LJ Gilland Real Estate

Monday, November 14, 2011

L J Gilland Real Est Pty Ltd Contact Details and Recommendations from StartLocal®

Sunday, November 13, 2011

RETARDED GRANDPARENTS

Subject: RETARDED GRANDPARENTS

RETARDED GRANDPARENTS (this was actually reported by a teacher)
After Christmas, a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday away from school. One child wrote the following:
We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa. They used to live in a big brick house but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Batemans Bay where everyone lives in nice little houses, and so they don't have to mow the grass anymore ! They are still allowed to drive but lots of their friends there have things like golf carts they call scooters and wear name tags because they don't know who they are anymore.

They go to a building called the wreck centre, but they must have got it fixed because it is looks okay now.. They do exercises there, but they don't do them very well. There is a swimming pool too, but they all jump up and down in it with hats on. I don't think anybody there cooks, they just eat out at the local RSL club but it must be a bit boring as they eat the same thing every night called early birds.
At the gate, there is a doll house with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape. Sometimes they sneak out, and go cruising in their golf carts ! Some of the people can't get out past the man in the doll house. The ones who do get out go to the RSL and bring food back to the wrecked centre for pot luck.
My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to be retarded and says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too. When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house. Then I will let people out, so they can visit their grandchildren.
PRICELESS! Remember to send this to all your "retarded grandparent" friends (and those who will reach that status some day). Give them a laugh too !!

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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

L J Gilland Real Estate Contact Details and Recommendations from StartLocal®

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

L J Gilland Real Estate

Several subscribers made contact with us a few weeks back in response to ourHogtied missive. Most who replied were of the impression that the Queensland building boost would lift demand and help get more new development underway.

Well, for those who think that building grants or first home buyer boosts for that matter are the answer, you had best think again. We are already half way through the six month Queensland “building blitz”, in which Queensland Labor was going to help facilitate up to 14,000 new housing starts across the state with its $10,000 Building Boost.

As at the 26 October, only 1,113 building boost applications have been received by the Queensland government and just 379 (yes 379) boosts have been approved – $3.8 million worth of support, costing an estimated $660,000 to advertise and promote the campaign.

Now, to be fair, the take-up is on the rise, but whether or not it is a hockey-stick style graph is debatable. To quote Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser from Hansard on the 27th of last month – “I can advise the House that as of yesterday the number of applications is now 1,113. In fact, the number approved is 379, but I want to make this point: as at 30 September, just a few weeks ago, it was 569. In the week after that it jumped to 698. In the week after that it jumped to 843 and in the week after that it jumped to 992. So we do see the hockey stick approach to the graph at the moment.”

Yet, despite such reassurances, the 1,000-odd boost applications represent just a 4% increase on last year’s building approval across the state – which was just 27,500 starts – a ten-year low. The real result – being 379 approvals – is a measly 1.3% lift in new dwelling activity.

Now maybe there are many more buyers waiting in the wings. I hope so, but maybe, as we suggested, a 2% reduction in the asking price of a new property just doesn’t cut it.

The increase – as outlined by Fraser above – appears to be steady at around 150 new applications by per week. So by the end of January – and assuming interest doesn’t sag during the Christmas holidays (a big ask!) – a total 3,000 applications would have been received. Not a great result, given the 14,000 target, if you ask me.

Now we have some in the development industry calling for the boost to be extended. Well I will let Albert Einstein reply on my behalf. “The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Assuming that the $140 million set aside by the Queensland government for this six month blitz isn’t used up (which is extremely unlikely), and also assuming that Queensland Labor really want to help the new housing industry, how best should they spend this “windfall”?

The answer is simple – remove stamp duty from off-the-plan transactions. The impact – as shown in both Victoria and more recently New South Wales – should be immediate and very positive.

We have just completed work on this for the Property Council of Australia; and whilst we are embargoed from releasing the key findings for the time being; we can say that removing stamp-duty from off-the-plan sales is likely to increase new housing starts across the state by between 10% and 15% per annum. Yes, every year!

There is also local evidence that paying a buyer’s stamp duty works much better than the boost. Some of the larger developers – who are supportive of the $10,000 handout – have been making sales because they have used this government largesse as cover as they offer – often quietly – to pay a buyer’s stamp duty.

Queensland needs a competitive advantage. Our main competition is New South Wales and Victoria. Dropping stamp duty for off-the-plan purchasers gets us back to a more level playing field.

It is a step in the right direction.

Best regards,

Linda Jane Debello LREA

http://www.ljgrealestate.com.au

http://OrmeauAchievementGillandRealEstate.com/index.asp

http://au.linkedin.com/in/lindajanedebello

http://twitter.com/GillandDebello

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From Linda

http://www.ljgrealestate.com.au
http://OrmeauAchievementGillandRealEstate.com/index.asp
http://au.linkedin.com/in/lindajanedebello
http://twitter.com/GillandDebello

Confidential Email:- The information in this message is intended for the
recipient named on this email. If you are not that recipient, please do not
read, copy, distribute or act upon the message as the information it
contains may be priveleged and confidential. If you have received this
message in error, please notify us immediately by return email. Thank you
for your co-operation.