Does gender inequality still exist in Australia?

With a Queen as the head of the Monarchy of England, Quentin Bryce as Governor General for Australia and Julia Gillard as elected Prime Minister of Australia; it is easy to assume that gender inequality in Australia is dead and buried. Wrong. Similarly the assumption could be made that because Barack Obama is the elected president of America, racism no longer exists on its soil. Racism and Gender inequality follow similar lines however the line of gender inequality is not always clear. In fact “students are more willing to accept the reality of racism, heterosexism, and class inequality than sexism” (Copp and Kleinman 2008). In light of the Royal Wedding a few weeks ago this event and the overwhelming interest from the general public proves that socialisation of gender inequality is still alive and well. The Royal Wedding included socialised stereotypes; girl meets her prince charming, commoner marrying into money, a breathtakingly beautiful bride, girl becomes a Princess and many more. Two billion people around the world watched this extremely lavish affair. American’s, in large numbers, were amongst the two billion watching across the world however they are not a part of the monarchy. So what’s the connection? The public have been socialised to want a fairy tale life and happy ending. If we look closely at the Royal Wedding Princess Catherine’s happy ending includes the following; obeying her husband (even though this word was omitted from the vows, who is she kidding?), living off Prince William’s “families” money, reproducing another heir to the throne and remaining beautiful always. It is true society has come a long way in fighting the battle of gender inequality however it is still present in every aspect of our lives; predominantly work family and the media. It is the taboo topic of the twenty first century. This crippling view that females are a lesser species is an accepted notion because it has been socialised within us to an extent that it is almost as natural as our sex. This issue is becoming so big that the United Nations have “created a new entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women” (Hausmann, Tyson and Zahidi 2010). The Global Gender Gap index was introduced by the United Nations to combat the harrowing problems that gender inequality still creates. Remarkably, Australia is placed 23rd on the list of countries that possess gender equality, falling behind New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States. However, most alarmingly Australia is lagging behind Philippines, South Africa, Latvia, Trinidad and Mozambique. So where are Australians going wrong?
Broadly speaking, a male and female stereotype within the work arena is still as present as it was one hundred years ago. In recent times there has been an injection of individuals challenging these work/gender lines, for example male nurses, however, the distinction of gender associated with certain careers still remains. The stereotypical female roles include; shop assistant, nurse, administration and cleaner to name a few. These roles are cheerleading roles; all careers that play a supporting role. The conventional male roles include; trade, mining, factory workers, transport drivers, finance sector and politics. If you compare the two, the male careers are predominantly more profitable then the female careers. In Australia, women’s wages fall well below the national average. Women are also faced with the impediment of promotions for their life choices. Employers are reluctant to promote women of a certain age as they are more likely to start a family and leave their employer which can be a heavy burden on a company. Across the board, females are paid less than their male counterparts when undertaking the same roles. Research conducted by NATSEM for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia recently produced some alarming results in the disparity between males and females; females “earn up to 26% less than men and face a period of just 20 years of peak earning, compared to 40 years for men” (Cassells, et al. 2011). This is not taking into account the impact on a female’s superannuation. Sexual harassment and the overbearing sexism is another issue women face within the workplace. For example the case against David Jones (CEO Mark McInnes) who was sued for sexual harassment in the workplace. Ms Fraser-Kirk, the victim, approached David Jones management about Mr McInnes’ behaviour however was merely told how to deal with this behaviour when it arose again; “In failing to act early on McInnes's behaviour, DJs effectively condoned it, which seems only to have entrenched in the former executive's mind that his behaviour was permissible because he was kicking goals for the company in terms of profitability” (McIIwraith 2010). This neglect of a female’s right is riddled throughout small and large corporations.

Women are still leading the way with their contribution to unpaid work. This involves jobs around the home that are conducted without a monetary reward. The traditional expectation that a male comes home from their hardworking job to find their dinner on the table unfortunately still exists. This does not mean that males don’t participate in unpaid work, as gendered unpaid roles include mowing the lawns, washing the cars etc however the percentage is still heavily tipped towards the females. Within a family, the gender lines are deeply reinforced. This socialisation process begins at a very early age. From the moment a child is born they are associated with a colour; blue or pink. As they grow older, female toys are associated with gender roles; shopping, cooking, playing with dolls. Male toys include trucks, cars and tools. In fact, Mattel, Barbie creators, now a billion dollar company “sells about 10 million Barbies and 20 million accompanying outfits annually” (Furze 2008). It is generally the woman taking maternity leave to look after their newly born child. If a mother does return to work immediately she is faced with public scorn, as she is not home to look after her child. There has also been a strong stigma with mothers placing children in day care while they return to work. Day cares “can command fees of up to $125 a day” (Martel 2011). As day care prices rise, it is nearly impossible and pointless for mothers to return to work. Domestic violence against women is another strong issue that occurs within the family domain. Feminist’s theory believe that it is a sociological problem; males are sociologically trained to believe that they are superior and females inferior. “The more unequal women are compared to men in a society, the more likely men are to be violent toward women” (Yodanis 2004).

Since the release of the book “Men are from Venus and Women are from Mars” it has been heralded as supporting sociological views of gender that inhibits equality. That the species are inextricably different, not just biologically, but also internally; this influences how we think about gender. Feminists have been stereotyped by the media as; lesbian, butch, hairy legged monsters. Even Julia Gillard’s ascension as Prime Minister of Australia was an attack against feminism and women; claiming females are voting for Julia based on her gender and not on her political ideologies. Julia Gillard might be Prime Minister; however, this certainly doesn’t mean a win for feminism. A female as Prime Minister may do more damage than good. Ms Julia Gillard will be another example of a woman conforming to a male society. It is impossible for her to expose her feminist ideology without sidelining male and females alike who unfortunately the majority in Australia. In a very humorous article written by a Kathy Lette, a UK writer, she claims “Julia Gillard is not just a woman; she’s an unmarried, childless, proudly undomesticated feminist agnostic — who also happens to be shacked up with a hairdresser. In the land of cold beer and untrammelled misogyny, this is about the worst kind of human being possible” (Lette 2010). Unfortunately true, however, Lette received a backlash of Australian’s disagreeing with her sentiments. Media plays an important and pivotal role on gender inequality. Unfortunately the media is a double edged sword when it comes to gender equality. The media will always produce what the general public are interested in. After all the media relies on viewing, hits and readership to survive. The problem is that the general public, from birth, are socialised to associate themselves with gender stereotypes.

There is one place, however, that Australia came in first along with twenty two other countries; Education (Hausmann, Tyson and Zahidi 2010). Yes, Australia is one of the forerunners for gender equality in Education. Could this be that women are striving for fairer pay conditions and feel this is the only avenue to prove themselves as equal? I have outlined where gender inequalities still exist within Australia, however, there is one vital piece of the equation that I have not touched on. Female inequalities aren’t necessarily reinforced by males. Throughout it may seem I have ostracised males as the inhibiting factor behind gender equality; in some cases this is true. Bridging the gap doesn’t necessarily just involve males, it also involves females. Females can be the most critical of other females that are pushing the sociological boundaries of gender. If all females banded together and stood up for their rights to be treated as equals, these problems would be diminutive.






Bibliography

Cassells, Rebecca, Annie Abello, Yogi Vidyattama, and Linc Thurecht. NATSEM Univeristy of Canberra. March 15, 2011. http://www.canberra.edu.au/centres/natsem/publications (accessed May 10, 2011).



Copp, Martha, and Sherryl Kleinman. "Practicing What We Teach: Feminists Strategies for Teaching about Sexism." Feminsit Teacher (University of Illinois Press) 18, no. 2 (2008): 101-124.



FLI. "PM Julia: Atheism, Adultery, Feminism and Fabianism." Family Life International Australia. July 0, 2010. www.fli.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Julia.pdf (accessed May 7, 2011).



Furze, Brian and others. "Foundations." Chap. 4 in Sociology in Today's World, by Brian Furze, Pauline Savy, Robert J Brym and John Lie, 391-419. South Melbourne, Victoria: Cengage Learning Australia, 2008.



Hausmann, Ricardo, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi. The Global Gender Gap Report. Statistics, Switzerland: World Economic Forum, 2010, 1-334.



Lette, Kathy. "Strewth! There's a Sheila running Oz. And guess what? She's a feminist... and a Pom." Daily Mail. June 25, 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1289391/Julia-Gillard-Theres-Sheila-running-Oz-Shes-feminist--Pom.html#comments (accessed May 9, 2011).



Martel, Elinore. "Care or Career?" Sydney Morning Herald. January 19, 2011. http://www.smh.com.au/money/planning/costs-pose-a-tough-call-care-or-career-20110118-19uv9.html (accessed May 1, 2011).



McIIwraith, Ian. The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH). August 2, 2010. http://www.smh.com.au/business/djs-may-rue-mcinnes-payout-20100802-112zm.html (accessed May 10, 2011).



Yodanis, Carrie L. "Gender Inequality, Violence Against Women, and Fear; A Cross-National Test of the Feminist Theory of Violence Against Women." Journal of Interpersonal Violence (Sage Publications) 19, no. 6 (June 2004): 655-675.

Do the Liberal and Labor Party offer the same package in different wrapping?

As most of you may know I made a relatively quick exit out of Real Estate 9 months ago and did not manage to continue on with this blog.  Whilst spending time within the class room I have stumbled across some important Social and Political issues that I would like to continue to share.  Please feel free to unsubscribe as this blog will be completely unrelated to Real Estate.  I hope you enjoy the read and keep in mind all "Views" expressed within the blog are from my "Desk" and therefore my opinion only. 

The first Hung Parliament since World War 2 was the result of the 2010 Australian Federal Election. It is easily argued that the result reflected the indecisiveness of both major parties, adopting the same beliefs and packages; with different wrapping paper. Both major political parties have moved closer to the centre of the political spectrum, wary of straying too far left or right. Leadership now plays a pivotal role in the success of a party as their political ideologies are focussed around populism instead of radical and progressive views. To understand how both parties have evolved to represent the same political ideologies, it is imperative to research both major parties political history and their original ideologies from their inception and the changes both politically and socially they have adopted. The Labor Party’s roots were formed through a strong association with the Trade Unions and the collaborative minor parties formed the Liberal Party opposing the Democratic Socialist Labor Party. When both major parties were formed they had very strong radical views targeting only specific interest groups. Leaving those roots behind, both parties now try to cater for every political interest group, straying away from their core beliefs and selling the same product to the electorate.

Predominantly left-wing, the Labor ideologies were derived from Democratic Socialism. The origins of Labor came from the Trade Unions, principally transport, agriculture, maritime and the mining sectors. Their plight and reason to search for better rights for workers was pursued through politics and the need to make appropriate changes. Still prevalent today is Labor’s association with the working class people. Another avid supporter of the Labor Party, upon inception, was the Roman Catholic Church as it had very strong links with the working class sector. It was during the 1890’s that shearing and maritime strikes occurred claiming better rights and pay for its workers. The only way forward was to have political representation to pursue these rights. It wasn’t until 1910 that Andrew Fisher led the Australian Labor Party to a world first ALP majority government. Some of the policies they supported were based around the ideals of the Trade Unions; better wages for workers and better working conditions. Labor’s relationship with the Trade Union has been a tumultuous one; torn between the demands of the Trade Unions and businesses. Existing within the party from very early on, the Labor Party always “had a left-wing and a right-wing.” These supporters of the left and right wing became formal factions in the 1970’s.

Gough Whitlam was a strong leader in the 1970’s that implemented instrumental changes away from Labor’s grass roots. Trying to take a leaf from the Liberal’s, he made a rather difficult transition to a similar style of government of his opposition; this is referred to as a catch-all party type. This won him the election in 1972. The formal change was from a Democratic Socialist Party to a Social Democratic Party. An example of this was when Ben Chifley tried to nationalise all banks in the 1940’s in comparison to the 1980’s when the Labor government did the opposite in privatising the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the deregulation of controlled industries. There were other changes within the party which occurred due to social changes. For example, “The Australian White Policy”. It wasn’t until Chifley adopted an immigration program in the 1940’s that this changed. The Hawke & Keating Government offered some very different ideals to what the Labor Party originally endorsed; Hawke said “that Labor was not changing its principles, merely changing the means of implementing those principles’. So delegates, this conference is not a conference about ends. It is a conference about means'” in making reference to privatising Australian airlines, in particular Qantas. There is no doubt the Labor Party’s ideologies have changed somewhat from their early roots. As recent as the 2010 election result with the hung parliament, there was a strong swing to Green voters. John Howard claims the “record level of support for the Greens in the August election was made up of disaffected Labor voters.” Labor’s movement from their original roots have been witnessed through the Labor factions which could be a reason for tension within the party. Not only does the Labor Party have to cater for all voters, they also have to sustain their working relations within their own party. These factions are divided up into three groups; Left, Centre Left and Right on the political scale. “One of the greatest concerns of any Labor government is supporting labour policies without alienating other sectors of the community” , as well as the factions within their own party. For example the protest vote against Labor to the Green’s is already causing tension within the Labor caucus to target the voters that have turned to the Green’s; “Ms Gillard continued yesterday to resist overtures by the Left faction for Labor to broaden its policies in order to win votes back from the ascendant Greens.”

The foundations of the Liberal Party started out as minor parties that were anti Labor Party. These parties were classified as ‘Non-Labor’. The Non-Labor Party opposed the socialist ideologies of the Labor Party on issues like; expansion of “government owned enterprises.” The word ‘Liberal’ was founded upon the concept of Liberalism; Liberalism meaning free from government control and individual rights. It wasn’t until 1942 that Robert Menzies presented his famous speech which epitomised the Liberal ideals. The Liberal party’s ideals were; freedom for the individual, free trade, privatisation of services, laissez-faire economics, the opposite of everything that the Labor Party represented. Liberal’s broad ideals started from banding together as minor parties that were anti Labor to form one united party. The party was representative of the vast range of people that opposed Socialism and Labor ideals. Robert Menzies speech called the “Forgotten people” was exactly that, targeting a group of people whose needs had been politically ignored. This can be recognised as the birth of the “catch-all party type” . The Liberal Party needed to recognise what it was about Labor party that differentiated them; mostly it was free trade and this did not change until the 1970’s. The Liberal doctrine consequently was very broad in comparison to the Labor doctrine. It needed to outline certain ideals however wasn’t restrictive on what the party could and couldn’t do. It must be clearly noted that the Liberal Party was formed in opposition to Labor ideals. It was Robert Menzies that said, “The new party must be seen as progressive and not reactionary.” Social influences favoured the nature of the Liberal Party in the 1950’s through the Cold War and its Communist and Socialist agenda.

By the 1970’s there were two schools of thought within the Liberal Party; Liberal Socialism and Economic Rationalism. Social Liberals were eventually forced out of the party during the 1980’s; around the same time the Labor Party adopted some strong Liberal ideals. Adopting economic rationalism placed the Liberal Party further to the right in opposition to Labor moving closer to the centre. Because Liberal was based on the foundations of opposing Labor they soon found themselves in a quandary when Labor started moving closer to the centre. The Liberal Party relied on its “electoral distinctiveness” to win elections. Due to the Liberal Party’s broad ideals, the party’s success relied on its leader. The Liberal Party by and large has a large following of supporters when there is a strong leader in office. In 1980’s there was a push for deregulation following other countries western ideologies and this forced many of the Social Liberals out of the party. It wasn’t until John Howard in 1996 re-adopted “a moral and social conservatism” for his campaign that once again we witnessed the Labor and Liberal Party’s become increasingly similar. The landslide win by the Liberals was thought to have something to do with Labor moving away from its core beliefs; “abandoned its core constituency – the ‘battlers’ and working class outer suburban families” . Howard began to lose steam to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party. In his third term, he targeted the One Nation voters by adopting a policy of strong border protection. John Howard embraced certain ideals that went against political liberalism through the introduction of detention centres for asylum seekers. It has recently been noted that “the Liberal Party has lost its way on the economy, and on its own ideology. In less than three years, they have squandered eleven years of economic achievements by the Howard government, and now they're doing their best to wreck the National Reform Agenda.” The Liberal Party is currently under threat of populism however they do not stand alone.

Finally this takes us to the 2010 Election. The Labor Party’s conflict within the caucus saw the demise of a Prime Minister during his first term. Kevin Rudd’s adoption of a very socialist perspective in wanting to implement a mining tax, upset factions within his party and saw his demise. This “civil war” inside their party created many problems during their 2010 election campaign with leaks from within the Labor camp. The different beliefs within both parties created confusion in the public; this could be the reason for very broad policies on both the right and left of politics. Then we come to the Liberal Party, who as previously discussed, relied heavily on opposing the Labor Party ideals. What happens when the Labor Party’s ideals have become so broad they have adopted the same principles as their opposition? There is nothing for the Liberal’s to oppose. Abbott is slammed for populism however if Labor has accepted Liberal principles what else is he left to do? If their policies are increasingly similar it then comes down to the leader, which judging by the result of the election neither Abbott or Gillard seem to have what it takes; Laurie Oake’s referring to them as “political pygmies” . John Howard; love him or hate him, creates a reaction – an example of this is the “shoe throwing incident” on Q & A. It is only through reacting that we are able understand and establish our own beliefs. Both parties have moved far away from their original ideology nevertheless this too may be a reflection of the voting public. The public is now more educated. They not only look at how a government affects them directly, they also look at human and social justice issues. What we expect and what we want from our government is extremely broad. There is no possible way one party can cater for all of this. Parties are slowly becoming obsolete and the public is now looking for visionary leaders. The strong surge in voting towards the Greens proves what the public is most concerned about, environmental issues. I am sure by the next election we will see an environment push by both major parties.

From the inception of the two major parties (Labor and Liberal) to now, they have in essence become a “catch all party type” with Labor primarily straying away from their original roots and meeting Liberal at the centre of the political spectrum. Outside influences such as the Cold War and the rise of Neo-Liberalism has forced Labor in particular to stray from their original Trade Union roots. “Electoral distinctiveness” that the Liberal’s once relied upon is now in effect non-existent as Labor has adopted many of their ideologies. It is inevitable that both major parties will present similar policies in fear that they will lose votes by straying too far to the left or right.


The "View" from my desk.

Bibliography:




Abbott, Tony. “Press Conference, Canberra - Election 2010; parliamentary reform”, Tony Abbott Federal Member for Warringah, 24 August 2010 http://www.tonyabbott.com.au/LatestNews/InterviewTranscripts/tabid/85/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/7668/Press-Conference-Canberra--Election-2010-parliamentary-reform.aspx


(Accessed: September 4, 2010)
Atkins, Dennis. ‘John Howard's memoirs wrong about Greens vote election landslide’, Courier Mail, October 26, 2010, http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/john-howards-memoirs-wrong-about-greens-vote-election-landslide/story-e6frerff-1225943434479


(Accessed: 29 October, 2010)
BBC Home. ‘The ideology of the Australian Labor Party’, 16 August, 2001, http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A593200


(Accessed: 29 October, 2010)
Coorey, Phillip. ‘Gillard patches up rift with Labor Factions’, The Sydney Morning Herald, October 27, 2010.


http://www.smh.com.au/national/gillard-patches-up-rift-with-labor-factions-20101026-172et.html


(Accessed: 29 October, 2010)
Howes, Paul. ‘Desperate Liberals Dump Ideology’, The Australian Workers Union, 31 October, 2010 http://www.awu.net.au/200926_2.html?H%7CA%7C200926%7C


(Accessed: 1 November, 2010)
Menzies, R., ‘The Forgotten People’, Menzies Virtual Museum, 22 May, 1942, http://www.menziesvirtualmuseum.org.au/transcripts/ForgottenPeople/Forgotten1.html


(Accessed: 27 October, 2010)
Oakes, Laurie. “Gillard ushers in the era of farce”, Herald Sun, July 24, 2010


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/gillard-ushers-in-the-era-of-farce/story-e6frfhqf-1225896276726


(Accessed: August 7, 2010)
Woodward, D., Parkin, A., Summers, J. ‘Government, Politics, Power and Policy in Australia’, Pearson Australia, 2010, Pp. 3-545


Word IQ, 2010, ‘Australian Labor Party Definition’, http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Australian_Labor_Party


(Accessed: 27 October, 2010)




3AW 693 News talk. ‘Shoe thrown at John Howard’, 25 October, 2010, http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/3aw-generic-blog/shoes-thrown-at-john-howard/20101025-17103.html


(Accessed: 1 November, 2010)

Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover!

Real estate agents have for a long time been known for their ruthlessness. Some of many names include; sharks, dodgy, money hungry, liars, and the list goes on. The problem is that this thought from Purchasers and Vendors can permit us from doing our job. Purchasers rarely tell us when they’re interested in a property and play their cards close to their chest and in reverse Vendors can inflate the price they will actually accept and keep this information from us which can be detrimental to the sale of a home when our job is already to achieve the highest price for the Vendor. This game hasn’t been created by the real estate agents it has actually been created by the vendors and purchasers. A real estate agent is no different to a sales assistant (some purchasers may ask for a discount however the sales assistant is not authorised to do this without the owners permission). Facing this prejudice everyday is one of the biggest struggles I find in Real Estate – gaining back the trust (that was never lost) which leads me to my experience in Darwin.

I was strolling the streets of Darwin and came across a lovely shop front full of Pearls. The company name was Paspaley. Paspaley is now a name I will never forget. It’s one of the shops that as soon as you walk into you feel like you’re out of place as everything you see looks well above anything you can afford. In an attempt to escape the scorching heat we planned on popping in for a quick look to cool down & then hit the pavement again. I do have a love of Pearls ever since I sited Audrey Hepburn wearing them in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I was briskly looking around the shop admiring the pieces of jewellery. However what happened after that wasn’t something I was expecting.

The sales assistant of the store started talking to us asking if we needed any help and of course we just answered with the usual response “Just looking” – then she started asking us where we were from (with sweat dripping from us it wasn’t hard to pigeon hole us as tourists) she then followed on to ask what brought us up to Darwin and took a keen interest in what we were doing while we were in town. After the pleasantries she then asked if we had heard of Paspaley before. Both of us hadn’t heard of these exquisite pearls. The shop assistant then went right through the history of Paspaley pearls and explained the process on how they are made.

I asked what price the Jewellery ranged from and she replied, “This piece I have around my neck is $30,000”. She then said, “Our jewellery is priced from $700.00 to $250,000.00”. I asked if I could see the most expensive piece in the store (out of interest sake) and she pulled out a piece worth $100,000 and offered to put it around my neck (I politely declined, not feeling very comfortable with $100,000 hanging from neck). She was well aware I did not have $100,000 to spend however didn’t fob us off or not spend time on us even though she knew the chances of us buying something that day was minimal.

She explained that with the jewellery you get a lifetime guarantee and they will restring the pearls for you if need be. The Paspaley pearl is determined by a small diamond placed into one of the pearls – which is their trademark signature. I was extremely impressed with not only the Pearl and Guarantee but mostly the Service that was offered to us when we walked in to the store. The pearls were a rarity and I felt that level of customer service I received was also. The pearls weren’t what sold me on the product it was the Sales Assistant willing to spend time with us and actually explain the rarity of the pearl.

The company might not have received a sale out of us that day – but what they weren’t aware of is that the Sales Assistant that took time and interest in her customers will most certainly receive a sale out of me one day in the future. The service we received was second to none and never once made us feel like we didn’t belong in the store.
What did I learn from the experience? Everything I already knew however it’s always nice to have a refresher. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Never ever make assumptions of people by the way they dress, talk or walk. Treat everyone equally!

Outback Adventure!

I have just got back from what I would classify an experience of a lifetime. A friend and I were fortunate enough to travel to Daly River, South West of Darwin in the Northern Territory to visit a community and help out with students at St Francis Xavier School. The reason we are so fortunate is that this opportunity is not presented to everyone – it was only that my brother is teaching students aged between 9-14 at this school that we were able to attend and appreciate and learn so much from these children.

Upon arriving in Daly River you understand the challenge that teachers heading out into these communities immediately face. The small community of Nauiyu has a population of 510 people 86% of which being indigenous. In the wet season the Daly River floods – leaving it’s residence no choice but to boat to their homes leaving their car 5-10km’s out of town. The medical centre has a doctor fly in once a week and has a small convenience store (only supplying the essentials). 33 degrees all year round and no escape from the heat to swimming spots like you can in Victoria as the waters of Daly River are infested with Crocodiles. I remember one day when I was there I finally felt comfortable with the weather and the same day some of the children turned up at school with jumpers and jeans. It’s something that you apparently eventually get used to. It is a dry community and the local pub out of town consists of a cabin at the caravan park and picnic tables. The residents speak their own tribal languages and whilst English is not the prominent language spoken, their English is quite good. What these teachers face is the residents of Nauiyu’s way of life.

The first day in class I was trying to get Jarrod (my brother’s attention). I was helping a young boy at the time with his school work when he intervened and said you don’t call him Jarrod, you call him brother. Later Melissa one of the teachers aid explained to me that it’s part of their culture that you don’t call your brothers, sisters or cousins by their first name or if I also knew someone by the name of Jarrod I was not able to speak his name also. My response was how do you then get their attention? Melissa said you come up with a nickname for them. I then understood that one of the boys in the class name was Chris however most of the children called him Toomba (I wondered if this was the reason why).

On the second day at the school, gifts were given out to the students that Priceline and Sportspower in Echuca had kindly donated. The boy’s receiving footy socks and the girls receiving make up. Two local chemists also donated beauty cases for the girls make up.  They were extremely grateful. What impressed me the most is the majority of the boys remembered their footy socks to play against their rival school Woolianna on the Friday.

The kids loved Art, Sport, Computer’s and Dancing and were also outstanding at these things. One of the boys from Jarrod’s class at the age of 11 has paintings in the Merripen arts festival coming up on the first weekend in June. One of the girls added me on Skype in her IT class and they would play their favourite song off Take40: Baby by Justin Bieber – by the end of the week I was singing it in my sleep.

The kids were so happy go lucky and full of confidence and reiterated to me that even though they were less fortunate in my mind they were still extremely happy. I thought of how many people back home that have everything they ever wanted but still can’t be satisfied and I have even been a culprit of this. The children’s spirit and survival skills are something I will continue to carry on with me as I eagerly await my return to visit these young kids again in August.

Finally I would also like to commend all teachers who leave their families to go teach these children in remote areas to offer them the same education that we had when growing up. For something that is extremely challenging they all do an amazing job.

Ps. If you have anything you wish to donate please contact me on 0400 106 663.

Criticism!

I met a contentious celebrity last year; who after a while started listening to his criticism & doubting his message. From the public perception he was a strong confident person however to gain a following of readers he needed to be brutally honest and this put him up as a target to be ridiculed. His conviction then became weak – he wouldn’t back what he was saying and would constantly sit on the fence. He was getting paid fantastic money to do what he did (however it still didn’t stop it from affecting him personally). Even the best of us don’t take criticism well.

Time again I see people looking at buying properties who choose to have a friend a father, a mother go through the property with them. In many cases it is always nice to have support from those close to you but you also have to identify whether the criticism they provide is constructive & notable or whether it is just their personal opinion. It is the same people that generally have the advice that it’s never the right time to buy (and if you’re living in Melbourne and procrastinated buying you would’ve seen a 28% increase in your property over the last year). You have to be able to identify these people and decipher their message – they probably don’t even realise they are doing it. I say this as my family can do the same thing. Their support means a lot however they will project their personal opinions on to my decision and often argue the opposite side to any point. They mean well and clearly don’t realise that they do it.

On the reverse I have been doing it to my mother recently – she is going through the process of building a home & picking out colours. I couldn’t count the number of times I have disagreed with her choice because it was different from my personal opinion – however the things that I explained to her for example “avoid dark flooring because it can make the house look smaller” she listened to. She was able to decipher the things that she should actually change compared to the things that was just my personal taste or opinion.

Criticism is hard to take if you don’t really know the person, but can also at times be harder from the person you do know. Everyone can take a leaf out of this blog & think about these two things before you criticise.

Number 1. Is it constructive? – is the bearer of the information going to benefit from this criticism?

Number 2. In reverse, as the person receiving the criticism, we also need to be able to decipher – is this criticism worth taking on? Can I better myself in any way from this criticism or is it just useless information?

Trying not to take criticism personally is one thing I don’t think anyone will master as everyone is built to want endorsement or to be agreeable – it’s human nature.

Just remember ‘Criticism’ isn’t really criticism if it is articulated properly! Articulated properly it can be accepted as Wisdom.

Dare to be different

For those of you who didn’t get to see Ita Buttrose on Wednesday night at the Moama Bowling Club, I am going to touch on what she spoke about at the Murray Business Network Evening. Her talk profoundly covered off on the concept of “Daring to Be Different”; about pushing the boundaries and also about loving what you do as this contributes to the enthusiasm of being the best you could possibly be. She asked the audience to ask themselves if they were going to die in 6 months would this be what they want to be doing. Some of the fundamentals that she touched on I have seen on a smaller scale.

Beginning with my grandmother – who I will now be emailing this blog to as she has only just decided after mastering text messaging and mobile phones at the ripe old age of 70 that she would like to learn how to use a computer and the internet. Talk about pushing the boundaries. Her passion for wanting to learn will not let the computer beat her. Her memory isn’t quite as sharp as it was however by simply writing everything down for her she is now teaching herself how to use the computer. She will also be starting lessons in a month to hone in on those skills.

Also my ex school teacher & friend, the talented Tamara Cadd introduced the concept of “Trash the Dress” to Echuca/Moama. Tamara has been photographing weddings for years and after getting married herself she realised that the wedding dress that you pay so much for hangs in the cupboard with no further use. After a friend of hers told her about this new craze she decided to jump on board. She understood as a photographer & a bride herself there are certain shots on the day that you just can’t get as it may ruin the dress before the reception. So Tam stepped out herself in her wedding dress and began encouraging other women to do the same - those crazy things in their wedding dress to get amazing photos that they just couldn’t do on their wedding day. It’s a fantastic idea and has started a tail spin of women trashing their dress around the local area. Check out this website for further information http://www.tamaracaddphotography.com.au/

BYL espresso is another place that provides a unique experience when you walk in the door. They have made it their job to remember what you order if you are a regular customer. It’s the extra bit of service that keeps people coming back. It is a simple service that they can offer which stemmed from being in touch with what their customers want.

When beginning to write this blog there were differing opinions about whether or not it was a good idea to pursue. My opinion always was and has been that everything especially with the younger generation is changing & that people like to receive information & news now over the email or over the internet. With this thought in mind, I decided to give it a go, thus providing a service to my clients, friends and family. In the end though the real reason I decided to pursue it was because I enjoyed doing it. I actually didn’t care if only 5 people read what I wrote. I had faith eventually more people would read it.

It’s a little bit like a section of the Alps called the Semmering between Austria and Italy. It is an impossibly steep, very high part of the mountains. They built a train track over these Alps to connect Vienna and Venice. They built these tracks even before there was a train in existence that could make the trip. They built it because they knew some day, the train would come. It’s about having a little faith in what you do & having the passion to make it successful.

How much is too much?

The debate in the office at the moment has been stemmed from a comment in last Saturday’s paper talking about what people regret they didn’t do in their 20’s. The comment that sparked the debate was that a finance writer said they wish they bought a property or two in their 20’s and about buying the "right stuff”. This debate then continued on to the age old question of how much can you put yourself into debt without restricting or putting to much pressure on yourself financially?

It’s the same as parents wondering if they should purchase that investment property in Melbourne now for when their kids go to university or relocate there. The other plunge that people talk about is extending themselves to a bigger family home when their kids are younger and they can actually utilise this bigger home.

I’ve been researching into buying a property recently and I have had the same debate with my father. I believe and have always been told that Blue chip real estate is always more expensive but also the safer investment to see you gain capital growth which would mean extending myself a bit more at the age of 24. What would I have to give up to be able to do this? and looking at the worse case scenario – interest rate rise and a property without a tenant for a period of time it would put me under a lot more financial pressure then probably necessary as a 24yr old. We all have heard about the well known fact about 'buying right' but the trick is to be able to hold on to it for 10yrs. Banks never run through the worse case scenario with you and have insurance to cover them if you default on your payments and the residential market plummets.

My father’s argument is that is doesn’t matter how much you outlay as long as you are careful about where you buy, you should always see growth over a period of time. I understood his argument a little better recently when I came across two people selling a home in the same area. The perception of spending more to make more didn’t really ring true.

Family number 1. outlayed $240,000 for their home and Family number 2. outlayed $320,000 for their home. Both parties saw roughly a 25% increase on their investment over 4 years. Say for example these two families were both in the same financial situation putting $120,000 towards their loan – Family 1 would’ve paid around $37,000 in interest in 4 years, however family 2 would’ve paid $62,000 in interest. This means family number 1’s profit is $23,000 and family number 2’s profit is only $18,000. On top of that the monthly repayments for Family 1. were only around $800 a month in comparison to Family number 2. at $1300.00 giving family number 1. more of an opportunity to pay off principal. (I’ve calculated this estimate on the current interest rates – these figures aren’t true and correct - only a guide).

The one thing everyone agreed upon was that you should only do what’s comfortable for you. Whatever path you choose can steer you in completely different directions. To go even deeper you can even ask yourself what’s more important – life without financial pressure or money – setting yourself up for later on in life. Those family holiday’s with the kids or having a bigger home so your children have more independence. No answer is the right one as such. Life’s pleasures can be scaled back – but how much do you scale in before you start putting yourself under too much financial pressure.

At the end of all this it’s what you feel comfortable doing. It’s quite easy to sit back and say in your 30’s I wish I bought a property or two in my 20’s but make sure you look at the entire picture and look at what you would’ve given up also. Or if in your 30’s you are financially stable due to the purchase you made in your 20’s but wish you had of lived your life a little more when you were younger as you have other stresses now – eg: Job, Children. It’s a decision you can only make but think carefully before jumping into anything and once you decide don't look back.

Hitting your property for a six at Auction!

While the rest of the world were gearing up for Christmas & New Year – the graduation students of 2003 in Echuca were gearing up for a different kind of event.

It all started back when we were in Yr 12 at school & instead of studying & preparing for exams we were out and about & in most cases frequenting the Dock & the American (The Yank) & there it all began a community of young kids – a matter of fact the “Hot” Community! I still can’t quite pinpoint who the founder of this Hot Community was & where the name actually came from however if you were out at the Dock that year listening to Mick & Ollie play it was quite likely you were part of this Hot Community.

Once school finished and everyone went off in their own directions – the inaugural event the "Hotman Cup" was born. The “Event” that everyone would make an effort to come home to - to continue on the Hot Community spirit.

The Hotman Cup is an annual cricket match between Echuca High and St Joe’s. It isn’t your average cricket match and by no means is it anything like professional cricket. It’s more a game of stamina; last man standing type of game.

The word of the event is becoming more and more widespread with a list of over 60 people attending this year. The tradition has been carried on since 2004 & the event keeps growing every year. The beginning of the festivities starts Friday lunch time, this continues onto the Gala Dinner at the Dock (where it all started), presentation of the team members and then into the much anticipated cricket match on the Saturday. The celebration continues into the wee hours of Sunday Morning and then is usually followed up with a celebratory dinner for the winning team. I don’t know how much bigger this event can get…maybe a street parade next?

In thinking about this Cricket event I have noticed some similarities with Vendors Auctioning their home. The difference between hitting it for a six or going out for a duck…there are some rules that apply to creating a successful auction.

Play to your strengths. Any good cricketing side knows their strength: for the St Joe’s cricket team their strength isn’t so much in their cricketing skills more their drinking skills however they use this to their advantage by hurting the High School boys on Friday night so they are a little seedy going out to play on the Saturday. Pinpoint what it is that is going to make your home appealing to a range of buyers. Is it the location? Is it unique? Is it the price? Make sure you use this within your marketing.

Know your weaknesses - Be prepared for what the bowler is going to throw at the batsman. Buyers are very aware of other properties on the market & will compare your home to others, make sure it’s competitively priced otherwise comments from the buyers will be “I can buy the one around the corner for a lot less”, Or maybe your home isn’t very big - minimise furniture to avoid the comment “it’s too small” – know what it is that they will pick the eyes out of – see if you can try and rectify these issues before it hits the market. Try and eliminate as many strikes as possible as this is what they buyers look for. Get a pest inspection report before you hit the market so that is one less thing the buyer has to worry about.

Set a low reserve – this is a gamble as any game is – it’s like a batsman trying to make that extra run (with the possibility of being run out). If this is done at the start of the campaign the typical progression is that buyers should be everywhere which leads to a more competitive environment and gives you a situation where the buyers can become emotionally involved resulting in a higher price then expected.

If this doesn’t happen the worse case scenario is that your property is sold on the day for the price that you set the reserve at – SOLD is better then it sitting on the market for months and months and you eventually taking the reserve price you set or in many cases lower then the reserve.

If you follow these simple tactics you can hopefully be certain of a century, your property sold or even a St Joseph’s College Victory. Good luck to all Vendors auctioning their property & to the cricketers this Saturday.

Let’s bring home this Hotman cup boys! St Joseph’s 2010

Dating & Buying Real Estate - are they really that different?

Men have predominantly been the buyers & sellers for years in Real Estate– however as women become more successful & strive for equality we are finding a lot more women entering the market place. However for most women real estate can be a little boring & the negotiation is usually left up to the male partners, brothers & fathers. I have applied a few simple rules that most women know about dating in how to successfully find & negotiate your way to a new home.

All the rules that apply to finding a partner are exactly how real estate should be approached. For the male readers – what turns you off in a female is the same behaviour that should be avoided when buying real estate – I’m sure some of you will be nodding your head as I cover off on these 5 basic rules.

No. 1 See it as a game – don’t get too attached to any one property. We’ve all heard this before when looking for a partner – “don’t get attached too early otherwise you could wind up hurt” and it is very similar in real estate – don’t set your heart on one particular property. Do your research (Play the field).

No. 2 Buying real estate is like playing hard to get. Many females are very familiar with this term when applying it to finding a partner. However some buyers make the number one mistake of coming across as too “needy”. If the agent isn’t calling then move on to the next house. Agents should be calling you! When finding a partner, females generally give the male some attention and then act nonchalant once the male is interested. Exactly the same rule applies when buying real estate – throw the agent an offer, then wait.

No. 3 Don’t’ babble on (Less is more) – men generally find this boring – however real estate agents find this really interesting, the more you talk about the home your inspecting the more the agent can evaluate how much you actually like the property they are showing you. In saying that do communicate with the agent about what it is you like but be direct and to the point therefore giving yourself every opportunity to find the home suitable for you.

No. 4 Desperation to have someone, anyone, can cause you to settle for less and less is not generally more. Don’t settle for anything less then what you expect in a property – if there is something that doesn’t fit what you are looking for, don’t compromise as you will only regret it later.

No. 5 Too many women are waiting for a rich, handsome, prince charming to sweep them off their feet. I know I said previously don’t settle for anything less than what you are looking for – however there are certain things that you will have to compromise on. I have had too many inspections that find the fridge spot an issue and this has deterred some buyers as their current fridge simply would not fit. Nothing will ever be this perfect – so there are some things that you must compromise on.

By no means am I a wiz at dating however follow these simple rules and you can’t go wrong… don’t take it all too seriously, remember there is no rush – and always play a little hard to get.

Grand Final Day in Munich(Oktoberfest)

Back at work after 4 weeks away is always a little difficult – so to get me back into the swing of things I am going to recount some parts of my holiday for you.

The first destination of my trip overseas was Munich. I don’t know whether I can actually claim that I’ve been there however I was there in body, not in mind & spent most waking hours at Oktoberfest, (claimed to be the biggest party in the world & I’m certainly not going to disagree with that). The Germans know how to throw a party.

So I travelled to the other side of the world to be inside a tent during the day and to sleep in a room with 40 other people, sharing with them 8 toilets, 8 showers & 6 basins. You could say I was a little out of my comfort zone. For the record we were paying 190 pounds (roughly $126 a night to stay in this luxurious place in Munich). To add to all this I am not a huge beer drinker and one stein alone carries 4 Australian pots.

The first night in Munich I got little sleep – trying to sleep with ear plugs, eye mask & a towel over your head isn’t the most comfortable way to sleep however I was trying anything possible without taking a sleeping tablet I was prescribed for the long flight to UK.

We were up at 3:45am woken by a fellow traveller, slipped into our Heidi outfits and walked the streets of Munich to find the one and only pub televising the Grand Final & LIVE. Left the Hostel by 4:15am arrived at the Ned Kelly Bar by 4:30am. It must be noted that I do not love football this much however it sure beat staying in the dorm listening to the fellow travellers come home from their boozy night out. By 5:30am there was a line of 150 people deep – the pub finally opened and our first beers were ordered at 5:32am. It was mind blowing to see sooo many fellow Aussies desperate to get a glimpse of the Grand Final.

It didn’t even have to be the AFL Grand Final, it could’ve been any other sporting event that Australians were involved in and a crowd would have been there in full voice. And for those Aussies that hadn’t been home for years or those who had been travelling for long periods of time or people like myself who had just arrived a week ago, at that pub we were miles from Australia yet when Jimmy Barnes played Khaysan we all felt at home. We are a very patriotic and passionate lot; a little mad at times however we love our country and its sport.

It’s not unlike the Anzac Day tradition at Anzac Cove. What has kept this tradition alive is the patriotic Australians travelling around the world.

However, when it comes to Australians buying real estate all this is thrown out the window. We let the media influence our thoughts, we let the RBA affect when we buy, and we let our head control us over our heart. Buying a house or as Darryl Kerrigan from the Castle claims “it’s not a house it’s a home” should always be bought when it feels right for you. When you are financially able, not when the Government wants you to (which is when they are usually handing out the grants), not when your parents want you to (when they are offering to contribute towards your home), it’s when you feel ready to make that sort of commitment & find the right home that’s suitable for you.

If Australians were only this passionate about buying the right property as they are towards their sport then no one would have any regrets. In the end if you buy when you want and when you find the right property for you – there should be no misgivings.

It’s those little moments like at Oktoberfest & the Ned Kelly Bar when you see everyone come together that makes you proud to be an Australian – let’s convert this passion to every aspect in our lives.

SSSS

Right, well I am only 4 days away till I take off on a jet plane to see 4 expatriates (my close friends) who have made the break to London since leaving school. Riddled with excitement as I get into bed most nights this excitement gets overtaken by the fear of the dreaded word on any boarding pass “SSSS”. Now many of you will not know what I am referring to, however those who do, know my pain.

It all started when my family went to America two Christmases ago. My parent’s first overseas trip. It was not unlike European Vacation (Chevy Chase, if you’ve ever seen it).

Yes we may be nicknamed the Griswalds however intentionally harmful we are not. It all started as the four of us finally got to the check in counter at Tullamarine Airport – Christmas Eve – what’s not to be happy about. It’s Christmas Eve & we are waking up Christmas morning in Hawaii & spending New Years in Vegas (yes it was my brother and I that planned the trip). After many phone calls later by the check-in staff and 30 minutes of standing at the counter with impatient people tapping their feet behind us, the smiles soon disappeared. From here to the security checkpoint we were all pulled aside for every sort of security check imaginable. This SSSS that had magically popped up on our boarding passes we found out later stood for "Secondary Security Screening Selection". This followed us every where we went around America. This meant arriving at the airport an hour earlier to obtain the extra security checks. All this I was coping with until it reached the point where we were at Las Vegas airport ready to fly out to New York. Our entire family was pushed to one side & frisked in front of everyone about to board the plane! Yes you heard me right frisked. I bet everyone about to board the plane were praying not to be seated next to us.

So you can now understand my concern for travelling. I have been humiliated in front of an entire plane & singled out to be a threat to everyone’s well being and made feel like a terrorist however, despite all this I do respect that these checks should be in place especially after the horrible events of Sept 11. Security checks make everyone feel safe prior to boarding that plane and the same can be applied when looking to buy that house. So I am going to run you through the important checks that you should undertake before purchasing a home so you will be comfortable & feel safe with your decision.

Pest Inspection:

Most solicitors/conveyancers will advise you to get a Pest Inspection done before purchasing a home. I have never had a house which has had a Termite Inspection come back with active termites, touch wood, however I would still instruct any purchaser to take this check. Termites are one thing that aren’t covered under an Insurance Policy and you could easily find, that great purchase where you saved $50,000 – is now crumbling around you (extreme circumstances).

Chattels:

Make sure you check to see that everything is in working order before you actually put an offer forward on a home. If something isn’t working you can then either request for it to be fixed upon purchasing or at least you will know what costs you will be up for once you settle on the home. If there is anything that you are unsure about that you would like to be bought with the property, make sure this is negotiated and specified in the contract. Something that you may think is fixed – actually is not, and you could move in the day of settlement to find it gone.

Building Inspection:

A building inspection is something people generally apply to older homes however I have seen in more recent times it is something that people are requesting even on brand new homes. You must remember the purchase of your home will be one of the biggest transactions in your life – for the cost of the building inspection and your piece of mind it may be worth doing. If you are buying a home with the thought of renovating it is advisable to check with a builder first before buying the home as your great idea for a renovation may not be viable.

The other minor things that I would suggest you look into would be council planning around your area to see if there are any future developments and if this will or will not effect the value of what you are purchasing. It’s also handy to know if there are any easements on the property, if there are you need to know where they are located on the block. Also the other common check is for people to investigate the street they are buying into at different times of the day. Make sure it is an area you feel comfortable buying into.

You can ignore any of these checks at your own peril. It’s like the Security Checks at the airport, I only complain & think it’s unnecessary because it’s happening to me however as the old cliché goes you are “better to be safe then sorry”.

The dreaded winter Cold!

Well I know for a fact that I am not the only one that has been suffering from a cold over the last couple of weeks. I believe nearly every second person I have spoken to has fallen victim to the dreaded wintery blues. On the upside Spring is only around the corner where hopefully things will start warming up along with my Body temperature.

I regard a cold or the flu as long, painful & unnecessary. There is a process that you have to go through that makes it feel like it hangs around forever. First it’s the sore throat, then it’s the body aches, then a fever, then a runny nose, then a dry cough then a chesty cough. Lucky for me this time I got to skip to the dry cough however this didn’t come without pain believe me. I was taking manuka honey, vitamin C & green tea (all natural remedies) with Coldeze, Panadol, Cough Lollies, Vicks, 3 Dooners & sleeping with a scarf around my neck which for the record is as uncomfortable as it sounds. In the midst of feeling sorry for myself – my mother made me realise that all this could’ve been avoided if I hadn’t had so many late nights. You only have to read my last few blogs to realise I’ve been enjoying a bit of a social life of late.

A similar thing could be said for properties that have been on the market well past their expiry date – Long, Painful & unnecessary. Like my cold there is some precautions that can be taken so you can be certain your property isn’t sitting on the market for long.

First rule is Presentation:

It’s starting to become more common for people to request our opinion on furniture & presentation of a home. We simply find it’s the little things that make the most difference: ie unclutter your fridge door, minimise furniture to make the room look bigger or more open. Anything you don’t need stick it in the shed or storage. Check which lights best show off your home – make sure these are turned on before an inspection. Tidy up things that are visible to the eye, as much as the children’s finger paintings are great it’s probably best to stow them away through the first couple of weeks of the campaign & also tidy bookshelves. Fix any little problems that you can clearly see. ie: Hole in the wall.

Second rule is Pricing.

The stories that you hear where a vendor gets a price well above the odds is the exception not the rule (so keep this in mind). By putting an unrealistic figure on your home hoping to get the ultimate price can do one of two things – you may fluke someone walking through & paying close to the figure or you risk your property sitting on the market for 6 months where buyers will immediately discount it – as there is a buyers belief that if it hasn’t sold there has to be a reason. There are 3 things to do which help you determine an accurate pricing on your home without feeling like you are short changing yourself. It’s about working out what you think it’s worth, you can organise to have a registered valuation done & an Agent’s opinion – the pricing of your home is usually somewhere in the middle. I understand agents can be wrong at times so sourcing an independent valuer is always a great way to get another opinion. It must be kept in mind however that valuer’s don’t determine what the market’s doing. Also from an owners perspective it is important to be active in the market place, seeing what’s on the market, what similar properties are selling for and also making your property competitive compared to what else is already on the market. Listen to you agent & put a realistic price on your property as soon as it hit’s the market.

Third rule is access to your home.

There are some investors out there that try and sell their homes with tenants still in the property & you can’t get through when a buyer requests an inspection. I have had one situation where I had to write to tenants giving them 7 days notice because I couldn’t get on to them with the numbers they provided. By the time I turned up to do the inspection I still had not heard from them. They were home when I did the inspection however they had failed to return my calls or reply to my letter. Don’t be fussy about cleanliness, obviously keep your home tidy however if the agent says the buyer really needs to get through it today as they are going back to Melbourne tomorrow – just go with it.

Following these simple rules will prevent your property from sitting on the market too long. As for the common cold the main solution to making sure it doesn't hang around to long is to rest up, don’t overdo it, eat healthy & take your vitamins.

City V's Country

I took a 4 hour trip to Flinders on the weekend with 8 girls that I went to school with. For those of you who have never heard of Flinders it’s a sleepy little town along the coast of the Mornington Peninsula and on a beautiful sunny day you can see Phillip Island from the shore.

It’s the first time all of us had been away since we made a break to schoolies at the end of our time spent in the class room. I was amazed how much our actions & conversation had changed over the 6 years since we have been out of school. We weren’t as brazen as we used to be, now preferring a nice glass of white or red wine over cheap red bears and cruisers we were drinking at schoolies but that wasn’t the only thing that had changed. Our conversations had turned from talking about exams and TER scores to private health insurance, purchasing homes & mortgage & car repayments.

We had an even split with City v’s Country if you exclude me from the bunch. There were 4 city girls & 4 country girls.

The main difference I saw between the girls from the city & the country is that their conversations were slightly different. The country girls seemed to have either bought or were talking about buying their first home & discussing mortgage repayments whilst this wasn’t a thought on the radar for the city girls. It made me ponder the idea - if this is the case, is living in the country more beneficial to you financially when starting out? A significant factor for this is Real Estate prices in the country compared to those in the city. Will the country girls be more financially stable as they are able to break in to the real estate market a lot earlier then those who are living in Melbourne?

The girls in the country are repaying mortgages instead of paying rent & hopefully getting some capital growth along the way – all this is formed around the affordability of living & buying in Echuca over living & contemplating the dream of buying a house or apartment in inner Melbourne.

The start of my compulsive saving went hand in hand with my first purchase of Real Estate. It gave me something to aspire to and save towards. I have since sold the house that I built with my brother which has left me in a far better financial position than I was before my first real estate purchase.

I see some obvious benefits of living in Melbourne. They have the major events ie: sporting, entertainment, however all of this costs money.

I did have a short stint in Melbourne and the pinnacle reason for my return was because I was able to save and make a life in Echuca & could therefore do more of the things I wanted to do because I was more financially stable. It hasn’t always been easy with friends living it up in the city – having extremely exciting social lives. However, I can now afford to go away for weekends to Flinders or go to Melbourne to catch up with my friends & also do what I am most passionate about, which is travel.

Starting out and getting your foot into the real estate door is always a tough decision. It’s an even harder decision when the First Home Buyer range is between $400,000 - $500,000 in inner city Melbourne. Echuca is a great place to call home and helps me with my journey to financial stability. I don’t feel like I have missed out on what my other city friends have because everything they have done I have experienced it with them.

Gen Z keeps this Gen Y on her toes!

Last week, a young work experience student – Harry – came in to the office to learn the ropes about Real Estate. It was refreshing to have Harry in the office with his vibrant attitude and a strong eagerness to learn.

It made me remember the first time I decided that selling real estate was going to be my chosen profession. I was 16 and had arranged to do a week of work experience at a Graphic Design firm in the heart of Melbourne. I was staying with my uncle who was the manager of a boutique real estate office in South Yarra along Toorak road. I would go to work with him in the mornings and make my way down to St Kilda road for my week of work experience. After the first few days I realised the best part of my day had been going to work with my uncle in the mornings and chatting to the staff before they started their day. They were lively, fun, vibrant and I felt like it would be a great industry to work in. Little did I know that same office would be where I would start my real estate career 3 years later.

Harry probably felt like he was here to learn from us (technically he was), however I felt it was the other way around. His skills & positive attitude with the feeling that the world is his oyster was something that rubbed off when I was working with Harry.

It made me first of all appreciate that life is short because it felt like only yesterday that I was doing work experience myself with the pressures of finding a suitable career. Harry also made me realise that the younger generation have a lot to offer. Their ideas are fresh, their minds are eager & they pick up on things so quickly. It is easy to get into the every day grind and forget to be inspired or to give yourself time to grow your ideas or how important it is to work in an environment where your ideas are appreciated and respected.

I spoke to Harry about his thoughts on going into schools and chatting to Year 12 students about Housing and everything that awaits them when they leave school. We discussed how difficult it is to find a home when you have never rented and how difficult it is to save money when you have nothing to save towards. He gave me some great ideas on what would work and what wouldn’t.

One thing Harry made me realise is; as I grow older and wiser (I hope), I will make a commitment to keep learning & to continue to develop new ideas, new ways of doing things end evolve with the use of technology. It will be essential for me to continue practising & honing my skills as everything in life has an expiry date and there is always a newer model.

It’s like my grandmother at the ripe old age of 69 – asking me to teach her how to text 6 months ago. I commend her on continuing to learn as it’s too easy not to.

Last but not least I would like to write a note to my ex school teacher who has subscribed to my blog – thank you for your support & words of wisdom last week. You continue to teach & inspire me long after I have left the classroom.

"Life is like a Juice Maker"

I was out in Melbourne the other weekend at a bar in South Yarra & after a few drinks I was having a conversation with a writer from the UK. He is a couple of months off getting his book published and I can’t for the life of me remember his name to unfortunately quote him in this blog. He was an eccentric character as most writers usually are. He begun to tell me his theory on life – I felt obligated to listen to the self involved conversation as he was one of those personalities that you felt like you couldn’t escape. His comment was “Life is like an orange juice maker, you put that many bloody oranges in to only get a measly quarter of a cup” = you put that much effort into life to get little in return. I immediately thought it was a little cynical - if i was talking to the pom after the first test of the ashes he may've been a little more optimistic. (For the record if anyone reads a book and this analysis is in chapter 2, this is the guy I was talking to)

The next day I compared it to Real Estate and found there are a few mistakes which people commonly make that creates a situation where they put all those oranges in the juice maker only to receive a quarter of a cup.

Number 1 Mistake: Over capitalizing
The neighbor’s houses and the presentation of the area have considerable influence on the value of homes in the area. Before buying or building it is important to consider the housing styles, demographics of your neighborhood, and sale prices of other homes in the area that have recently sold.

The decision to buy, build or renovate a new home is not one to be taken lightly. It is recommended that you think through every aspect of the project prior to getting started. Seek the advice of a local real estate professional if necessary to determine how the proposed renovations will affect the value of your home.

A general rule-of-thumb for remodeling is to make sure that you don't over-improve your home for the neighborhood. From an investment position it's not a good idea, to improve your home to the point that it's best house on the block.

Number 2 Mistake: Renovating
Renovation is more expensive then what people think – working on older homes to restore it to it’s original condition is a very expensive process. Interior and exterior cracking is usually commonly found in older homes which can generally mean some issues with the foundation. Re-stumping is a costly job that older homes usually need to have redone. Electrical work is another major issue considering that there are new compliances that electricians need to follow. Re-wiring a home can also be a costly job & the chances are the more you dig around beneath the surface the more work you will find – which in turn means more costs

Common issues are:
Roof
Stumps
Rewiring and replumbing
Shower recesses
Pest (particularly white ant) damage

The costly exercise of renovating your home may not reap the rewards at the end when you need to re-sell

Number 3 Mistake: Building/Buying your dream home
Do not buy or build your dream home. You should always take emotion out of buying a home. Ask anyone who has bought and sold and I am sure they have made this mistake.

I know I have. I built a home & it was, I thought, ideal family home – 4bedrooms, 1, study, 2 bathrooms, ONLY 1 LIVING AREA. I never found only having one living area an issue when I was living in the home, after all there was only two people living there – myself and my brother. However a problem arose when my brother moved to Melbourne and we put the house on the market. Everything was built perfectly for a family yet we compromised on a living area because at the time we didn’t need it. If you put your emotions into buying or building I guarantee you will be short changed at the other end. It proved a costly mistake The truth is very few people live in the one home all their lives.

So now what I would say to the pom after pondering his quote on life – is you can get out what you put in – add water to the juice maker or simply thoroughly research every property investment you make. Everyone wants to get out of it what they put in or more!

Cheap Tricks!

I can not stand the River’s clothing store adds on television, and I don’t think the cheese stands alone. Yes, most people hate them but we’ve all watched them. Most of all, I hate the cheap ploys that they use to get me to watch the television. For example the advertisements come on in between a program I am watching – all of a sudden a high pitched scream belts out of my television – OF COURSE I AM GOING TO LOOK UP. Or the old chestnut when you are listening to the background noise of the television then suddenly everything falls silent – what’s happened to my television? OF COURSE, YOU LOOK UP. They have used every little trick in the book to make you watch the advertisement. Marketing heaven or marketing hell I’m not sure, although I can still tell you every bargain or sale they’ve got on. I think this week is something to do with women’s $18 knits. So they have successfully got my attention – but would I ever buy the product?

A similar theory goes when buying a property. It may be an appealing photo used for marketing but unless the property is priced right then no one will ever call for an inspection. Or it could be the other way around – the price could be extremely appealing however upon inspection it is not how it was presented in the marketing.

If a property’s price sounds too good to be true – it usually is (exceptions are; deceased estates, mortgagee sales, vendors relocating etc), so find out why it is and if it is something that will or will not effect you. Buyers also have to be aware of the cheap marketing tricks used by some agents. I will never re-iterate this enough the only way to know you aren’t paying too much for a property is to do your reseach. Get out there – go to open houses – keep up to date with what’s selling and what price properties sell for. Get your agent working for you. They should be informing you of new listings, price adjustments, or properties that you have previously inspected that are since sold.

In answering my question above, I probably wouldn’t buy a product that a company is flogging if they have purely used cheap tricks to get my attention in the first place. It can also give the impression cheap tricks = cheap product. This is also very similar to the process of choosing a real estate agent or company to sell your property on your behalf. Just because you go with the cheapest agent doesn’t mean you are going to get the best result. Countless times I have witnessed Vendor’s go for the cheaper agent.

Rule No 1. An agent shouldn’t be chosen based on commission alone – it’s just bad business. You have to approach this the same way as if you were buying a house. Research who is getting the results, research who has the most listings, talk to people – more often then not everyone will have an opinion on Real Estate agents. Also the quicker the agent is to drop their commission – you can guarantee they will be doing the same at the other end – dropping the price to get the sale.

Rule No 2. Do not appoint an agent because they have the cheapest marketing campaign. Once again you get what you pay for. This is the most crucial part to selling your property. If the agent is only putting the smallest ad in the newspaper how then can you be sure that every single person is being targeted who could be interested in buying your property. Everyone knows, the more interested parties you get the better chance you have of achieving your asking price or a property selling for above your expectations.

The simple solution I can offer for all of this is…RESEARCH and be mindful of the cheap tricks.

“Tap your heels together 3 times…There is no place like home”

Before I start this week’s blog I will let you know that I live at Westwood Park and therefore may have a biased opinion on the area.

The area I live in at Westwood Park is the perfect place for me to call home. We have fantastic neighbours on both sides. One side we have some empty nesters whose children have flown the coup. They include a water trader & also a business owner, on the other side we have a first home buyer who is rarely home, working away in the mines. Other people in our street include; business owners, ex-business owners, factory managers, factory workers etc.

All in all, our street is a very social one. City slickers rarely understand this – it is important for people who have grown up in country areas to know their neighbours, it provides a safety net. Our street is a congregation of people from all over: Boort, Ouyen, Geelong, Cohuna, Kyabram, as well as New Zealand & Ireland.

Every year we have a street Christmas Party – Santa, otherwise known as Rob my neighbour (safe to say after a bottle of wine) reluctantly arrives to deliver the children their presents. It’s a good opportunity for everyone to have a catch up before the busy Christmas period. It is not unusual in the court to hear the tunes from the street party going until the wee hours of the morning (with the broom becoming the centre piece, substituting as a microphone). I have also come home many a night to the neighbours congregating on a front lawn having a monthly catch up.

With the estate now almost completely full I have had some good sales in the area over my period of time in Real Estate ranging from $300k to $400k. There are also properties in the estate ranging from between $250,000 through to $600,000. The time and effort put into constructing some of the homes and surrounds have been phenomenal. As an investment new properties are always in demand for executive tenants or people in between building their home.

Our neighbours are more like family, they go above and beyond the call of just borrowing a cup of sugar.

“There is no place like home”.

AUCTION OR NOT – THAT IS THE QUESTION

In today’s market, the question on every home seller’s lips is how to get the best price for their property – to auction, or not to auction? Here is some helpful advice that might make this difficult decision a little easier.

Selling your home can be emotionally stressful, but being well informed about the process and alternatives helps instill a sense of control

What you should remember at all times is that property is a commodity, worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it.

Sometimes, it is better to go to auction to accurately determine market opinion, but in other cases it may be more appropriate to go through the private treaty sale process. Ideally, where there is likelihood that more than one buyer will be found in the marketing period, auction is the viable and preferable alternative. The area’s for this most likely to happen are the area’s in high demand. eg: Central Echuca, River Properties, or something that your property has that no one else’s does.

When there is a lot of housing stock available to choose from, then buyers have a broad range of choice as well as the power to keep prices down.

What an auction does is set a timeline by which interested parties must have completed their enquiries and arranged finance. It promoted decisiveness and allows the competitive nature of buyers to work in your interest. Also, it puts some surety into the process because a sale under the hammer on auction day is water-tight.

But with private treaty sales, there is a degree of risk. Two parties could make offers for a property, but if the chosen party’s finances fall through after you’ve accepted their offer, you either have to go back to the second party in a potentially weaker position than previously, or you have to start the process again.

With auctions, when the bidding reaches your reserve, the property is sold unconditionally.

First National has successfully been selling through the auction process. It’s a result that comes from a combination of having realistic, well informed vendors, effective, targetted promotion of the properties and an agent who understands the local area and auction process thoroughly.

Auctions are good where a vendor is realistic and willing to accept what the market is willing to offer on the given day.

But private treaty sales, in the right circumstances, can prove lucrative too, especially in today’s market at the top end.

This market has been moving more slowly in upper price ranges than the more affordable levels, so it may well be worth considering private sales in this situation.

Selling a home always carries some element of uncertainty – it is how you reduce, or mitigate, that uncertainty that is the key. Some may suggest doing that by private sale, others will swear by auctions. The best advice, though, is to get the best advice – talk to a real estate agent who knows the area and what is working well and what is not.