12 January 2012

Should the Australian Government concern itself with Canberra property prices? [With Poll]

| johnboy
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Today’s latest effort by Liberal Senator Gary Humphries is built on a novel contention.

Based on data from the ever reliable Property Council he appears to be arguing that the size of the public service should be dictated by sentiment in the Canberra property market.

Some naive souls like your correspondent might think that minor trifles; like the policy priorities of the elected Government, or delivering the best value for money to the Australian people as a whole, might receive priority consideration.

But Senator Humphries appears to think the portfolio values of the Property Council should be dominating the apparatus of Government.

How common is this greedy gouging mentality which would rightly earn the hatred of the rest of the nation?

The appropriate size of the Public Service

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shirty_bear said :

CoffinRX2 said :

… its not hard, .. just sacrifices need to be made thats all

Pretty sure that’s what “it’s hard” means :-/

Being on a substantially-less-than-Canberra-average salary, I’ve still managed to buy a 3 bedroom house myself.

Giving up nights out on the town, purchasing brand new cars, overseas holidays.. that’s not doing it “hard”, it’s called having priorities.

CoffinRX2 said :

… its not hard, .. just sacrifices need to be made thats all

Pretty sure that’s what “it’s hard” means :-/

Pestiness, “not surprising the market is headed for a crash”? … wow the amount of times I’ve heard that since I moved here 8 years ago

EvanJames: I’m 32, single income of a fair amount less than 1x EL2 and managed to buy a 4bed ensuite, double garage home in Belco 2 years ago, … its not hard, .. just sacrifices need to be made thats all

Thanks for the clarification, RedDog. I guess it’s more of a moral/ethical issue than it is a legal one, and considering we’re talking real estate, then I guess the former code doesn’t really apply… or so it seems. I know I’m going off on a tangent…
If the vendor wasn’t prepared to sell for the price the hammer went down on, I think they should either be putting forward a reserve price prior to the auction or if it didn’t reach the price they wanted, they should pass it in and put it on the open market – not continue the auction. It just seems dirty to me. I guess that’s the name of the game.

EvanJames said :

Used to be that “the property market” was just houses, for people to live in. Now it’s a huge hungry industry, houses are “investments” rather than homes, and ordinary folk who aren’t on 2 X EL2 incomes can’t afford one unless they move to Yass.

Bitter much?

I was so disappointed that there were no fantastical sentences today. Just a total lack of apostrophes in the right places: ‘arent’, ‘The Federal Governments actions’, the ‘national capitals future’. Someone doesn’t know how to do them, and is playing it safe by leaving them all out. Or that’s my guess.

It’s currently 35% of people saying ‘makes me rich and screw the rest of society’, but I’ll be charitable and assume they’re having a laugh. Either that or I’m surrounded by grasping soulless Scrooges hiding behind their carefully untrimmed hedges and ‘Refugees Welcome’ stickers.

I love the idea of real estate agents running the country; imagine all the policy ideas written in the language of the trade: ‘This charming refugee policy comes complete with in-built swimming pool and interesting rock-feature!’.

‘This Aboriginal health policy is a handyman’s dream!’

EvanJames said :

Used to be that “the property market” was just houses, for people to live in. Now it’s a huge hungry industry, houses are “investments” rather than homes, and ordinary folk who aren’t on 2 X EL2 incomes can’t afford one unless they move to Yass.

Tell us about the old times again! What was it liek to ride a horse to school? Did you really shoot the Kaiser?

bikhet said :

The ACT Government. though, should be concerned about property prices in Canberra. They seem to be more interested in the luxury end of the market rather than the pile ’em high and sell ’em cheap end.

The ACT government is extremely concerned with property prices in Canberra. Concerned with keeping them as high as possible that is.

How else are they meant to have a budget that’s not in massive deficit and afford all the public art?

The Federal Government should be no more concerned about property prices in Canberra than they should be about property prices anywhere else in Australia – and there are some things there that they should be concerned about.

The ACT Government. though, should be concerned about property prices in Canberra. They seem to be more interested in the luxury end of the market rather than the pile ’em high and sell ’em cheap end.

Used to be that “the property market” was just houses, for people to live in. Now it’s a huge hungry industry, houses are “investments” rather than homes, and ordinary folk who aren’t on 2 X EL2 incomes can’t afford one unless they move to Yass.

steveu said :

Im sorry to say that I think the libs have really just spelled out who they are working for, and how they will use public money.

You mean there was ever any doubt?

Im sorry to say that I think the libs have really just spelled out who they are working for, and how they will use public money.

Gazumping is not illegal anywhere. Any seller can accept a higher offer prior to contracts being exchanged. At an auction, contracts are typically exchanged at the completion of the auction if the price is acceptable.

If prices are exorbitant then its because what people are prepared to pay.

I attended an auction not so long ago. Disgusted that practice that is blatantly illegal across the border (gazumping) is openly flaunted in the territory. Our prices are exorbidant and it is not surprising the market is headed for a crash.

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