AUGUST 1, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Krown-ing glory
(Damjan Janevski)
Musician and poet, Wol Riak, is using his experiences from South Sudan to fight a war of words. The 19 year old from Tarneit, who arrived in Australia eight years ago, will next month compete in the Hobsons Bay heat of the Australian Poetry Slam. “I do music and I write a lot of lyrics and I just thought I would do it to portray some of my lyrics that I have not put to music,” said Riak, who performs as Krown. “I try to portray ghetto stories in my own sort of way. “I mix what I’ve seen in my background with modern imagery.” Performing writers will have two minutes at the mic and five random audience members are chosen as judges. There are 50 heats Australia-wide, with the best poet from each state going to the national finals for a chance to win an $11,000 prize pack. Hobsons Bay hasn’t hosted a heat in eight years. It will be held at Newport Community Hub on August 11 from 6-8.45pm. No bookings are necessary and people are encouraged to just turn up. Goya Dmytryshchak
Ardeer is hot property By Alexandra Laskie Property prices in once sleepy Ardeer have surged, with the suburb’s median house price climbing more than 31 per cent in the year to June 30. The median price for a house in Ardeer is now $630,000, according to new Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) data, reflecting quarterly growth of almost 7 per cent, and an annual increase of 31.4 per cent. REIV acting president Richard Simpson said Ardeer’s hot property market was being fuelled by first home owners wanting value for money in an area reasonably close to the city.
“Melbourne’s middle west continues to offer affordable buying opportunities, particularly Ardeer and Albion where the median house price is significantly less than the city-wide median,” he said. “Suburbs in Melbourne’s middle west are increasingly attractive to buyers and investors, offering affordability within 20 kilometres of the city.” Mr Simpson said Ardeer was also benefiting from better infrastructure, such as the removal of two level crossings in St Albans and the revitalisation of Sunshine’s CBD. He excepted price growth in the suburb to continue.
“Given Melbourne’s western suburbs are considerably more affordable than their south-eastern counterparts, future price growth in this region is likely.” Ardeer led house price growth in Brimbank, according to REIV’s data for the June 2017 quarter. St Albans was not far behind, with annual growth of 28.5 per cent, followed by Albion, average price rise of 26.9 per cent. A price record for Ardeer was set in March when a 1200-square metre, double-block at 29 Blanche Street sold for $930,000. The second highest price paid for a house in the suburb was $731,000 – a single-storey 1950s brick veneer house at 26 Suspension Street
which was sold in April. Selling agent Scott Welsh, of Barry Plant Sunshine, said the Suspension Street property smashed price expectations of between $630,000 and $690,000. “It was a corner block so that added a premium to the site, but it sold for well above our expectations,” he said. Mr Welsh said Ardeer’s demographic was changing, with more younger families buying into the area. “They’re coming from Footscray, where they had smaller properties families were outgrowing, as well as investors from all around Australia.”
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