I think it may be wise to hold off buying.  But do your research.  Buy a copy of the sales in the area you are looking at to see what the trends have been in the past and up until the last three months.  Residex also has good information on predictions you can purchase as well. 

Even though you won't know for sure what is going to happen you may get enough information to feel confident in whatever decision you make.  There's nothing nicer than being able to sleep soundly at night happy in how things are in your life.

Your local council should be able to assist with information but you need proof in writing to protect yourself.  I think the zoning usually stipulates what development can occur on a block of land.

$30 an hour  means that handyman is getting ripped off if he is a contractor.  Factor in insurance, tools, car costs, fuel, advertising –  $30 doesn't cut it – he isprobably really working for only $15 an hour at the most.  Most lawnmowing men charge far more than that and they need to, to survive.  Most trades seem to work for something between $60 and $110 per hour in our neck of the woods.  I am happy to pay $45 for the plumber to go chang a washer or redo the filter in the shower if it means I don't have to listen to my partner gripe about having to do repairs.  He is a great handyman himself but is quite over it after all these years.

Rich Sparky wrote:

Ohhhhh… Sorry forgot to tell you the best part! I'm only 25! Most of my mates are still in uni & where bagging me leaving school at 15 to start my apprenticeship.. Now I have properties & drive a porsche which they are still living at home… I have just got my builders license & am in the process of setting up my next business so I can semi retire by 30. So please in future think before you open your big mouth & put a profession down! Good luck with the investing

Where the hell do you work Sparky?  I have never seen rates like the ones you quoted so are curious.  We had some work done for us during renovation and the sparkies seemed very good and no complaints with either the work or the cost.

However, the tiler had to be supervised otherwise he would have laid chipped tiles and left the decorative line of tiles at a lower surface height than all the others (wtf??).  We did all our own tiling previously so were somewhat horrified by such lack of care. 

Then I made the terrible mistake of not staying during the entire install of the kitchen and they stuffed the benchtop which has never been fixed.  Oh, and the owner who installed the plantation shutters did it visibly crooked.  We complained and he did come back and correct it which was good.

All the tradesment from the two previous houses 20 and 10 years ago seemed to do a good job so we were appalled at the lack of care in these three.

We did not hunt for the cheapest quote but from now on we will definitely check out the tradesmen much more closely before hiring.  We would rather wait for a good tradie and pay a bit more if necessary than get someone who is too lazy to do the job right the first time.

My parents first home cost them 3150 pounds in Blacktown in 1960 which they sold for $13000 in 1971.  They bought a bigger home up the coast for $14500 which they sold for $99,000 in 1990.  In 1967 they purchased a block of land on the central coast for $500  and sold it in 1990 for $2000  to a relative.  It subsequently sold for $18000 about two years later.

I was in perth in 1987 and the lovely townhouse we rented was up for sale for $35,000 and was sold for double that 2 years later. (hindsight is a cruel thing)  We came back to NSW and the cheapest homes were selling for $35,000 withing 2 something like 18 months the price had doubled.  We in 1989 we bought a quarter acre block and built a small brick home for $70,500 which we sold ten years later for $145,000.  The prices skyrocketed after this. 

You did a great job Nicklee88. 

Hi Reeco

Good to see another one of your posts. You haven't posted for awhile so I guess that must mean you have been busy soaking up all that great information.  Sigh, I am a little green with envy but will just have to live vicariously through your always interesting posts.