Hi all, My name is Stewart, and i'm new to this forum. You may or may not be familiar with it, but I thought some of you here might be interested in a website I have put together called "The 'BurbWatch Project". Essentially, it is a free-to-use site featuring publicly available information (currently all sourced from the internet); example sites where I regularly collect information are: realestate.com.au, refindhouseprices.com, homehound.com.au and nestoria.com.au (charts pendingfor both), SQM Research and RPData, as well as govt sources ... ...But only using free, readily-available, public information, as I have been trying to see what the "Average Joe" can find out about property supply in Australia. The site tracks property supply trends in Australia as a whole, but also for each state and territory in Australia (with regional data pending, also). Data are presented as numerous charts - and there is currently around 100 separate charts on the site, breaking down and presenting various aspects of property supply, even with some limited statistical analysis. I have been collecting data since September 2010 - though I wish I had been doing it longer, as it proved to be a fruitful and enlightening venture. Note: I'm a Process and Chemical Engineer, so the way I present and break-down the data might be a little different to what to what you are used to...I choose to view it as a system, with signals of various types that present aspects of its character, with the interaction between signals being noteworthy. Additionally, the site is not intended nor, I believe, presented as necessarily bullish or bearish on Property - I have tried to be fairly neutral in my presentation of the data (eg. having little to no commentary), whilst being sensitive to how the data might shed light on what property-supply is doing in the current macro-economic context. ...You can find out more about the site here: About « The 'BurbWatch Project ...With the blog part of the site being here: The 'BurbWatch Project (the charts at this site are no longer updated). ...Or you can just jump straight to the site, here: The BurbWatch Project - Australia If it's OK with people, I hope to post regular (every month or so) updates here at this forum, when they occur (as I do a several other property and economics forums)... I hope you find The 'BurbWatch Project both interesting and enlightening! Regards, Stewart
FYI I'll now start posting the BurbWatch Chart Pack as part of the regular updates, for anyone that is interested in having direct access the the charts. The first can be downloaded from here: BurbWatch Chart Pack (as at 17-8-2011) Cheers, Stewart
All, FYI The BurbWatch Project - Australia has been updated - this is the first chart update in some 9-12 months! Apologies...it has been a busy year for me and my family (and still is, honestly...). You can download the BurbWatch chart pack HERE The official BurbWatch Wordpress Blog has some commentary around this latest update, as there has been, I believe, both some improvements and rationalisations. Enjoy. Regards, Stewart The BurbWatch Project - Australia
Stewart, Thanks for bringing this to our attention. A quick view shows some interesting stats and trends even though it has only being going a short time. It also contains some great links that will interest property investors. The trends of properties on the market for both sale and rent in various states certainly support the notion of a two pace economy. Well done for putting this together. Greg.
Thanks, Greg. There has certainly been a fair bit of spare time gone into it. Hopefully people do gain extra insight into the Australian property market - about what really is and is not happening...this was the purpose of the Project, for both myself and others. I do hope one day that major data providers will provide similar breakdowns of common and extra data, for us all to better understand what is going on...I personally think the current representation are insufficient, and that over-reliance on narrowly communicated and interpreted "point metrics" are clouding better understanding. Regards, Stewart