arrange action.

New Off Leash Dog Area

As a dog lover, I am pleased to advise that Hornsby Shire Council has enclosed Ron Payne Park on Woods Street North Epping, and allocated it as an off-leash dog exercise area when it isn't being used for sports. This is good, because the Epping Oval off-leash dog area is similarly constrained, and the two areas are fairly close so hopefully one or other will always be available.

Water Efficiency in Rented Properties

So far, despite repeated emails advising landlords of the situation, only 7% of properties managed by Ray White Beecroft are 'water efficient'. So come the end of this year all the other landlords will cease to be able to charge tenants for water use, unless they take action before then. One can anticipate a flood of demands as the end-of-year deadline approaches, with plumbers working flat out to meet that demand. So landlords are advised to get in early and have their investment properties made 'water efficient'.

Aussies contemplate property options

James Mitchell writes in Real Estate Business news:
Australians are divided over whether now is a good time to buy property.
According to the latest poll by Homeloans Ltd, 48 per cent believe the market is right for investment, 32 per cent are unable to give an opinion claiming that too much uncertainty exists and 19 per cent are adamant that now is not the right time to be buying.
The survey of 2000 first home buyers, homeowners and investors ranked the greatest barriers to home ownership as high property prices, saving for a deposit, and fear of not being able to meet repayments.
“Despite these major concerns, with nearly half of those surveyed claiming now is the time to buy, it does suggest that the market is on the way back up,” Homeloans’ national marketing manager Will Keall said.
“While many of these respondents may not necessarily believe that the market has bottomed out, they anticipate prices to increase in the medium term and are seeking to take advantage of the abnormally high quantity of properties for sale in most parts of the country.”
The report showed rising interest rates were no longer a concern.
However concerns over rising living expenses increased by 7 per cent from last year, with 37 per cent of respondents said increasing living expenses were their main concern over the next 12 months.

Listings on the rise again, sales down

In the Beecroft and Cheltenham areas, the "patch" for Ray White Beecroft, and probably throughout Sydney, the number of properties listed for sale fell dramatically last November, after the Reserve Bank's rate rise and the accompanying media storm.

Listings are now recovering, with nearly as many properties listed for sale as at the last peak. However buyer interest is depressed and clearance rates at auction are low.

If, as seems likely, interest rates go up next month, a fall in house prices seems certain.

Buyer's Market

In April there were 2060 auctions in Australia, with a 53% clearance rate. The previous busiest April was in 2000, with 1700 auctions. Last year there were 1550 auctions with a 69% clearance rate.
Year-to-date clearance rate stands at 55%, marginally better than in December last year. The RP Data-Rismark index shows capital city values fell by 2.1% in the first quarter of 2011, seasonally adjusted, pulled down especially by Brisbane, down 4.6%.

Hornsby Pool - Latest Intentions

Hornsby Aquatic Centre will be replaced with a top-class facility if Hornsby Council’s rates increase is approved, but the project will be scaled back if the application is rejected.
In a best case scenario the new centre will include a 50m outdoor swimming pool, an indoor pool and parking, while the worst case scenario is a 25m outdoor pool.
A council workshop meeting will be held on Wednesday to decide what features the pool, which closed on Christmas Eve because of safety concerns, will include if the rates increase is approved.
What do you think is needed in a new aquatic centre? Comment at:

http://hornsby-advocate.whereilive.com.au/news/story/the-good-bad-and-ugly-of-future-hornsby-pool/

Rising rents will continue through 2011

According to Australian Property Monitors, in Sydney, median asking rents for houses rose +1.0 per cent to $485, while units jumped +2.3 per cent to $450 per week, ensuring Sydney remains one of the most expensive places to rent in the country.