Friday 25th September

Australia's house prices on the rise!

Fresh off the press this week, courtesy of St George Bank, is the National Hotspots Report detailing the top 24 Australian suburbs that generally give more than they take when it comes to property value.

With locality being the primary advantage for these suburbs, high-density commercial spaces and public transport proved the ideal recipe for the strongest value as was the potential to renovate and extend.

St George, after commissioning RP Data to undertake the nationwide analysis, confirmed the most affordable suburb in the country is just outside Ballarat in Redan where the current median house price is a mere $190,000.

Contrasting this, the report showed Australia’s priciest suburb is 12km out of Melbourne in Ashburton with a median price of $706,750.

The data also reported that the median house price on average rose by 4.5% this year with particular improvement in suburbs Granville (Sydney), Chadstone (Melbourne), Keperra (Brisbane), Bassendean (Perth), and Thebarton (Adelaide), with Darwin recording a massive 7% increase. Breaking the trend was Adelaide, unveiling a pint-sized 0.6% rise this year.

“The Australian property market is certainly not homogeneous and across capital cities individual performances have shown significant variations. In each city there are areas that have been overlooked by property buyers, despite positive factors that actually make these locations attractive spots for home owner-occupiers or investors,” St.George Bank’s Chief Economist Ms Besa Deda said.

Our capitals saw an overall rise in value with Melbourne rising 6.5%, Sydney 5.9%, Canberra 3.1%, Perth 1.9%, and Brisbane 1.4%.

It also confirms that owner/occupier rates are increasing, reporting a 25.7% rise. This suggests recent interest rate cuts and the continuation of the First Homeowners Grant may have had the intended positive effect on the market and that people may be moving away from renting with its ever-increasing rates.

“Savvy home buyers and investors should look outside the square and consider the areas which have not attracted the same level of attention as traditional blue-ribbon locations. For example, some of the suburbs identified in the National Hotspot research include light industrial areas which are expected to eventually transform into residential areas with amenities,” says Ms Deda.

Farm house that inspired Babe movie for sale!

Dick King-Smith, author of the popular children’s book The Sheep Pig, which later evolved into the hit movie Babe, is selling the very farm that inspired the wholesome piggy tale.

Born Ronald Gordon King-Smith in 1922, the author is better known as his pen name Dick King-Smith. His early years were spent farming and after 20 years, he became a teacher and eventually the author we now know clocking up over 100 books in total – many of these books featuring animals. King-Smith now lives in a small farming village near Bristol and is still actively involved with animals working as the vice president of the Avon Wildlife Trust.

The property, titled Boyd Farm, lies in a tranquil and secluded setting on the banks of the River Boyd in Golden Valley (South Gloucestershire, UK).

King-Smith, now in his 80’s, recently commissioned careful and sensitive restoration to its stone mullioned windows and Jacobean gabled dormer windows - complete with stone parapets and ball finials.

Inside it holds a wealth of period features including beamed ceilings, original elm flooring, stone mullion windows with window seats, inglenook fireplaces with log-burning stoves, shutters, cornicing, and original doors.

Originally a mill house, the home features six bedrooms, three bathrooms, and four living areas. It is marketed at $AUD4.2million.

Brisbane’s iconic ‘Tintagel’ nearly two centuries on

Originally built in 1835 as the Bank of Australasia in the heart of the burgeoning Brisbane City, ‘Tintagel’ was relocated in 1982 to its present position where it now sits resplendent upon three lots with spectacular views along two reaches of the Brisbane River and of the present day CBD in the distance.

Particular highlights includes the carved fireplace in the master bedroom designed by Architect John Nash (who also designed Buckingham Palace) and the hand-painted glass doors to the dining room which came from The Savoy Hotel, London. Upstairs, the main bedroom takes its cue from the intricately detailed carved plaster ceiling and panelling which was rescued from the old Regent Theatre while the dining room’s ceiling is an original from Her Majesty’s Theatre. The formal sitting room displays ornate carved timbers from Euros Church in London.

The building is constructed entirely from Harcourt granite and features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, private study, dual car garage, utility room, air-conditioning, intercom, and security. Outside the property is fully fenced with inviting gardens, riverfront terraces, a pool and imposing circular drive.

For more information, find it on www.millionplus.com.au.

Architect Sharon Fraser’s multi award-winning ‘Amileka’ house on the market!

Having just been awarded Best Property Australia in the 2009 CNBC International Property Awards, a 2008 Architecture Award from the Australian Institute of Architects NSW Country Division, and a 2009 Master Builders Association Regional Award, Amileka has made appearances in InsideOut Magazine March/April 2009 and Houses Magazine: Issue 67.

Amileka is perfectly placed on a ‘green field’ site which captures 360 degrees of some of the most breathtaking Byron Hinterland views. The home is set on 25 acres near the village of Federal and is only 20 minutes from Byron Bay.

Encompassing 627 square metres, the house features four large bedrooms, home office, three bathrooms, open plan living spaces, underfloor solar heating, solar heated hot water; on-site waste management, endless outdoor entertaining areas with fire pit, double garage and 18 metre pool.

The property also has a second three bedroom dwelling with its own pool, dams, 70m bore, windmill, renovated dairy bails, tree farms, citrus tree orchards, and a children’s architecturally designed playhouse.

Marketed at 7.5million plus. For further information, find it on www.millionplus.com.au.