Real estate is already an unhealthy obsession in Sydney, and now the state government is throwing fuel on the flames.
On Friday, NSW Minister for Finance, Services and Property, Dominic Perrottet, announced that 14 years worth of New South Wales property sales data would be accessible for free on a digital mapping service called NSW Globe.
In all seriousness -- the availability of this kind of information, typically a huge bother to access, is a very welcome move towards open data in local government.
"Until now, people had to pay the government or a third party provider to access property sales data," Mr Perrottet said in a statement. "The NSW Government recognises that in a booming property market, buyers and sellers are entitled to accurate and accessible land and property information."
NSW Globe is a plug-in for Google Earth's aeriel imagery, so you'll need to download both software. After you get Google Earth, head over to the government's website for NSW Globe.
Once set up, prospective buyers or housing stickybeaks can comb through around 2.5 million state-wide land valuations, as well as house and apartment sales prices from the past five years.
The data will also be provided by the end of October to online property sources, Domain.com.au and realestate.com.au, so this information will surely get easier and easier to access.
Now, if only we could afford to buy anything.