Losing The Flab, Mortgage And Holidays Top Priority For Many Aussies

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Media release 25 December 2009



Losing the flab, mortgage and holidays top priority for many Aussies,

NY resolution survey reveals


Australians want to be fit, fabulous and mortgage free a national New Year's resolution survey has found.


New research released today by realestate.com.au indicates the top three priorities for many Aussies in 2010 are

losing weight (61 per cent), tipping extra money onto the mortgage (58 per cent) and taking a well deserved holiday

(55 per cent).


Spokesperson for realestate.com.au Peter Wright says the survey findings resonate with the Australian psyche as

lifestyle priorities continue to dominate, especially heading into the New Year.


"Many people want to start off the year with a clean slate. While losing a couple of kilos never hurt anyone, given the

tumultuous year we have had with the economy, it's not surprising that many people want to reduce their mortgage

it serves as a safety net in times of need," he said.


"As for taking a well deserved holiday, Aussies love taking a break from the hustle and bustle of what daily life has to

bring," he said.


"More importantly, the great Australian dream of home ownership is still alive with 27 per cent of respondents

indicating a willingness to save a deposit for their first home, despite missing out on the First Home Buyer's Grant

boost," said Peter.


With the environment a hot topic of debate in recent weeks, it was comforting to know many Aussies identified this as

a high priority with 43 per cent of respondents indicating they would install a water tank to make their homes more

water friendly. Fifty four per cent of respondents said they would replace light globes to energy efficient ones and 28

per cent intended to do up the front garden with drought resistant plants.


Over one quarter of Australians surveyed (28 per cent) indicated they will endeavour to stop smoking, while 30 per

cent of respondents indicated they were going to consolidate their debt and destroy their credit card.


Interestingly, communicating online is becoming an obsession with one in three Aussies (29 per cent) wanting to tone

down their Facebook or Twitter obsession.


The realestate.com.au online survey was conducted between 1 to 4 December 2009, with 2,500 respondents taking

part.


Top 20 NY resolutions survey findings for 2010


Health & Lifestyle
61.14% = make a commitment to lose some weight
28.07% = stop smoking



Home/Residential
58.16% = plan to put extra money on the mortgage
36.67% = start saving for a residential investment
30.18% = upsize to a larger home
26.93% = still plan to buy home despite the doubling of the FHBG boost finishing
27.28% = plan to renovate the bathroom
22.98% = plan to renovate the kitchen
15.79% = move out of home from mum and dad to claim my independence
13.51% = ditch the housemates and move out on my own
12.11% = downsize to a smaller home

Energy efficiency/environment
54.65% = replace all light globes to energy efficient ones
43.33% = install a water tank to make my home more water friendly
28.60% = do up the front garden with drought resistant plants such as cacti and succulents

Social media
29.04% = tone down the Facebook/Twitter addiction
18.6% = learn how to use social media Facebook/Twitter

Holiday
55.18% = take a well deserved holiday
6.93% = quit job to travel around Australia


Money/debt
30.79% = consolidate my personal debt and throw away the credit card

Job/Business owner
14.65% = quit my job to start my own business


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For more information or for an interview contact: Zoyee Kartalis, Public Relations Manager, Mob: 0428 364 090
email: [email protected]


About the REA Group


The REA Group, headquartered in Melbourne, operates Australia's most popular real estate websites and similar

websites around the world. Its sites receive more than 8,160,045 million unique visitors per month

(Nielsen/NetRatings, Omniture, Google Analytics, November 2009. The Group had revenues of AUD$156m in FY

2008 and is profitable. REA Group Limited is a listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange (REA), and

operates as an independent entity.