Why supporting your local matters.
For the longest time, people living away from hubs like Mt Lawley, Victoria Park, Leederville and Fremantle had to put up with some pretty average coffee. The dark ages, before the ascendancy of the topknot, back when the trains only went as far North as Currambine… It was grim.
Then, over the last ten years, with the last 5 years in particular seeing a bit of an uptick… the coffee game out in the suburbs went truly next level. No longer are we looking at a situation when you have to head to a coffee chain, sitting in one of those open patches in a shopping mall, just to get an overheated cup of expensive bland liquid. Now? You have a café that is dog friendly, has cold brew, several different single origin beans, a plethora of pastry… located 25km from the CBD? Not that long ago, that would have sounded like witchcraft. However with great coffee comes great responsibility.
Now to step away from the franchise model, café operators have a far riskier set of variables sitting at their feet. A chance to make more, but (joys of a double edged sword) the odds of things going badly are higher and far more confronting. This is doing business without the safety line, and yet a fantastic chance to innovate and develop an offering and sequence of service that effortlessly fits the neighbourhood they inhabit. Support those who embrace your community, one oat milk flat white at a time.
Todays good reads
Service with a frown
An absolutely hilarious read from Seth Gerber that will have you giggling.
Next train to Ellenbrook
Want to see how the rail project is proceeding? Click here to see a peak at the big picture plan.
Out in Nature
This weekend, get some fresh air and exercise along these short walks on the Bibbulmun.
Stadium Funding. Who should pay?
In a nation transfixed by sport, we have seen our fair share of fantastic, purpose built theatres of performance. Whether we are talking about the Commbank Stadium, the many incarnations of the MCG or the new home of the Eagles/Dockers/Scorchers Optus stadium, we have seen many billions of dollars poured into cathedrals of sweat, noise and questionably priced hot dogs. These fantastic structures provide us the backdrop for some of our fondest shared moments, that roar of the crowd providing release and relief as one team emerge the victors.
In the United Kingdom, sports teams typically own their own venues. These teams are now financing the construction of new home grounds through a combination of bank loans, property development, and private finance. When there is local government involvement, financial support can be in the form of a loan. In the United States, professional sports franchises (worth billions of dollars), often employ a mish mash of public funds, sponsors contributions and capital from ownership.
In Australia however? The sheer scale of government investment dwarfs any other meaningful contribution. Often being a election talking point. Outside of Australia fully privatising sport stadiums is also being adopted. For example, the central government of Japan plans to privatise the National Stadium to be built for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after the sports event ends. It is hoped that this move will reduce the running costs and the burden on taxpayers. Stadiums are eyewateringly expensive to build. And maintain.
What are your thoughts on stadiums? Especially as access to them can be a deciding factor when choosing where to live. Let us know!
Get the ladder ready
Autumn has almost passed us by, winter is sitting on the bench ready to check in, and I have an unshakeable feeling that its time for you to clean your gutters. Yes, it’s a pain of a job and yes its often rather tricky to get a steady hand to hold the ladder, but its integral to the health of the structure of your house. This is no hyperbole.
Gutters are intended to channel water off the roof and away from your home and its foundation. However, a clogged gutter floods your foundation, thereby reducing the integrity of your building. Besides spoiling your foundation, a blocked gutter can also cause roof leaks that can damage your ceiling, your walls, your floor, and other parts of your building.
If left unmanaged, such loss can reduce the stability of your building, thereby reducing its value. Cleaning your gutters is among the primary ways of maintaining your structure’s glory.
So yeah. Dust off the ladder, locate the gloves and get ready to spend a few hours up close and personal with the hidden angles of your home.
Content with more content
Now if you prefer to consume your information through audio instead of through text (which is understandable) come and check out or podcast which lives here. It is a show we are doing weekly which has a nice blend of education and entertainment aimed at the prospective homebuyer.