Last Saturday I went to an open house. I was excited to see this 2 bedroom unit with an asking price of $409,000. That’s not a misprint. Let me write it again using a bigger font:
$409,000
And, yes, I said it’s a two bedroom unit. Have you caught your breath yet? I haven’t. I could not believe my eyes; a two bedroom unit for that price. To me, the price appeared especially handsome; maybe a tad high; maybe way high. I had to have a look.
So, I “rocked” up to the open a little after 10 a.m. Already to explore this seemingly high priced unit. I was there with my daughter Chez. We saw a man and woman coming out.
“It’s already sold but the one if front is for sale. It’s a private sale.” Said the stranger as his partner looked on. “It’s really nice. Probably better than the one that sold.”
Click here to see the listing.
Before my jaw made a big clunking noise on the ground, I noticed two stickers on the sales sign. One declared the open inspection “CANCELLED”, the other simply stated, “Under Contract.”
I then made a much louder clunking noise as the rest of my body joined my jaw on the ground! I was shocked. I was expecting this unit to sit on the market unsold. Who would pay that much for a 2 bedroom unit in Alice Springs?
Curiosity got the best of me. I decided to look at the “private sale” unit. It had an asking price of $398,000.
So, in I went. Here’s what I saw.
Very nice brickwork on the outside. Very nice driveway. Clean, outside and in. Overall nice presentation. Spacious living area. Small but nice kitchen. Two good sized bedrooms. Only one family bath. Good sized laundry. And, a bonus; an extra room. Looked like a converted carport. Could easily serve as another bedroom or office. Very nice back yard with patio and see through veranda. Nice plants and overall very neat and tidy.
The place showed well. I liked it.
I still didn’t like the price. But, the added room went a long way to convincing me it was really a 3 bedroom home and that made me feel a bit better. Now, the price didn’t seem so high. And, this must be true about the other unit that sold as well; probably has the third room.
Well, I learned something. Just because I think the price is high doesn’t mean it is! I’ll bet the private sale unit has sold already. After all, it’s at a bargain price compared to the first one that sold.
Another lesson learned in the world of Alice Springs property. Just when I think I know what’s happening, it changes.
Will prices continue to go up in the Alice? I don’t know. But, I do know this. They’ve never gone down – over time – since I’ve been here.
I’ve been here since 1998; waiting for the correction; waiting for prices to go down.
I’m still waiting!