epro Newsletter from Danny O'Neill

In This Issue... PREGNANCY......WEEK 9..... First Home Boost scales down Zero emissions homes within reach Houses up, apartments down Space invaders An inconvenient use I'm bathin' on starshine, whoa oh oh Contact Us Danny O'Neill Phone: 61 2 42295344 Fax: 61 2 42297202 98 Market Street Wollongong NSW 2500 email us Who Said.......... Last Week...... "Can miles truly separate you from friends... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?" Was Said by - Richard Bach - Born in 1936 in Oak Park, Ill., son of Roland Robert and Ruth Helen (Shaw) Bach, the American Richard Bach is the great-great-great-great (how many more should I add?:) grand son of JS Bach the great composer we all know. Congratulations to: Sarah N, Simon H, Sue B, Jason C, Alex C and Tina O. This Week: Who was it that said; "The man who can keep a secret may be wise, but he is not half as wise as the man with no secrets to keep" ? ? ? ? A JOKE TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY!!!!! The Lone Ranger and Tonto went camping in the desert. After they got their tent all set up, both men fell sound asleep. Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says, "Kemosabe, look towards sky, what you see?" The Lone Ranger replies, "I see millions of stars." "What that tell you?" asked Tonto. The Lone Ranger ponders for a minute then says, "Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning. Theologically, the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What's it tell you, Tonto?" "You dumber than buffalo chip. Someone stole the tent." TIMES RUNNING OUT... 5 Sunlea St, Dapto - $379,000 With polished floors throughout, this 3 bedroom home is in an idea neighbourhood to start a family. All bedrooms have built-in-wardrobes and the master has a walk-in-robe and ensuite. The main bath has a huge corner bath where you can soak the days worries away, the formal lounge and formal dining area, which is air conditioned, flow through to the modern Tassie Oak kitchen thats complete with dishwasher and plenty of cupboard space. You can even catch the morning warmth from the sunroom that overlooks the completely level huge backyard. Ideally located, this home will offer one young family the perfect start. FAMILY FAVORITE 31 Cedar St, Albion Park Rail - $385,000 This home would have to be one of the best properties in the area for the 1st home buyer or young family offering everything on the 'I want' list and with nothing to do but enjoy. The fomal lounge and formal dining area have polished floors and RC air conditioning, The open plan kitchen lets you entertain your guests in the family room before you relax in the massive covered outdoor pergola. Theres 3 good sized bedrooms, a study, 2 bathrooms and a huge double garage. There's even enough space to park another 3 cars. With the fresh interior and all the modern furnishings, there isn't much else you want for your family. > Inspection Times Saturday 11am - 1140am $379,000 5 Sunlea St, Dapto For a list of other open for inspection properties contact us or visit us online. Mail to a friend... Know someone who likes to keep up to date with the latest in property news? Click here, enter their email address and they will receive a copy of this issue and be given the opportunity to subscribe to future issues.

Friday 25 September 2009 Do Unto Others...... To have a friend, you must be a friend, starting with yourself. The greatest hunger a person has is to be needed. Help create that feeling in others. The greatest virtue is kindness. You can't love everyone, but you can be kind to everyone. Don't try to impress others. Let them have the fun of impressing you. Be enthusiastic. Nothing of consequence was ever achieved without enthusiasm. Be positive. Positive people attract others, while negative people repel. You have greater impact on others by the way you listen than by the way you talk. Gossip cheapens the one who gossips more than the one gossiped about. Call a person by his or her name and use it often in conversation. Communicate cheerfulness. Differences are bound to occur and can be resolved if conflict is managed in a polite manner. If you are given to making fun of someone, be sure it is of yourself. Be genuinely interested in others. Get them to talk about themselves. A smile doesn't cost anything and pays big dividends. It makes you and everyone else feel better. Be the first to say: "Hello! Good to see you." Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The golden rule is where it all begins and ends. By James Fisher Jr 1. PREGNANCY......WEEK 9..... THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR ALL THE WARM WISHES AND CONGATULATIONS WE'VE RECEIVED. Bec is still suffering with morning sickness and I can say that I seriously feel for her, she's such a trooper. On the positive side though, the doctor says that morning sickness is a sure sign that everything is working the way it should. Apparently (so I've come to learn) morning sickness is caused by the overload of estrogen in the body. Normally, estrogen cells attach themselves to protien cells but with the excess of estrogen, the protien cells have to play catch up, hence the sick feeling. Usually, well hopefully, by the 12th week the sick feeling subsides. Fingers crossed!!! When you do the numbers, we really only have 219 days until the due date and we're already in the 3rd month of pregnancy..... sooo much to do, sooo much to organise and when you look at it, there isn't really all that much time to do it in. How do people do it??? - I'm so open to advice if anyones got any. This week, our "little one" which was an embryo is now called a fetus, which actually means "little one." It's said that Bec's uterus has expanded in size to accommodate its new resident, which now measures approximately 1.6 centimetres. We're also told that there are so many changes that will take place this week -- the embryonic tail will disappear, and all organs, muscles, and nerves are beginning to function. The hands now bend at the wrist, and the feet begin to lose their webbed appearance, eyelids even begin to cover the eyes. This is just soooo facinating, understanding how a session of serious hot passion (ha ha) can grow to such an amazing gift. Bec and I are keeping a photo diary from week to week watching her belly grow, right now, there isn't much point posting a photo because Bec hasn't started showing. When she does though, I'll post a pic from time to time to show the difference as the due date gets closer. PS: The pictue shown is what our little bundle of joy should look like this week. Top 2. First Home Boost scales down Just a reminder that next week the First Home Owners Boost will be reduced by half, so if you're thinking of taking advantage of the full grant, now is a very good time to do so! As announced in the Federal Budget, the First Home Owners Boost will be scaled down from October 1, then cease entirely on 31 December 2009. Read More... Just a reminder that next week the First Home Owners Boost will be reduced by half, so if you're thinking of taking advantage of the full grant, now is a very good time to do so! As announced in the Federal Budget, the First Home Owners Boost will be scaled down from October 1, then cease entirely on 31 December 2009. Eligible first home buyers who sign a contract to purchase an existing home between 1 October 2009 and 31 December 2009 (inclusive) will receive an extra $3500, taking the total lump sum payment (including the First Home Owner Grant) to $10,500. Eligible first home buyers who sign a contract to purchase or construct a new home in that period will receive an extra $7,000, taking the total lump sum payment (including the First Home Owner Grant) to $14,000. Top 3. Zero emissions homes within reach In the wake of one of the nation's warmest and driest winters on record, environment groups this week called for new building standards to reduce emissions and water use and to help Australia's homes and families cope with future temperature and price shocks. The call coincided with the release of a new report showing that with the right government support and with efforts to fast-track stronger environmental building standards, Australian homes and neighbourhoods could be emissions-free and water efficient by 2020, according to a new report. Read More... In the wake of one of the nation's warmest and driest winters on record, environment groups this week called for new building standards to reduce emissions and water use and to help Australia's homes and families cope with future temperature and price shocks. The call coincided with the release of a new report showing that with the right government support and with efforts to fast-track stronger environmental building standards, Australian homes and neighbourhoods could be emissions-free and water efficient by 2020, according to a new report. The report, Towards climate safe homes: The case for zero emissions and water saving homes and neighbourhoods, was released this week by the Australian Conservation Foundation, Environment Victoria, the Alternative Technology Association, Friends of the Earth and the Moreland Energy Foundation. Environment Victoria's Campaigns Director Mark Wakeham said that at the moment, our inefficient homes are part of the climate change problem. "However, the report shows that emissions from the average home can be reduced by more than 75 per cent with energy efficient design and appliances, while the rest of the home's energy needs can be supplied by renewable energy", Mr Wakeham said. "This means our houses can be effectively emissions free and part of the climate change solution." The report also advocates a 40 per cent water savings target to be applied to new homes to reduce dependence on increasingly unreliable water supplies. ACF's Monica Richter said the Federal Government had a golden opportunity to set Australia on the path to zero emission homes by 2020. "The government has made a good start with its national strategy on energy efficiency, but more needs to be done," she said. "We would like to see 7 or 8-star standards introduced in the next 12 months and a stronger commitment to retrofitting existing houses to help low income and vulnerable Australians adapt to the impacts of climate change." ATA's Ian Porter said climate proofing Australia's homes was not an optional extra but essential. "Australians recognise that we need to change our homes and many have already shown that sustainability can be achieved with environmental and financial benefits," he said. "It is time Governments recognised this and implemented systems to support households to reduce their carbon footprint and save on energy and water bills." The release of the report signals the beginning of a new national campaign calling on governments Australia wide to strengthen building standards for new homes, provide green makeovers for our existing houses and set zero emissions and water efficiency standards for new homes and neighbourhoods over the next decade. Top 4. Houses up, apartments down The number of apartments being built continues to drop, bringing total housing starts down by 3.7 per cent in the June quarter for 2009, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released this week. Detached house starts grew by 4.2 per cent to 22,808 in the June 2009 quarter. The number of private new houses commenced rose by 3.7 per cent to 22,347 units, down 16.5 per cent from the corresponding quarter a year ago. Read More... The number of apartments being built continues to drop, bringing total housing starts down by 3.7 per cent in the June quarter for 2009, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released this week. Detached house starts grew by 4.2 per cent to 22,808 in the June 2009 quarter. The number of private new houses commenced rose by 3.7 per cent to 22,347 units, down 16.5 per cent from the corresponding quarter a year ago. Multi-unit starts, however, dropped by 21.5 per cent to 7,603. This figure includes new private sector `other residential building', which fell 20.1 per cent, to 6,459. This follows a revised fall of 14.2 per cent, to 8,080 in the March quarter. The total number of public sector dwellings commenced rose 21.1 per cent, to 1,063. Falls in Victoria and South Australia were more than offset by gains in the remaining states and territories. Total housing starts increased by 2.1 per cent in New South Wales, 8.9 per cent in Tasmania, 17.6 per cent in the Australian Capital Territory and 64.9 per cent in the Northern Territory. The number of housing starts in the June 2009 quarter fell by 3.7 per cent in Victoria, 10.4 per cent in Queensland, 9.6 per cent in South Australia, and 6.3 per cent in Western Australia. Top 5. Space invaders Think having the relatives and their kids to stay for the week is a space invasion? Try sharing your 3-bedroom home with thirty other people, whom you'd probably never met before standing next to them in the bathroom queue. The most recent in a series of raids by Brisbane City Council targeting residential overcrowding found 37 people living in a single house, posing serious health and fire safety issues. Read More... Think having the relatives and their kids to stay for the week is a space invasion? Try sharing your 3-bedroom home with thirty other people, whom you'd probably never met before standing next to them in the bathroom queue. The most recent in a series of raids by Brisbane City Council targeting residential overcrowding found 37 people living in a single house, posing serious health and fire safety issues. Since July last year, Brisbane City Council has inspected more than 1000 homes and units, Brisbane Times reports, with around 180 notices issued for non-compliance with sanitation, planning and fire regulations. A further 179 amenity issues have been identified in just the past month. In many of the cases, the residents involved were foreign students studying in Australia. Apart from the health and safety risks and `spoiling the fun' for people visiting the country, individual fines for landlords can range up to $100,000 for non-compliance with standards. Top 6. An inconvenient use There have been times when blackouts have left communities in Australia without power for up to twelve or even 24 hours, much to our inconvenience. A day somehow doesn't seem so bad, however, compared with a small Angolan town, where a power outage has knocked out the lights and services for two months. Reuters reported recently that despite the country's multi-billion dollar investments in new hydro-power projects, authorities were still trying to fix the problem. Top 7. I'm bathin' on starshine, whoa oh oh Ever looked up on a clear night to see a sky full of stars and wished you could dive into the dark pool of twinkling lights? Well now you can...in a way. The Nirvana Bathtub is an innovative spa bath with 360 LED light spots on its surface, creating the feeling of drifting through the heavens. Winning a Red Dot 2009 design award, the tub is ecologically sensitive, using 60 per cent less water than most tubs its size due to a shallow high-grade translucent acrylic layer form. It also features a touch control panel with electric tap, automatic water fill/stop function and a wave-activated hand shower.