Have you ever wondered if property prices in the Alice ever go down?  I’m not talking about a short period of a month or two when prices drop then go back up.  I’m talking about overall prices dropping over a sustained period of at least one year.

Well, apparently, it’s happened.  I just reviewed the LJ Hooker News Summer 2012/13 data sheet and it clearly shows the price drop – for both houses and units – from 2011 to 2012.

Now the drop isn’t big but, it’s significant.  According to the LJ Hooker data sheet, for the 2011 – 2012 period, house prices dropped 1.4%; units fell by only 0.25%.

Why are these relatively small price drops significant?  Well, just check out the previous 5 years!  You’ll see price increases every year; some amazingly high!  For instance, from 2009 to 2010, house prices in the Alice rose 22.4%!; unit prices grew by an astonishing 24.3%!

So maybe the price drop from 2011 to 2012 doesn’t look very significant compared to the price rises over the previous 5 years.  But – at least for one year – the housing market upward price march has been halted!  And, this represents a big change from the “normal” Alice Springs property market where prices generally increase from year to year.

So, what does it all mean?

Hey, could it mean that 2012 was a good time to buy?  Could it mean that some folks picked up some bargains?

Or, could it mean that prices are set to drop some more?  Maybe there are some good bargains to be had in 2013?

Could it mean that 2012 and right now – early 2013 – is a good time to be shopping for property in the Alice?

It certainly appears that way.  Now may be the time to be looking – and looking hard – for a well priced property in the Alice.

Happy Hunting!

Now, first you have to qualify.  Only 2 ways to qualify as follows:

1. You’re looking for a place to live in the Alice.  (Or, you’re helping someone look!)
2. You have a property for sale or rent preferably in the Alice.  (I suppose you could have a property for sale or rent outside the Alice and that would be ok too!)

Now, once you fall into one of the categories above, you’re ready to hear the top 3; top 3 reasons why you should place your ad with Alice Home Hunter …

1. Targeted Audience:  The Alice Home Hunter audience is targeted; they’re focused.  They’re visiting the site because they are looking for a place to live in the Alice.  They either want to buy or rent.  They may be looking for anything from a house to a granny flat.  Or, they may just want a room.  But, they’re focused; they’re visiting the site for one reason – to find a place to live in the Alice.  That’s it.  They may be new to town or just want a new place to live.  Maybe they want to upgrade, maybe they want to downsize.  When you list your property on Alice Home Hunter, you can be sure any “looks” are from folks who are focused on finding a place to live in the Alice.
2. You’re in Control:  You are the creator of your ad.  You write what you  want.  You can edit your ad at any time.  You can update it.  You can ad up to 6 photos.
3. It’s Free!  Yes, our ads are totally free.  Try out your ad.  Look at it.  Edit it.  Makes sure it’s just right.  Then it’s up and running for 30 days (24/7) – FREE.  Oh, and of course, you can edit your ad at any time.  Just log in to your personal dashboard and edit away!

So, if want value for money, it’s hard to beat the convenience and ease of Alice Home Hunter. You get a quality listing – with up to 6 photos – for the starting price of  … FREE.  Your ad is up working 24/7.  It doesn’t rest, it doesn’t take breaks.  It doesn’t just come out on Tuesdays and Fridays.  It  works all the time.

If someone happens to be visiting Alice Home Hunter at 2 a.m., your listing is there; ready to be seen.  Your listing doesn’t get lost in the stack of papers on the couch; it doesn’t get thrown away in the trash so you can’t find it!  It just keeps on working; even while you sleep!

Well, these are the top 3 reasons to place your ad with Alice Home Hunter.  There’s lots more, but we’ll leave them for  another day.

Happy Hunting!

What’s the best way to do it?

Well, I don’t know the best way, but I’ve come up with a 2 step process that’s bound to give you much more exposure than just sitting around passively waiting for the phone to ring.

So, let’s get cracking.

Step 1:  Put your offering on the Alice Home Hunter website.

Now, why would you want to do that?  Let’s go over a few compelling reasons as follows:

• It’s a custom designed classified ad site.  It’s built to display classified ads.  It  allows you to create a nice looking advertisement in your own words.  Nothing gets lost in translation; you’re in control.
• It has search capability.  If you want to see all the units for rent, run a search.  If you want to see only houses, then search on “houses.”  This is a good feature to have for people looking to buy or rent your property!
• Ads stay active for 30 days.  That’s right, your ad will be up on the site for 30 days at a time; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Our simple “relist” features allows you to relist your ad with only 2 clicks of the mouse button; then your ad is up for another 30 day period.
• You can post up to 6 photos!  Six photos will go a long way to describing your offering.
• It’s easy!  Just register (if you haven’t already) and start creating your ad masterpiece!
• Oh yeah, almost forgot … ads are free!  And, for just a small fee, you can upgrade your ad to our homepage scroll-er bar.  Just another way for you to get some additional exposure.

Step 2:  Promote it on facebook!

Facebook is becoming (or already is) the best way to get the word out about … anything!  So, why not use it to get the word out about your property.

“How do you do that?”  I can almost hear you say.

Well, here’s a few suggestions as follows:

• Tell all your facebook friends!  Post a link to your Alice Home Hunter ad on your facebook wall.  If you don’t have a facebook account, then either create one or ask someone to post it for you on their facebook wall.
• Post one photo of your property on the facebook  ”Alice, buy, sell, swap” group” to the appropriate album (real estate) and then put a link to your Alice Home Hunter ad.  That way if folks are interested in getting more info, they can follow the link and get all the spicy details.
• Ask us at Alice Home Hunter to promote your offering on our facebook page!   We’re normally pretty good about promoting Alice Home Hunter properties, so we may just pick up your property for promotion anyway!

Facebook is a great tool for promotion, but may not make a very good classified ad platform.  It just wasn’t designed that way.  But, as a way to get the word out – to provide a link to your awesome classified ad on Alice Home Hunter – facebook is the best!

So, there you have it.  A 2 step process to getting your property more exposure to the market.  First, you put up a good looking “free” ad on Alice Home Hunter.com, then you promote it on facebook.

Until next time … Happy Hunting!

YES!  We have new residential building projects going on in the Alice!

I happened to be driving around town yesterday and thought I’d take a few snapshots and share them with you; show a few of the new projects.

First, I stopped the car long enough for my daughter to take a snap of this block of units going up on Bath Street, opposite Kmart and just behind the Fashion 4 U store.

I reckon these will prove to be very popular as they are so close to the city centre.  The location is the big draw for these new residential units.

Next, we drove over to the Giles Street on the east side and took a snapshot of another new building project.  More upmarket units; again with close proximity to town.  Just a short walk across the river footpath and you’re downtown right in front of the Todd Tavern and just a stone’s throw from the Alice Plaza.

Again, I reckon the driving feature for these units is the proximity to town.  I know it’s a short distance to anywhere in the Alice, but – for some reason – folks still like convenience; saving time; getting there quicker.  And, if you’re closer to town, you gain all three of these benefits.  Granted the savings isn’t that great … big deal, you get to the grocery store 1 minute earlier than your friend who lives in Sterling Heights … but people still seem to want and like that small benefit.

Well, home hunters, there you have it … new homes are getting built in the Alice.

With the high cost of land and building, will folks line up to buy them?  I would guess the answer is yes.  Generally, people like – and are prepared to pay for – quality and convenience.    These properties appear to deliver both.

Until next time … Happy Hunting!

And now for some more information from the LJ Hooker Winter 2012 Real Estate Newsletter – the Alice Springs property statistics for the quarter ending June 2012.

The number paint an interesting picture as follows:

• House prices overall dropped by 2.53%.  The only area to show a price increase was Gillen.
• Unit prices overall rose by 8%.  But, again, there was only one area showing all the gains – Braitling and Stuart!  All the other areas show negative or “insufficient data.”
• Average house and unit prices have increased significantly since 2006.  For instance, the average house price in 2006 was $307,084; now it’s $484,700.  Unit prices have jumped from $203,818 up to $347,994 since 2006!  Wow!

If you like numbers and property, you’ll enjoy reading Jun 2012 Alice Property Stats.

Check it out and – as always – Happy Hunting!