Lindfield New Home or Mona Vale Townhouse?

New Listing in Lindfield

104 Highfield Road, Lindfield which is a brand new home on a recently subdivided corner block, will be on the market for the first time this Saturday.  An 11 December auction is scheduled.  The home has been well designed for space, light and privacy and falls in the Killara High School Zone.  This makes the location a popular choice for families (4 brs) needing a high quality low maintenance lifestyle in a position with easy access to both schools, city and universities. (Macquarie & Macquarie Park are a stones throw away while the UTS campus at Lindfield is even closer).

 

or choose Mona Vale on the cusp of Bayview : beautiful spacious townhome with a touch of class, inspect Saturday or Sunday 12.30 - 1.15, 1,155-157 Darley Street West, overlooking Bayview golf course and minutes from beach or shops.

Meanwhile in Newport …

What a surprise to see the streets of Newport transformed for the annual market day.  Rock bands were throbbing on the seaside park, musicians strummed their trade in the newly refurbished arcade of restaurants and on the corners of the street.  The parking area behind the Barrenjoey shopping strip was an amusement arcade with extraordinary performers turning themselves inside out to the huge appreciation of the crowds.  Children thronged the water slide and amusements near the beach.  If you missed it this year, keep and keen eye out for next November or visit the next beach side suburb to take it’s turn at this massive pre-Christmas event.

The Surf Life Saving Club at Newport focused on art and photography with the fundraiser of historic photos finishing its display.  Now I can let the secret out, I won the raffle and have collected a second historic photo of the area to hang in my new home!  With plans now approved by Council I am now trying to decide how to build this simple beach side home designed by Sean Gartner, without breaking the bank!

From KILLARA to NEWPORT, our goals for our children are shared

Avalon is offering family swimming sessions on Saturdays while in Killara the Marion St Theatre for Young People is at last back in it’s rightful place in the theatre in Marion St.  The current season of Cinderella runs Saturdays only now until 27 November.  Get on line to enrol for 16 week  (2 semesters a year)  classes 5 – 12 year olds  www.mstyp.org.au  or older kids who get the opportunity to present pantomimes such as this one written by Children’s Theatre stalwart Helen Martin.

The aim is to build basic confidence and enhanced performance style.

This weekend (November 6 & 7) 10am – 4pm visit Robin Cale Clubrooms, Newport Surf Life Saving Club, Barrenjoey Rd, Newport Beach and pick up a limited edition print  from Cale’s Newport photos 1930 – 1950.  All proceeds go to Newport Surf Life Saving Club.

It was fun to see a surfer this morning leaving the surf at 7.15 am and showering off at the viewing platform in the car park before putting on his school uniform (Narrabeen Sports High), handing his board to his dad, and jumping on the school bus.  Now that’s the way to have a great day!

Remember this?

Max du Pain: "At Newport" 1952

Moving right along...

It’s been 10 months now since I started maneuvering between North Shore and the Northern Beaches and the most apparent observation is that the two areas are strongly linked. Many North Shore people have happy memories of long summer holidays spent in the family beach house. Yet now both Mona Vale Road and Wakehurst Parkway bring the areas only half an hour apart. There is an even stronger sense of community in each of the beachside suburbs than there is up the Northshore line. Perhaps it has something to do with the home club and colours blazoned across the backsides of our little nippers and our surf life savers.

 The flags our out for summer now and the fearless locals can be seen stroking out across the bay. A few weeks ago they would have been dodging whale spouts, so easily viewed from each headland lookout. The boardwalk between Newport and Bilgola beaches is perfect for whale watching or just minding the views. Steps up to the Serpentine link the North end of Bilgola to Avalon. Oceans of public park at Palm Beach give out to the walk up to the lighthouse – with congo lines of back-packers the day I walked it! Still one could tour the beaches restaurants for months without having to visit the same one twice – unless you get particularly stuck on say the mussels at Beaches or the sourdough at the Bluemoon bakery or breakfast at Cocos or Italian at Lucky’s & Pep’s.


While the Northshore is worrying about the proliferation of high rise developments, the beaches are fighting the introduction of Woolies to Newport. They have a point – Coles has only just opened and serves the community well whereas Mona Vale, the gateway from the Northshore has what is billed as “Woolworths largest store”. With a well stocked Dan Murphys right beside it, it is well patronised. My favourite however is Thomas Dux the Grocer (right opposite Mona Vale library), big enough to display hand picked product easily but small enough to offer a regular number of free promotional tastings to limbo up the tastebuds before you choose dinner!

INVESTORS SHOULD NOT BE CAUGHT CHASING AN ESCALATING MARKET,

Mark Armstrong sagely comments

“The Sydney property market’s median price is set to double in the next 10 years, recent reports suggest, and while that appears to be good news for investors who are already in the market, it is a concern for those still trying to get a foothold.

As the property market continues to grow it is important investors understand how to value property to increase their chance of success.

Many people value property based on what they think it is worth. However, the value of property is determined purely by what the market is prepared to pay.

To get a clear understanding of the market, it is not only essential to know what similar properties in a particular area have been selling for but also how many under-bidders there were and at what level they stopped competing.

The buyers who missed out on the last property will be your competitors for the next one and will drive price growth

Let’s look at an example of investors who find their perfect property. They have not been looking for long and have no idea what the market value for long and have no idea what the market value for the property is. They base the value on what they think is a fair price. The property is due to be auctioned and they wisely decide on an upper limit before the auction, in this case $600,000.

As the auction progresses they soon realise they are others who are prepared to pay more than them and the property sells for $610,000.

A couple of months and countless inspections go by before they find another comparable property. They reason that because the last one sold for $610,000, this one will be worth the same. However, they fail to understand this sale is now a couple of months old and the market has moved on. Once again they fail to secure the property as this time it sells for $620,000.

These investors are now falling into the trap of chasing the market. They are basing their purchase price limit on what happened in the past and in a growing market they will continually miss out.

While it is never a good idea to overpay for property, always being under the market can result in significant opportunity costs.

The Sydney market showed double-digit growth last year and I expect that trend will continue for the next 12 months to two years as more investors return.

When investors compete in this kind of market, the longer it takes you to get in, the more it will cost you. 

Source: Sunday, March 28, 2000 Domain (The Sun Herald)

Seniors Week

This week highlights seniors and many activities have been organised by Council and the Uniting Church covering a broad spectrum.  Today, Friday 5 March is a Gala concert at the Turramurra Uniting Church and afterwards an introduction to Meals on Wheels.  It is not surprising to see the name of powerhouse Rosalie Ramsay associated with helping organise events!  She does a wonderful job in supporting the local community.  Not to be missed in Senior's Week is the computer day being held on Monday 15 March 10am - 12.30 pm at the East Lindfield Community Hall, 9 Wellington Road.  Enquiries: Ivon Rock 9416 7826.  Just down from the PRDnationwide office in Lindfield is the Lindfield library and next to it at 259 Pacific Highway is the Seniors Centre.  They have an introduction to Tai-Chi presented by life Balance on Friday 26 March 11.15 - 12 pm.  As a keen Tai Chi practitioner I will definitely drop in to see what's happening! 
Book through Kuringgai Council 9424 0000.

Saving the Village

Last night there was a meeting – local architects and designers spoke to local residents about the need for a meeting place and sense of community to be instated and continued for generations.  They were strategising against the proposed rezoning of Council land.   “For the sake of our children and grandchildren, it’s vital the rezoning proposal is axed”.
Does this sound familiar?
How come you didn’t know about the meeting?
Well the meeting was in Newport on the Northern beaches, a place which succeeded inside the public domain to become “Pittwater” a mere 18 years ago.
They spoke about keeping small business vital and engendering a sense of community through the integration of business with open space.  
Their crusade has been a long one but they are putting together some cold hard facts to help the Council make more appropriate and informed decisions.  For instance the local residents’ group survey substantiates that the ratio of car spaces to commercial Newport area is 8.2 spaces per 100 sm, a figure which proves that there is more than adequate provision for now and in the near future.  They have drawn up professional plans and costed viable alternatives.  They have dreamt the dream.  Made me wonder, what are the FOL (Friends of Lindfield) up to at the moment.  Where is the vision for a community centre, the preservation and revitalisation of small business and the provision for “generations to come”.   Newport are taking action to control Council Land (the rate payers land) and help them put together a “demonstration site” including green walls watered by grey water.  A site that will help improve the lifestyle of the “Newport Village” even though it is dissected by a main thorough fare.

In Lindfield we have a perfect opportunity as well – right in the middle of Lindfield to fight for a similar centre blending commercial, residential and social activity.  However the site that was fought over 10 years ago actually no longer exists as the ownership of the proposed “Green Square” site has now been split and no schedule for development of the area has been committed to by owners or by the Department of Planning who are responsible for this site.

There is of course the Department of Planning’s Draft North Subregional Strategy which calls for Hornsby to create 11,000 new dwellings and 9,000 new jobs by 2031 while Ku-ring-gai’s target is 10,000 dwelling and 4,500 jobs by 2031.  This is a stated increase of 17% from 79,000 in 2001 to a total of 92,500 by 2031.  So I thought it would be a good idea to go to Ku-ring-gai  Council and ask how many of these homes have already been built.  They unfortunately couldn’t tell me because the person who used to do this calculation left “3 years ago, and hasn’t been replaced as it is too expensive to keep providing this sought of information”.  Hmmm.
Please do email me with your information!  christindoutty@lindhouse.com

Trust Savvy gen Y

I love Miranda Devine's comments SMH11/02/90 that savvy gen Y know how to deliver a few accurate observations on the community and their perceptions of the lack of delivery by our leaders. "...while their teachers were trying to brainwash them, they were getting a more realistic education from satirical TV cartoons such as South Park, Family Guy, Futurama, American Dad and The Simpsons. They barrack for no particular ideology, and, seeing close-hand the effects of divorce and social instability, are used to adults not living up to lofty standards.
As the first generation to grow up with Google, they expect real answers to real questions. ...
They are savvy and serious people who expect to be treated seriously and accord their elders respect only if earned. The future is in good hands."

who, where, why?

Christine Doutty is looking to establish an online community and notice board in lieu of the sad lack of a physically designed emporium inside the Northshore Community. Selling real estate for 25 years, choosing schools for children, watching buyers struggle with discovering their underlying needs and even having a new member of the community (a buyer!) start up a special website for children as she found the area so difficult to navigate personally.  Activities4KIDS

Now that Christine's business interests have been merged (previously trading and Ray White for 15 years and Re/Max for10 years and the current trading name Lindhouse 1 year) she is no longer a "corporatised licensee". She is working as an independent agent in association with PRDnationwide at Lindfield.

Christine has two GenY children, James and Erica who live in Newcastle and Glebe. Both are involved in the media and share a boisterous, healthy love of independence.

The Real Estate Project

Here is the beginning of a new Real Estate communication. It will be based on the community of Lindfield and Roseville where I have lived and worked for 30 years! Like a good northshorites it will wander through adjacent suburbs, out to "the beaches" for holidays and retirement and into the inner city to help off-spring divest their income in the time honored method of mortgage repayments.

Along the way we will bump into service providers and community news sheets. We will happily give anecdotal reports from buyers, sellers and agents - during the Olympics we are bound to reflect on the best ski resorts while the World Cup could bring out a red card system for agents! All of your questions and suggestions are welcome.