I think we are talking at cross purposes Wayno.Wayno wrote:guys, forget the property 'marketability' thing - at least for a few years. I'm loathe to say 'property prices' because there will always be a cross-section of the population who don't really care about the NBN or don't get it.
There definitely won't be a short-term property impact. The impact will come in 10+ years when the next generation of internet novelty ideas firmly become everyday needs. This will happen, just as mobile phones and general internet connectivity are ingrained in everyday life. They are almost human rights!
I agree that this will not become important for some time, and ten years is as good an estimate as any. After all, it is becoming an issue in the US and the UK, with price differentials and people walking out of potential rentals because of poor broadband access. In Australia, we are usually ten years behind them, so you are close to the mark, I think.
Furthermore, it is of no relevance to anyone who is not looking to purchase a house or apartment...at the moment.
However, and this is where it is important, anyone who is considering buying a house now, would consider all relevant factors before making an offer. So, if there's a sewerage easement, or a plan to add extra lanes to the road in front of the house, just because there's not likely to have something happen in the next ten years doesn't mean the purchaser and potential seller shouldn't think about it. Whether a house has FTTN or FTTP is something that in the UK and US experience will affect the future value of the property in ten years when we catch up with those countries. The point is, that if someone thinks about this now, when buying a house, then in ten years, they stand to profit, or avoid a big loss. If someone in that situation waits ten years to think about it, they will be too late. It's be like finding out that the Council is going to add an extra lane each way to the road out the front and cut down the trees. Should have researched that before buying, just like broadband access.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/prop ... rking.html
An excerpt from the link above:
...And estate agents have revealed house adverts showing broadband connection speeds secure double the number of viewings.
One in five homebuyers have checked broadband speeds when evaluating a house before they have even walked around the area.
And one in ten have rejected a potential new home because it had a poor connection, the study of 2,000 homebuyers found.
Knowing a property has good broadband speeds is routinely ranked as more important than off-street parking, access to shops and a nearby pub.
The local road network, public transport and mobile phone signal strength also ranked lower.
Furthermore, 54 per cent considered broadband speed before moving in but just 37 per cent looked at the crime rate...
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB110643412 ... 2897822358
If I'm wrong, and we don't follow US and UK experience, no loss. But if I'm right, there's a fair bit of money at stake.