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Posted by robertr on 12th November 2008
Have you ever wondered why for some properties, real estate agents suppress the asking price? Well, we're not exactly sure either, but we have found a way to find that information out without having to speak with the agent!
Google have a product called Google Base which allows anyone to sell or share products and information. Any company can share their wares on it, and it seems www.realestateview.com.au thinks its a good idea, as they have all their listings on it. The difference is that not only does it give you the details of the property, it also tells you the asking price!!
To check it out, find a property on realestateview.com.au (it also works for most properties on realestate.com.au as well) that does not have an asking price on it. Then go to Google Base and follow the links to the Housing section. Type in the address of the property, and it will show the asking price!
Not sure how long this will last, so make the most of it while you can!!
Posted by robertr on 13th October 2008
We wondered when they would find out about us, but we didn't expect them to cotton on so quickly! We've had a number of different users from various real estate companies around the nation sign up to HomePriceHistory, so it's clearly making some sort of impact. We of course can't name who, but clearly they are very interested in what we are achieving here on HomePriceHistory.
Posted by robertr on 2nd October 2008
We're very excited to report that we have cracked the 4,000 property mark! Most of the properties are Victorian based, as that is where most of our advertising is aimed at, however our band of interstate users is growing by the day.
Posted by robertr on 18th September 2008
So you want to know how much your place is worth? Sure you can start by asking a real estate agent, but what does the government value the property at ? Considering your council rates, property taxes, loan capability and body corporate fees stem from this, surely this is the most critical valuation. But have you ever tried finding this information out? It's as hard as pulling out hens' teeth. We're undertaking a few experiments at the moment involving the various state Valuer-Generals offices, and hope to report them here over the next month or so. We'll keep you posted!
Posted by robertr on 9th September 2008
We were on the Sky Business Show 'Money Makers' with Peter Switzer last week (you can see the clip here and we had a huge number of new properties and people joining the site as a result. Bridie Barry, the co-host of the show, made the point that while there is a heap of information on shares, managed funds and other asset classes, there is very little information when it comes to property - and that's where HomePriceHistory is making its mark.
Posted by robertr on 3rd September 2008
I was at a wedding recently and got talking with a guy called Scott Pape, who many of you would know as the Barefoot Investor. Amongst many others, Scott writes for the Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph and Yahoo Finance and also appears on Channel 9 as their resident expert in financial matters. Committed to educating young people on how to use their money better, Scott has started a new site www.homesaverguide.com.au which helps people understand the government's soon to be launched 'First Home Saver Account'. This is a great scheme for first home buyers, and the site is a great starting point to help you save your deposit as fast as possible.
Posted by robertr on 2nd September 2008
We've had a number of people contact us regarding the site, and here is our first bit of online coverage - http://startups.sharmavishal.com/2008/09/homepricehistory-one-place-online.html. We will also be appearing on Sky Business news on Wednesday 3rd September, so watch out for that!
We have had a great first week, evident in the number of people who have signed up to the site already, but we have a long way to go! Thanks to the user legman who requested an enhancement regarding the ability to edit a properties details - we have already made your change.
Posted by robertr on 26th August 2008
Well, we've had a great response so far on our US, UK & Australian sites with over 2,000 properties added to the system by users. From property prices to photos, from auction results to notes on nearby transport, users have been adding all sorts of interesting information to property pages.
For Australian users, we've also just launched the REALeSMS feature which allows users to SMS results or notes directly to their profile! For more information on this great feature, read here.
Posted by robertr on 22nd August 2008
My name is Robert Reith, one of the co-founders of HomePriceHistory, and after 5 months of developing, we're happy to formally release HomePriceHistory.com.au. The concept of HomePriceHistory is very simple - offer users a tool that allows them to keep all their property and real estate research in the one place.
Our motto "Give a Home a Homepage" summarises the goal of HomePriceHistory which is to give every property its own dedicated web page that users can add information to.
We hope people will find it useful, and if you have any comments at all, please contact us here.
