Just in time for New Years celebrations, we’ve just inspected the roof top deck at recently completed South Central Apartments. We think it’d make a top spot for viewing the fireworks at South Bank tonight! There’s plenty of room to enjoy, with 2 barbeques and an elevated lap pool – perfect for the summer months ahead!
Archive for December, 2008
Posted by admin on 31 December 2008
Posted by admin on 29 December 2008
Paul from Stafford Heights asks “I own a fully furnished apartment at South Bank. With the furniture there, will it be easier to sell?
Bees Nees: Whether the furniture adds value will be determined by each individual buyer. If the next owner of your apartment intends to live there, there’s a good chance he or she already has their own stuff – in this case furniture is usually a distraction. A fully furnished apartment potentially offers a better rental return, so should the new owner be an investor, there’s a good chance your apartment will stand out against those which are unfurnished.
Posted by admin on 28 December 2008
It was reported at www.couriermail.com.au today that sales of units & townhouses has continued to rise as first home owners look for more affordable ways to buy (in better lifestyle locations!). The September quarter figures show the Brisbane median price for units and townhouses dropped 2.6 per cent, compared with the house market, which dropped 4.3 per cent during the same period.
Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 24 December 2008
Sometimes you hear a new idea and think, “now that makes a heck of a lot of sense”. With little fanfare an Australian first has opened in Brisbane’s CBD. Cycle2City is a one stop bicycle commuter centre completed recently as part of the new King George Square busway station. With 450 secured bike racks, showers, airconditioned changerooms, laundry service and a repair shop, it’s a clever initiative to really make cycling a viable commuting option. (Sounds like a Qantas club for lycra-wearers!) Council and Queensland Transport funded the construction and with growing pressure on our road networks this is the sort of initiative Brisbane needs.
For some years BCC has required new office developments to make provision for bike parking but with little perceived value, at least in early stages, most developers installed basic racks and a handful of cheap lockers at best. Council’s own transport planning strategy for the year 2026 calls for 5% of week day trips to be made by bicycle (12% on foot too) so they’re aiming to add 1,150 kilometres of bike tracks, up from the current 760km. Greater accessibility and safety are important, along with better separation from vehicles. The new river crossings will help – Kurilpa Bridge (the artistic infrastructure formerly known as “Tank Street Bridge”) is just for pedestrians and cyclists and the Hale Street Link will offer a dedicated bike lane on the western side.
And here’s the impact for property owners. While the current easing in fuel prices might have delayed the trend a little, there’s a noticeable increase in buyers and tenants looking for locations that favour cycling. Safe access to a bikeway is now an advert-worthy feature and storage/garage space for bikes is growing in importance. We can sympathise with bodies corporate that don’t like bikes in lifts and on apartment balconies – but if the open basements don’t have secured bike areas tenants and buyers will discount your property. We’d suggest this is a trend that will grow with speed in years to come.
We often whinge that our city’s too reliant on cars for transport and if we’re any chance of changing this we might need a fresh way of thinking.
Posted by admin on 23 December 2008
1. It was Christmas Eve at the meat counter and a woman was anxiously picking over the last few remaining turkeys in the hope of finding a large one. In desperation she called over a shop assistant and said, ‘Excuse me. Do these turkeys get any bigger?’ “No madam”, he replied, “they’re all dead.”
2. How do you know Santa has to be a man? Because no woman is going to wear the same outfit year after year!
Posted by admin on 20 December 2008
The turmoil surrounding the ABC’s relocation to South Bank continues. It’s been reported in today’s Courier Mail, that Lord Mayor Campbell Newman yesterday called on Premier Anna Bligh to axe ABC’s $14 million project on the corner of Grey and Russell Streets and dissolve the South Bank Corporation. The ABC has engaged South Brisbane based Richard Kirk to design the 4000m2 L-shaped building.
Posted by admin on 19 December 2008
Of course, with so much diversity in multicultural West End, keeping everyone happy is pretty much impossible. Here’s the way one of the less impressed neighbours opposite the new Riverpoint Apartments is currently expressing their view.
Posted by admin on 18 December 2008
Construction on Stockwell’s “Riverpoint” at Riverside Drive West End is well underway, but in the heat of the afternoon it looks like everyone’s gone Christmas shopping. Only just emerging from the ground with the second floor under way this will soon be home to a new style of West Enders.
Posted by admin on 18 December 2008
You bought an investment property to receive regular income while watching the capital grow. In short, you put yourself in debt and made one of the biggest purchases of your life to secure your future. It would be handy to know then, what makes a tenant pay more, stay longer and care for your property?
There are a few reasons that will be for another time, for eg. Position to transport, amenities etc. There is a really simple answer though too – regular maintenance and upkeep of your investment.
What do tenants want? Here are our top 7:
1. Safety – Security screens, security locks, alarms etc are all highly desirable.
2. In Brisbane, air-conditioning/at least ceiling fans. It’s a must-have these days and at such a small cost it really will ensure a higher rental.
3. Storage space – In an age where credit is so easy to attain (notwithstanding the supposed credit crunch – um Harvey Norman are now advertising 50 months interest free!), we have too much stuff and we replace perfectly good things so easily, but we still ‘paid good money’ for the old stuff, so need somewhere to store all the ‘goods’!
4. Decent kitchens and bathrooms. (I can’t even make light of this one!) Tenants want clean and tidy kitchens and bathrooms. Note, I’m not saying to necessarily spend $000’s on stainless steel appliances and frameless shower screens. Just a few dollars on ensuring a clean, mould-free bathroom and fat-free kitchen. Note: a dishwasher is handy and again is very inexpensive and is a highly desirable extra.
5. Remote lock-up garages. Really, who has the time to get out of the car and open the garage door and then get back in the car and park it?!
6. Good paint. A rental property should be re-painted every 5 – 7 years.
7. A quick response to any maintenance issues at the property. If you trust a property manager enough to place your most treasured investment with them, you should be able to trust them enough to spend up to $300 without needing to seek approval. This means that your property manager can swiftly attend to maintenance issues and therefore keep your tenant happy.
A happy tenant is unlikely to baulk so much at the next rental increase, and is likely to care for the property because they genuinely enjoy living there.
Posted by admin on 15 December 2008
It’s a question we’re getting a lot right now. Tweleve months ago property was selling in record time, so buyers would make decisions on the basis that if they didn’t act fast, they’d probably miss out. Now we’re seeing buyers taking more time as there’s generally more choice. As a result property is taking longer to sell. It’s not all bad though, with the right price and a moderate level of promotion we are still making plenty of good sales. Whether it’s the right time to sell for you is really a personal choice. If you plan to sell and buy in the same market, there are plenty of great opportunities around.
