Oh, and as far as selling AND buying in a boom goes, yeah, I know, and this has definitely crossed my mind, but my reasoning is that in the area we live in, it hasn't really boomed yet. It's just begininng to be developed now...it's a small island a 15 minute walk from the heart of the Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise), and in the other direction a 15 minute walk to one of the small-sized office precincts on the Coast.
There is only one single "high rise" (8-10 storeys) on the island so far. It is just almost finished now. It's good they've tried to keep all that over-development out of the area, but now they're finally beginning to put up some new buildings (2 more medium rises are planned for the next coming years), they're going to re-do the main strip, narrow the road to try and stop so much through-traffic clogging up the main street (it's a car park at peak hour), and also widen the pedestrian foot paths and put more garden bits in to make it look nicer.
It's an island but nobody can really appreciate, access or even SEE the water all around it (which on the Coast is the real drawcard to any location - the water - be it beach or canal/river like around the island), except the rich houses that are on the water-side of the road around the entire island. Nobody else can enjoy it. There's a tiny park at one end with a boardwalk type thing, but there's no bridge over to Surfers, which is annoying. There's another small park on the other end, with some benches and things in it, which is quite nice. They're both on the water.
So what they also plan to do in many years I assume is built the bridge going from that boardwalk over to Surfers, build another pedestrian-only bridge from the council building over in that office precinct that will come out just behind the shops here along the main strip, and they're also going to then put a line of cafes along the waterfront (knock down the waterfront houses that are there currently), and also put a lovely boardwalk around a small section of the island in that specific area, so people can take advantage and enjoy the fact they're on the water/on an island.
I just want all this sped up so it can happen sooner than 5-10 years. It annoys me also to read that other already built-up and developed areas nearby are having even more buildings constructed and things added, and yet my area? They seem SO resistant to doing anything!! They will eventually though.
What I want is for it to become quite an exclusive island community...the ferals who wander around graffitying everything and throwing bottles everywhere won't be able to afford it anymore, and the streets will be beautiful, with palm trees lining them, nice apartment blocks, shops and cafes underneath them...waterfront aspects...stuff like that. (I think this will happen in some form of entirety in about 10-15 years from now)
I've read (but then again, who knows what to trust in so-called experts' speculations) that people who missed out on getting in before the Main Beach boom (a very snobby, rich area nearby) are now interested in buying on the island as they think in however many years it'll become like their own area...so they want to get in now, before it does.
Another thing I want sped up is the major disparity in types of dwellings and also people who live on the island. Around the outside of the island are the rich houses, as I mentioned earlier. About 60% of the remaining properties on the island are BLEGH! Horrible old tiny flats, with people using old tea towels and bed sheets for curtains, and with windows hanging off and beer bottles scattered around outside. It's so unpleasant. This is most evident along the main road (before the shops start). The remaining 40% of dwellings are like our's. Apartment blocks, but nice low rise ones set amongst quite nice gardens. These I don't mind. The "feral" properties (and occupants thereof) I want gone. GONE! But that'll take years. Apparently 80% of the island rent and only 20% own. Hmm. I want that percentage turned on its head.
Anyway, my original point is that this area, once it booms, will be a BIG boom. Its first HUGE boom. The area(s) I want to buy in don't boom anymore, plain and simple. They go up and down slightly all the time (mainly up), but they've had their boom long ago.
So...yep. Basically my point was to somehow NOT have to wait for that long for my area to have its big boom, but if I DID wait that long, I'd be hoping that the boom would outweigh my desired areas' smaller but more consistent gains. (but you see, my emotional state says SELL NOW! MOVE TO SOMETHING YOU LIKE! But my mental state says HOLD ON TO THE PROPERTY UNTIL IT BOOMS COMPLETELY, OTHERWISE IT'S A TOTAL WASTE!)