Soft Landing

As I woke up with morning breath to make any canine proud, I poked my head out the front door - finding I'd once again left out money for the paper boy, who'd once again delivered me Tasmania's worst newspaper.

I gotta have words with that little creep.

The Launceston rotter, The Examiner, or in this case The Sunday Examiner - an even more uninspiring version of the Monday to Saturday version - is one of those newspapers you can count on to toe the expected business line, while smashing the usual suspects and soft targets with full force. Look out bogans and drink drivers.

Four pages in, readers were treated to an story entitled "Opening doors on property", where Australian Property Monitors, Anthony Ishac was busy sending out some conflicting signals.

The data presented showed Burnie down 11% in the last quarter (I won't be the smart arse who extrapolates that to an annual figure) and Launceston down 2%, which mirrored the state and national decline.

Yet as both markets - Burnie 45% and Launceston 37% - had experienced growth in the last five years, Ishac expected the market to remain strong.

Eh?

"The market is still seeing healthy returns in the Burnie region but we have been noticing a decline in the last three months," Mr Ishac said.

Yeah, 11% in a quarter would catch your eye, just a little bit.

"The market will stay strong because people will now be looking to invest as prices decrease."

Catch a falling knife an' put it in your pocket,
hope it doesn't cut off your penis

In Burnie it's clear speculators are clamouring for the exit, and Launceston? Well I'm getting to you when I get my counting hat back on, but Burnie agents are talking of the worst market in a decade, howling that the speculators aren't getting enough incentives to buy. The economy is in the crapper, the speculators who got in before the bubble are sitting on momentous gains - if they can now sell, which isn't as easy as they thought.

To top it off, and yes I should be scalded for watching, but the orange tanned property cougar from Your Money, Your Call, took a call last week from a speculator asking about Tasmanian and she quickly poo-pooed the idea of putting any money near the place.

What are you waiting for? The market will be strong - if you all put your money in it.

Am I convincing enough?