How to conduct oneself overseas

TRAVEL

By travel editor DAVID BRAY

It’s an important rule for this life: Never, ever, agree to conduct an orchestra if you don’t have the training. I remember when an experienced media adviser allowed her Arts Minister to have a go with the Queensland Symphony at a season launch. He was in fact one of our better people in that portfolio, but the stunt didn’t work. The orchestra did what orchestras tend to do in such a circumstance – ignored him.

But you might care to try, as I did not so long ago. Here’s the scene: I raise the baton and the mighty Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra gives me its full attention. We launch into the Radekzy March but they don’t think much of the inexpert beat and no matter how the antipodean imposter tries, we just can’t get it together. Things grind to a halt with much muttering among the players and some firm advice from their leader.
So we have another go. Blue Danube. Same inharmonious result. Still, if you’ve always aspired to conducting one of the world’s great orchestras, your wish can come true at the House of Music – virtually, at least. The latest jewel in Vienna’s musical crown, the House of Music includes a “virtual” Vienna Philharmonic which you can put it through its paces as a virtual conductor. But be warned: the patience of the orchestra is not unlimited! The virtual conductor is just one of many fun but thought-provoking exhibits at the Hausdermusik, which opened in June 2000 in the historic palace of Archduke Karl, in the heart of the Austrian capital. The palace has been closely connected with the music world for nearly two centuries.
Otto Nicolai, the legendary founder of the Vienna Philharmonic, to whom the orchestra still dedicates a concert every year, lived in the building in the 19th century. The House of Music project, financially supported by electronics giant Siemens AG Austria, is a fascinating blend of the old and the new.
The former state rooms of the palace also house the Vienna Philharmonic Museum. The six floors house heaps of interactive displays where you are invited to try all sorts of things for yourself, to play instruments, to compose a waltz, to learn about sounds and music. I now have some idea of what the world sounds like to a baby in its mother's womb.
I can, barely, coax sounds from the interactive music theatre of the Brain Opera. And there are excellent more formal displays about Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler, Schubert, and assorted Strausses. Hausdermusik, Seilerstatte 30, is open 10am to 10pm, every day. More info: www.hdm.at.
And when you’re ready to move on there are so many super museums in Vienna it’s hard to decide. I would start at the Kunsthistorisches which not only has a fine collection but also a nice bit of technology that’s almost a match for the Hausdermusik. You can use the Audioguide that comes as part of the admission fee to keep a record of pictures you really like.
When you finish your visit a technician uses the information sorted in the guide to print your personal catalogue with excellent quality reproductions of the works of art and a printed record of the spoken commentary on each that you heard on the way around.

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Maria Theresien-Platz.
Open Tuesday - Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. info@khm.at

Sales hit six-year high

PROPERTY NEWS

Brisbane's Inner Ring apartment market has well and truly turned the corner, according to the latest Colliers International Brisbane Apartment Report. It shows that for the quarter ending September 2010, the sector experienced the strongest sales rate for new apartment stock in six years – and a 56 per cent increase from the corresponding period in 2009.

Lachlan Walker, Colliers International Project Management & Research - Residential, said broadly speaking the Brisbane apartment market was in a similar position in the property cycle as it was more than a decade ago, where the market was looking more positive and just a few years from a major property boom, following a substantial period of depressed market conditions.
“The resounding theme for the September 2010 quarter is that the Brisbane Apartment market has made strong progress in recovering from the effects of the GFC,” he said.
“It has been a difficult two years since the impacts of the declining US economy impacted the Australian property market, however the most recent quarter has seen the strongest rate of sale for the Brisbane market since 2004.”
The report revealed that there were 425 unconditional sales of new apartments within Brisbane’s Inner Ring, encompassing the five-kilometre radius from the CBD, representing an increase of 21 per cent per cent from the 276 sales recorded in the June 2010 quarter. This brings the total unconditional sales for the 2010 year to-date to 977 transactions for Brisbane's Inner Ring, 182 more transactions than recorded for the entire 2009 calendar year. Some 32 per cent or 135 of the 425 unconditional sales were recorded in Laing O'Rourke’s new residential release, M & A, in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley.
Other strong performers were FKP’s The Milton to be developed by FKP which registered 68 unconditional sales for the three month period, as well as Devine’s Riverside Hamilton and Aria Property Group's Station 16, which saw 41 and 42 sales respectively.
Mr Walker said sell rates within projects across the Brisbane market, currently averages around 4.5 sales per month and appears to be increasing.
"Some projects, in direct relation to the product mix available within the building and directly influenced by price, have outperformed this statistic, particularly those in secure investment locations," he said. "This comes as a result of a market which is facing an upward swing in the coming two years as Brisbane enters its next positive cycle."
Mr Walker said the new apartment market appears to be entering a new period of sales growth as stock has been reconfigured and is now focussed upon high transactional turn-over at a market accepted weighted average price. “Weighted average prices have softened over the past twelve months, with $534,894 being recorded for the September quarter, an 11 per cent decrease from the June 2010 quarter and 16 per cent below the September period in 2009,” he said.
“Competition for buyers between projects is set to increase particularly in the inner north as supply escalates. However, off-the-plan sales will elevate as a result.” As at end September 2010, a total of 1,584 apartments remained for sale in the Inner Ring, with 47 per cent being two-bedroom configurations, 35 per cent one-bedroom and just 14 per cent being three bedroom apartments. M
r Walker said these remaining developer apartments were likely to supply the current market demand for just 11 months.
“Our observation is that developers, in general, have become more risk averse given the recent climate and are seeking a greater understanding of where the true demand will come from prior to launching new projects.” Colliers International still anticipated a period of increasing new supply over the next 12 months for the Inner Ring.

Action needed on housing

PROPERTY NEWS

Queensland Premier Bligh needs to develop an urgent joint rescue plan for the Queensland housing and properties industries before property in Queensland passes the tipping point, a respected independent property analyst believes.

Speaking at an Urban Development Industry Association (UDIA) function in Brisbane, independent property analyst Michael Matusik said the jobs of tens of thousands of Queenslanders hinged on a kickstart to the home building industry.
“Things are not going to get better unless the public and private sectors work together to make it happen. It is time for government, at all levels, to stop using the property industry as a taxation milking cow,” Mr Matusik said.
He also said Premier Bligh’s promised “Building Revival Forum” to be held early in the New Year would emerge into a waste of time “talkfest” unless the State Government takes urgent steps to speed up approvals and scales down the bureaucratic process.
“We have seen it all before – talkfests that produce all talk and no action. Let’s hope this one is different.” Results from a UDIA membership survey earlier this year indicate four key impediments to building new homes in Queensland. The biggest impost was the current restrictive government regulations, with a lack of development finance coming in a distant second. Also noted were limited market demand and a shortage of labour.
“We need a new plan from government to get things moving again because the current malaise we find ourselves in doesn’t have enough go forward by itself,” Mr Matusik said.
“While the mining industries generate wealth, building new homes helps distribute this wealth and keeps it in Queensland. This distribution system is broken in this state. As a result, new construction in Queensland is at record lows.
“This is not helping full-time job creation. Sadly up to 25,000 people in the home building trades have lost their jobs in Queensland over the last two years. “Without serious action, and I mean now, we cannot really wait for the planned forum next year. 2011 is going to be a very bleak year for home builders in this state; more jobs will be lost and with them end values are likely to continue to fall.
“If we end up in the same position as we are today, which isn’t great in anybody's language, this time next year we would be lucky.”

State well placed for years ahead: survey

PROPERTY NEWS


Queensland is well placed to again benefit from the up-turn in the world economy when it inevitably takes place, according to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ). The REIQ September quarter median house report provides another indicator that the fundamentals of Queensland’s economy are continuing to help absorb the negative impacts from the Global Financial Crisis.

Over the September quarter, median house prices and preliminary sales numbers across the state held relatively steady, even as the market and the wider economy came to grips with six almost consecutive interest rates increases, and the uncertainty surrounding the Federal Election in August and its prolonged aftermath into September.
Agents are reporting tough market conditions partly due to a lack of committed buyers. Sellers, therefore, are being more realistic about their price expectations which mean significant buying opportunities currently exist.
“While it remains difficult to decipher the various indicators to understand where the economy generally is heading, these September quarter results should provide some reassurance that investing in the Queensland property market remains sound,” REIQ chairman Pamela Bennett said.
According to the REIQ, buyers and sellers should remain confident given Queensland’s population continues to grow by more than the national average and billions of dollars-worth of infrastructure is currently being constructed or in the pipe-line. In the years ahead, the state is also on track to benefit from our multibillion-dollar resources industry.
“There has been very mixed messages about the state of Australia’s residential property market of late,” REIQ managing director Dan Molloy said. “There has been continued speculation about a perceived housing bubble, but the facts are clear – housing prices are not out of control, comparisons with the US market are largely irrelevant and there is little speculative activity in the market.
“While no one is under any illusion that the Queensland economy has turned a corner just yet, the fundamentals of the state’s economy ensure that our part of the world is well-placed for growth in the years ahead.”
Despite the softer market conditions, there are ample opportunities for people to upgrade by buying and selling in the same market.
The strength of the resources industry, including recent announcements of multibillion-dollar mining projects, has helped Gladstone and Toowoomba perform particularly well over the September quarter. The median house price in Gladstone increased 5.9 per cent to $392,000 over the period, while Toowoomba’s median house price increased 1.4 per cent to $289,000.

Seeing red over Green

POLITICS ... with Mungo MacCallum

Tony Abbott has a new mantra: Labor is in government, but the Greens are in power! Well, actually they’re not, and the fact that they have rather more influence than they are used to is entirely the Liberals’ fault; it was, after all, Liberal preferences that put the Green Adam Bandt and the ex-Green Andrew Wilkie into Parliament.

nd it is true that this sudden elevation has given the Greens delusions of grandeur; endorsed by none other than Mark Latham, they are all but serenading us with the Horst Wessel song, The Future Belongs to Me. Even some relatively sober commentators have suggested that Labor may never again by able to govern in its own right; the Greens will eat into the ALP vote to such an extent that they will inevitably end up as a permanent coalition partner. But hang on a minute; is the rise of the Greens either as spectacular or as irresistible as it currently appears? There are good reasons to doubt it.
The first question is whether the upsurge is based on a positive and lasting attraction to the party, or is simply a desperate, and possibly temporary, rejection of Labor.
There is no doubt that Labor is going through one of its most disillusioning periods at present, beset by factional apparatchiks and bereft of inspirational leadership. It is still (just) in government almost everywhere, but there is general agreement that this is due entirely to the awfulness of the alternatives, and the time is nigh when the voters will make the switch anyway.
In this political wilderness even the beige Bob Brown looks charismatic, a messiah leading a band of untainted idealists towards some largely undefined promised land.
As the federal election showed, few Labor supporters are prepared to desert the left entirely; the swing to the coalition was just 1.5 per cent, while the Greens gained 4.0 per cent. Importantly, Green preferences overwhelmingly favoured Labor, implying that most of the lost votes were simply borrowed. It is reasonable to suppose that many of them will be returned if and when Labor can get its act together, and a new and more appealing leader – a Whitlam, a Hawke, a Keating or even a pre-2010 Rudd – appears on the scene. And of course the deserting Labor voters may end up feeling very frustrated by their new minority status.
They are used to voting for a party which can provide the Prime Minister; the best the Greens can hope for in the foreseeable future is to become some kind of junior partner, in the same subservient role as the National Party is to the Liberals.
And even to achieve that dubious status they would need to accept a great many compromises to their platform and policies. The principal attraction of the Greens is their ideological purity.
But as Gough Whitlam memorably pointed out, the impotent are always pure. Is this a choice many Labor voters will really want to make? The history of third parties in Australia is not a happy one.
In the long term, Australians seem generally happy with the simple dichotomy: Labor or conservative. Splinter parties like the DLP and the Democrats seem to have a very limited shelf life, due largely to the fact that they lack a genuine mass following. I recall once suggesting to Gordon Barton, the millionaire founder of the Australia Part (the progenitor of the Democrats) that his child could not survive because it lacked a socio-economic base. Barton glared at me and replied: “I am its socio-economic base.” And for a while he was, and the truly charismatic Don Chipp left the Liberals to take over the political leadership and the Democrats seemed destined for bigger things.
Then the Greens effectively pushed them aside. The Greens come from a more secure base: the environment movement is a serious player. But it has never been very good at politics, and because it tends to attract zealots it always runs the risk of splitting into factions. Brown can’t last forever and the election of the hardliner Lee Rhiannon could signal trouble ahead.
Factionalism was the beginning of the end for the Democrats – the disagreement between Meg Lees and Natasha Stott-Despoya over whether to support the GST led to irrevocable breakdown, and the Democrats were, by and large, a less passionate bunch than the Greens. Only a party as large and well-established as the ALP can hope to survive serious splits and the Greens have a long way to go before reaching that kind of security.
The Greens are certainly on a roll and deserve congratulations for their performance last August. But this is not, as Winston Churchill might have put it, the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it just might be the end of the beginning. The Greens are definitely on the stage. Now we'll see if they can perform.

***

Last week’s OECD report brought great comfort to the government – well, it would, wouldn’t it? It was largely the result of material provided by the Australian Treasury, whose advice the government has generally followed.
And the report endorsed the concept of the National Broadband Network, while suggesting there could be some problems with its implementation. The Australian’s hit squad predictably fell on this section like a pack of piranhas and berated the government for trying to have it both ways, for gleefully accepting the good bits of the report and rejecting the criticism.
Of course the correct thing to do is to ignore everything except the bits you agree with: oddly enough The Australian failed to notice the OECD’s recommendations to raise the mining tax, raise the dole to the unemployed, and get on with putting a price on carbon and an ETS.
And our national daily also rather overlooked the OECD’s unstinting praise of the government’s stimulus policy – including the Building Education Revolution.
Funny, that. Or tragic, depending on how you view consistency and ethics in journalism.

NEWS

Valley lagging in bike scheme rollout

Thinking of grabbing a CityCycle bike from a rack in New Farm, Teneriffe, Kangaroo Point or West End and heading up to the Valley for a coffee or a shop? Plenty of time to get there within 30 minutes, dock your bike and not pay an extra cent over your subscription outlay? Take your time. Enjoy life. Then grab another bike, head home in the half-hour and save money all round?

Well, think again. There are no stations in operation anywhere near the Valley’s commercial heart. The Independent’s investigation found two on the very fringes of the suburb – outside the Olive Pit Restaurant in James Street, and at a rack further west on James Street just past the Palace cinemas. By our reckoning that’s two out of almost 20 stations shown on the CityCycle website as being stage one stations in Fortitude Valley for the multi-million dollar scheme.
That same site shows a reasonable percentage of stations in the CBD, New Farm, Teneriife, Kangaroo Point and West End are now operating, so why has the rollout in the Valley been delayed – and does City Hall owe scheme users an apology for at the very least giving them the impression that they could make a trip to our city’s second commercial heart and not get caught short?
Well, the answers from the Lord Mayor are simple: there is no delay in the Valley rollout, and no apology is clearly needed because the CityCycle bike hire like all public transport “requires some journey planning”.
“CityCycle users are encouraged to check the website, call the 1300 free call or download iphone applications so that they know which stations are operating, where the nearest station are and which stations have available bike racks,” the Lord Mayor wrote in response to one of our questions on the issue.
And asked if there were any specific reasons why the Valley rollout appeared well behind schedule, Campbell Newman wrote: “Fortitude Valley stations were programmed for the last quarter of the year and will continue to be built and commissioned up until Christmas 2010.
“The CityCycle installation is part of a planned, continuous rollout program. West End, CBD, New Farm and Kangaroo Point were in the second and third quarter of the 2010 program, so more stations are currently constructed in this area. Asked to identify the Forttiude Valley stations and the dates residents can expect to be able to hire bikes from them, Cr Newman said: 
“Nine stations are currently built in the Fortitude Valley. One station is currently operating in the Fortitude Valley at James Street and Harcourt Street. Eight stations are currently constructed and are currently awaiting electrical connection and commissioning to the network. These stations will be commissioned on a rolling basis up until Christmas 2010 – James and McLachlan Streets, Ann Street and Murri Way, Ann Street and Chester Street, Wickham Street and Murri Way, Gipps street and Wickham Street, Alden Street and Wickham Street, Bridge Street and Wickham Street and Malt Street and Brunswick Street
“The two stations at James and McLachlan Street (1) and Bridge and Wickham Streets (2) are planned to be operating in the next few weeks.
Responding to a question that said in part that “surely Valley residents are entitled to feel neglected in the rollout of the scheme, the Lord Mayor wrote: “The CityCycle call centre is responding to community enquires and advising subscribers and the community about operating station and the timing for the installation program.
“The eight stations above will be open in Fortitude Valley by Christmas.”

Top: The Stage 1 bike station beside the Fortitude Valley Post Office awaits commissioning.

Scheme hits 2500 users after five weeks

NEWS

The CityCycle bike hire scheme has reached about 2500 subscribers five weeks after it was launched, City Hall says.

“CityCycle is a great commuter transport option for those living in or near the inner-city and there is a quiet revolution occurring with more and more people taking it up every day,” Lord Mayor Campbell Newman (pictured) says.
“Every commuter who uses a bike instead of a car is one less vehicle on our congested road
network.” Cr Newman says safety considerations have been paramount in delivering the CityCycle scheme.
“We reduced the speed limit on CBD streets to 40 kph in readiness for this scheme, but we have also installed new Bicycle Awareness Zones and “share the road” signage, as well as road markings to make cycling in the CBD as safe as possible.”
Cr Newman says that those wanting to use CityCycle need to subscribe online and make sure they have a helmet, either purchased at the time of subscription or from the many bike, sporting or department stores that sell them. Users can purchase an annual ($60.50), quarterly ($27.50) or casual ($11) subscription.
And Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has rejected Opposition claims made on Monday October 25 and reported in this newspaper several days later that he had not used the scheme, outside media-related activities and startup day promotions, since the scheme began on October 1.
A spokesperson said the Lord Mayor had used the CityCycle scheme at least half a dozen times since it began at the beginning of last month, and definitely before he had been “rebuked” by ALP leader in City Hall Shane Sutton for not showing leadership on the issue by using the scheme.
“That number would have been larger except for the wet conditions experienced during October,” the spokesperson said.
“Cr Newman is an increasingly regular user of the scheme and uses CityCycle to travel to and from meetings in the CBD.
“For example, last week he arrived for a meeting at the Premier's office with his helmet under his arm after taking a CityCycle from King George Square to the Executive Building.
“He also undertakes a regular early morning ride around the inner city, most recently yesterday morning when he rode from the CBD to New Farm Park and back.”

• DO YOU THINK THE CITYCYCLE SCHEME WILL BE A SUCCESS OVER TIME?

Give us your views on this much-maligned but outwardly laudable project via email to:  editor@theindependent.com.au or send us a letter to PO Box 476 Fortitude Valley Q 4006

Mall smoking ban imposed

NEWS

The City Council has imposed a total smoking ban in the Queen Street Mall. Announcing the ban on Tuesday Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said that while he was reluctant to introduce new laws, community feedback had demanded action.
“Council consulted widely before making this decision and the overwhelming response from both residents and businesses was that some form of action must be taken,” he said.
“While I am reluctant to introduce more laws, council’s research and consultation feedback showed that 82 per cent of people wanted a total ban. Responses from media surveys and polls were similarly overwhelming.
“Health concerns about passive smoking and concerns that people avoid the mall because of the smoking were key considerations in the ban.”
Council intended to introduce the new law as soon as State Government approval was received. This process could take several months.
In July, the Brisbane community was asked to provide feedback on two options – either a total smoking ban or specified designated smoking areas in Queen Street Mall. More than 1200 comments were posted on council’s Smoking Ban blog, with hundreds of comments received through council’s Contact Centre.
Council also hosted four feedback sessions in the mall and invited the community to comment on the proposed options. Brisbane residents overwhelmingly supported a total ban with 82 per cent of respondents supporting that move, while 12 per cent favoured designated smoking zones.
Cr Newman said while the Smoke Free Places Local Law was being developed, an amnesty period and educational campaign would be undertaken. Once the law came into force, a three-step process would apply with council officers asking smokers to put out their cigarette, then give a warning before issuing a fine. Council expects fines of $200 to be issued under the new local law after it is approved by the State Government in a process expected to take several months.
The total mall ban has the backing of City Council Labor Leader Shayne Sutton who says it is long overdue.
“The issue of banning smoking in the Queen Street Mall is not new and organisations such as Cancer Council Queensland have been calling for the ban for some time,” Councillor Sutton said.

Skating around is the issue...

NEWS

Brisbane City Council’s Museum of Brisbane (MoB) is highlighing the enduring history and culture of skateboarding with The Stoke: Skateboarding in Brisbane exhibition now showing until February.

The Stoke manoeuvres behind Brisbane’s tight knit skateboarding fraternity and its camaraderie to chart the city’s historical affinity with skateboarding relevant to the international evolution of the sport. The exhibition features more than 120 boards – many from internationally renowned Brisbane born skateboarders such as Johnny Kwala.
Families and Community Services Chair Councillor Geraldine Knapp said The Stoke exhibition had something for everyone – from museum lovers, pop culture fans, hardcore skateboarders or the uninitiated. “The Stoke takes exhibition visitors on a journey through Brisbane’s own skateboarding culture and explores the intersection of physical and artistic expression that defines the pursuit of skateboarding,” Cr Knapp said.
“The exhibition also reveals an incredible community spirit and camaraderie that unites Brisbane skateboarders of all ages and walks of life,” she said.
The centrepiece of the exhibition will be a replica bowl, inspired by the legendary Moorooka Skate Shed.
“It is believed that Brisbane’s first local skateboarding competition was staged in the carpark of the Mt Gravatt KFC around Christmas 1974. “Since constructing the first public skate facilities in 1988, Brisbane City Council has long supported Brisbane’s tight knit skateboarding fraternity by closely consulting with skaters to construct and maintain the 31 skate parks across the city.”
During the The Stoke’s display period, MoB will host a free program of events including skateboarding parties, movie screenings and workshops at MoB and other key venues around Brisbane.
For further information about MoB visit www.museumofbrisbane.com.au or phone council on 3403 8888.



Top: Brett ‘Badhead’ Ballard at Sunshine Beach pool, 1985. Photograph by and courtesy of Toby Mellonie
Above: David Hoad performs a hippie jump at the Queensland Skate Titles in 1977. Courtesy of David Hoad and Glenn Kidd.

Pointing way to survival

PROPERTY News

The Reserve Bank's recent shock interest rate rise and continuing sky rocketing energy and water prices has prompted Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects, to released a “Home Buyers and Investors’ Eight Point Plan for Survival.”

Ian Agnew, Queensland state manager of Archicentre said: “With rising interest rates the financial risk increases, and massive increases in power and water bills, household budgets are being cut to the core and there is little margin for people to make a mistake when purchasing a property.
“An estimated 75 per cent of property transactions take place without a property inspection, placing buyers at risk of purchasing a lemon.”

1. Scout out the ideal neighbourhood setting. Find somewhere that is convenient to work and school and appeals to lifestyle interests. Areas convenient to schools, shopping centres, beaches, parks and clean air tend to appreciate rapidly.
2. Before commencing the house hunt, make sure finances are worked out. Most lending institutions require at least a 5 per cent deposit. Also keep in mind the multitude of hidden costs that include loan applications, establishment fees, legal and inspection expenses, government charges including stamp duty and insurance. These hidden costs can equate to 5 per cent of the property value.
3. Once you have succeeded with loan pre-approval, it’s time to get serious. Allocate plenty of time and patience in finding the right house. Rarely do people acquire the first house they fall in love with. If you have difficulty setting aside a few hours over the weekend, or perhaps during the week, consider using a buyer's agent, who will do the house-hunting for you.
4. Prior to offer, arrange a pre-purchase property inspection to ensure the house is safe and sound. According to Archicentre, health and safety risks exist in about one quarter of older Australian homes.
5. Most importantly, find out if any controls exist that could influence future renovations to the property. These might be planning scheme provisions or covenants.
6. If the property goes to auction, keep a fixed price in mind and try to control your emotions.
7. During private sales, try to hold your enthusiasm back in order to avoid subsequent heartbreak. A private seller might use your enthusiasm against you and resist negotiating. For a private sale be persistent and gradually increase your offer over time.
8. Upon settlement, seek out quality professional advice on any renovations or repair work you expect to undertake, particularly health and safety items identified in the inspection report before signing.
Mr Agnew said: “A professional inspection of the home will assist buyers in determining the condition of the property, the value of the property and the cost of repairs providing them with a bargaining tool to factor in repair or maintenance costs into their budgets.”