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Scott Fitzgerald said it: “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me.” To which came the reply: “Yes. The rich have more money.” … which may not provide great insights into the rich, but does help explain why the top end real estate market does not work to

Wind back the clocks. It’s 2010. Things are moving. Agents are forming disorderly queues outside the dealerships of German automobiles. The town’s tailors are eyeing bolts of deep blue. Cause? Not chaos politics, not stock market cheer, definitely not the weather. Our suspicion is that after two months of little to do but ponder, both

Welcome to this year. May your voyage be cheerful. What’s up? The share market. Unlike last year, the real estate market is not just real-estate driven. Now the share market has shaken itself back into life (for how long?) and what usually happens is happening: when the shares start to run, the home market starts

Fat bloke. Red suit. Portsea pier, heading inland. “Ho, ho, ho,” (heard from pub). Something’s up. Real estate gloom rules hereabouts. Has all year. … and never brought to mind … FB descends on 140 Franklin Road. Bid bid bid. Gone for $2,260,000. Wrap it up. Quick jog to 27 Wattle Grove. “Mid 1’s.” is

The windows of opportunity are closing and both buyers and sellers are aware that, comes Christmas, they all slam shut. Sure sign? In the last week a number of expressions-of-interest closed early – vendors taking the sure thing rather than the bet. It’s now or next year. Buyers, too, are eager for decisions and that’s an

Yes, we act for buyers and, yes, we’d rather see markets falling than rising but above all we prefer healthy markets. When properties are being bought and sold it (mostly) adds up to joy for the world of buyers and sellers. That large gentleman in the red suit appeared to arrive early over the weekend.

We say again, it’s not one market, it’s many; especially at the top end. Each sale can be unique. But there are some trends in the submarine warfare where everything happens below the surface until eventually, inevitably, intentionally or otherwise, something rises from the depths. How long is an Expressions-of-Interest? It’s the piece-of-string question we’re asked

Markets work when they are open – when everyone knows how they work and what to expect. The top end? It’s more like a detective story. Good guys, bad guys and every swank nightclub has a dank lane out the back where the unspeakable goes to hide. All it needs now is a blonde with

Just this once – and we cannot guarantee it will ever happen again – we’re in agreement with a number of the pundits in the papers: the market is stabilising. Where we still differ with many is why. We’ve been pointing out for several yonks that it’s buyers, not sellers or agents, who decide prices.

While the roses are coming in to bloom at Flemington, there’s a garden of high-5’s sprouting in Toorak Road. “It’s over!” “Happy days are here again.” [pullquote]”Maaaaaate! We’re back!”[/pullquote] Queues are forming outside shiny car dealerships. Car sales people are flashing shiny teeth. But do eight or ten sales make a market? We’re seeing a lot