Weekly Wrap up - Wollongong, the preferred riders destination

I took some time out to watch the world class cycling field on Satuday afternoon at Wollongong lighthouse. I noticed a few things:

1. The road surface was superb - it was obvious someone had focussed on getting this right
2. It was a class field - Stage winners on European Grand Tours, Olympic Gold Medalists, World Champions on both track and road, and the Russian Olympic Cycling Team to name a few
3. They are damn quick - I clocked the Elite Men circulating at 42km/hr average and up to 48km/hr average in the last couple of laps
4. It's difficult to get 90 elite riders around a near hairpin bend together at 42km/hr
5. Hotmix is not very forgiving when you come off
6. I forgot to put suncream on my thonged feet!

I've also subsequently read the Russian Team was so impressed with Wollongong, they've extended their stay by a week for more training.
I believe the drive to get the event to Wollongong came from David Farmer and Gordon Bradbery...well done leaders. Wollongong is ideally set up for sportsmen and women and with a rich tradition of elite sportsmen from the area this can only enhance our reputation.

Real Estate Matters:
Again we noticed Open House attendances were generally down with a fairly robust rain storm on Saturday morning contributing to the outcome. This was actually in contrast to the Sydney experience where afternoon auctions were fairly well attended with active and successful bidding.
We saw 2218 unique visits to our properties on-line for the week ending Saturday 26th November.
Auction clearance rates - Sydney 55% and Melbourne 50%

Quote for the week:
Think globally, act locally.

- Rene Dubos

Weekly Wrap up - Wonderful news for Wollongong - Lets build on it!

Over the years, the Wollongong Mall and its environs have copped their fair share of flack. And it would be very hard to argue against the present mall being well past its use by date.
GPT is about to start the West Keira project, the Mall is getting a wonderful Christmas makeover and positive energy is returning to the CBD.
So how do we build on this?
It's time to revamp the total look of the city.
An example of the incredible change to habits can be seen with the Blue Mile project on the waterfront. Have you noticed how many people are using this now? And the coastal nay sayers who didn't want change are very quiet.
Should the old Illawarra County Council building on the corner of Burelli and Church Street be demolished? The argument is it blocks access to McCabe Park both visually and literally. What about the atrocity that is West Crown Street? How do we build on the lifestyle aspects of living in Wollongong (a Sydney based friend recently complained on line that his commute to work was now 2 hours each way - that equates to 40 x 24hr days per year out of his life. Tell me who has THAT worry living and working in Wollongong?). Bring it on!

I like the strategic themes as outlined in the Wollongong Futures Strategy Report 2025

• Living City – urban environment, local communities, natural environment policies, lifestyle
• Innovative City - regional economy, cultural industries
• Connected City – transport, telecommunications
• Inclusive City – social plan, equity, governance, community engagement

Real Estate Matters:
Our team has secured 4 sales over the past two weeks with open house attendance a little down on previous weeks. Is this a reflection of reduced stock levels or an early Christmas trend?
We saw 2321 unique visits to our properties on-line for the week ending 19th November.
Auction clearance rates - Sydney 52% and Melbourne 47%

Quote for the week:
A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.

- Rosabeth Moss Kanter

its a start....

Real estate has the power to make or break you. As real estate agents we meet despondent property owners who, by no fault of their own making have to sell at a substantial loss. On the flip side are those basking in the reflected glory of low debt and high net worth. One thing is for certain...down through history, high net worth individuals have real estate as their common thread. It is relatively easy to liquidate, appreciates considerably in value (approx doubling every 10 years), is securable (sometimes to 100%) and of course you can live in/on it.
I have spent a little over 20 years involved in the grass roots of residential and commercial real estate including now managing a Real Estate office.
It has been good to me and this rant is a opportunity to impart some of that knowledge to those that might want to listen...