as posted on TheWest
The median house price in Perth has slipped $13,000 as the glut of homes for sale spreads from the mortgage belt to the western suburbs and inner city.
New Real Estate Institute of WA figures show 17,584 homes and blocks of land are listed for sale, up from about 5000 just five months ago and the highest number of homes on the market in 12 years.
President Rob Druitt said the 2.7 per cent fall in the median house price for the March quarter from $470,000 at the end of last year to $457,000 was caused by the combination of interest rate rises, a drop in overall consumer sentiment and the record number of listings.
Listings are up an average of 31 per cent for the quarter across the metropolitan area and Mr Druitt said the message to sellers was to cut their asking prices in order to sell.
“The top end of the market has now cooled for the first time, whereas in 2007 it had performed very strongly and was probably holding up the median house price quite well,” he said.
“Now that it has hit a plateau we’re finding the figures are skewed a little because there are a lot more sales at the bottom end of the market.”
First-homebuyers were resilient in the market despite interest rate increases due to strength in the economy and wages growth and because some price reductions had made buying more affordable, he said.
Rental increases had also made buying attractive, resulting in a median rent increase for houses of just 1.5 per cent last quarter to $335 per week. Median unit rent increased 3.3 per cent to $310 a week and the overall vacancy rate had dropped to just one per cent.
Mr Druitt said there were 2400 lots of vacant land on the market which meant some areas were overstocked, helping bring prices down. He said buyers should take advantage of the temporary market dip.
Listings in the Wanneroo coastal corridor and Stirling areas are up 32 per cent and listings in the Hills and Swan corridors are up 22 and 31 per cent. In the south-west there are 30 per cent more homes and blocks listed in Cockburn and 26 per cent more in Rockingham and Kwinana.
The south-east corridor, including Gosnells, Armadale and Serpentine, is up 25 to 30 per cent. Canning is up 23 per cent.
DANIEL HATCH
as posted on TheWest
Sunday, 13 April 2008
Parry takes it slow after lightning rise
as posted on LiverpoolDailyPost
A HOST of good judges agree that the Firwood Bootle all-rounder Stephen Parry has all the makings of a first-class cricketer – and Lancashire’s decision to award the 21-year-old a professional contract merely provided official confirmation of their opinion.
But as the player adjusted to the demands of his first media day at Old Trafford, he preferred to take things a little more slowly. After all, the Lancashire HQ is a second home to him.
“I’ve got what I’ve worked for,” he agreed. “But having come through the age groups and then being on a scholarship last year, there’s not much that’s different to be honest.”
Parry’s dedication is an example of what is required in order to get a contract in 2008. Having spent the winter playing for Gosnells CC in Perth, he is just beginning what is effectively his ninth consecutive season without a break.
However, Lancashire are more interested in the quality of his cricket than its quantity and his programme is regularly monitored.
“If the coaching staff see you’re tired they’ll give you a rest-day and they’ll tell you how to recover on that day,” he explained.
This afternoon Parry will be in action for Bootle at Hightown on the first match-day of the Business Assistance Liverpool Competition season, and there’s no doubt that the wicket at Sandy Lane will be totally different to those in Western Australia where he learned to bowl more slowly and spin the ball harder. Parry, though, welcomes the various challenges of top-level league cricket on Merseyside.
“Overall, I think playing in the Liverpool Competition is a good preparation for Lancashire Seconds,” he said. “I moved from Denton in order to play better cricket, and the Comp and the Cheshire County League seem to be the places where young players want to go. That’s because of the facilities, the wickets and the quality of the opposition.”
Spending the last couple of years in the company of a couple of ex-pros at Wadham Road hasn’t harmed him either.
“Bootle’s a fantastic club,” he said. “If I have to go away and play for Lancs they understand perfectly. Obviously it helps having someone like Ian Cockbain around because he’s been there as well, but I also picked up loads of things from batting with Graham Lloyd and it’s a shame he’s not with us this year.”
Nor is Parry short of wise counsel at Old Trafford. “Stuart Law is always giving me advice if I’m bowling to him in the nets, and Gary Keedy has all the spin bowling experience in the world,” he said. “If he sees something’s not right, he’ll always tell me.”
And so, as the world of cricket adjusts to what may yet prove to be a Twenty20 revolution, Stephen Parry begins a summer in which he helps to bring further honours to Wadham Road while also establishing himself at Old Trafford.
“I look forward to every season, but this one especially,” he said. “Obviously I want to play for Lancashire’s first team, but just for now I want to perform well for the second team and put myself in the picture.” He knows that achieving this goal will need dedication but that’s not been a problem so far.
“I wouldn’t have got where I’ve got if I hadn’t approached things professionally,” he said, as he sat wearing his new, official Lancashire shirt and mused on the possibility that one day he will walk down those famous pavilion steps and take the field as a first-team cricketer.
FIXTURES: Business Assistance Liverpool Competition ECB Premier League: Colwyn Bay v New Brighton, Formby v Northern, Hightown v Bootle, Maghull v Lytham, Prestatyn v Ormskirk, St Helens Recs v Fleetwod Hesketh, Wallasey v Southport and Birkdale.
First Division: Ainsdale v Liverpool, Huyton v Northop Hall, Leigh v Highfield, Newton-le-Willows v Sefton Park, Orrell Red Triangle v Wigan, Rainford v Skelmersdale, St Helens v Wavertree.
as posted on LiverpoolDailyPost
A HOST of good judges agree that the Firwood Bootle all-rounder Stephen Parry has all the makings of a first-class cricketer – and Lancashire’s decision to award the 21-year-old a professional contract merely provided official confirmation of their opinion.
But as the player adjusted to the demands of his first media day at Old Trafford, he preferred to take things a little more slowly. After all, the Lancashire HQ is a second home to him.
“I’ve got what I’ve worked for,” he agreed. “But having come through the age groups and then being on a scholarship last year, there’s not much that’s different to be honest.”
Parry’s dedication is an example of what is required in order to get a contract in 2008. Having spent the winter playing for Gosnells CC in Perth, he is just beginning what is effectively his ninth consecutive season without a break.
However, Lancashire are more interested in the quality of his cricket than its quantity and his programme is regularly monitored.
“If the coaching staff see you’re tired they’ll give you a rest-day and they’ll tell you how to recover on that day,” he explained.
This afternoon Parry will be in action for Bootle at Hightown on the first match-day of the Business Assistance Liverpool Competition season, and there’s no doubt that the wicket at Sandy Lane will be totally different to those in Western Australia where he learned to bowl more slowly and spin the ball harder. Parry, though, welcomes the various challenges of top-level league cricket on Merseyside.
“Overall, I think playing in the Liverpool Competition is a good preparation for Lancashire Seconds,” he said. “I moved from Denton in order to play better cricket, and the Comp and the Cheshire County League seem to be the places where young players want to go. That’s because of the facilities, the wickets and the quality of the opposition.”
Spending the last couple of years in the company of a couple of ex-pros at Wadham Road hasn’t harmed him either.
“Bootle’s a fantastic club,” he said. “If I have to go away and play for Lancs they understand perfectly. Obviously it helps having someone like Ian Cockbain around because he’s been there as well, but I also picked up loads of things from batting with Graham Lloyd and it’s a shame he’s not with us this year.”
Nor is Parry short of wise counsel at Old Trafford. “Stuart Law is always giving me advice if I’m bowling to him in the nets, and Gary Keedy has all the spin bowling experience in the world,” he said. “If he sees something’s not right, he’ll always tell me.”
And so, as the world of cricket adjusts to what may yet prove to be a Twenty20 revolution, Stephen Parry begins a summer in which he helps to bring further honours to Wadham Road while also establishing himself at Old Trafford.
“I look forward to every season, but this one especially,” he said. “Obviously I want to play for Lancashire’s first team, but just for now I want to perform well for the second team and put myself in the picture.” He knows that achieving this goal will need dedication but that’s not been a problem so far.
“I wouldn’t have got where I’ve got if I hadn’t approached things professionally,” he said, as he sat wearing his new, official Lancashire shirt and mused on the possibility that one day he will walk down those famous pavilion steps and take the field as a first-team cricketer.
FIXTURES: Business Assistance Liverpool Competition ECB Premier League: Colwyn Bay v New Brighton, Formby v Northern, Hightown v Bootle, Maghull v Lytham, Prestatyn v Ormskirk, St Helens Recs v Fleetwod Hesketh, Wallasey v Southport and Birkdale.
First Division: Ainsdale v Liverpool, Huyton v Northop Hall, Leigh v Highfield, Newton-le-Willows v Sefton Park, Orrell Red Triangle v Wigan, Rainford v Skelmersdale, St Helens v Wavertree.
as posted on LiverpoolDailyPost
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