The Chief Minister is jumping for joy and announcing that he can finally name a lender willing to be involved in his land rent scheme.
The ACT Government has welcomed the announcement by Community CPS Australia that it will embrace the ACT Government’s nation-leading Land Rent Scheme.
The scheme, which allows those on modest incomes to [...]

The National Capital Authority has announced that they’ve formally and finally given up on Draft Amendment 53 which would have seen eight story residential development in the Albert Hall precinct.
At its Authority meeting on Thursday 18 June, the National Capital Authority agreed to withdraw Draft Amendment 53, which proposed a change to the land use [...]

What has happened to minimum standards for energy efficiency ratings for houses in the ACT?
On the weekend we visited a house for sale in Harrison which was only three years old – and it had only a 3-star EER. That’s 3 out of a possible maximum of 6! Our current house in Palmerston, which is [...]

The ABC has picked up a Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) media release claiming that in Hobart, Darwin and Canberra it’s cheaper to buy a house than to rent it.
This is mostly because house prices are dropping while rents are not.
Before taking it to seriously though, remember that it’s the REIA’s job to encourage [...]

Perusing a newish listing on Allhomes recently I was somewhat perplexed at the appearance of a front “lawn”. Was it fake grass? Was the photo taken back in the days before water restrictions? No, I think it’s been altered.
Here’s two views of the same lawn…

According to Real Estate Institute of Australia guidelines “Representations made by [...]

A wet holiday monday might strike some of you as a funny time to announce a major package of relief for real estate developers, but this is a funny town… it’s just how we roll.
Katy Gallagher and Andrew Barr have jointly announced the package which mucks around with change of use charges:
ACT Treasurer, Katy [...]

Hi all, 
Wife and I are curious to know which suburbs / streets have the best views in Canberra?
In particular, which areas have the best vews out to the West / south of canberra looking out over the Brindabellas?
Thanks!

The ABC reports that ActewAGL are toying with getting homeowners to pay for the privelige of having their powerlines run underground.

ActewAGL says putting in an underground network in Canberra’s older suburbs would cost several thousand dollars per house.
But the move would increase the value of a home by almost 3 per cent.
Mick Charlton from [...]

With Cleverclogs sending in a photo I felt inspired to pass on the Chiefly One’s enthusiasm for the new suburb of Casey. He can be seen here starting work for it with his shiny shovel.
The great enthusiasm for Casey is that 22% of the blocks are considered to be “affordable” as opposed to the mandated [...]

We still await the identity of Mr. Stanhope’s secret lender for his land rent scheme.
In the meantime the Liberals have handed over a wedge of hilarious correspondence, by what feels like everyone involved in the scheme, expressing their doubts about it.
Someone (presumably in Liberal HQ) has handily highlighted the good bits but I will briefly [...]

The Canberra Times reports at length on the sentencing of former mortgage broker Kelvin Mark Skeers who went to illegal and dishonest lengths to secure mortgages for his clients, and in the process netted himself $7,000 in fees.
His employer, ACT Mortgages, also cleared $30,000 on the deal.
In sentencing Justice Gray has given Mr Skeers a [...]

Dear Rioters,
Does anyone know of any reputable companies who can add a room or two to the top of a garage?
We have been thinking of selling the house, but my wife wonders if adding a room or two above the garage, and then staying put, wouldn’t be a better idea.
We figure we’ll need about $100, [...]

Chief Minister Stanhope is claiming to be striking a blow for housing affordability by giving a hurry up to land releases:
Two residential development sites, one at West Macgregor and one at Casey, will be released by direct sale to the developers already delivering blocks on adjacent land, to accelerate land release and boost housing [...]

The ABC brings the happy news that the long abandoned, but occasionally re-fitted at great expense, Anzac Park West (big building at the end of Anzac Parade) has had a nibble from Defence who want to put 900 staff in there who don’t quite make the grade for office space in Russell.
Public Works Committee [...]

I just heard on channel 7 this morning that the govt may turn Hibberson street, Gungahlin into a mall.
Do any RA readers know anything about this?

Chief Minister Stanhope is inviting consultation on 8 new parks planned for discarded school sites in Macarthur, Rivett, Mt Neighbour, Cook, Melrose, Weston, Holt and Village Creek.
“We have listened to the community’s views and developed draft plans that reflect the preference for open space to be retained at these sites. The draft plans include play [...]

The ABC delivers us a masterclass in spin based governance. Jon Stanhope is proclaiming success for his multi-faceted housing strategy.
The basis for this claim?
Sixty cheaper house and land packages were offered for sale at the Brindabella estate at West Macgregor, but Mr Stanhope says only a third were sold.
The Chief Minister says the clearance [...]

When playing Sim City a smart player clusters industry on their borders so that the pollution they have to cope with is effectively halved while their neighbour cops a load.
The Canberra Times reports that a new industrial precinct being planned for the border (between Oaks Estate and Canberra Avenue) is going to be called “Beard” [...]

How to make houses cheaper? Have more of them.
To that end Chief Minister Stanhope has announced that he’s going to be releasing 3,000 “dwelling sites” to the market each year for the next five years.
Unless it makes housing too affordable of course, because home owners can vote pretty cohesively:
“While the intention is to release 3,000 [...]

I can understand when people park their cars in narrow streets or cul-de-sacs that they may obstruct the road a little, meaning anyone driving past has to take a little more care. Although, if it’s a narrow street, most responsible drivers would be driving slower than on a main thoroughfare to make allowances for any [...]

[First filed: May 05, 2009 @ 09:05]

Back in 1988 quite a bit of bicentennial money was spent on the Downer shops. A very nice precinct was created, almost like a monastic cloister.
Having lived in Downer a couple of times it was something I really appreciated.
Over the years the fortunes of the shops has waxed and [...]

The Liberals have been putting the new FOI regime to good use, this time digging up what the nation’s banks thought of the controversial land rent scheme.
What Commonwealth Bank said: “… (The bank) is concerned about the risk it would be assuming in providing finance for the depreciating asset…”
What St George said: “…there was no [...]

I have heard too many times that Canberra has a housing shortage and that this is why house prices are so absurdly high.  So I did some digging and looked at median house price growth vs. population growth vs. new dwelling commencements.  The figures (limited by data availability) are as follows:

Population growth 2002-2007: 17086 people [...]

The Canberra Times has the bombshell news that the city with the highest average incomes is building the largest average homes.
Sad news for the witterers on 666 talkback that no-one appears to be listening to them.

Andrew Barr is asking for your thoughts on the proposed development of Lawson South. Basically the northern shore of Lake Ginninderra.
You can find the draft planning study online.
To have your say send in written comments by 12 May 2009 to: Project Manager, Lawson South Planning Study, Land Policy Section, ACT Planning and Land Authority
Post: GPO [...]

My daughter is thinking of buying in Goulburn.
We were wondering if anyone knew if there was a bus that goes Goulburn – Canberra for those that work in the ACT?

The Canberra Times brings word of a need for Belconnenites to familiarise themselves with the sky being blotted out by towering high rises.
High-rise apartment blocks on Lake Ginninderra and in the Belconnen Town Centre will be a shock at first but people will get used to them, Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says.
His vision is [...]

The ACT Planning and Land Authority has announced a workshop tomorrow at ANU as part of their policy development process related to the “Bush Capital” nature of Canberra.
The Bush Capital workshop will cover a range of issues including the recreational use of Canberra’s parks and open spaces, threats to flora and fauna in our suburbs, [...]

Sister banshee called me with her woes of looking for property that I thought I’d share with Rioters.
 I’ll stop short of identifying the agent but she looked at a very popular unit in Deakin which is currently being rented for a phenominal all-inclusive rent.  Based on the pricing of the other units around it and [...]

Last night there were people camping out at the entrance to the new suburb of Crace.
I’m curious to know why.
Are they releasing land today?

In the Canberra Times John Thistleton (the thinking man’s real estate groupie) is having a gush over plans for ASIO’s new headquarters on Constitution Avenue.
With five storeys of glass walls and sitting on a stepped podium, ASIO’s sleek new headquarters in the
Parliamentary Triangle nonetheless aims to have a low profile.
Landscaping will ensure the $527million edifice [...]

Granted you have to gather ye rosebuds while ye may in this topsy turvy life.
But I’m still amused by Jon Stanhope’s latest offering claiming success in the Bonner land sale and simultaneous vindication of his “Affordable Housing Action Plan”:

“The high demand for the latest land released by the Land Development Agency (LDA) at Bonner is [...]