When the economy is doing well, there's little that adds as much value - or allure - to a property as having a berth for a boat a few steps away from home.
"It's one of those things that really attracts a premium when people have a lot of disposable cash for their toys," Egan National Valuers' Kris Cviker??? says.
"It's only when the budget belt tightens that it might become a secondary commodity.  
"But with the supply of homes with their own berths always tight, it's a luxury that a lot of people would love. What's better than walking out and jumping on your boat to go out for a couple of hours without having to get a dinghy out?"
So when houses come up for sale either with their own permanent boat pen or mooring, as with our cover property in Sydney's Mosman, or apartments with their own marina, demand is invariably fierce.
"Yet it's a strange thing," says Darren Gardner, director of property management company Manage Meant,  who looks after the apartments at Walsh Bay on Sydney Harbour, as well as its marina. "A lot of people are very passionate about having their boat outside their front door, but very few actually use them regularly.
"I think people just like to look at their boat outside, or sometimes it's more a prestige thing. Sometimes we have owners who sleep in them too when their partners complain about them snoring, so it's like having an extra apartment on the water ..."
But certainly, demand for such homes always far eclipses supply. Tim Foote, of Belle Property Mosman, who's selling that cover home on Curraghbeena Road, says it's one of only 12 houses of 8000 homes in the whole suburb to have a permanent mooring on the harbour.
"There's always been a market for those," he says. "For some people, that's a key criteria. They might already have a boat or have aspirations of owning a boat and want ready access to it. 
"With a waterfront like that, it might not always be the sole criteria, but it's certainly a key one."
In Melbourne, most properties with berths or jetties are along riverways or at Patterson Lakes, while they're scattered around the Gold Coast and Perth and its environs. 
"The Gold Coast, and Queensland generally, is very good boating territory," Nick Cole, of Lucy Cole Prestige Properties, says. "Quick and easy access to your boat is always something in high demand in exclusive high end waterfront areas, and is a real attraction."

Sydney
1 Curraghbeena Road, Mosman $15 million
With main harbour waterfront access, this three-storey five-bedroom, 4&frac12;-bathroom house would be a water-lover's delight with a boatshed, jetty, pontoon and boat pen. Originally built in 1910 and rebuilt in 2009 on an 818sqm block in a quiet cul-de-sac on Sirius Cove, it's won awards for its Luigi Rosselli design, and has panoramic views from every room. With neighbours only on one side, it also has an infinity-edge pool and an inclinator for easier access. The house, with a lower level rumpus retreat including a games/billiard room and wine cellar, is for sale via Tim Foote, of Belle Property Mosman, for expressions of interest closing at, or before,   December 1. 

Gold Coast
17 Neptune Court, Paradise Waters About $3 million
With a private jetty and a drive-through boat ramp, this three-level, six-bedroom, four-bathroom designer home is on a wide waterfront berth and has a heated pool as well as a private white sandy beach. It's only a short cruise to Broadwater. The home itself has high ceilings, polished timber floors and walls of glass bringing the views inside, as well as a six-car basement. The nine-metre pontoon has both water and power. For sale via Nick Cole, of Lucy Cole Prestige Properties, through expressions of interest.

Western Australia
10 Solstraale Place, Halls Head  Over $2.5 million 
On the water's edge with panoramic canal views, this four-bedroom, four-bathroom mansion an hour south of Perth also has a private jetty. The use of curved glass for the windows throughout the living areas makes it even feel as if the occupier is on board a boat and there's even an indoor fishpond. The home makes generous use of imported marble and granite, and has high ceilings. It goes to auction on   November 15 via ???Michelle Bibby, agent at William Porteous Properties International.