Market Update

First Home Buyers a Small % of Market

First home buyer numbers have decreased to 18.1% of all owner occupiers down from 26.8% in February last year, on a national scale. The average first home buyer loan size has also fallen from $290,100 in December 2008 to $282,100 currently.

Housing Loans

Home loan volumes are also declining with owner occupier housing loans falling by - 1.8% for the month of February. They are down -16.1% over the year.

Million Dollar Properties

Nationally there were 19,417 house and unit sales priced at or over one million dollars last year. This was 21 per cent lower than what was recorded in 2007.

Source RP data

What type of smoke alarm do I need?

The type of smoke alarm you need depends on the age of your home and when you purchased it:

- If you owned or had a residential rental property before 1 February 1998, you are required to fit a replaceable battery powered smoke alarm.
- If you purchased your home or residential rental property on or after 1 February 1998, your smoke alarm must be fitted within 6 months of date of purchase of the property and you are required to fit a:
- 240 volt, mains powered smoke alarm OR
- a 10 year life, non-replaceable, non-removable, permanently connected battery powered smoke alarm.
- If your home or the residential rental property was built on or after 1 January 1995, you are required to fit a 240 volt mains powered smoke alarm.

JDRF - Spin to Cure Diabetes


It's on again! Last year Jock Gilbert Real Estate entered their inaugural team for the Spin to Cure event to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

We're back again for this year's event on April 23rd in Rundle Mall.

The Spin to Cure Diabetes is an outdoor stationary bicycle competition. Each team, made up of five people, must "spin" for 40 minutes in a stationary "race" to see who can rack up the most mileage. Each team member has only 8 minutes to spin as hard and as fast as they can with the team that spins the furthest declared the winner.

To help JDRF find a cure for type 1 diabetes, you can make a donation online. No matter how large or small, your gift will help JDRF continue to move research from the laboratory through to a clinical reality for the 140,000 Australians currently living with type 1 diabetes.


For more information on the event and to find out how you can help please visit www.jdrf.org.au/spin

We're the biggest!

Travelling around the globe Australia came out on top when it comes to the size of our homes. In 2009 the average size in square metres of new homes in Australia was 214.9sqm. New Zealand 196.2sqm - Greece 1126sqm - Italy 81.5 - UK 76.2sqm.

Source The Weekend Australian, Feb 20 2010

Toorak Gardens - highest median rent in 2009

The median rent in Toorak Gardens in 2009 was $580 per week - almost $100 more than the year before and the highest in the state. Henley Beach South had the next highest median rent of $550 while other eastern suburbs, Wattle Park, Millswood, Dulwich and Rose Park were close behind.

The cheapest weekly rent in both 2008 and 2009 was paid in Elizabeth.

Rental stock levels rose in 2009 due to the first home owners grant causing renters to leave the rental market and buy their first home.

Source The Advertiser, Feb 17 2010