Sunday, November 30, 2014

National Home Prices Article of Interest

National home prices slow; inflation contained By Craig James Home prices ease: the CoreLogic RP Data Home Value Index of capital city home prices fell by 0.3% in November. Home prices are up 8.5% over the year. Inflation well contained: the TD Securities-Melbourne Institute monthly inflation gauge was up 0.1 per cent in November. Prices are up just 2.2% on a year ago. Manufacturing improvement: the Performance of Manufacturing index rose by 0.7 points to 50.1 in November. Any reading above 50 suggests manufacturing is expanding. New orders, sales and supplier deliveries all rose in the month. What does it all mean? Negligible inflationary pressures, an easing of home prices and a lift in manufacturing conditions – what’s not to like? The latest economic data is very encouraging and will ensure that official interest rates remain stable for much of the next year. The slowdown in national home prices together with the very mixed results across capital city housing markets mean that there is no need for the Reserve Bank to progress with so-called macro prudential controls on property investors. In essence, the market is correcting itself with more supply coming on to the market as evidenced by new listings and softer demand for homes in response to the higher prices. There is no bubble – demand ran ahead of supply in some capital cities like Sydney but markets are balancing. The improvement in conditions in the manufacturing sector is encouraging. And further falls in the Aussie dollar should help the recovery process in the sector in coming months. What do the figures show? Home prices The CoreLogic RP Data Hedonic Australian Home Value index of capital city home prices fell by 0.3% in November to be up 8.5% on a year ago. House prices fell by 0.3% in November while apartments rose by 0.1%. House prices were up 8.9% on a year ago and apartments were up by 5.9%. The average Australian capital city house price (median price based on settled sales over quarter) was $587,500 and the average unit price was $503,000. Dwelling prices rose in four of eight capital cities in November: Sydney (up 1%), Perth (up 0.9%), Brisbane (up 0.4%), and Hobart (up 0.2%). Prices fell in Melbourne (down 2.6%), followed by Darwin (down 0.8%), Canberra (down 0.5%), and Adelaide (down 0.3%). Home prices were higher than a year ago across all capital cities. Prices rose most in Sydney (up 13.2%), followed by Melbourne (up 8.3%), Brisbane (up 6%), Hobart (up 5.2%), Adelaide (up 2.8%), Canberra (up 1.7%), and Perth and Darwin (both up 1.4%). Total returns on capital city houses were up 13.1% on a year earlier and units were also up 10.9%. Inflation gauge The monthly inflation gauge was up 0.1% in November after a 0.2% lift in October. The annual rate of inflation eased from 2.3 per cent to 2.2% – consolidating in the lower half of the Reserve Bank’s 2-3% target. The underlying rate (trimmed mean) rose by 0.1 per cent for the third straight month in November. The annual rate eased from 2.5% to 2.4%. Excluding volatile items like petrol and fruit and vegetables, the inflation gauge was up 0.2% in November after a 0.1% rise in October. The annual rate of inflation was steady at 2%. TD Securities noted that “Contributing to the overall change in November were price rises for fruit and vegetables (+4.3 per cent), newspapers, books and stationery (+4.1 per cent), and garments (+1.9 per cent). These were offset by falls in automotive fuel (-5.2 per cent), holiday travel and accommodation (-1.6 per cent), and games, toys and hobbies (-8.7%).” Performance of Manufacturing The Performance of Manufacturing index rose by 0.7 points to 50.1 points in November. A reading above 50.0 indicates that the sector is expanding. Of the components, new orders rose from 51.2 to 54.3; employment rose from 47.4 to 47.8; production fell from 51.1 to 47.4; and exports orders fell from 50.7 to 48.1. Encouragingly stocks fell and deliveries rose, pointing to further strength in production and sales ahead. What is the importance of the economic data? The CoreLogic RP Data Hedonic Australian Home Value Index is based on Australia’s biggest property database. Unlike the ABS Index, which excludes terraces, semi-detached homes and apartments, the CoreLogic-RP Data Hedonic Index includes all properties. Home prices are an important driver of wealth and spending. The TD Securities/Melbourne Institute Monthly Inflation Gauge is designed to “provide a timely and accurate monthly measure of inflation in Australia”. The Bureau of Statistics only releases the Consumer Price Index on a quarterly basis. The Australian Industry Group and PricewaterhouseCoopers compile the Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) each month. The Australian PMI is the Australian equivalent of the US ISM manufacturing gauge. The PMI is one of the timeliest economic indicators released in Australia. The PMI is useful not just in showing how the manufacturing sector is performing but in providing some sense about where it is heading. The key ‘forward looking’ components are orders and employment. What are the implications for interest rates and investors? Inflation is under control so official interest rates will remain stable until well into 2015. Low interest rates will prompt more investors to assess returns in property and share markets as opposed to cash or fixed interest. The current dividend yield for National Australia Bank is 6.12% with ANZ and Westpac near 5.60% and Telstra around 5.20%. Published on: Monday, December 01, 2014

8/6-8 Greenmeadow Road Mansfield Qld 4122 - Unit for Rent #402363271 - realestate.com.au

8/6-8 Greenmeadow Road Mansfield Qld 4122 - Unit for Rent #402363271 - realestate.com.au

Friday, November 28, 2014

Thursday, November 27, 2014

All Renovations : Bathroom Colour SchemesChoosing a colour scheme ...

All Renovations : Bathroom Colour Schemes

Choosing a colour scheme ...
: Bathroom Colour Schemes Choosing a colour scheme for your new bathroom renovation can be a daunting task. One thing to keep in mind is t...

All Renovations : Dangerous House WiringMr Grim ReaperAttemptin...

All Renovations : Dangerous House Wiring
Mr Grim ReaperAttemptin...
: Dangerous House Wiring   Mr Grim Reaper Attempting any kind of electrical work can more than likely land you in hospital or worse. ...

Today State Coroner announced his findings into Australia’s worst ever house fire that tragically took the lives of 11 people, 8 of whom were children.

This morning at 9.30am, the State Coroner announced his findings into Australia’s worst ever house fire that tragically took the lives of 11 people, 8 of whom were children. The Coroner was not able to conclude the exact cause of the fire, and stated that there were no working smoke alarms in the house. He stated “I find also that had the smoke alarms been working there was a reasonable prospect that some or all of the victims could have escaped”. A summary of the Coroner's Recommendations are: All smoke alarms to be photoelectric Smoke alarms inside every bedroom All smoke alarms to be interconnected by hard wiring or by wireless where hard wiring is not practical The Coroner's detailed recommendations are: That as a minimum in all areas of a building where people sleep, approved smoke alarms are installed:- a) In any storey containing bedrooms (i) between each part of the dwelling containing bedrooms and the remainder of the dwelling and in every bedroom; and ii) where bedrooms are served by a hallway, in that hallway, and b) In any other storey not containing bedrooms; and c) In the case where there is more than one alarm required, they shall be interconnected by hard wiring where possible and by wireless signal where hard wiring is impractical. The above implementation should take a staged approach to allow homeowners to prepare for the changes. After the commencement of the legislation, homeowners are required to ensure the new legislative requirements are met in the following circumstances: If a dwelling does not have smoke alarms, or does not have smoke alarms that comply with the current legislation, the new legislative requirements must be met immediately (or alternatively within a stipulated period of grace of, say, 6 or 12 months); When smoke alarms cease to operate when tested or are at the end of their useful life (10 years from manufactured date); If the owner enters into a contract to sell the dwelling, the day before the date of settlement; With respect to rental properties, before any new tenancy commences, and within 12 months of the commencement of the legislation in the case of existing tenancies. The current legislative requirements continue to apply until the new requirements are met in accordance with this staged approach. If you would like a full copy of the Coroner's findings, please call us on 1300 852 301 or email info@smokealarmsolutions.com.au. VIA HTTP:WWW.LJGREALESTATE.COM.AU

All Renovations : CRACKINGCracking and movement has been, and I th...

All Renovations : CRACKING

Cracking and movement has been, and I th...
: CRACKING Cracking and movement has been, and I think will always be, a serious problem unless we pay more care and attention to detail. Th...

Saturday, November 22, 2014

November RP Data Housing Update

Capital city home values increased by 1.0% in October, are 2.2% higher over the past three months and 8.9% higher over the past year •Home values increased by 1.0% across the combined capital cities in October however, only Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane recorded gains. •Over the past three months, values increased by 2.2% however, only Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide recorded gains. •Capital city home values rose in each capital city over the past year, the greatest increases were recorded in Sydney (13.1%), Melbourne (8.9%), Brisbane (5.6%) and Darwin (5.0%) with all other capital cities recording value growth of less than 4.5%. Sales activity across the country is higher than at the same time last year but has not returned to the heights reached in late 2013 •Over the 12 months to August 2014 there were 349,612 houses and 135,914 units sold across the country. •House sales are 8.8% higher over the year compared to a 5.0% rise in unit sales. Vendor metrics indicate quite strong housing market conditions •Auction clearance rates are consistently around 70% each week across the combined capital cities. •Discounting levels and days on market are at near historic low levels. Mortgage demand has started to level recently •The RP Data Mortgage Index (RMI) shows that mortgage demand has begun to level over the past couple of months. •ABS housing finance data shows a similar trend with the market largely driven by upgraders and investors. Economic data flows remains mixed •Population growth is winding down but remains high on an historic basis. •Dwelling approvals are high but have eased from their recent peak. •With population growth slowing and building approvals remaining high (despite the recent fall) we may see a better relationship between approvals and population growth over the coming years. •Consumer sentiment has been weak since the Federal Budget and indicates pessimism continues to outweigh optimism. •The unemployment rate has hit 6.2% with employment growth quite slow. •Mortgage rates remain low with banks competing hard for their share of the home loan business.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Thick Face Black Heart - Not entirely sure I totally agree with this ANZ Chinese Culture/Language Artcle .VIA.http://www.ljgrealestate.com.au/index.php?lan=ch

Times have changed since when I was younger. The article is worth a read...-- http://shar.es/1Xq9kY http://shar.es/1Xq9kY ANZ BlueNotes. Understanding another language is valuable in itself but the insight even trying to learn one delivers about cultural difference is even more so.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014