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Guess what. The top end is as quiet as we’ve seen it in more than 20 years. The silence that ain’t golden. Sign of the times: the number of agents who have abandoned ship for points north. The town is near-deserted. That’s a worry – or should be for their clients. There are agencies which […]

Just when we thought everyone was heading to the airport with tickets to places warmer, the bears emerged. Ready for one last meal before winter hibernation. [pullquote]… suddenly the prices have been righter …[/pullquote]Bears? They’re only seen when the price is right – and suddenly the prices have been righter than they have been for

And now, the end is near – of the financial year, that is. OK, there are still 26 days to run, but at the top end there’s precious little left to run with. Time to trot out Auld Lang Syne? Yes. But. [pullquote]The times they are a changing.[/pullquote]The times they are a changing. Time was

You’ve heard it, we’ve heard it: crowds of ex-pats being sardined into jumbos, coming home from points North along with mainland Chinese to buy all that top end property we locals can’t afford. Really? [pullquote] …we’d better check it out.”[/pullquote]Thought we’d better check it out. Climbed onto a plane and headed to HK (and Damian

Listen … Silence. It’s all around us. Silence. [pullquote]… not even an echo.”[/pullquote]First comes the expressions-of-interest campaign, followed by … not even an echo. Nothing. No agent chest-thumping. No shouting it’s all joy again. Nothing. Either the sale has not been made or it’s at a price the agent would rather not admit to. All

Fear and greed have long been given the honours as the great drivers of the stock market and they’re probably at work in just about any market you can name. But the real estate market … The real estate market dances not only to its own drum, but to its own orchestra. [pullquote]To fear and

 Good Friday is supposed to put the market to bed, but by the time the Easter Bunny arrived everyone was up. Suddenly there was more going on than we’ve seen since early last year. $10 million and over properties were in demand. And selling. Those which had been wallflowers for dance after dance after dance were

The siren sounds. The players run on to the field. The crowd’s roar … can barely be heard. Where is the crowd? [pullquote] …their lungs and legs ain’t what they used to be.”[/pullquote]Players wander, waiting for the bounce. And what players: the new kids – seen little and know it all; the old stagers – know

There is no normal anymore. Everything is the exceptional. Nothing’s happening up in the stratosphere? Right. With the exception of two off-market sales – each over $12 million – in the past week. Not cheap. Not forced sales. Not 10-15% discounts. Just four parties who wanted to transact quietly and to get on with their

It’s a buzz through the inner suburbs (with many of those who live there attempting to swat it). It’s a fever that’s supposed to spread to the auction scene, but to the untrained eye a lot of not very much was all there was to be seen. [pullquote]All the real action was under the water.”[/pullquote]Those