Robina Realty Takes A Strategic Position on Rent.com.au

 

Behind the scenes our marketing department have been working overtime in building effective tenant generating systems that will substantially assist us to obtain quality tenants for the investment properties of our clients.

 

We’ve adopted the motto “be highly visible, with great product offerings, wherever tenants gather” and these days the nearly 5,000,000 tenants Australia-wide are congregating around quality tenant-focused websites…the latest of which is a site dedicated totally to the tenants marketplace.  It’s extremely well branded as www.rent.com.au  and is about to be massively promoted in the media.

 

We’ve taken a strategic decision to support this company and have moved early to shore up priority status for the benefit of our property owners.

 

For your information, we also have very healthy representation on the traditional websites such as www.realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au where we have banner exclusives that have our competition green with envy.  The result: a vital source of leads which enables us to get better and faster sales results and properties tenanted for our clients.  

 

Not only that, we have embarked on an ambitious Google Adword campaign which is now starting to generate a very healthy trickle of tenant enquiry…and not a small amount of it from overseas, particularly New Zealand.  We’re somewhat chuffed to say that we are now verifying, and then booking, quality tenants into properties sight unseen because of  the visual images we can now present….and that’s the real power of the Internet and hence our intense interest in it.

 

How’s this: Recently we signed a long lease where a New Zealand business man flew into Coolangatta, we met him at the airport, showed him the property, executed the paperwork and collected six months rent in advance!

 

But, back to Google Adwords!

 

To our knowledge no other agency is doing this and we’ve now mastered the tricky education process of getting this rather complex marketing strategy working.  We see it, as well as our banner exclusives and representation on a broad number of strategic rental-based websites as significant “tools” for tenant generation in the future.

 

The advantage to our property owners is that we can now almost avoid the costly process of using newspaper advertising to find tenants.

 

The future is unquestionably the web; we’re strapped in and well placed for the exciting ride!

 

Cheers,

Alanah Day
Managing Director

 

 

Special Days & Events

 

1st April, 2007	Palm Sunday
6th April, 2007	Good Friday
8th April, 2007	Easter Sunday
9th April, 2007	Easter Monday
23rd April, 2007	St George’s Day
25th April, 2007	Anzac Day
April Birth Flower	Daffodil
April Birth Stone	Aquamarine

 

The Big Population Shift

 

In the year to June 30, 2006 Australia’s population grew by 265,700 with Queensland (again) the fastest growing state and again, South East Queensland captured the top two fastest growing cities with Brisbane #1 and Gold Coast #2.  To complete the picture, Queensland has 7 of the top 15 fastest growing cities/areas.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

 

Population Growth Fuels Property Price Recovery

 

According to Credit Suisse forecasts Australian house prices are likely to rise by 4.5% in real terms this year and at Robina Realty we are seeing evidence of this, although to be fair, the market is patchy with buyers rewarding well presented properties and punishing poorly presented properties and unrealistic sellers.  Without doubt, buyers today and much better informed as to the value quotient in property.  

Source: Credit Suisse     

 

It's A Renovator's Delight As New Home Sales Decline

 

The Australian --- Page: 27 : 8 March 2007
Original article by Anthony Klan

 

ABIX Summary

The high cost of building in Australia is forcing many people to renovate their existing home rather than build another. Total renovations grew in 2006 for the first time in three years.  In the December 2006 quarter renovation spending hit $A953m, up 6.9 per cent, according to the Housing Industry Association.  It says almost 10,000 households renovated in the quarter, at an average cost of around $A96,000.

 

Our Comment: On the Gold Coast, we too have noticed a slight pick up in the “don’t move, improve” brigade. However, a word of caution: Getting qualified “traddies” for anything near approaching a decent price is still a major problem…and if you can, you can be almost assured that it will be at a time that suits them and not the renovator…and time is of the essence in renovating.  Plus, when renovating, think lifestyle, because this is what the buyer wants. If you want to locate a property suitable for renovating, you might like to indicate your interest so that we can email you immediately we list a property with potential for a modern make-over. 

 

GIO Bent Rules For Spruiker

 

The Australian Financial Review --- Page: 7 : 8 March 2007
Original article by Matthew Drummond

 

ABIX Summary

The committal hearing against property spruiker, Henry Kaye, commenced in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 7 March 2007.  Kaye has been charged with one count of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception.  The charge relates to a $A17.7 million loan that St George Bank provided to Inkerman Developments.  Kaye purchased 168 apartments from Inkerman and on-sold them to students in his investment seminars.  Many of the students used deposit bonds from insurance company, GIO, to secure the loans.  The court has heard that GIO "routinely" waived its prudential requirements when selling deposit bonds to Kaye's students.  The hearing will run for four weeks.

 

Our Comment: At Robina Realty, we have always been sceptical about the so-called property gurus who, from the lecture platform, look and sound like a million dollars.  Henry Kaye was just one of them and he and his cronies made real estate investing sound so easy and so lucrative that many easily-influenced individuals foolishly invested funds they didn’t have to get involved.

 

As committed real estate professionals of long standing we abhor these kinds of individuals and it’s pleasing to see that they are about to get their day in court and hopefully a future diet of porridge at Her Majesty’s pleasure.

 

That said, real estate is a fantastic investment, no question, and that’s because the basic laws of supply and demand are in its favour.  When demand outstrips supply, the price goes up.

 

Presently we are not building enough dwellings to cater for our population growth and this, combined with the fact there are fewer occupants in each dwelling as compared to the past, will see demand outstrip supply and yes, you guessed it, upwards pressure on pricing.

 

Mortgage Defaults Rising: Moody's

 

The Australian --- Page: 19 : 9 March 2007
Original article by Richard Gluyas and Florence Chong

 

ABIX Summary

There has been an increase in mortgage payments more than 30 days in arrears in Australia, associated with higher interest rates and record debt.  Moody's Investors Service has indicated that delinquency increased to 1.26% of outstanding loan balances in December 2006, which was the highest level since the data was first collated in 1997. Moody's noted that December is traditionally associated with higher arrears rates.  The nation's strong economy has created an increased likelihood of another interest rate rise, resulting in expectations that delinquencies will continue to rise.  The rate of arrears in low documentation lending, where lenders do not require the full credit history of the borrower, remain at double the delinquency rate for residential mortgage-backed securities in general.

 

Our Comment: We’ve included this article to demonstrate that “low-doc” loans must of necessity demand a higher interest rate because they are pitched at a higher level of risk which clearly is evidenced in this article.  If you are financially strong, look for a traditional loan…it’ll be cheaper.

 

Renovation Corner

 

Every buyer looks at the kitchen and is swayed by its appearance. Here are a few inexpensive ways to “dolly” up this important room.

 

Spruce up tired kitchen cupboards quickly by painting just the front panel of the doors and adding some new handles. Stencilling or painting motifs to the front of the cupboard doors will also give them a considerable makeover.  If you decide to replace the kitchen units, consider just buying new cupboard doors as the frames are often standard.

 

An Insight Into How We See Things

 

Through our close association with www.realestate.com.au (REA) we get to see some interesting information and over the past few months, REA has undertaken a number of intriguing surveys on the needs and wants of potential property purchasers (people just like us) and so we thought you might like to see the results…so here goes:

 

Which Do You Think Will Have The Biggest Influence On Property Prices Over The Next 12 Months?

 

  An interest rate rise - 62.16%

  

  Petrol prices - 9.46%

  

  Low unemployment - 0%

  

  The economy - 18.96%

  

  An under supply of properties - 9.46%

  

 

What Is Your Favourite Style Of House?

 

  Colonial - 17.2%
  

  Victorian - 11.83%
  

  Federation - 13.98%
  

  Californian Bungalow - 9.68%
  

  Art Deco - 7.53%
  

  Modern - 39.78%
  

 

Which Household Appliance Couldn't You Live Without?

 

  Washer/Dryer - 44.70%
   

  Dishwasher - 8.71%
  

  Heating/Cooling system - 14.77%
  

  Television - 23.11%
  

  Microwave - 8.71%
   

 

What Is Your Definition Of The Neighbour From Hell?

 

  A big bad biker - 4.29%
   

  A crying baby - 6.25%
  

  A non-stop party animal - 69.79%
  

  A nosey nanna - 19.27%
  

 

Will The Water Tank Rebates Make You Install A Water Tank At Home?

 

  Yes- 47.33%
  

  No - 13.74%
  

  Maybe if the drought gets worse - 2.29%
  

  Only if the rebate increases - 35.11%
  

  Don't have room for one - 1.53%
   

 

Then there are a number of interesting human interest surveys like:

 

What Is Your Ideal Romantic Weekend?

 

  Private island - 25%
  

  Log cabin - 20.83%
  

  Spa retreat - 14.58%
  

  Chartered yacht - 8.33%
  

  5 star hotel - 14.58%
  

  Anything without the kids - 16.67%
  

 

How Do You Decorate Your Home For Christmas?

 

  Bah Humbug - No Way! - 8.33%
  

  A tree - 37.5%
  

  A tasteful wreath on the door- 12.5%
  

  A few lights through the garden - 18.75%
  

  We need our own power generator - 22.92%
  

 

How Do You Keep Your Home Safe Over The Christmas Holiday Period?

 

  Friend to check on the house - 57.14%
  

  Cancel the newspaper - 14.29%
   

  Employ security company - 7.14%
  

  Hide valuables - 9.52%
   

  Nothing extra - 11.9%
  

 

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