In an article in todays AFR it was reported that, in the first home buyer market, prices went up in 2011 as first home buyers rushed to get the benefit of the existing stamp duty concessions, but in a claw-back, activity and prices in that same sector are looking weaker since January 1. Some forecasters are expecting prices to fall back to where they were in early 2011.

They have agreed a second €130Bn bailout after asking private investors to to bigger losses on Greek debt and by taking away more of Greek sovereignty over finances, including a permanent presence of EU officials supervising Greek finances, and the setting up of a blocked account containing three months worth of debt interest payments at any time, in return for which Greece debt is supposed to fall to 120.5% in 2020, though that figure is clearly a fudge when the trioka (IMF, ECB, and EU) have a report warning that it could still be up to 160%.

In typical EU muddle-through problem solving, the hope is that the Greek solution will go to plan, but with the economy collapsing the only certainty is that we will continue to see Greece in the news in 2012.

Meanwhile the agreement is good for confidence and should do much to cheer up world markets, including Australia.

Hervey Bay real estate market Feb12

Tewantin real estate market Feb12

Noosa Heads real estate market Feb12

Noosaville real estate market Feb12

Gympie real estate market Feb12

Gladstone real estate market Feb12

Bundaberg real estate market Feb12

Attached is an extract of the statistics on population growth and mining activity as it affects this region.

North Sunshine Coast Region statistics