| Interest Rates fall 1 per cent to 3.45pc |
The RBA has slashed a further 1 per cent off the cash rate to put Aus tralian interest rates at 3.25% - the fifth consecutive cut following on from 3% cuts given in the last few months of last year. Australia has not seen rates this low since 1964. The RBA took into account the fiscal stimulus measures announced by the government today, and probably the 3.3% national house price fall in 2008 as well as the worsening economic news from USA and UK (see later) The average $300,000 home loan is now $186 per month cheaper. Read full Statement by RBA Governor Glenn Stevens here |
|
| January Effect rears its head again |
Meanwhile... in past years we've spoken of the increase in traffic we've experienced on the aussi ehome.com website in January, which we've termed the 'January Effect' - whether it's due to latent demand pent up from Christmas break pouring forth, or people having more time to browse around web sites looking at property, or something else! Anyway - this January saw the largest example of this, and we hope this translates into more enquiry for you, our clients, more property deals, especially with historically low levels of interest rates, and well, Australia is such a great place to live, isn't it? What better time to buy in? See 'Latest Traffic' news on the right hand column >> |
|
| GFC - latest news from across the pond |
No, not Golden Fried Chicken  (which looks very good, I must say), but the Global Financial Crisis. Whilst back in UK last month, the editor of this enewsletter was shocked to see and hear the battering everyone is taking there from the world economic slowdown. Are we more isolated here (in more senses than one?). Bad news follows devastating news - on job losses, home foreclosures, banks going bankrupt, more and more goverment bail outs... and it's been going on and on for months it seems. Over here, we've all heard about the GFC, but at the same time retailers are saying we've had record sales in January. In the UK, shops in affluent towns are boarded up. Sure, the GFC effects will slow down our growth, it might tip Australia into a technical recession (defined as two successive quarters of negative economic growth). The UK is already in a recession (technically and literally) and they are now talking 'depression' (sustained period of downturn that lasts several years). But it's not anything like as bad as this in Australia. Not unless we let it be so. What do you think? |
|
| Getty Images - scam? |
OK - let's change the subject! A couple of our clients have been contacted by Getty Images saying they have photos on their web site that are not allowed - or rather, images taken without permission from a Getty Images library. We'd like to assure everyone that we use a couple of photo libraries for all our images that we have bought licenses for (iStock and StockPhoto), and do not use Getty Images. But if any if you are contacted by them (it's quite a serious looking letter), please contact us and we'll advise you how to proceed.
NEXT MONTH! 2 years after our last website upgrade, we are doing it again - we'll be unveiling a totally NEW aussiehome.com website, NEW logo, NEW features such as blogging and totally new alerts (including new price alerts) and of course our online TV show. Get ready! |
|
|
| Be a part of our TV show! |
OK - now it's your time to be a TV star No, not some horrible, sadistic reality show - but a perfectly lovely, home-produced real estate show - put together by yours truly, aussiehome.com Those of you at our Christmas Party would have seen (but maybe not heard!) a sneak peak of the pilot - we are now fully into producing the following 12 episodes, and in each one we need: - real stories about people who are buying, selling, renting, developing, investing - queries from buyers, sellers, renters, developers, investors - anything else you think would be interesting for us to cover No catch - we're just interested in what would make interesting shows. We have filmed most parts of the next 3 episodes, but with nine more 24-minute episodes to fill, we need you! Your public needs you! Don't be shy -please contact CHARLIE GUNNINGHAM with your ideas and content, and we'll be round in a jiffy with the film crew. No advertorials, nothing paid for - just interesting stories please. |
| |
| Latest Traffic - aussiehome.com |
Af ter a typically quiet December (in our 10 years experience, December traffic always falls about 25-30%), January roared back with the strongest ever leap in visitor traffic to aussiehome.com and new records: - Monthly visitors (Jan 09) : 345,596 - up from 239,300 in Dec - Unique Visitors (Jan '09) : 92,874 - up from 65,874 in Dec - Time on the Site (Jan '09) : 8 mins 27 secs - up from 7 mins 42 secs in Dec If you require any further details on our traffic numbers, do contact Charlie Gunningham |
| |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|
