A few years ago, you couldn’t turn on the TV without accidentally landing on a real estate reality show. We had shows like The Block, Backyard Blitz, Renovation Rescue, Room For Improvement, Ground Force, Auction Squad, Our House and Hot Property constantly in our face back around 2004, but all of a sudden, they disappeared. Real Estate was no longer fashionable… well, at least, ‘renovating for profit’ was no longer in vogue. A few shows lingered, but focused more on the ‘handyman’ side of the show rather than the renovations.
Skip forward to 2010. This week we see the launch of Under the Hammer on Channel 7 and the new series of Michael Caton’s Hot Property of Channel 9. Also coming this year is a return series of The Block, to be hosted by Scott Cam, and an all new show to find Australia’s best agent – Real Estate The Edge.
So, is property back? Or are the eastern state real estate agents just teaming up with the TV companies to produce low budget shows that might get people interested in property and get them to put their hands up at auctions? Either way, I’m looking forward to have something else to watch besides the current all singing, all dancing and all cooking reality TV that’s been the recent flavour.
As a follow up to my recent post about the export variants of the Adelaide -built Holden Commodore and Caprice, it is fantastic to hear today that the Commodore will be making its way back to the United States as a Police vehicle.
Adelaide Now reported that orders can now being taken from US police forces to purchase the purpose built Chevrolet Caprice, based on the Holden Statesman. They state that Holden is hoping to sell 20,000 of these cars in America.
The vehicle will feature a 6.0L V8, a long wheel base providing room for a safety barrier and specially designed, heavy duty seats to accommodate equipment belts. Plus it looks a heck of a lot better than the old Ford Crown Victoria’s that most police are still using.
Again, this is more great news for the northern suburbs of Adelaide as Holden ramps up for the release of the new Cruze and Commodore, diversifying the business and helping to secure the future of the region and the Australian automotive industry.
Have a look at the 2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV website for full details about the car and some great pictures.
On a recent holiday to America, I was strolling down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills doing some window shopping when I spotted a wonderful sight. Parked amongst all the Bentleys and Aston Martins was a Holden VE Commodore with Pontaic G8 badges. It fills you with pride when you’re on the other side of the planet and you come across something that was built in your own neighbourhood. So being the good tourist that I am, I whipped out the camera and snapped a quick pic!
Being proud of Holden’s export achievements, I thought I’d put together a list of some of the export variants of the humble Commodore and the websites of the worldwide GM affiliates that are selling our wonderful machine.
Since most of the Holden’s here are actually Korean built Daewoos, it’s only fair that they sell the Elizabeth-built Caprice with their badging. Have a look at the Daewoo Veritas.
Sadly, the global financial crisis wiped out the Pontiac brand in America, putting an end to our exports in that part of the world. The SS Commodore-based Pontiac G8 can still be found on Pontiac’s website though. At least Holden is making use of the left over Pontiac bumpers and bonnets for the local special edition SS-V. Maybe we’ll see the ute go that way with a Chevrolet El Camino badge, or the sedan as a Police car?
Our minerals aren’t the only thing that China buys from us, they also get our Holden Statesman with a Buick Park Avenue badge slapped on.
Any Top Gear viewer will have seen the HSV Clubsport as the Vauxhall VXR8 in the UK – if you haven’t seen it, I’m sure Channel 9 or GO! will repeat the episode where they test it for the twentieth time!
And of course, our mates over the water in New Zealand get the Commodore as it’s meant to be – with a Holden badge!
So what else do we export from this great city? Post a comment to tell the world about other Adelaide exports that make you proud to be South Australian.
I’ve just read an interesting article on the Coldwell Banker blog which lists the 21 most recession proof cities in the USA. The blog post talks about why these cities are considered to be recession proof, and specifically talks about Austin, Texas – the number three city on the list. The following is taken from the blog post…
What sets these cities apart from others? A number of them are government centers, and many have experienced a positive, stable housing market. No. 3 on the list is Austin, Texas, a city also known for its strong government presence …. We reached out to Helen Edwards, President/COO of Coldwell Banker United, Realtors’ Austin division, for her perspective on why Austin was near the top of this year’s list.
“We have been fortunate in that the Austin market has several factors working in its favor,” said Helen. “The relatively low cost of housing and commercial space makes Austin attractive to start ups and relocating companies. We did not see an enormous inflation to our housing prices during the boom, so did not have the same impact of falling prices that other markets experienced over the past few years. And being home to The University of Texas at Austin, real estate investment opportunities abound. Not to mention, it is a beautiful, vibrant city with a fairly mild climate. People just want to live here,” she said.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? To me, this description of Austin parallels the Adelaide that I know and love. There is a strong government presence here with Defence having a huge (and still growing) presence in the northern suburbs. Adelaide has a relatively stable property market compared to other capital cities – we haven’t seen the booms or busts that Melbourne and Sydney have experienced in the last decade, just nice steady growth and level periods. Adelaide is attractive to new commercial enterprises, with lower costs for commercial premesis and wages. We are home to three great local universities as well as international campuses. And we are also a beautiful, vibrant city with a great climate.
What are you doing in 2010 to prepare for the coming decade and beyond? I watched a video presentation titled ‘Did You Know?’ which was originally concieved by Karl Fisch in 2006 and has been reworked by many people over the last few years and put on YouTube. The video highlights various statistics about how our world has changed in the last few years as a result of technology and population growth. Many career paths are becoming obsolete, while many new career paths don’t even exist yet. Technology is changing the way we do business and those who don’t adapt will fall by the wayside.
So what are you doing to prepare for the next decade? How are you preparing your children for the future? Is your business going to be able to survive in the new world?
Watch the video, it will either scare you or excite you. You decide.
Whilst bumming around on Twitter, I came across a local photographer by the name of Kate Paneros. Her work is absolutely stunning, so I just have to share it. She is carrying out a personal photojournalism project which she title’s “The Gawler Line Project”, which will gradually work it’s way along the Gawler Railway Line. A recent post on her blog shows some amazing photos around the North Adelaide train station. I can’t wait to see how the project progresses. I’m certainly inspired to revitalise an old hobby and get out in the local area with my camera. Here are some links to view her amazing work yourself:
A few years ago, you couldn’t turn on the TV without accidentally landing on a real estate reality show. We had shows like The Block, Backyard Blitz, Renovation Rescue, Room For Improvement, Ground Force, Auction Squad, Our House and Hot Property constantly in our face back around 2004, but all of a sudden, they disappeared. Real Estate was no longer fashionable… well, at least, ‘renovating for profit’ was no longer in vogue. A few shows lingered, but focused more on the ‘handyman’ side of the show rather than the renovations.
Little Para on Twitter