Property Bee is a small plugin which works in the Firefox internet browser to track house prices (a huge talking point in the UK at the moment). Using the Rightmove website it keeps track of any changes that an Estate agents makes to a listing. For example if an estate agent changes a price and you view the listing again, it will record that listing and store it in a database. Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it?

Well, the clever part comes from the title of the plugin – ‘Bee’. When you install the plugin and then register you come a ‘Bee’. When working with other Bees you send your findings on the website to a server which holds all the changes to the listing on Rightmove. When you next do a search on Rightmove for an area or a property it will download all the changes in between meaning you get an in depth record of price changes!

Although I have only been using it a few weeks, because I am working as a ‘Bee’ I have been collecting other peoples data. Therefore some of the properties I have been looking at on Rightmove show huge drops in price! The average price drop around here (Oxfordshire & Berkshire area) seems to be between 10-20%!

A lot of the properties have been on the market for 6+ months (yes Property Bee tells you how long it’s been on the market too)! It’s all quite exciting really as I am looking to buy somewhere in the near future but at the moment I am saving so much money by holding back as the prices just keep dropping. Property Bee even tracks rental prices and they have been dropping in the area too.

I think we are in for an interesting 12 months!

I currently have no plans for this site, I did have but they have fallen apart thanks to the owner of Jamesmunday.com renewing the domain name on Monday
I was hoping they would let it drop so I could pick it up and maybe do something with the site but instead they have decided to renew it for another year and hold it to ransom (they want offers above $800 for it)! Why someone would do this when I could be using it is a bit stupid really!

Anyway, in other news the Kris Moyse website has taken off nicely thanks to Kris’ increasing popularity! Kris has also just released an album which is available on iTunes, Napster, Amazon MP3 etc so check that out. He is also auctioning a ‘One of a Kind’ album which he is going to sign and it is currently doing very well on eBay. A percentage of the money raised is going to his selected charity (the NSPCC). For those of you who don’t know who Kris Moyse is, please visit the website – www.krismoyse.com

So thats about it really for the time being! I don’t really have any other projects in the pipeline. I still need to get around to putting my New Zealand photos on the site but I shall do that soon.

Take care all

Just a quick message to let you know that most of the videos from my trip are now up on the site! Here are the videos:

Bungy Jumping:
Kawarau Bridge Bungy (43 metres)
Nevis Highwire Bungy (134 metres)
Nevis Highwire Bungy Pod Footage (134 metres)

Skydiving:
15,000ft Skydive – Taupo, New Zealand

There are also other videos which can be found on the videos page. Pictures will be coming tomorrow or maybe the day after.

For those people who are wondering about the jet lag, I don’t have any – woohoo! Also, I managed to get my car started and it’s all fine (which I was suprised about because it hadn’t been started or moved for 2 months)!

Take care all

I will be flying from Heathrow tomorrow and have a stopover in LA so it’s going to be a long flight!

Anyway, it’s late and I need to get some sleep! Take care everyone and I shall update you all when I can.

James

Going to Oxford tomorrow and I will see if the Post Office there has any otherwise I will have to get them from the airport.

So a little tip for you all, if you are going on holiday, travelling etc make sure you get your currency in plenty of time!

I have done some travelling before but not as far away and certainly not for as long. My first stop is Auckland which is on the North Island. I am going to spend a few days there and then see what comes up. A friend has recommended the Kiwi Experience which I think I am going to opt for, it looks like awesome fun and a great way to meet new people!

So what’s left to sort out? I need to pack (obviously) and I need to buy a few more bits to take with me. I also need to sort out my first nights accommodation (yes, I know I have left it quite late)! The problem is I don’t know whether to stay somewhere quiet (YHA Hostel) or jump straight in at the deep end and stay somewhere with a good atmosphere. As I will be on the plane for a long time I could do with a good nights sleep the first night. I think I will flip a coin to decide

More posts coming soon!

http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com

On my first go I managed:

You type 353 characters per minute
You have 55 correct words and
you have 11 wrong words

Plenty of room for improvement I think! Those of you who have a go post a comment with your results!

Just to let you know I have made a big change on the website. The Blog is the actual site now so everything runs from www.jamesmunday.net and the blog directory is no more. I think I have updated everything (like all the photo paths etc) but I may have missed some stuff out because it was a tricky move.

If you see anything out of place or if anything doesn’t work please leave a comment or contact me using the contact page and I will fix it as soon as possible. Thanks

I still have to sort a few things out before I go, for a start I still need to go into Oxford and get my backpack. I attempted to get it from Reading only to find that the shop had closed down meaning I had a wasted trip. Plane tickets and everything are all paid for and I have even got my YHA (Youth Hostel Association) card! I just need to sort out where I am staying on my first night (I am thinking of a Hotel near the airport as I will be really tired after the long flight).

I also need to decide which way I am going to travel around the country. I fly into Auckland (which is on the North Island) but I want to go everywhere so will need to decide a route. I plan on seeing Blair and Claire (friends who used to live in Wallingford, England) and also visiting Bec (we used to work together) who is currently in Queenstown.

So as it stands, I have a fair bit I need to sort out and also a bit of planning to do! Half the reason for creating this blog was so I could write about my travels whilst I am out there so please keep checking back and I will update it when I can. Sadly I won’t be taking my laptop (I am traveling light) so will be relying on Internet Cafes to post my updates!