Glass Half Full

For months I’ve been arguing that the overly cautious and often negative sentiment surrounding the property market has been unwarranted and not backed by the fundamentals.

I am delighted that the country’s top banker – Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens – last week reinforced this view in his “Glass Half Full” speech.

Speaking after the latest interest rate cut, Mr Stevens called for the right kind of confidence to be installed, rather than negative sentiment that continues to call for interest rate cuts to stimulate consumer confidence and boost the property market.

The benchmark interest rate set by the Reserve Bank is now at a low 3.5 percent. And whilst the commercial banks will lend over this rate (that’s their business model), the time for sitting on the sidelines of the property cycle and waiting for it to fall even further are over.

The message is this: things are good, the economy is strong and waiting around to see whether the bank will further stimulate borrowing levels by dropping interest rates is unwise.

In my opinion, now is the time to look through the cycle and for considered investor participation and smart upgrade buying.

The Reserve Bank has been cutting the rate since November in moves designed to make consumers feel more confident but at the same time, wanting to avoid creating the expectation that property prices would start rising, Mr Stevens told an audience in Adelaide last week.

Instead of creating a situation which could lead people to taking on too much debt, the cuts are designed to create “the right kind of confidence” and stimulate sustainable investment.

Mr Stevens noted that consumers are standing on the sidelines in a kind of “irrational unexuberance” – a backlash to the years where “irrational exuberance” led to concerning personal debt levels.

And whilst Mr Stevens warned that among the structural shifts we are experiencing in our economy is that fact that the period of rapidly rising asset and house prices is over, that’s actually a very good thing for investors.

Property is still a great investment especially in WA where the economic growth is the best in Australia, rental growth is solid, property prices have stabilised, there’s increasingly attractive finance rates, housing demand growth and other favourable conditions.

The Reserve Bank’s Stevens also noted that observations that the economy really isn’t doing that well aside from mining were also incorrect. We’re actually spending MORE the data shows; it’s just that we’re not spending it on the same things. We’re spending on travel, health and education. But we’re also saving a bit more and using our credit cards a bit less. Two behaviours that bode well for the future strength of our economy and hence, the property market.

As Mr Stevens so appropriately put it; the glass really is (at the very least) half full, particularly in WA, so it’s time to make a considered choice in the property market.

IN Food

If you love your food and wine, there are two festivals you definitely want to be at in July.


We all know West Australians love their food. We’re also spoilt to be able to enjoy some of the finest produce on land and from the ocean.


So what better way to enjoy it than match it with some of the country’s best chefs, cooks, wine makers, sommeliers, patissiers and cheese makers? As fresh produce and the finest purveyors of how to turn it into something delicious come together in one place, it will be nothing short of heavenly.


First up, the Good Food & Wine Festival is three days of food and wine indulgence perfect for gourmets and interested amateurs to weekend barbecue fanatics and those who just love tasty food.


WA’s favourite butcher, Vince Gareffa returns to demonstrate how to choose, cut and cook the best local meat while you’ll learn plenty from the sommeliers at the Riedel Decanter Bar.


One of this year’s highlights is sure to be the new Private Dining Room which offers an exclusive and sophisticated dining experience for 16 people per session. Meet some of your favourite celebrity chefs who will prepare a beautiful three-course meal, followed by an insightful Q&A session.


Guaranteed to be mouth-watering is Andrew Fielke’s Tuckeroo Cooking School where you’ll smell, taste and learn about some of Australia’s finest home-grown ingredients. Also new this year are cheese master classes from Lyndey Milan, which are situated in the brand new Cheese Alley pavilion. Whether you want to assemble a mouth-watering cheese platter or create cheese harmony on your palette, these sessions are the answer to your cheese-loving prayers.


The celebrity theatre is the place to see live demonstrations of gourmet recipes and discover industry tips and tricks from well-known faces and names. Among others, you’ll see Manu Feildel, George Calombaris, visiting British chef Ainsley Harriott and patissier Adriano Zumbo.


Adriano dreams up, experiments and creates all the sweet stuff his five Sydney outlets sell. Credited with restoring the croquembouche to fashionable, Adriano says he gains inspiration from just about anywhere. One of the most obvious is his cake 'Marry Me, Ed' which is named after a good-looking friend who is always being asked out.


This was the kid who ran amok in his parents’ supermarket, gobbling all the sugar and sweets he could find. Adriano says that’s what gave him his sweet tooth and the desire to eventually become a patissier who used his love for mixing interesting ingredients to create amazing desserts rather than making cream buns and lamingtons forever.


“I started my apprenticeship at 15 in a bakery and really liked it,” says 30-year-old Adriano. “I realised I really liked putting different flavours together, experimenting and being creative. I pushed myself to create and realised that I really wanted to do something different.


“When I started there wasn’t a lot of interest in pastry but now it has a big following and people are trying all sorts of things.”


Later in July, the Mundaring Truffle Festival will feature truffle-themed dishes, exhibitions and master classes to inspire and tantalize the taste buds. The two-day festival features the Perth Hills Wine Show, truffle master classes, how to match truffles with the right wine, a long table lunch, food stalls and demonstrations.



The Good Food & Wine Show is at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 13 – 15.
Tickets from Ticketek. The Mundaring Truffle Festival is on July 28 & 29 with tickets through BOCS.

My Agent My Advantage

Welcome to our new tagline: my agent, my advantage.


In recent months, we put our collective heads together and stripped back the layers of our brand to discover what it is that makes Realmark different.


But after much introspection and contemplation we decided rather than just attempting to tell you what our point of difference is, we should ask you what you think makes Realmark different.


So we decided to open the doors and ask for your opinion - in the form of an open survey with some of our proposed new taglines and an area to make your own suggestions.


This was a very uplifting experience as we were overwhelmed and encouraged by your participation and positivity. We were also enthralled to receive so many of your own suggestions, of which here are just a few:

Realmark, Your Real Advantage
 
Realmark, My Choice
 
Keeping an eye on the market
 
Your Agent, Your Advantage

Realmarkable

Realmark are the best!


Another pleasant surprise from the survey was the number of people who indicated they were ‘a fan of Realmark’ when asked about their association with the company (i.e. Buyer, Seller, Landlord, Tenant or Employee). This small gesture reaffirms what we aim to do at Realmark; to build meaningful relationships that thrive on trust and understanding your needs.


But in the end we were still faced with the prospect of choosing a new tagline and ultimately we chose ‘my agent, my advantage’ because not only did it receive the most number of votes, but we also felt it encompasses the essence of being a Realmark fan.


The emotion of being a fan is personal; my reason for being a fan will be different to yours but they all carry the same conviction. Similarly, ‘my agent, my advantage’ is a personal motto that will have inherently different meanings to each of you.


For some, it may be ‘my agent, my rental advantage’, for others it could be ‘my agent, my commercial property management advantage’, and for others still it could be ‘my agent, my career advantage’.


The communication opportunities for this new tagline are as wide and far flung as what Realmark means to you personally, so in closing; Realmark really is your brand - ready for you to make the most of what it means to you.


Thank you.

IN Pink

Eternally bubbly, musical theatre star Lucy Durack is back in Perth for a series of shows before putting on her best shade of pink for the musical Legally Blonde.

Busy and grateful might not be words which belong in the same sentence, but Lucy Durack is both in equal measure.

Scoring a lead role for four years in the hugely successful musical Wicked, the former WAAPA student’s stocks have just kept rising. She has met the Queen and lunched with Prince William but later this year will transform into Elle Woods for the stage adaptation of Legally Blonde.

Luckily for us, Lucy has been able to return home to Perth for a few months for a series of more intimate shows before Legally Blonde steals her away.

“I’ve been so fortunate to be able to do what I love,” says the effervescent singer, actress and dancer. “I have to pinch myself because I feel like I am constantly learning. I wonder if I’ll ever feel like I have arrived when there is so much to learn. I keep learning things about my characters right until the last show, so I never get bored. There’s always something to try and that’s what inspires me.”

In Perth Lucy is starring in Opening Doors as part of the much-loved Cabaret Soiree season DownStairs at The Maj. She teams up with composer, lyricist and good friend Matthew Robinson, who has recently returned from New York, in a musical journey through his songs as well as a couple of Lucy’s favourites.

“Through these songs we speak about our personal experiences, our lives and what we have been up to so far. We’re performing musical theatre repertoire and I’ll do songs from Wicked and Carousel too.”

While Lucy has loved her time on the stage in a big musical, she also missed smaller intimate venues and the chance to write some of her own material.

“It has been really great to have a chance to sink my teeth into this kind of show and have a bit more of a creative hand in writing as well. You don’t have much of that when you do a pre-packaged musical. Learning a whole new collection of songs and doing only a handful of performances really keeps you on your toes. That makes those nights really special.”

While here, Lucy has found time to work on some of her own songs for possible recording, something she has had more chance to do as her schedule isn’t so hectic.

“I think in this industry you have to end up becoming so many things – doing concerts, film or television – so there’s more chance of being employed. At the same time it’s really fun and I’m never bored with nothing to do.”

Lucy’s relaxed pace won’t stay that way for long because after her Perth engagements, she heads back to Sydney to start rehearsals for Legally Blonde. That will include spending time bonding with her on-stage Chihuahua, who’ll play the cute Bruiser.

“The music in this production is really clever and they have done a great job. It sounds catchy, contemporary, fun and smart.

“I’ve seen the movie a gazillion times before I ever knew about the musical. It has always been a favourite. It has froth and bubble but there’s also a smart story about a girl who stays true to herself. I’ve always loved that; it can’t be any more feel-good.”

Lucy will swap her bedazzled Wicked clothes for plenty of pink when she steps into Elle Woods. Luckily pink is her favourite colour.

Lucy Durack appears in Opening Doors DownStairs at The Maj from June 20 – 23 and Musicals in Concert with Lucy Durack and Friends at the Concert Hall in two shows on June 10. Legally Blonde opens in Sydney on October 4. Tickets for all shows are now on sale.

Cabaret Soiree:  Image by Blueprint Studios

IN Masters

If you’re not a regular visitor to the Art Gallery of Western Australia, it’s time to change your habits. A collection of art’s modern masterpieces are spending the rest of the year in our city.

When was the last time you visited the art gallery? Reckon there’s nothing there for you?

Well, think again – especially when an exhibition of 20th century masters from New York’s Museum of Modern Art goes up on the walls.

The exhibition, called Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters, will feature more than 100 modern masterpieces by 14 of the most iconic artists of the last century. Ranging from Pablo Picasso to Andy Warhol the exhibition will also include celebrated works by Henri Matisse, Constantin Brancusi, Piet Mondrian, Fernand Léger, Marcel Duchamp, Giorgio De Chirico, Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois, Jasper Johns, Jackson Pollock and Romare Bearden.

“These exhibitions are about making people feel comfortable in this space,” effuses Dr Stefano Carboni, the director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia. “Art is not for the elite. It’s not about not knowing anything but just being able to look at things. It’s about your personal feelings and reactions to a work of art.

“Whether you think it’s good or bad, any kind of reaction already means that you are in tune with it. You don’t necessarily need the help of experts to enjoy it because art is for everybody.”

Opening next month, the exhibition is a collaboration between the Art Gallery of Western Australia and The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and is the first of six exclusive exhibitions from New York to be seen in Perth over the next three years. They will include a landscapes and still life show, iconic photography of New York, contemporary art through digital media, a design collection devoted to kitchenware featuring a complete kitchen, and post-impressionist masterpieces.

“The initial idea behind the collection is that instead of having a major show or an important international show every few years we would try to engage with a single institution once a year. In this case the public of WA could expect two such shows a year,” Stefano says.

Consisting of around 130 pieces, the exhibition starts in the 1900’s and ends with the work of the only living artist of the collection, 81-year-old Jasper Johns. Picasso will be represented by about nine oil paintings and six etchings while we’ll get to see three major works by De Chirico. Andy Warhol’s 32 legendary soup cans will be on display as will a self portrait and his Brillo Boxes.

The exhibition will be supported by a strong program of talks and activities. Stefano hopes this exhibition and indeed the whole series, will appeal also to tertiary students and the 18 – 35 age demographic alongside the dedicated and long-time lovers of the gallery. Because of the exclusive nature of the shows he also expects plenty of visitors from the eastern states.

Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters is at the Art Gallery of Western Australia from June 16 to December 3. Entry fees apply.

Image: Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) Self-Portrait, 1966 Silkscreen ink on synthetic polymer paint on nine canvases Each canvas 22 1/2 x 22 1/2" (57.2 x 57.2 cm), overall 67 5/8 x 67 5/8" (171.7 x 171.7 cm) The Museum of Modern Art, New York Gift of Philip Johnson © 2012 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Perth's "tight" rental market

Unless you’ve had your head in the sand lately, you will have been hearing a lot about Perth’s “tight” rental market.

Like all property commentary, I think it’s important to take note of the statistics and then to ask ourselves why this might be so, as well as what does it mean for you; the buyers, sellers and investors.

My first point is that I believe that this isn’t a short-term phenomenon just brought about by Western Australia’s rapidly growing population and current market conditions.

Rather, I think it reflects a structural change in the residential market here and represents new investment opportunities for all participants in the property market.

Factors such as housing affordability, the more transient nature of work, the desire to live in urban centres with their associated urban village  culture and  services, and the experimentation with different lifestyle options ahead of making firm, future decisions are all, I believe, driving the surge in demand for rentals.

As such, we can see this spike in rental demand and low vacancy rates as being an indication of a structural change in the residential property market and one that market participants should recognise and jump on, to maximise investment returns.

In essence, it’s a positive time to consider developing  and purchasing properties for the rental market because I don’t see this so-called “rental squeeze” coming to an end anytime soon.

We’ve changed. Perth has changed, and there’s a lot going on. Not only that, there is a growing proportion of our population ready and willing to rent, and stay renting.

“We’ve changed. Perth has changed, and there’s a lot going on. Not only that, there is a growing proportion of our population ready and willing to rent, and stay renting.”

Demand for rental property is exceeding supply and doesn’t look set to be satisfied anytime soon.

On this basis investors can see a new investment with strong, stable returns and a good future, provided they make informed choices and engage a solid property management service to care for both their tenant and their property.

There’s definitely no longer an argument to stand on the sidelines in the Perth residential property market. Opportunity awaits.

IN Rainforests

A home in the middle of the Queensland rainforest was the perfect base for a stunning new nature photography book.

The pupa which hatched on Stanley Breeden’s desk is typical of how close to nature he is. Raising the butterfly from a tiny caterpillar has made it one of the stars of a beautiful new nature photography book.

Alongside his wife Kaisa, all they have to do is open the front door to be right in the middle of the Queensland rainforest. The pair have walked for hours, covering vast tracts of their Queensland property, which they have called home for more than two decades and the neighbouring national park.

Never without cameras on these walks, the couple have brought the images of their backyard together in a recently published book called Rainforest Country: An Intimate Portrait of Australia’s Tropical Rainforest. Combined with elegant and informative writings, the photos take you right to the heart of the rainforest. All that’s missing are the sounds and smells, but they’re easy to imagine when accompanied by page-sized photos.

For Stanley, digital photography opened up a whole new world of colour after a lifetime of shooting film. Never hugely satisfied with the colour spectrum of film photography he almost gave it away until his wife convinced him that using digital would change things.

It did and the results are evident in the book, as the photographs vibrate with life and texture. Whether it’s the perfect camouflage of a frog, the hard blue nuts which litter the canopy floor or the detail in the scales of a lizard, the colour is vibrant and arresting.

“Depending on the subject, it could take half an hour or we might have to come back over many weeks,” Kaisa says. “Sometimes, the subject might just get up and run away. Other times we have to wait for the right season, or just wait until we find something, which is why we worked on this book for about two years.”

The area Stanley and Kaisa photographed in northern Queensland is one of two international biodiversity hotspots in Australia, which are the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on earth. The other is in the south-west of WA where the Breeden’s did their last book.

“The patterns of nature and the sheer variety is something we are really captivated by,” says Kaisa. “For example a lot of flowers are like things from the ocean. We love getting up close to that. We are trying to encourage a renewed vision of nature and a view of it people have never considered before.

“Looking up close, like our photos, is something you can do anywhere, whether it’s a moth, a cricket or a blade of grass. Change your view, have some curiosity and have a close-up look.”

Rainforest Country ($75 RRP) is published by Fremantle Press and available at all good bookstores.