Raising The Bar – West End’s Secret Garden

When something is already good how can you make it even better?  

Having been crowned ABC Delicious Magazine’s Best Café in Australia 2010 this smoking gun has loaded the barrel once more.
 
A new 8 burner stove and fully functioning outdoor bar with cast iron antique bar stools,  more covered areas and more space in the renovated and further improved secret courtyard. 

Timber deck and brick paving create warmth and intimacy in the evenings and by day you could be forgiven for thinking you were brunching in your own backyard.    Enjoy scents from the abundant herb garden – enjoy the freshness and flavour given to your meals.

This is truly a great informal function space or simply a relaxing West End spot to enjoy delicious food. This of course, is the Gun Shop Cafe

‘Review’ by our very own Suzanne Leacy from Residential Sales

Rental Property of the Week

8/104 Dornoch Terrace Highgate Hill – $425 per week, 2 bed, 1 bath, 1 car / OPEN FOR INSPECTION SAT 15 MAY 2.15 – 2.45PM

Don’t miss this spacious 2 bedroom apartment, both rooms with built in’s and access to balcony and city views. Click to view this property online or call our Rental Department on 3840 5959.

Australian Federal Government gets Tough on Foreign Ownership Rules

FOREIGN students and temporary residents will face tough new rules when buying a house and will have to sell on leaving Australia.

The Federal Government’s crackdown, to be announced today, reverses its December 2008 decision to relax foreign ownership rules.

Bowing to public pressure, the Government will also introduce a hotline for concerned locals to “dob in” foreigners they suspect of breaching the rules.

Under the rules, temporary residents and foreign students will be:

SCREENED by the Foreign Investment Review Board to determine if they will be allowed to buy a property.

FORCED to sell property when they leave Australia.

PUNISHED if they do not sell by a government-ordered sale plus confiscation of any capital gain.

REQUIRED to build on vacant land within two years of purchase to stop “land banking”. Failure to do so would also lead to a government-ordered sale.

There have been growing claims that real estate prices have been forced up by wealthy Asian families, especially from China and Korea, buying up property and outbidding locals at auctions.

The Government is concerned by anecdotal reports that foreigners are “collecting” houses, often in the same street, and leaving them empty when there is a shortage of housing.

Full story: http://ow.ly/1H6eF

Phillip Hudson – Herald Sun

New Listing – 213/1000 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley / An outstanding opportunity awaits you!

Representing excellent value for first home buyers or investors, this well located apartment presents a great opportunity to get your foot in the door of this hot property market. It offers tasteful interiors with quality finishes in a central location.  Privately elevated within the Emporium complex, this inviting apartment is immersed among some of Brisbanes restaurants and cafes.

View this property online.

Grape Escapes within Easy Reach of Brisbane

Grape Escapes within easy reach of Brisbane:

Inspiration for the upcoming weekend….? For those that don;t have to work of course….

Wineries within reach of Brisbane

New Listing – 35/448 Ann Street, Brisbane / 141sqm of Luxury at a Sensational Price!

Its the attention to detail in both design and finish that makes this special apartment stand out from the rest. Metropolis is one of the CBDs best kept secrets, boasting a fabulous rooftop pool, entertaining area, gym and sauna. Apartments in this building are tightly held and sell fast, so be sure to arrange your inspection today.

View this property online.

All enquiries to Ben White on 0414 647 582

New to West End? Welcome!

 

West End is well known for it’s diversity in many ways and our restaurant scene carries on that tradition! Why not try one of our local restaurants… BON APPETIT!

We have two distinct dining areas to whet your appetite:

Hardgrave Road: http://ow.ly/1H6oY

Boundary Road precinct: http://ow.ly/1H6po

Reviews? We welcome fair and honest comments….

Give It Back To The Community

Councillor Helen Abrahams calls for a Community Centre at 1 Orleigh Street, West End.

 

In a statement issued recently, Cr Abrahams said:

Several members of the local community approached me with this idea, and so as I have made mention to other local residents that Council has purchased this house, the response has been unanimous, that Council should keep the building and provide it for a community use.

The existing house is a wonderful character house with enclosed verandas. These buildings are easy to convert into a community facilities building and possibly a child care centre.

The suggestions for a community building include:

·        a meeting space for young mothers

·        a hub for groups of people who wish to come together to create products for sale such as a small social enterprise

·        a Sustainability Centre demonstrating and supporting climate change initiatives

·        an Indigenous History Centre

Several of these activities could be accommodated in this building. Other suggestions include low cost housing, or selling the house to a housing co-operative.

Presently there are 112 community services in the West End Peninsula (Sept 2010).  However, the proposed population increases for the West End peninsula will see the need for additional community facilities.

54% of these current services are meeting the needs of the local community and the remaining 62% of services are considered under threat from development pressures. Churches and child care centres were identified as secure from the gentrification pressures. The 23 boarding houses were considered the most vulnerable.

With a tripling in population there must also be a link with the reciprocal tripling of community services. The purchase of this site provides the Lord Mayor the opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to the existing community and to provide community infrastructure.

Urban renewal is more than building skyscrapers. It is to ensure community facilites are also provided so that people will want to come and live in these areas.

At the moment, the Lord Mayor is simply building skyscrapers and generating congestion.

The Orleigh Street site is being purchased in order to construct a roundabout for the CityGlider bus service at the West End Ferry terminal. A small portion of the site is necessary for the roundabout.  This will leave the dwelling and a sizeable area untouched.  The house could easily remain on site although it may need to be shifted back on the block.

Source: www.westender.com.au

Yassou!! 2010 Paniyiri Greek Festival

From Friday May 21st through to Sunday May 23rd – Paniyiri always proves sensational fun for all the family…

Paniyiri

60,000 people – 3 massive days – 30 fabulous food stalls – 100,000 honey puffs – 950 volunteers – 4000 high kicks – Greek gods – the stars of dance – the doyennes of food – 1 self appointed Greek Goddess and 20 cans of heavy duty hairspray – more than 50 hours of entertainment – 6000 coffees – the bouzouki, tarabuka, lira and laouto – the Zorba, Sirto, Kalamatiano and Sousta – Pasarela on the Park – 500kgs of Haloumi …

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Brisbane’s Paniyiri Greek Festival …

While the historic steps of the Acropolis may be some 15,000km from the grassy flats of Brisbane’s Musgrave Park, all the sights, sounds, characters and culture from the country which produced Homer, haloumi, honey puffs, Socrates, Plato and the famous Zorba will be celebrated in style during the much anticipated festival.

Brisbane’s famous Paniyiri Greek Festival will this year celebrate over three days from Friday May 21 through to Sunday May 23 showcasing the very best in Hellenic hospitality from dance and music, through to cultural events, fashion, food and much more.

http://www.paniyiri.com/index.html

Research shows property still the best investment

Australia was one of the countries that came out of the GFC on top. Research now indicates that the housing market looks like it is going to take off again. Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) and BankWest recently conducted surveys finding that almost three in four  (73%) of respondents expect house prices to rise, which is the highest level of confidence in more than three years. 

Below is an excerpt from RP Data with relation to the research carried out.

“Phil Naylor, CEO of The MFAA said confidence in the housing market is not only pre-GFC – it’s back where it was during the height of the housing boom.

However, he warned that the recent interest rate increases are negatively impacting households.

The proportion of respondents who are struggling to meet their mortgage repayments have increased to 15.9% from 11.7% in May 2009.

About half of the respondents believe now is a good time to buy a new home, with almost two-thirds (63%) of South Australians saying now is a good time to buy. Queensland was the least optimistic at just 41.4% of respondents believing it was a good time to buy.”

First National Metro sales team is confident that this increase is a realistic expectation and sales results over the last three months are showing the trend towards this outcome.

Do you think the GFC is over for Australia? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.