Realestate

Prices may have softened in 2011, but not to the extent of a “collapse” or “bloodbath” as predicted by some commentators, according to the Housing Industry Association senior economist Andrew Harvey.

This week signalled one year since Grantham, in Queensland, was ravaged by flash flooding. In this time a new town has resurfaced just up over the hill from the old town, with sweeping vistas and flood-free land. Some locals say it’s an exciting fresh start while others say the land swap deal by the government could have been fairer.

Most of us make some sort of new year’s resolution every year. Whether it’s paying off debt, saving more money or getting our finances in order, there is usually some sort of goal hanging around our heads in early January. It’s easy to make a resolution – the difficult part is turning it into reality.

Body corporate insurance premiums have reportedly risen by as much as 400 per cent over the past 12 months in parts of far north Queensland, according to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.