‘Somewhere in Sydney’, a unique new exhibition featuring the reworked architectural plans of buildings from a selection of locations around the city, opened in Darlinghurst’s East Village Hotel this week.
Created by Sydney-based artist Marcel Khoury, the mixed medium pieces use as a starting point the architectural drawings of around 15 buildings, which are bonded onto a canvas and then worked over to create an end product that Khoury says he hopes will be creatively and aesthetically interesting, while also providing a unique way to preserve and showcase architectural plans.
“When you’re building a house, the first step would be to produce architectural plans and the last step would be to hang up the art work,” he says. “The whole spirit of the idea is to merge the first step and the last step together.”
Presenting the ideal opportunity to check out one of Sydney’s newest art venues in one of the city’s most historic drinking holes – the pub on the ground floor was frequented by notorious razor gang figures in the 1920s – the exhibition coincides with this week’s launch of the East Village Hotel Dining Room, which is located on the first floor of the building and is billed as an upmarket restaurant experience with a menu designed by head chef Adam Spencer.
The exhibition is expected to run through to the end of the year and the work will be for sale with 10 percent of the proceeds going to Voiceless, a non-profit organisation dedicated to alleviating the suffering of animals in Australia. Further details about the exhibition are available on the East Village Website: www.theeastvillage.com.au
category: Architecture, Design, Lifestyle, Real Estate
The development that will rock Melbourne’s waterfront world is now locked into its extravagant 700 million dollar plan to reinvigorate the Docklands precinct.
Melbourne’s newest suburb will receive an expensive makeover set to reveal a new-age redevelopment comprising of four new apartment buildings and a 150-room international hotel amid scenic parklands and harbour views.
In a matter of hitting two birds with one stone, Victorian premier John Brumby is proud to announce that the New Quay Parkland Precinct will generate more than 5,000 jobs over the next eight years.
“Already more than 12,000 people are coming to work at the Docklands every day and by 2020, it will be twice the size of the CBD with as many as 40,000 people working there,” Mr Brumby said.
With stage one of the development well underway, the fringe of Victoria’s prominent harbourside is making the steady transition from a construction site to a vibrant growing community. It will provide 1,000 new homes for a whopping 2,500 Melbourne residents.
As the hype continues to build and the development enters into phase two, it is understood that actual construction of the monumental project will begin towards the end of 2012 and is expected to be completed by 2018.
Article – Katie Taylor
category: Commerical Real Estate, Development, Melbourne Real Estate, Real Estate, marketing
Social media is an important tool for any business wanting to get their message across to the right audience. Astute real estate agencies along with vendors and buyers are increasingly relying on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to market properties in a sometimes frustrating market.
The advantage, like any effective sales program is to reach a wider audience then traditional methods and interact with people that you may not have been able to reach previously.
1. Choose the right tools
To lay a foundation for a social media campaign, identify which social media channels will be most effective for you. To market a home, you could consider: having professional videos taken and uploading it to YouTube, creating an individual Facebook page with great photos or creating a twitter campaign with interesting facts about the home and location.
2. Promote your home
Creating a Facebook page to market an individual house is a strong way to showcase its features. By posting photos and information you can effectively promote your home to hundreds of online users. Remember that a listing passed from one Facebook page to another can generate a great deal of exposure.
3. Lure people in
If there is something unique and exciting about the home you can use that information to create a buzz and get people talking. By creating a conversation you are effectively marketing the home and producing interest that may not have otherwise occurred.
4. It’s always important to have a strategy
Social media is extremely effective when used correctly. Remember that posting too often or repetitively can very quickly turn potential buyers off. So it’s important that you refrain from posting unless there is something truly relevant to write about like specific details, features or changes to the marketing schedule.
category: Real Estate, social media
An inspired heritage offering has stolen the spotlight in the Sydney market; this dramatic residence sits beneath the iconic Macquarie lighthouse and is attracting a unique blend of buyers thrilled by the rare occasion to invest in local maritime history.
What was once two separate lighthouse keeper dwellings have been expertly transformed to mirror the opulence of its remarkable clifftop setting. Celebrated heritage architect Clive Lucas reinvigorated the original four-bedroom cottage with a flawless restoration showcasing refined period details and contemporary flair. The expansive 2600sqm block of land reveals endless potential within the prestigious Vaucluse community.
Ray White Real Estate agent James Hundt believes that the keepers’ cottage provides a premier family address with a selection of indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces that uphold a priceless tribute to its historic setting.
“The buyer will be someone with a true appreciation of the heritage of this property as well as a keen desire to entertain and share this property with guests.” Mr Hundt said.
To obtain your very own piece of eastern suburb heritage, you must of course pay the full-figured price tag and the owners of this immaculate single level residence have their sights set on a sale price of over $8 million.
Words I Katie Taylor I IMAGEination.tv
category: Lifestyle, Real Estate, copy writing, marketing
Although the strength of Australia’s property market may currently appear a little uncertain amid broader fears about the global economy, a recent comprehensive survey has determined that our country is one of the most desirable places to live in the world.
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Survey has seen Melbourne claim the title as the world’s most liveable city for the first time in a decade, with Sydney receiving sixth place and Perth and Adelaide coming in at eighth and ninth place. The survey, which examined 140 cities, awarded Melbourne a whopping 97.5%, enough for it to take over the title from previous leader Vancouver.
“Australia, with a low population density and relatively low crime rates, continues to supply some of the world’s most liveable cities,” says Jon Copestake, an Economist Intelligence Unit survey editor.
The scores are assigned based on a variety of socioeconomic factors including political stability, crime, infrastructure, transport, cultural events and more.
So the next time you hear a Melbournite complain that they’re having a bad day, just remind them that in many ways, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Here’s the top 10:
1. Melbourne 97.5%
2. Vienna 97.4%
3. Vancouver 97.3%
4. Toronto 97.2%
5. Calgary 96.6%
6. Sydney 96.1%
7. Helsinki 96%
8. Perth 95.9%
9. Adelaide 95.9%
10. Auckland 95.7%
category: Latest trends, Lifestyle, Real Estate
First Impressions: Palm Beach, Florida
Home entertainment has come a long way from Atari’s Pong and the video cassette recorders of the 1980s, replaced with cutting edge technology delivering the highest quality gaming experiences, cinema quality DVDs and most recently movies in 3D.
For the lucky few, many architects are incorporating home theatres into their residential designs, satisfying their clients’ needs for an inclusive family living experience incorporating spaces for work, play and essential family needs.
Vendors and real estate agents must not confuse a big TV in a room as a home theatre though. Today’s best home theatres are a near perfect miniaturisation of a cinema complex, using advanced projection equipment, sound systems, custom seating – with the essential cup holder – and signature cinema furnishings.
Those with home theatres have commented how much fun it is to have friends and family over to watch movies or major sporting events. An increasing number of homes in Australia are now featuring sophisticated home theatres bringing to life the magic of movies and allowing families to bond in new ways in an entertainment rich culture … throwing popcorn at mum’s head has never been so much fun.
category: Real Estate, digital media, marketing
Property Moguls is a free internet-based game by Century 21 that allows players to challenge the likes of billionaire developers Harry Triguboff or Lang Walker.
Players start the game with one property plus $1 million and compete against other players in acquisitions, sales and property management. Real estate agents help guide players through the game and advise on game-based purchases via an online avatar.
While being a property mogul hasn’t exactly been fun & games over the past few years, Century 21 hopes such a device will draw more investors back into the market.
The game’s website also publishes an overall leader board for the truly competitive and allows for friends to play in groups. The game has been designed to link in with Facebook and Twitter accounts.
According to the games website, Australia already has two new billionaire ‘property moguls’, with two players amassing property portfolios in the billions.
Century 21 Australia has more than 250 franchised real estate agencies and more than 3000 agents across Australia.
The game was developed by Century 21 in conjunction with Engaging Communications.
category: Real Estate
For years, the separation between print and online in real estate advertising was enormous. Print dominated for decades, online was irrelevant before catching up (and many would say it surged ahead) but still the two have been largely irrelevant for each other.
There have been mainly unsuccessful attempts to link the two mediums with significant amounts of cash spent on advertising and cross promotion, including video URL’s embedded into print copy. It has really only been Domain (in Oz) who have managed to bring the 2 closer together through their relationship with video suppliers Visual Domain, providing free video content for print spend.
What we are seeing now however is a medium that bridges that gap between print and online once and for all – QR Codes. QR stands for Quick Response, and these are 2-dimensional bar codes that you scan with a bar code and redirects you to any content you like. Think of a mobile optomised site containing listing content (photos, videos, copy) or think of the code serving up video content only (property or profile).
Used extensively throughout Asia and the US, they are being readily applied to the retail space here in Oz, which you can use as a barometer for their commercial relevance. In real estate the application is enormous.
And with mobile predicted to surpass desktop as the primary internet search toll by 2014*, embracing mobile and QR as part of an integrated marketing mix, with multiple, branded touch points and significant targeted reach is pivotal. Using codes on your business cards, brochures, community publications, or signboard provides massive value-add to your vendors marketing dollars and significant brand penetration for the agent.
Please consider that while you can download QR codes for free from the internet and apply a simple redirect to your website, the application needs to be much broader with customized codes, a self-managed platform, measurable ROI through detailed analytics and market education on implementation.
*(Morgan Stanley Research)
category: QR codes, Real Estate, marketing, online video, video
An important factor when deciding on a future home is whether to buy a period property with character and charm or something more contemporary.
It’s apparent that the appeal of period homes in Australia remains strong as buyers continue to snap up Victorian terraces and grand Federations, yet how is today’s family structure affected by the designs of the past?
There was a time not so long ago when children were to be seen and not heard and this was reflected in the often confined interior designs. Rooms were often small and formal in nature and not nearly as child centred as they are today. Over the course of the previous century, the family structure altered due to a variety of economic and political drivers and this in part lead to the rise of open plan living in our homes.
The everyday interaction between the family is promoted through the design of large ‘shared’ rooms for entertaining, watching TV and relaxed dining. This has led many to transform their period home by knocking down walls and reconfiguring the layout to suit their needs.
The perfect balance exists when a redesign/renovation carefully blends the two styles. Real estate agents and marketers are mindful to highlight the fusion of the two periods. DA approved plans help to convince buyers of the hidden scope, while professional imagery and copywriting emphasise the potential further.
Buyers who choose a period (unrenovated) home must first consider what they want from a floorplan to suit their current and future requirements. As Grand Design’s Kevin McCloud comments, ‘architecture is not the process of putting a building together – it’s the relationship you have with the building.’
category: Interior design, Real Estate
International property websites are abuzz with the rumoured sale of LA’s ‘The Manor’ – more recently known as ‘Spelling Mansion’ as it has been home to Candy Spelling, widow of the late TV mogul Aaron Spelling for the past 20 years.
Unashamedly lavish and filled with every bell & whistle imaginable, the grand estate occupies an impressive two hectares of manicured grounds in the exclusive Holmby Hills suburb of Los Angeles, California. It features a total of 14 bedrooms and 27 bathrooms over four levels. Acres of imported marble stretch as far as the eye can see and antique chandeliers dazzle in formal rooms plus there is a motor court that can hold 100 cars.
The property had been languishing on the market for at least three years as Mz Spelling dug in her heels and held on to her initial asking price of $150 million, despite the impact of the GFC and rapidly falling property prices in the US market.
The fortunate buyer, rumoured to be Petra Ecclestone, the 22-year-old heiress of British billionaire and famous Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, lodged an initial offer of $85 million. Californian prestige realtors Hilton & Hyland have presumably been frantically haggling to get that figure closer to the asking price but have not confirmed how close they got – the property is now listed on their website as ‘under contract’.
The mansion was built by the Spellings in 1990 after demolishing the home of late singer Bing Crosby.
category: Real Estate
