From Today, 197HOUSE will begin advertising its service on the Newcastle FM Station, KO fm. 197HOUSE is excited to be taking their popular SMS house price service to house hunters in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley region. You can hear ads on KO fm Weekends, before the NRL coverage

From Today, 197HOUSE will begin advertising its service on the Illawarras Number One Radio Station, i98 fm. 197HOUSE is excited to be taking their popular SMS house price service to house hunters in the Illawarra and southern Sydney region.

House hunters in Sydney can take their time shopping for their new home as prices are expected to stay steady this year, mortgage brokers have been told. BT Funds Management chief economist Chris Caton said already-high prices will mean home buyers will take their time entering the home market. "The stuff is overvalued and I don't think investors are going to show any huge renewal of interest as a result," he told AAP. While a tight labour market and rising rents will prompt some to shop for a new home, an influx of supply as property owners sell up to take advantage of new superannuation rules mean there is little urgency. SOURCE:- http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business/Sydney-house-hunters-need-not-rush/2007/02/23/1171734006125.html

THE housing sector absorbed the May interest-rate rise without a blip, with figures showing home financing up in June.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics today said the total number of loans for owner-occupier housing rose 1.3 per cent in the month after the 25-basis-point rise in May. The total number of loans rose to 63,623.

Read more at The Daily Telegraph

HOMEBUYERS across Australia might be better off delaying their home purchases into the New Year as house prices fall following today's rise in interest rates.

The Reserve Bank of Australia today raised interest rates for the seventh time in a row, taking official rates to a fresh five-year high, which is expected to boost the number of people defaulting on home loans.

The central bank lifted the official cash rate by 25 basis points to 6.0 per cent, the second time it has raised interest rates this year. The rate rise will take variable lending rates to around 7.8 per cent, well above lending rates of recent years.

Read more at news.com.au

Now Real Estate Agents can increase Auction Clearances by partnering with 197HOUSE.

HOW IT WORKS!

Participating Agents decide which auction properties they want to list each month. The agent uploads a file to our 197HOUSE.com web site containing "Agents property code", "Date of Auction" and "Address of house to be auctioned". Agent places the 197house advertising sticker provided by terrapages on their For Sale sign. This invites potential buyers to SMS the property code to 197house if they would like to know the last sale price and the expected auction selling price range. 197house emails the agent so they can provide the selling price range via a phone call to the potential customer. The trigger to accept potential customer SMS's of the property code is deleted from 197house database after the auction date has passed.

A great way to grow your agency's business.

197House at the Sydney Property Expo

Come and see the197HOUSE NSW launch at the Sydney Property Expo.

The Property Expo is co-located with the Investment Expo and Franchising & Business Opportunities Expo from 15-17 April at the Sydney Exhibition Centre where you will find all the answers to your investment questions in the one location.

Compare 1000's of properties from across Sydney and around Australia:

• Residential and commercial
• Lifestyle, coastal and resort
• House and land packages
• Estate developments
• Country, interstate and overseas
• Commercial leasing
• Renting

- Discover trends and property 'hot spots'
- See latest planned projects with exclusive first release offers
- Talk to experts and professionals in real estate and investment about buying, selling and renting

PLUS
Hear from Australia's industry experts on what's hot and what's not! FREE ENTRY to the theatres with admission ticket.Look forward to seeing you there

THE average Australian homeowner faces a hike in mortgage repayments of around $30 a month after the Reserve Bank raised interest rates this morning for the first time since 2003.

See http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12417477-2,00.html for more details

HPrice has a new number - 197 HOUSE (19746873).

The new number coincides with the end of the Premium SMS trial period. The success of Premium SMS in reality television shows like Big Brother and Australian Idol means it is here to stay.

Please note that the HPrice SMS cost is now $2.95.

Make sure you update your phone with the new number. The old number 188 1158 will continue to work until it is de-comissioned at the end of January 2005.

Telstra has advices that prior to Premium SMS being introduced most users were 'blocked' from ringing 1902- numbers and this had been extended to Premium SMS. Users who have joined Telstra since the introduction of Premium SMS are able to access the service.
Telstra have adviced that you may experience lengthy delays in accessing the 125 111 call centre and have adviced that you should call 1300 131 816. This is a dedicated number to lift the blocking.
Telstra have adviced us they are in the process of lifting the restriction to make an SMS to Premium SMS.
You will not be charged for the query.

Coming soon to HPrice is the new feature of buying in bulk and save! Useful for field staff requiring immediate property prices. For more information please contact us
through email at sales@hprice.com and we will forward you the information, including pricing when available.