August 2024 Round Up

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August Market Update

National home values continued their upward march for the 19^th consecutive month by putting on 0.5% in August, however according to data by CoreLogic, the rate of growth is slowing. It what will be welcome news to first home buyers trying to save a deposit, that quarterly growth was half of what it was in the same quarter last year.

“Ultimately that trend [of rising prices] is slowing, and you can see that where the three-month growth rate in home values at 1.3 per cent is down from the same period of last year, where we had a 2.7 per cent growth rate,” CoreLogic head of research Eliza Owen told ABC.

Owen says that various upsides to household finances such as Stage-3 tax cuts, income increases, inflation easing and interest rate cuts on the horizon may push up demand for houses.

Spring Garden Inspiration

As the winter chill gives way to blooming colourful gardens, the spring market is always one of the most anticipated seasons on the real estate calendar. Coupled with the warmer weather and longer days, now is a great time to start thinking about getting your garden in great shape to really show off what your home has to offer. Here’s three tips.

Freshness: Who can resist the smell of a freshly cut lawn or the visual appeal of new mulch or bark chips on the garden? Don’t forget the whipper snipper for those clean edges.
A touch of colour: Spring is the season for a sudden burst of colour in the garden. From the moment the jasmine flowers and announces that spring has arrived, look out for the flaming red or pink of the bottle brush, the yellow of the golden wattle, the native lilac and the blue dampiera which will flower all the way through spring and into summer.
Attract bird life: As well as being hardy and easy to care for, planting natives in the garden is a great way to attract local birdlife. It is audibly and visually appealing. From the king parrot pairs to rozelles. But watch out for the cockatoos and the wooden railings!

Fresh listings

After a somewhat subdued winter for most of the real estate market, new data from CoreLogic shows that house sellers are doing what they typically do in spring – and that is list! With the silly season just around the corner, getting in in early spring is a great way to ensure that you can buy and sell well in time for Christmas.

Here at Bartlett and Co. Property, we’ve been awash with new enquiries and listings in the last few weeks and that does not look like it will slow down any time soon.

Eliza Owen from CoreLogic told that Fin Review that while listings typically peak in November, she has been surprised by the increased activity.

“Usually listings volumes across the combined capitals peak in mid-to-late November, and they start ramping up in mid-to-late September, so it’s possible that as we face the threat of another dip in home values or softer market conditions that people are actually trying to get ahead of excessive seller competition,” she said.

Southern Stars Spectacular

Every year thousands of local students combine from schools across the Illawarra to put on the showbiz extravaganza that is Southern Stars. This year, on the 30 and 31 August, 2000 dancers, a 500 piece choir, the 200-strong Aboriginal dance ensemble Yanggaa Garaba and an orchestra of 80 musicians performed along featured singers, marching bands and circus performers to entertain a packed out crowd at WIN Entertainment Centre.

The Southern Stars Magnifica is the chance of the regions talented youngsters from primary school to high school age to put on the ole razzle dazzle with all the lights, cameras and action. Congratulations to the thousands of students and their no doubt tired teachers for what was another spectacular event.