Changes afoot

Hi Guys

Wanted to post this to my business page but it is down for some reason - the tecchies are working on it now. So I will regale you all with my thoughts:

This article appeared in my inbox today:

Industry slams new stamp duty legislation

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Matthew Sullivan
"The Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) has slammed the Queensland state government’s decision to remove the stamp duty home concession.
From 1 August, the government will remove the concession which non-first home buyers receive when buying a new or established home as their principal place of residence.
In addition, the government said it would also introduce a $10,000 grant to people that are building or buying a new-build home or unit priced up to $600,000.
REIQ chairman Pamela Bennett said while the incentive to increase housing supply and create jobs in the construction sector is a positive for the economy, the removal of the stamp duty concession for non-first home buyers will wreak havoc on the Queensland property market.
“The government is obviously trying to fill the financial void that has been left by the weak property market, and the subsequent lower stamp duty receipts given the marked reduction in property sales over the past 18 months,” Ms Bennett said.
“A better way to stimulate the economy would have been to provide financial incentives for all buyers of all types of properties which in turn would have increased activity and therefore helped the government’s bottom-line.”
According to the REIQ under the new legislation, home buyers purchasing a median-priced house in Brisbane will now be hit with more than $15,000 in stamp duty – an increase of more than $7,000."

So what does it all mean:

1: get in quick and buy a house before August 1st if you are thinking about it

2: get in and buy a block of land and build a new house if you are a first time buyer and get $17000 as grant before January 2012

3: get in and buy an investment property becasue prices are down, interest rates are down and the stamp duty thing hasn't changed for you

4: if none of these apply - take some advice from "The hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" - DON'T PANIC
The reduciton in stamp duty for buyers of a Principal place of residence was introduced as a result of the GFC to help stimulate the housing economy somewhat. Australia is in pretty fair shape still and indications are that we will remain in good shape for the foreseeable future. So this in one way is an indication of that - but more importantly there will always be a percentage of the population "on the move" - stamp duty or no stamp duty this won't change. People have to move for work, family reasons, lifestyle changes and nobody is going to sit put because of this - in fact in six months time nobody will even think about it - death and taxes it comes to us all.

( the real estate daisymum)

Another fabulous Day Off

It never ceases to amaze me just how many beautiful spots there are within a short drive of our home.

This morning we headed to Walkabout Creek at Mt Nebo and had a look through the Wildlife exhibit it was great - seeing the platypus and the snakes and the wombat (reminded me of some teenagers I know). Check out the face on this fish - he was so angry looking it was hysterical.

Then we headed off to Mt Glorious and stopped at the Camp Mountain Lookout which we have never done before. The view of the village from one side was great but the view of the CBD from the other was just breathtaking - the photos are from my iphone so aren't great but you can always pop up and see it for yourself.

Then we headed down to the Cedars and stopped for a picnic by the creek - the three (well four ) boys had a great time chucking rocks in the big pools, skipping stones and paddling and swimming in the water hole. Lunch was a simple chicken and salad roll , hot coffee from the thermos, juice and a few left over Easter Eggs.

On the way home we stopped in Mt Glorious and bought ice cream for the kids and coffee for us then a short trip down the hill and we were home - a gorgeous day out and never more than 25 minutes from our door !

And there is still so much we haven't done just in that drive there are three more lookouts to check out and the winery to stop at. But being so close to home we can do that one Satuerday afternoon after I finsh work - or even on a Sunday on the way home from football.

I hope you all enjoyed your day off and did something relaxing, exciting, with family, on your own - doesn't matter as long as you feel refreshed and happy.

daisymum

I found my old life for a few hours today...

Being a Saturday I had Open Homes but being Easter Saturday I only had two! This meant I was finished early, took daisyboy10 shopping for new footy boots, had a coffee, then went to Bunnings and did some damage in the nursery!

Home,changed and then went outside potted up some plants, repotted some geraniums that have been struggling to survive, tidied and moved the garden furniture around.

Then I got out the good cloth, the good cups, heated up some hot cross buns and made a pot of tea and sat and enjoyed it with the kids, Daisyman and a dear friend.

What a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Reminded me of what my life used to be like before I got a career!!!

If only there were enough hours in the week to have it all...but maybe there are...we will see the new "set business hours" plan kicks into gear after Easter. It should bring me more days like this and that can never be a bad thing.

Happy Easter everyone

daisymum

My Other Life....

Thought I would share my "other existence" with you all.

This is my desk - as you can see pink predominates, the hydrangas are from daisy mountain's garden.

The green coffee travel mug is a fixture and much smarter idea than an open cup. I can't tell you how many quilt became "coffee dyed" because of an incident with a coffee cup!! It also saves all those broken coffee cups in the car as I leave the house or office with a cup of tea.

So back to my desk and the other reason for showing it to you. It is organised and clean and reasonably clear of clutter, but today is a paperwork day for me so there are two piles of stuff at the back that won't be there by the end of the day.

It has become my haven - Daisy Mountain is going to be sold and we are moving the daisy gang closer to work,schools etc. - so Daisy Mountain looks like hell !!!

I am in the middle of painting the kitchen and our bathroom, delcuttering, clearing the jungle that used to be the garden, and packing. So when it all gets too much I retreat to the calm clear space that is my desk - and update my blog!!!! hahaha

It did get me to thinking however that everyone needs a clear, clean space to retreat to when things get too much. In the days when I was religiously meditating everyday that space more often than not was in my head.

So this week's little challenge is to post a photo of your clean clear space - real imagined or hoped for...

daisymum

End of an Era

End of an Era - Daisy Mountain will be on the market in the next few weeks. And the Daisies ae off to the "burbs".

On one hand I am really looking forward to being closer to the kids schools and work, and living a more urban lifestyle.

But on the other other there will be many things to miss about our little haven not eh leat of which will be our mountan, my garden (well not so much a garden anymore as a rampant jungle of plants) our beautiful dam and gorgeous trees.

Then there is my sewing room - all the space we have to spread out and be us and the many many memories.....but the practical part of me says its time - and Real Estate wise it is the right time to move. So that is it the papers are signed the agent is employed I just need to hustle my butt throgh the painting and decljuttering adn turn my beautiful home into a desirable piece of real estate!!

daisymum

Dinosaurs and Dynamos

I am a baby boomer (albeit - a late baby boomer - which apparently means we get to claim some Gen x traits). But the gap that I see widening between agents who came into Real Estate less than 10 years ago and the ones (like me) who have just arrived is already huge and widening every day.

I remember talking about "old school" agents ("press hard triple copies on the hood of the family car" types) - but now I see them having a new classification as Dinosaurs whereas the younger agents are absolutely the Dynamos. Which logically makes the other group Darwins.....subject to evolution or extinction.

Last week I had the very great pleasure to be helping a younger colleague at his mid week auction. This is a disciplined, gentle, intelligent man with impeccable manners and ethics so I am happy to help out when he asks me. There he stood in his suit with his iPad cradled in his arm like a newborn, tapping away while talking to prospective buyers and auction attendees. He looked so cool, so professional and so completely in control that the fact that there were no registered bidders and that the mother of all thunder storms was bearing down made little difference to the evening.

Now I know some of you who have followed me for sometime think I am superwoman but believe me - I looked like Louie the Fly compared to this kid!

Is that scary ? - well may be for some - and I can tell you now that I know a handful of agents who won't be around in 3 years because technology and the level of professional sophistication that we will be expected to have will be out of the bounds of their abilities.

But I think while I still have a deep and abiding love of new gadgets, technology and good old fashioned communicating that I might survive this particular "extinction" but as always time will tell.

EVOLVE OR PERISH PEOPLE!!!!!!

Daisymum

Sustainability isn't just about vege gardens

Sustainability for me isn't just about vegetable gardens, recycling and buying organic.

It is about accepting the gifts and talents you were given - we are all part of the natural world and if we follow the thinking through then there is a reason each of us is here in the form we are in.

I just read a facebook post about someone who was revelling in actually diving in the pool - she had been resisting all day in 36 degree heat because she had straightened her hair.

If you were born with wavy or curly hair then you can bet your life there is a reason for that just like tree frogs and short sightedness.

I am not saying that for a special occassion it isn't nice to do something different with your hair but a long long time ago I relaised that fighting nature is just stupid, heartbreaking and expensive. My hair is STRAIGHT no amount of curling with tongs, curlers or anything else will make it stay anything other than straight - so I gave up. I hate my hairstyle always have but it is easy and the way my hair naturally sits.

My hair is also very dark - almost black - I hate that but fortunately I can change that easily each month with a little box of colour even if I do have to empty the rinse water out instead of putting it down through the biocycle.

So save yourself some time and energy - let your hair do what it is meant to do - yes fellas even if that is fall out - nothing worse than a plugged head and don't think nobody can tell BECAUSE YOU CAN - AND IT LOOKS WEIRD!!

You can't fight nature and if your spend a day sweltering because you have spent an hour straightening your hair then that is just sad.

End of rant

have a great day

Daisymum