Monthly Archives: May 2012

Hello from all of us at professionals Armidale! One of the best things about being part of the professionals brand  is the amount of training and workshops the brand offer to make us better, last week I was lucky enough to be invited to the 2012 Chairman’s Club which see’s the best agencies from within the group focus and plan on what should be implemented over the next 12months to benefit our clients.

The exciting things that will be rolled out over the next 12 months in the professionals brand is certainly amazing and I can’t wait until we can bring those things  to Armidale and our market place.

Have you ever thought about having a go at being an auctioneer? As part of the REINSW each year we have a contest for a novice auctioneer to gain experience and be in the running to be awarded the winner of the novice auctioneers competition for New England. The winner of each zone then goes onto complete for the NSW title. This year I am opening it up to the public to part of this event to raise money for “angel flight” you don’t need any past experience, so if you want to be part of this fun event please make contact with me, this year’s event will be held in Armidale on the 26^th of September .

The Armidale that we all know and love today is probably very different to the Armidale of many years ago.

 

All places go through changes over time and it can be very interesting to learn about the heritage of the place you call home.

 

The Armidale Visitor Information Centre offers free 2.5 hour guided tours through Armidale’s historic sights for those who are interested in learning more about our region in days gone by.

 

During the tour, volunteer guides take people on a journey through Armidale’s historical background where they will get to learn about our region’s heritage buildings, cultural places and other landmarks.

 

Some of the places on the Armidale heritage tour include the Aboriginal Cultural Centre & Keeping Place, the New England Regional Art Museum, the Railway Museum and the University of New England.

There is plenty to see and learn from Armidale’s history and whether you’re a local or a visitor, the Armidale heritage tour is bound to be a fun and educational experience.

 

The heritage tours run daily at 10am from the Armidale Visitor Information Centre. To book or to find out more, call 02 67703888.

Sometimes it’s really difficult to keep up with what developments are going ahead in Armidale and in fact, what development applications have been submitted for both commercial and residential developments, whether they be putting in an in-ground swimming pool or demolishing an existing dwelling.

To know what’s happening in your own street or neighbourhood, you can access development application submissions on the site – planningalerts.org.au – which broadly outlines what the application is for and when it was lodged.

For instance, if you’re travelling along your street and notice a wrecking ball in the front yard of a home and are curious about what is happening, you can search the website by address and see what the development application states. An old dwelling may be being demolished to make way for new housing or units.

I did a quick search for development applications around Beardy Street, Armidale and was surprised by the number of results that appeared.

Development applications (DA’s) are development proposals that require approval from Council before they can proceed. To read about the development application process for the Armidale Dumaresq Council area, click here. You can also track developments from the Armidale Dumaresq Council website here, or sign up for free email alerts from Planning Alerts here.

Click here to view development applications for the Armidale area.

The Armidale Dumaresq Council is currently asking local residents to have their say on how effective they think the Council is at communicating news to the community.

The Council is currently trying to develop a Communications Plan, as part of the Armidale Dumaresq Community Strategic Plan and the Integrated Reporting Framework.

To let the council know what you think of its communication methods, all you have to do is head to the Armidale Dumaresq Council website and fill out a quick survey.

The survey asks questions such as what local residents think the best way of engaging them is, and how council news should be communicated.

For instance would you like to see council news delivered to you online, via SMS, through print media, or maybe via all of the above?

It’s important that the Armidale community can stay up-to-date with council news and developments, so to make sure you’re getting communications in the way that you would like, head to the Armidale Dumaresq Council website to have your say.

There have been a lot of differing opinions regarding this year’s Federal Budget, but Armidale residents were very happy to hear that a local program would be receiving $800,000 from the budget to help disadvantaged youth in our community.

 

The program that will be receiving the federal funding is the BackTrack program which is an initiative of Jobs Australia Armidale that helps provide Armidale’s youth with access to mentoring and education and training programs.

 

The program has been running for seven years now, and it has already helped about 200 students by offering them life skills and training to help them enter into the workforce.

 

While the initiative has been a great help for many of Armidale’s youth though, it was at risk of being closed down this year due to low funding.

 

With federal funding now in place, the program is guaranteed to be around for the long term now, which is great news for the youth of Armidale and for our whole community.

 

For anybody who’s interested in seeing what else has gained funding in the Federal Budget this year, you can read a full overview at www.budget.gov.au.

It’s not too early to start talking about winter because if you are thinking of selling; your marketing campaign will probably last through the upcoming winter months.

Mention the idea of selling in winter to some people and their response will be “it’s too cold, it’s too wet, it’s hard,” but a good agent will prove otherwise. Sellers should still consider winter as a great time to sell their home, especially as supply is generally lower in the winter months, meaning less competition.

Think of it like this… there are always qualified buyers in the market, no matter the season. If you have decided to buy a house, whether you buy in spring or winter, it makes no difference. We have never heard someone say “we will wait to buy in spring…” If the right property is on the market at the right time, then the season is irrelevant.

If the supply is lower in winter and you put your house on the market, think of all the purchasers still out there. If you wait until spring (when all other sellers decide to list their property), then think of how many houses you have to compete with!

A chill in the air will never stop a motivated buyer, nor will it prevent those people who sold their homes in autumn from paying top dollar for your home as their need for a new home draws closer!

Armidale residents are currently being invited to enter into a regional competition that aims to promote waste reduction through art.
Entrants in the 2012 Waste > Art & Design Competition are being encouraged to design inspirational pieces of art that have been made using pre-loved and recycled goods.
The competition is running in councils throughout the North West and New England region, however a winner will be chosen for the Armidale Dumaresq Council area, which will then go on to compete against the winning entries from other councils.
There are some great prizes on offer for both the local and regional winner of the 2012 Waste > Art & Design Competition and all of Armidale’s entrants will get the opportunity to have their artworks displayed at a local exhibition to be held here in July.
So if you are a talented artist, then try your hand at creating a work of art that helps spread a green message.
Artworks for the competition need to be delivered to the Training Room at the Recycling Centre at 108 Long Swamp Road in Armidale between July 2 and July 5, from 8am to 4pm.
All further details about the 2012 Waste > Art & Design Competition can be found at the Armidale Dumaresq Council website.