James Reflects on 2012

I sometimes wonder what it would be like if every year was an amazing success in business or if every year was just average. What would it be like if a famer had a bumper crop every year? Just like farming, all markets need a rest and for different reasons markets go up and down. You could say this is the natural order of things. Every time man gets involved with something to alter the natural order of things an unforseen black swan effect happens, this seems to multiply the problems down the track. 

It appears human beings never seem to learn. The current financial crisis is a great argument for the conservatives against greed government control and trying to counter what could be seen as the natural forces of greed and envy.  Many people are looking back at history and talking about the Roman Empire again. The private armies fought war for the armies where corruption and greed were the driving force of decisions.  The world will go on I believe, unfortunately human beings probably won’t change until they have to and in the mean time, opportunities exist everywhere. I think we will see potential economic crisis’ on the calendar month after month for the foreseeable future.  I think we will see money continually being printed, I think we will see heavy manipulation by governments but I also think we will see countries change dramatically and wealth change dramatically.  I truly believe this will be good for all people. 

Europe is an amazing place but has it become lazy and fat, America is an amazing place but has it become lazy and fat, Asia certainty is not lazy and fat and it is runs on a basic law of nature that those who work and save the most money deserve future wealth and power.  Does someone deserve to be paid $80,000 per year and work a 38 hour week when someone else is prepared to work 100 hours a week for $20,000 per year?  For some people, these comments will be utter nonsense and for other people they will ring true, especially the historians among my readers. 

I believe our high Sydney prices are a challenge for many people however, they still remain cheap to many others who are clamouring to get into Sydney. I believe that running a business in Sydney is hard but to many others it is far easier and they are clamouring to get into Sydney.  I believe Sydney is a competitive place to work and for many other it is a cushy work environment. I believe the world is changing and it is changing fast with enormous opportunities. I also believe that this beautiful city is, and will remain in the future, a fantastic place to put your money.  We must also realise I am not an economist and these are just my personal views.

Now to the market, still the quietest start to a year I have ever seen in my 24 years of service.  We consistently see all the owners putting their property on the market at the same time and, for the next month or two, nothing on the market.  The smart sellers will not move with the pack.  We are seeing very high clearance rates and interest rates should remain around a decent level if not a bit higher or lower, for the next couple of months at least.  These are fantastic conditions to buy real estate.  I wish each and every one of you, happy decision making.