hi dank,

canberra has been an interesting place in terms of property values in the last 6-7 years. after the bushfires in 2003, a lot of renovations went on and people made good money on their improved properties (insurance payouts etc), and a lot of builders came here to cash in on it (thank heavens – there were never enough back then)

then the ACT government stopped any further development for a couple of reasons – retention of the 'rural capital' concept, pressure from the greenies etc. so property values went sky high – a lot of areas have more than doubled in 6-7 years.

over this whole period – in fact, in the 12 yeaqrs i have been here – large federal government departments have retracted their operations back to canberra – agencies like centrelink which once had computer centres in from memory four capital cities are now doing almost all of it here and quite a few people moved to canberra to keep their jobs.

it has all added up, that plus the increasing commercialisation of what was supposed to have been a 'government city' (probably a good thing, as shops and restaurants and cafes are now open after 5 PM weekdays and noon saturdays) has pushed prices up in line with the outer suburbs of sydney.

there are still good bargains to be had, unfortunately you have chosen a not-to-good time to be looking as values are again on the rise.

advbice from my partner, whose ex husband was in the building trade here in canberra – choose an area, and look for a place on a hill with a view to the mountains, even if its a small place. property sizes are never going to improve – bear in mind you will spend an average 3-4 months a year indoors (its not called 'cooma north' for nothing!) – and the industry is following the western sydney model.

you will need to drive around a bit (canberra isnt that big) to see what areas you like, but thats the curse of property buying.