NEWS / ROUND-UP INFOGRAPHIC
HOMEBUYERS
TOP BUYER TURN-ONS REVEALED
The most appealing feature to potential homebuyers by a “long shot” is a good neighbourhood – particularly when it comes to family buyers aged 35-54 and to women in general, according to a survey conducted by Aussie Home Loans. “We undertook the survey feeling confident that we would know the outcome, but were surprised to find some things were not as much of an issue for homebuyers as we expected,” said Aussie general manager for marketing and product, Stuart Tucker. He says the survey of 1,000 people “smashed” some real estate myths, with a modern kitchen only coming third with 63.4% and a modern bathroom way down the list at number seven, with just 50.2% rating it a top priority. In second place was a garage with 63.7% rating it their top priority. Perhaps unsurprisingly, men (65%) rated it higher than women (62.4%). Storage, ensuite, outdoor entertaining and light and airy atmosphere rounded off the top 10, but all with below 50% of respondents rating it highly.
TOP 5 BUYER TURN-ONS
68.2%
BUSINESS CONFIDENCE DROPS
6 | NOVEMBER 2013
TOP 5 SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS
Good neighbourhood
63.7%
Fuel prices
Garage Cash flow
CONFIDENCE
Small-to-medium business owners have lost confidence in the last six months, despite most reporting increased or stable income in the last year. The latest MYOB Business Monitor Report surveyed over 1,000 SMEs one month prior to the election, and found just 23% of business owners expect the domestic economy to improve within 12 months, a drop from 25% in March. The proportion expecting an improvement to take one to two years has also dropped, while 26% now expect it to take over two years (up from 22%). These statistics come in alongside a dip in revenue expectations for this financial year, with just 25% expecting a rise in revenue, down from 30%, while the proportion expecting a fall has also increased. All this is despite the fact nearly 60% of respondents reported revenue as having increased or remained steady over the past year. MYOB CEO Tim Reed said he hoped to see a rise in confidence now that the election result is in, but that research suggests it will be “a slow road to significant improvement”. “The financial confidence of the country’s small to medium business operators is closely linked to the health of our economy and it is telling us a clear story. They see factors at play such as record-low interest rates and although many welcome the upside, they recognise it as a sure sign the domestic economy is experiencing slowed growth,” he said. The number one concern for small business owners surveyed in the report was rising fuel costs, especially impacting those in Queensland.
INFOGRAPHIC
63.4% Modern functional kitchen
Price margins/ profitability
54.7% Large bedrooms
Attracting new customers
54.5% Air conditioning Source: Aussie Home Loans/ Nine Rewards survey
Competitive activity Source: MYOB Business Monitor Report