December 2014 Edition - Selling this Summer?

Facebook Website Tweet Forward Share Cairns market update Well it sure is getting hot, so Christmas must be fast approaching. It is a time for fun, family, friends and reflection on the past year. I would like to thank the team at First National Cairns Central for all their support and especially my principal and mentor, David Forrest. The festive season celebrations has started, including the lighting of the Cairns Esplanade Christmas Tree! Also this year Carols by Candlelight will be held at Fogarty Park on Sunday 14 December. I would like to take this time to wish you all a safe lead up to Christmas and share some property news from Herron Todd White. My year has been crazy busy, productive and on the up and up.Other things on the up and up, are the number of building approvals, airport passengers and the median house price. Property Prices Property prices in Cairns have been slowly creeping up over the last two to three years, with the median house price trend rising by 9.2% since September 2012, to reach $380,300 in September 2014. Meanwhile the median unit price trend has increased by 6.4% since September 2012, to reach $205,600 in September 2014. Property Metrics Improvements in the real estate sales market are manifesting in a reduction in the time taken for listed properties to sell, down from an average of 85 days for houses sold in the twelve months to August 2013 to 67 days for those sold in the twelve months to August 2014. Time taken to sell a unit has also reduced, from an average of 118 days for sales in the twelve months to August 2013 to 98 days for sales in the twelve months to August 2014. Building Approvals Building approvals for the construction of new dwellings have picked up considerable pace since the start of this year, with a 17.8% increase evident in the building approvals trend between January and September 2014. While the rate of increase lost some of that momentum over the last two months, the generally upward trend that has been in place since mid 2012 remains. Let this honey-glazed ham decorated with aromatic herbs double as your Christmas table center piece before carving thick slices Ingredients 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar 80ml (1/3 cup) maple syrup 80ml (1/3 cup) honey 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 (about 8kg) whole leg ham, on the bone Whole cloves, to stud Step 1 Stir the sugar, maple syrup, honey and mustard in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Step 2 Preheat oven to 170ºC. Line a large baking dish with 2 layers of non-stick baking paper. Place an oven shelf in the lowest position. Remove all other shelves. Use a sharp knife to cut around the shank of the ham, about 10cm from the end. Run a knife under the rind around edge of ham. Gently lift the rind off in 1 piece by running your fingers between the rind and the fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern, about 5mm deep. Stud the centres of the diamonds with cloves. Transfer to prepared dish. Step 3 Brush one-third of the glaze over the ham. Bake, brushing with glaze every 25 minutes, for 1 hour 30 minutes. Take advantage of the 2.5% cash rate now ! A mortgage broker negotiates with banks, credit unions and other credit providers on your behalf to arrange loans. Our local representative at Australian Finance Group (AFG) is Nick Barr. Let me know if you would like Nick to contact you, as he has already helped several friends of mine. AQUIS update In an open letter to the community, Aquis again promises to be the catalyst for a vibrant and prosperous future for Cairns. Tony Fung says "Over recent months and weeks my team has been working across many fronts to bring our shared vision to reality. As you can appreciate a project like AQUIS requires extensive planning and investment as well as a range of necessary regulatory approvals. Due to its complexity this process will naturally involve achievements and setbacks ... As you may be aware I have elected not to extend my offer to acquire the Reef Casino and Hotel..." He goes on to say "It is also worth noting that we recently signed an extension of our option over the core site at Yorkeys Knob. The extension reflects our commitment to push ahead with AQUIS but also acknowledges the increasing complexity and difficulty of the approvals process and the fact we may need some more time than first anticipated." Mr Fung seems to be positive that Aquis will still go ahead. Click here to book your free property appraisal Recently listed property Click here to see all of my current listings.

Recently sold Edmonton 22 Lennox St House Redlynch 17/58-70 Intake Road Unit Mount Sheridan Mt Isley Estate Land Manoora 301/29 Springfield Crescent Unit Stratford 12 Dalziel Street House Smithfield 21 Katanga Close House Bungalow 11/176 Spence Street Unit My gift to you! Call me today for a complimentary copy of this book. It has lots of handy advice on how to prepare your property for sale. Chris - 0412 852 369

Feature property Best townhouse to hit the market in Earlville! OFFERS OVER $182,000 2 large bedrooms Both bedrooms have an ensuite and built-in wardrobe Separate toilet downstairs Freshly painted throughout New carpet in both bedrooms and stairs Tiled living area Great workable kitchen Fully air-conditioned Private paved courtyard for entertaining Pool in complex Undercover parking 2/33 Balaclava Road, Earlville QLD 4870 Click here to book your free property appraisal

Testimonials " Did a great job on selling my property, excellent communication every step of the way " Ben "Chris made the process of buying our first home a simple and rewarding experience. He was readily contactable and followed up any requests in an expeditious manner. Most importantly, we never felt as though we were being pressured in any way. We would be happy to recommend Chris! " Jonathan "I found Chris to be extremely personable, always ready to assist throughout the purchase of my first apartment. He was able to answer any questions I had and made the whole process of buying my first property enjoyable. I would definitely recommend his services to any of my friends or co-workers!" Nadine "Having moved our listing from another Agent, we were pleasantly surprised at the difference in approach to the whole sale process- the efficient ,calm and down-to-earth manner, the prompt return of our calls and quick responses to all our queries is quite simply what we all vendors expect of our Agents. This agent delivered all these in spades. This agent did an excellent job for us and we look forward to working with him again in the future." Frank "Thank you Chris Eustace for selling my home. Your enthusiasm and professionalism was so refreshing. You got my price without any "to and fro's". Such a smooth, no fuss sale...and it took just 8 days! Both myself and my buyer are over the moon!" Karen Contact me for a no-obligation appraisal and receive a book that will teach you how to sell your home for more (valued at $24.95 RRP), absolutely FREE! Copyright © 2014 First National Cairns Central, All rights reserved.

August 2014 Edition - Is this an economic boom?

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Cairns market update House prices in Cairns have been gradually increasing over the last three years, with their median price rising by 6.1% between the period from May 2011 to May 2014. The median unit price has also slowly increased, by 7.2% over the period from May 2012 to May 2014. The expectation is that Cairns property price increases will accelerate during 2014-15 as demand continues to strengthen and the supply of property available continues to decline. The supply of property for sale in Cairns is shrinking, with houses and units selling faster than they are being listed for sale. Residential land stocks are also diminishing. However there’s a lot of latent stock out there from people who have been wishing to sell for some time, but have been deterred from doing so by the state of the market and/or the prices achieved. Once prices start to rise, and in particular once they get back to the levels of the previous peak, stock will come onto the market at a faster rate. Definition of 'Median' The middle number in a sorted list of numbers. To determine the median value in a sequence of numbers, the numbers must first be arranged in value order from lowest to highest. If there is an odd amount of numbers, the median value is the number that is in the middle, with the same amount of numbers below and above. If there is an even amount of numbers in the list, the middle pair must be determined, added together and divided by two to find the median value. The median can be used to determine an approximate average. The median is the number in the middle: 2, 3, 11, 13, 26, 34, 47

AQUIS update Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have heard about the Aquis Resort development. You might be asking yourself what exactly is it and how will it effect Cairns and myself? Here's a brief run down of the project: 340.6 hectares of rural land at Yorkeys Knob is going to be developed in 2 stages with the intention of being Australia's largest, world-class integrated resort. The scheduled opening date is in 2018 and developers expect the resort and it's facilities to attract up to 1.5 million guests year. Stage 1 : An 20 hectare reef lagoon (artificial lake) and island within the development site 7,500 rooms across 8 luxury hotel brands An international class casino High-end retail shopping, and a variety of restaurants and bars. Resort entertainment features are said to include a 23,000sqm convention and exhibition center, 2 theaters, a cultural heritage center and an aquarium Sports precinct including a 18 hole golf course, tennis course and horse trails Cost - $5.05 billion 3750 construction jobs 11,000 operational jobs Stage 2 3 additional hotels including 3500 rooms A second casino Additional facilities including: an additional theatre; retail shopping; and a rainforest Cost - $3.1 billion 3500 construction jobs An additional 9000 operational jobs The project developers have made a commitment to use local businesses where possible and it would undoubtedly have a huge impact on our local economy.The project's Environmental Impact Statement is available for you to read. But the big question is ... will this be an economic boom ... or economic gloom? In next month's newsletter I will look into the potential impact of such a large development on our local market.

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Recently sold Stratford 12 Dalziel Street House Smithfield 21 Katanga Close House Bungalow 11/176 Spence Street Unit Redlynch 21/40-46 Intake Road Unit Holloways Beach 2/9-11 Bouganvillea Street Unit Freshwater 1/5 Le Grande Street Town house Westcourt 7/97 Mann Street Unit Bentley Park 114 Robert Road Double duplex Edge Hill 2/106 Greenslopes Street Duplex

My gift to you! Call me for a free appraisal today and get this book FREE!!! "How to sell your home for more" written by Ray Wood (RRP $24.95) will teach you how to maximize you chance of top dollar when selling your property. Call me on 0412 852 369

Recently listed properties Click here to see all of my current listings. Feature property STRATFORD DREAM HOME! This immaculate home exudes class, style and relaxation. Built over two levels, Fitch Court offers a full family home upstairs in addition to a self-contained granny-flat downstairs.  A wooden walkway leads to the main entrance of the home. Inside you will find cathedral height ceilings and gorgeous polished timber floors that run throughout the home and concertina doors and windows. With fans through, and lots of natural light, all these features combine to create an elegant, open and fresh living space.  Inside the entertainer’s kitchen are stainless steel appliances, including gas cooktop, plus ample bench and storage space are on offer. The breakfast servery opens onto the huge undercover veranda where you can have family BBQs overlooking the lagoon-style pool. The property: 5 Bedrooms  3 Bathrooms 2 Car parks  Air conditioning  Huge Deck Pool 6 Fitch Court, Stratford QLD Click here to book your free property appraisal

Testimonials "I found Chris to be extremely personable, always ready to assist throughout the purchase of my first apartment. He was able to answer any questions I had and made the whole process of buying my first property enjoyable. I would definitely recommend his services to any of my friends or co-workers!" Nadine B "Having moved our listing from another Agent, we were pleasantly surprised at the difference in approach to the whole sale process- the efficient ,calm and down-to-earth manner, the prompt return of our calls and quick responses to all our queries is quite simply what we all vendors expect of our Agents. This agent delivered all these in spades. This agent did an excellent job for us and we look forward to working with him again in the future." Frank C "I found Chris to be very helpful with the purchase of our property. He made a lot of calls to seller negotiating price for us and also pointed us in the right direction for a solicitor. He was very prompt with the returning of calls to me if he did not get to answer when I rang him. I would highly recommend Chris to Any future buyers." Shane P "We would like to thank First National and you [Chris Eustace] in particular for helping us sell our property. We are quite happy and impressed with the manner in which you negotiated the sale and your constant communication with us. Just keep up the good work and a lot of good things will come your way. We wish you good health and greater successes in the future." Dianne "Chris is an excellent representative and great ambassador for First National. Polite, helpful, friendly, punctual and great communications made for a seamless transaction, Well done!" Paul P "Thank you Chris Eustace for selling my home. Your enthusiasm and professionalism was so refreshing. You got my price without any "to and fro's". Such a smooth, no fuss sale...and it took just 8 days!  Both myself and my buyer are over the moon!" Karen B "Thank you so much Chris Eustace, Cairns Realtor for selling my unit!!!! I seriously cannot recommend you enough. Coming from having my unit listed ... for over 800 days and having less than a handful of enquiries to listing with you and having numerous offers and a signed contract in 21 days!!!! You rock!!!" Kelly D Contact me for a no-obligation appraisal and receive a book that will teach you how to sell your home for more (valued at $24.95 RRP), absolutely FREE! Copyright © 2014 First National Cairns Central, All rights reserved.