Reading the market: quicker reaction time now required!

There is no question that we are living in times of uncertainty with economic trends turning corners with the blink of an eye. It seems that the days of the market cycle and change pace seen in past decades may now be replaced by much more volatility. We may now all need to adjust to a new market dynamic that provides much more frequent and dramatic shifts in direction and this will inevitably impact on everyone.

Taking a universal view, investments in all areas whether it is cash at bank, shares or property, the immediate future is likely to see lower returns on investment being accepted. People’s expectations are less and yields from investments are adjusting to a new world paradigm of lower and more volatile returns. This in turn, may influence a shift to more property investment due to the long term security and its tangible nature.

Property investors currently do not appear to be talking doom and gloom the way equity investors are. Why is that?

Property investment here is relatively safe compared to the volatilities of the share market and international economies. In the Australian property context yields have not vaporised overnight and during these unstable times, people are increasingly attracted to the long term capital return and base line security that property investment offers.

In terms of property trends, we are seeing a re-emergence of investor activity that is informed and considered in its decision making. They understand that it is not about bargain hunting but more importantly about securing the right asset in commercial and residential markets that would not normally be available, if not for the current times.

Affordability may be challenging however data would suggest that it is emerging in the Perth residential property market. Aligning this affordability aspect with a shift in sentiment will see a spike in buyer activity and possibly a sharper cycle adjustment than we have previously been accustomed. So property investors and agents need to be prepared to read the market quickly and adjust their approach.

The weekly selling and letting activity of Realmark covering various residential and commercial market types provide us with a unique advantage to anecdotally sense a shift in the market well ahead of it appearing in statistical reports months later. In today’s world, changes may occur in days and not quarters. Sellers and buyers for owner occupation or investment would be wise to build a direct relationship with a real estate agency that has this level of market connection so that they can maximise the benefit to them.

Whether trading in property short term, investing long term or simply wishing to achieve the best sale or rent price outcome, an effective agent can guide you to extract best results from a market that is constantly and quickly evolving.

John Percudani
Realmark Director

IN Character

by Ara Jansen



Actor and musician John Waters has had a busy year doing all the things he loves the most on stage and screen



John Waters never had a plan to rule the stage or the screen. Somehow, things just fell into place and at 62, the actor and musician has become one of Australia’s much-loved veterans.
He’s back on the road next month touring with Looking Through a Glass Onion, his stage salute to the life and music of John Lennon.
“It’s a very enjoyable show and it’s very intimate with the audience because I talk right to them,” says John.




“I never tire of live performance because it is so alive and different each time. It’s an opportunity to be bigger than life on stage, because otherwise I’m not a hugely theatrical person. I’m a family person with five-year-old twins, an eight-year-old and grandchildren. They continually fascinate me.”
It has been a year of high-visibility for the guy who among other things spent almost two decades on Playschool. John not only released his debut solo album, Cloudland,




but returned to our television screens in the second season of the Logie-winning series Offspring. He plays Nina Proudman’s dad Darcy, a real estate agent who falls into bed with a lot of different women.
“He’s got a good heart and he’s well-meaning,” John says fondly. “He succumbs to women but he’s a good-natured man who loves his family even if he can’t hold a marriage together.




The Proudmans are an out-there family and they have a lot of sex while trying to deal with the issues of their professional lives. Darcy has a positive twist on everything; he doesn’t see problems, just solutions which makes him a nice character to play.”
John says his role in Offspring has also taken him to a different audience from his previous three year long role in All Saints.



“I think the stories are things everyone can relate to. It catches a 30-something female audience as a chic flick, but there’s plenty for men to watch too.
“It’s also great to be able to enjoy this new lease on life every time something goes to air on television. It seems to be the place most people notice you, compared to the stage.”



As a result it seems that a whole new audience is enjoying Looking Through A Glass Onion, which has started to draw much younger crowds, not just aging Beatles fans. They’re now bringing their kids and grandkids too.
“I’m happy to be enjoying a renaissance, if that’s what people’s perception is. In the meantime I’ve remained true to the fact that I’m going to do what I do regardless. Plus I still get to play the guy that gets the girls.”



Looking Through a Glass Onion is at Queens Park Theatre, Geraldton on October 5, Bunbury Entertainment Centre on October 6, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on October 7 and on October 8 at the Astor Theatre in Mt Lawley.

IN Flavour- Anna Gare

By Ara Jansen

IN Flavour


Her life-long love affair with food has finally seen Anna Gare release a cook book and the results are delicious.

When she titled her first cook book Homemade, Anna Gare meant it in every sense of the word.

The recipes come from her kitchen and those people who taught her to cook. She tried and tested them on her family and friends in the kitchen of her Fremantle home and if she wasn’t plucking ingredients from her garden, she was sourcing them as locally as possible. Good friends helped her style and photograph the food and local company Fremantle Press have published the book.

“It’s very me,” confesses Anna. “The food is very simple. I like cooking quick and clever food. I feel completely satisfied and cleverer if I cook something in five minutes rather than taking an hour or two. It gives me real satisfaction to create something quickly. Less time in the kitchen and more time at the table and more time on the dance floor, I say!”

Released this month, Homemade is the realisation of a long-time dream from the one time Jam Tart singer and caterer turned television cooking judge. The book features recipes created for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, impromptu feasts and snacks.

They range from a mouth-watering deluxe lamb burger with blue cheese and rocket to veal saltimbocca and passionfruit tart. Rather than being divided into sections, the recipes are mixed in together, like an olive and leek tatin next to dukkah, encouraging constant browsing to see what tempts your tastebuds. Anna has kept the methods as simple as possible – each line starts with a verb clearly explaining what action you need to take next.

The cook says one of the things she loves the most about food is its ability to get people talking. She’s had some of her favourite moments with her children as they’ve chopped and cooked together.

“I have the best conversations with my kids over the kitchen bench. Someone is peeling potatoes and it’s a really nice time working alongside each other. Rather than going to the movies together, this is a really beautiful bonding opportunity.”

As well as being on bookshelves, Anna will also be back on television screens soon as she returns for season two of Junior MasterChef Australia.

Homemade is released through Fremantle Press ($49.95 hardback).

To self-sell or not to self-sell – that is the question?

The recent article in the Sunday Times about the benefits of self-selling properties has sparked heated discussions with Perth’s real estate agencies. A minority of owners have been selling their own properties for decades, but that is not the issue. The issue is ensuring that you have not undersold your property.

Often the choice made by home owners to self-sell is driven by the idea of saving money in fees rather than selling the property at full potential, which can be done by working with an effective agent.

Soft marketing options and social media are available online for individuals who choose to self-sell their property yet selling online can not provide the skills, expertise and individually tailored approach that an agent can.

Not all agents are the same, but sellers need to appreciate the benefits that a contemporary solution-based agency can provide. Progressive agencies can offer sellers increased buyer attraction, effective engagement methods, multi-layered marketing campaigns which all ultimately increase the selling potential of the property.

Many self-sellers don’t necessarily have the time required to fully investigate the real estate market not to mention the expertise needed to make an informed decision, this misconstruction can lead to an underselling of the property.

Often when home owners choose to self-sell, problems can arise due to personal connections with the property which can put potential buyers off. Home owners are much safer working with a skilled, experienced agent who can provide an emotional-free transaction.

Selling a house shouldn’t be about saving money on agent fees, it should be about selling the property at its full value as to increase the selling price. This will ultimately save the home owner more money.

So if you want to save money when selling a house, save not by avoiding fees but by selling your property at its highest potential.

John

Realmark Wins at the Australian Business Awards

There is a positive buzz in the Realmark offices after the news that we won two Australian Business Awards (ABA) recently. This is a major achievement for Realmark, placing it in the significant company of other ABA winners including some of Australia largest and most widely respected businesses.

The two awards received were the E-Business award and the Product Excellence award. These are both areas which we have strived to excel in and it is encouraging and very pleasing to know that we are not only on track, but providing leading edge solutions for our clients’ advantage.

As a company, Realmark has invested a great deal in marketing tools for online media to ensure we have a presence in this realm and in a way that is in tune with todays consumers’ needs. This allows us to engage with clients in a meaningful and valuable manner.

In addition to this, the Realmark blog and Facebook page enables consumers to have a direct exchange with us and assist with their property queries; our development of customised micro sites for all property listings plus the individual web presentation provided to sellers and lessors, known internally as Q sites (questions answered) together with our weekly on line client reports, have all proven to be highly appreciated innovations by our clients. This is additional to our realmark.com.au website presence.

As more people are looking to seek a fresh alternative to the traditional real estate agencies, Realmark is currently in a great position to connect with todays consumers and by using our choice of strategic selling solutions we can deliver them excellent results. The product excellence award was for one of these solutions, Set Date Sale, which Realmark has customised to suit WA market conditions. It has consistently delivered outstanding success for our sellers by comparison to other sales approaches; notwithstanding the varying market conditions.

These awards motivate all at Realmark to keep embracing new and exciting directions that can advantage our clients. The future will bring a changing face to real estate and I am confident that Realmark is on the right path to continue as a company which delivers outstanding results throughout the changing property cycle.

IN The Air

By Ara Jansen


More and more West Australians are embracing kiteboarding and it’s proving to be an exciting sport suitable for young and older men and women.


If there’s one thing that Perth is known for it’s the wind. You can almost set your watch to the Fremantle Doctor and the breezes.


Darren Marshall is one guy who never complains that the wind is up because it’s perfect for one of the favourite things in his life – kiteboarding.


“People hate the wind in Perth unless they have a good use for it,” says Darren. “Once they take up kiteboarding, they become wind fanatics.”


If you’ve seen people off the coast skimming across the waves seemingly attached to a kite but definitely not hang gliding, then you’ve seen a kiteboarder or a kitesurfer. And the sight of them is becoming more and more common.

Darren, like many others, was a surfer before he became a kiteboarder. When he discovered it, he liked the fact that the winds were more regular and predictable than the waves.

The 42-year-old Sydneysider followed the wind to Perth in 2004 and since then has been one of its biggest promoters and supporters. Darren’s company teaches kiteboarding, runs a kiteboarding store in Scarborough and somewhere in between family commitments also manages to catch the wind and waves at least a few times a week.

Between November and January are the best times to get out on the water and pretty much be guaranteed ideal conditions – a stiff 18 – 25 knot breeze. Darren’s favourite spots include kiteboarding at Cottesloe, Scarborough, Safety Bay, Lancelin, Carnarvon, Geraldton, Augusta and Margaret River.

In recent years, developments in technology have meant that kiteboarding is no longer just a sport for big strapping blokes. In fact, women are taking it up in large numbers because it builds strength and has a high fun factor.

“It used to be a very bloke-oriented sport, attracting 25 – 35 year old single males. Now we have people in their 60s, teens and many more women. The biggest growth area is with women. Instead of just sitting on the beach and watching, they’re doing it too.

“It’s not like surfing, which is very solitary. Kiteboarding is the sort of sport where you rely on a bit of assistance and it brings people together. The business throws family days too so that also helps build the community.”

What’s attractive to newcomers and is driving up participation rates is that you don’t have to wait 10 years to become good or even just competent.
“The kites have become very light and easy to control and you can have little muscle and no fitness and really enjoy it at a high level straight away. With a few lessons, in a couple of weeks you can be riding and jumping.”

Always keen for a new challenge, Darren has also started teaching people to stand up paddle (SUP). He says it’s also something which takes no time to learn. If you can stand, walk and use a broom, then you’re mostly set.


www.australiankiteboarding.com.au

Realmark Wins Two Australian Business Awards

Realmark has enjoyed success once again after winning two Australian Business Awards.

Our team took out the award for E-Business and Product Excellence and was nominated alongside some of Australia’s biggest and most well-known companies.

These awards recognise the innovative and strategic direction that Realmark has taken to offer a superior service.

This is a huge success for Realmark and reflects on the dedication of the entire Realmark team. It is also great encouragement that we are having a positive impact on the property market.

Being recognised at this level confirms that we are on the right path and providing service solutions that really connect with today's real estate consumer.

Perth real estate.

John