WA’s top 10 property hotspots

It’s the bargain property hunter’s annual guide to the best places in WA to buy property

Terry Ryder, of hotspotting.com.au, has released his annual list of WA’s top “hotspots” – suburbs and towns where there is potential for good capital growth or better-than-average rental yields.

While the locations are little changed from last year, the reasons for buying have

Source  :  www.watoday.com.au

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North Beach property tests property market

THIS North Beach property could confirm whether Perth’s struggling real estate market has turned the corner. 

Real estate experts say that during the height of WA’s property boom the 1346sqm ocean-front house on West Coast Drive would have fetched more than $5 million.

It is for auction on Saturday and the selling price will be a strong indication of whether property prices, especially for top-end homes, have started to recover.

Nexus sales consultant Peter Berridge, who specialises in the North Beach area, said the property would have been highly sought after during the 2006-07 housing boom.

“It’s a nice elevated lot, with a nice frontage. It’s got everything going for it,” Mr Berridge said.

“I don’t think it would be an over-exaggeration to think it might have sold for in excess of $5 million (back then). We were going through an era where it didn’t seem to matter what you paid for it, you were always going to make a packet until the proverbial hit the fan.”

Mr Berridge said he believed values had dropped about 40 per cent since the property peak.

“The last sale was 341 West Coast Drive in Trigg that sold for $2.2 million and it was a very choice piece of land _ something like that could have possibly pulled $4 million in 2007 and I can mention lesser blocks that sold for more than $4 million,” he said.

According to Landgate, North Beach has enjoyed solid property value growth in the past decade.
It recorded a 19.4 per cent average annual growth rate in the 10 years to December 2008. It also recorded strong growth last year and was among the Perth metropolitan area’s Top 10 performing suburbs, with a 17.7 per cent jump in median house prices.

But during this period it recorded a low volume of sales activity, with just 19 homes sold.
This could have skewered the statistics.

“There’s no doubt that the market for premium coastal property has come back since the height of 2007,” Real Estate Institute of WA president Rob Druitt said.

“Indications are that the first signs of recovery are starting to come through now, so there’s certainly a unique opportunity for buyers who are (looking) in that market,” he said.

Mr Druitt said it has been a bottom-up recovery, so if the top end was reasonably priced and sold, it could give a good indication that Perth’s entire property market had seen the worst.

Source  :  www.news.com.au

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Heavy rain, thunderstorms lash Perth and South-West

WILD weather has caused havoc across Perth, uprooting trees, tearing off roofs and plunging homes into darkness.   

Winds travelling at more than 100km/h tore through the city overnight, ripping the roof off a granny flat in Doubleview, collapsing a ceiling in Joondalup and blowing in the windows of a house in City Beach.

More than 17,000 are believed to be without power because of the storm, mostly in the Perth hills.

State and Emergency Services (SES) have recorded 70 calls for help since 7am, with a total of 125 incidents logged since 6pm last night and 240 properties impacted.

Damage has been reported in coastal suburbs from Two Rocks to Rockingham and all SES units in the metropolitan area have been activated with volunteers in Northam called in for backup.

A series of cold fronts have been lashing the city since Friday, with Rottnest, Ocean Reef, Mandurah and Bickley some of the worst hit areas.

Ocean Reef recorded a wind gust of 107km/h and gusts of 115km/h were recorded at Rottnest, where ferry services have been cancelled.

The ports of Fremantle and Kwinana ports have suspended operations until midday.

Across the state, Cape Naturalist and Cape Leeuwin recorded wind gusts of up to 109km/h.  There have been reports of fallen trees and minor damage to homes in Bunbury, Busselton and Capel.

The WA Bureau of Meteorology says it is the wettest day of the year.

Flights from Perth’s international terminal are running half an hour behind schedule, and Main Roads are urging motorists to slow down and take care in the inclement weather.

Near the city, waves from the Swan River were lapping around peak hour traffic on the Kwinana Freeway this morning, while Riverside Drive and parts of Beaufort St have isolated flooding.

Traffic lights are out on the intersection of Great Eastern Highway and Stoneville Rd in Mundaring and at the junction of Kalamunda Rd and Gooseberry Hill Rd.

WA Bureau of Meteorology climate information officer John Relf says 23.2mm of rain has fallen overnight taking Perth much closer to the 177mm average with 147.8mm of rain recorded this month.

“We have exceeded last year’s June rainfall of 142mm,” he said.

Heavy rain has been reported from Collie to Walpole.

WA Water Corporation spokeswoman Clare Lugar says dams should have now started benefiting from the all rainfall.

“Up until Friday the streams hadn’t started to flow,” Ms Lugar said.  “But we are expecting it to have begun flowing over the weekend.” 

The wild weather is expected to ease up later tonight with fine weather forecast by Thursday.

Source  :   www.news.com.au

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The mystery of the missing python

A sick snake has been stolen from Perth’s northern suburbs, sparking a police hunt.                                                                                                       

The two-metre long carpet python was being cared for by the Department of Environment and Conservation at its wildlife research centre at Woodvale.

The centre was broken into some time between Friday and yesterday morning and police believe the python was taken then. It was being cared for due to illness and there are concerns for its welfare.

A police spokeswoman said it was not ordinarily considered dangerous, but was capable of causing a “nasty bite” which could be “particularly dangerous” to young children.

Source  :  www.watoday.com.au

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Rent a Holiday Home in Perth

CLICK HERE TO VISIT RENTAL PROPERTY WEBSITE

Set in the quiet residential neighbourhood of Mindarie, this picturesque house is only a minutes walk from a beautiful park and playground, 10 minutes stroll from the lively bars and restaurants found along the boardwalk at Mindaire Marina, and a quick 2 minute drive from door to shore.

What makes this house different, and so much better, than all the other rental properties out there today? Simple. It’s not just a rental property, it’s a home. And because it’s lived in, it will offer you exactly what you’ll be missing when you first touch down in Perth – all of the creature comforts that will make you feel at home.

So whether you are looking for somewhere to stay for your beach side holiday, or just a place to park your suitcases when you first arrive, this house might be just what you’re looking for – the perfect to unwind, relax, explore and settle into a new life in Perth.

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WA Chelsea fans bleed blue and white

BLUE and white blood runs in their veins. They eat, breathe and sleep blue and white, and bleed blue and white blood.            

Who are they?

They are the Perth Chelsea Football Club Supporters Group, and they might be coming to a pub near you.

About 70 people, some from the northern suburbs, make up the blue and white army, a small but dedicated band of followers whose mission it is to support and celebrate, lose and lament with the team from their Perth base.

Their fearless leader, president Steve Van Doorn, from Butler, co-ordinates the group’s activity, which mainly consist of late-nights and early mornings in various pubs or supporters’ houses to catch live telecasts of each game in the October to March season.

“The northern suburbs have a strong contingent of more than 35 members who have been meeting regularly in Butler, Quinns, Kinross, Banksia Grove or Landsdale for the last six years,” he said.

Mr Van Doorn said the group ranged in age, from the four- and five-year-old children of members, to men and women in their 60s, some London ex-pats whose passion for the round ball game followed them across the ocean.

FA Cup fever has gripped the group, with a Chelsea versus Everton final on Saturday, May 30.

“It’s a 10pm kick-off, which is really an early night for us considering the telecasts of most games start about 2.45am here,” he said.

“One of our members wore a ‘The Who’ T-shirt to a game we won so now he can’t take it off until we’ve won the final – it’s just a superstition but he wears that shirt like a badge of pride.”

Source   www.inmycommunity.com.au

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Daylight Saving Result

The votes have been counted and WA has again rejected daylight saving.

For the fourth time in 34 years West Australians gave daylight saving the thumbs down.   West Australians have rejected daylight saving in what will be the final referendum during the Barnett Government’s  power.

Results showing No vote has a lead – 531,786 votes against daylight saving compared to 426,531 for Yes to save  daylight saving. 

Premier Colin Barnett post an early vote  placing a ‘Yes’ on his ballot paper, although he said a ‘Yes’ vote was unlikely to win.

Mr Barnett described the poll as a lifestyle issue and said whatever the outcome it would not really effect people’s lives.

The Yes cause fared best in northern coastal suburbs such as Joondalup, Mindarie, Ocean Reef and Hillarys.

In WA’s agricultural region the no vote had a massive 83.84 per cent of the vote.

Three per cent of WA voters were undecided.

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