Real Estate and Property News

Asian buyers snap up top end properties
The appetite for prestige residential properties among Asian investors is as strong as ever according to global property advisor Savills.
18/03/2010

AMP slashes basic variable rate by 0.10%
AMP announced its reducing interest rate on its basic variable home loan for new customers by 0.10% thanks to the recovery in securitisation markets.
23/02/2010

Brace for Australia's housing boom
Despite concern of worsening housing affordability brought by rising interest rates and soaring property prices, Australia's property investors could expect the current upswing to culminate into a boom within two years according to a new report.
23/02/2010

Property investors storm the NSW market
Property investors in NSW went on a shopping spree, spending a whopping $180 million in property investment in December compared to $153 million over a year ago according to a new data from the Australian Finance Group.
12/01/2010

Adelaide defies easing auction clearance rates in other capital cities
Auction activity continues to strengthen in Adelaide despite overall slowing down across major cities in Australia according to the latest report from www.rpdata.com.
30/11/2009

Israel, Australia ranked best performing property markets
Australia's property markets emerged as one of the top performers during the third quarter of 2009, trumping most housing markets in the leading economies according to the latest ranking by Global Property Guide.
30/11/2009

Demand increasing for fire resistant homes
The growing urban sprawl surrounding Australia's capital cities has triggered an increase in demand for fire resistant homes, building advisory firm Archicentre, has claimed.
24/11/2009

Toorak caravan park sells for $18.5m
Pre-downturn boom prices look to be returning to Melbourne after it emerged that a caravan park in Toorak sold for $18.5m last week.
24/11/2009

10% deposits now mortgage norm
Customers can expect to pay a minium 10% deposit on mortgages as both banks and independent lenders tighten lending restrictions in the wake of the global financial crisis, according to mortgage specialists Rams.
23/11/2009

ODEC predicts 'robust' Australian recovery
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (ODEC) is predicting that Australia's economic recovery will be more robust than those seen elsewhere in the west.
20/11/2009

Commonwealth won't commit to rate parity
Commonwealth Bank chief executive Ralph Norris has declined to commit the firm to keeping its interest rates on par with Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) movements.
13/11/2009

Melbourne developers push cuts to parking
New apartment buildings in Melbourne may soon be constructed without any car parking spaces if a new plan, under consideration by the city council, goes ahead.
7/10/2009

No boom, no bust, just steady growth ahead
LJ Hooker's national auction manager, Graeme Hyde, has forecast "sustainable" growth for the next few years in Australia's capital city markets.
6/10/2009

House prices to soar
Housing prices could be about to rocket as rising interest rates and rapid population growth create serious housing affordability issues across the country, according to a leading economist with the Reserve Bank of Australia.
6/10/2009

New home sales surge
August saw the highest increase in new home sales in three years, as first time buyers rush to secure the First Home Buyers Grant before it is reduced at the end of the year.
6/10/2009

Adelaide property developer tops Young Rich list
The BRW Young Rich list, has a new number one. Thirty-nine-year-old Ross Makris, an Adelaide-based property developer, increased his wealth by 13.5% to $420m in the last 12 months and now tops the list of Australians aged 40 and under.
25/09/2009

Population boom to cause critical supply shortage
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today showed that Australia's population grew by 2.1% to 21,779,000 in the 12 months ending 31 March.
25/09/2009

Rate hike expected: Is it too late to fix your loan?
The RBA may have left the cash rate at 3% for the last five months but it could rise as soon as October following new figures that the economy grew 0.6 per cent in the last quarter - the second quarter of positive growth this year.
8/09/2009

NSW building approvals rocket
Building approvals soared by 19% in New South Wales in July suggesting a demand for new build properties and a strengthening in the economy.
8/09/2009

Green shoots or false hopes?
The latest property data showed values are on the rise. But does this recovery have legs?
27/08/2009

Fastest growing rentals
Rental growth is forecast to slow over the next 12 to 18 months. However, property experts have assured investors that there will not be a huge slump.
27/08/2009

Loan size expands as confidence grows
The average size of home loans expanded to a record $354,000 in July boosted by the rising confidence in the property market.
10/08/2009

Perth bounces back
Property prices in Perth notched up strong gains over the June quarter lifting the median house price by $20,000 - a solid 4.6% increase according to a new data from the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA).
10/08/2009

Upgraders spark recovery in Perth
The downturn in Perth's property market appears to be coming to an end after the latest data from the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) showed a recovery in median prices.
13/07/2009

Double digit house price growth predicted nationally
Property investors can expect double digit house price growth over the next three years, according to economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel.
15/06/2009

First homebuyer peak is over, says AFG
The surge in first homebuyer activity reached a peak in March, declining for two consecutive months, according to the largest mortgage broker in Australia.
15/06/2009

Australian auction rates return to highs
Buying a home is becoming increasingly competitive.
15/06/2009

Queensland's Ipswich and Toowoomba fight global downturn
Queensland's affordable property continued to attract homebuyers and investors during the first quarter of 2009, especially in the southeast corner.
15/06/2009

Huge gains in March quarter for two bedroom homes in Melbourne's east
Melbourne's east has reversed some previous negative property value trends and has begun to surge forward again.
15/06/2009

Australian housing most affordable in 7 years
Buying a home may not come much easier for first homebuyers - if you still have a steady income and can get the finance.
19/05/2009

China's economy bottoms out
If the latest slew of positive data is an indication, then the worst might be over for the one of the world's biggest economies.
23/04/2009

Affordable suburbs lead recovery in Perth
House prices in Perth rebounded in the March quarter, racking up a healthy 2% increase in median sale prices, according to the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA).
21/04/2009

Australia racks up fastest population growth in 40 years
Australia's population grew by 1.84% to 21,542,000 over the 12 months to September 2008 - the fastest pace in nearly four decades.
20/03/2009

Rental boom continues
Rents continued to grow solidly across all property types in all capital cities in Australia, a new report shows.
20/03/2009

BIS Shrapnel economist taps Sydney for housing recovery
After years of being overshadowed by the local economies and housing markets in faster-growing parts of the country, New South Wales is now in the best position to weather the global financial crisis, said a leading economist last week.
16/03/2009

Urge to own first property growing: study
More Australians are interested in buying a first home now, drawn especially by the historically low interest rates, according to a new survey by a mortgage broker.
16/03/2009

Lowered stock reduces buyer advantage
With fewer buyers interested in higher-priced homes, many vendors are now pulling their properties off the market rather than drop their price.
6/03/2009

Million dollar homes slump as buyers bargain hunt
Fewer Australians are buying luxury homes in Australia as demand has shifted to the lower end, dominated by first homebuyers.
6/03/2009

Sydney, Melbourne have fastest selling properties
Sydney and Melbourne are defying a slow market with both units and houses taking about 30 days on the market to sell.
20/02/2009

Sydney auction clearance rate soars
Auction clearance in Sydney jumped to 71.1% in the first weekend of February, as first homebuyers raced to take advantage of the government grants and decade-low interest rates, according to RP Data.
20/02/2009

Bigger loans may signal rising property prices
Investors who are still sitting on the fence, waiting for things to improve, may find themselves missing out on the current buying opportunities - amid signs that property prices in some areas are starting to move upwards.
13/02/2009

Unemployment up, but existing jobs stable
The number of employed Australians rose by about 1,200 in January, but it was still not enough to keep the unemployment rate from rising to 4.8%.
13/02/2009

Softer house prices to spark home sales
House prices fell by a modest 0.8% in the December quarter, with those in all capital cities except Adelaide and Darwin lower than a year ago, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
5/02/2009

Government aid, rate cuts cushion Melbourne properties
Melbourne property prices fell more slowly than expected in the December quarter, thanks to lower rates and the First Home Owner Grant boost.
5/02/2009

Lehman unloads mansion for $100
While Florida real estate prices have sloped downwards lately, one particular markdown in November went beyond them all - and the person who sold it raised more than a few eyebrows.
5/02/2009

Australia's unsung heroes
While property investors are in the game to create personal wealth, they also contribute much to the residential market. Without investors, over 20% of Aussies who rent would have nowhere to live.
23/01/2009

High yields to tempt property investors back into the market
While many experts are predicting property values to remain relatively flat, rental yields are expected to strengthen further during the current housing shortage.
21/01/2009

Sydney primed for the highest growth in the medium term
With prices potentially bottoming out soon throughout Australia, buyers may see some excellent buying chances in the not too distant future.
21/01/2009

WA rents jump 6% in December
Investors in WA saw their rental income surge after the median house rent climbed by 6% to $370 in the December quarter.
21/01/2009

Housing affordability eases while rents continue to soar
Housing affordability across Australia has finally turned the corner thanks to the positive impact of the first rate cut in September.
4/12/2008

Australia's population soars to new record
Australia's booming population is showing no sign of slowing, with overall growth surging by 1.7% to 21.37 million over the year - its fastest pace in 19 years.
4/12/2008

Construction levels hit record highs across Australia
Investors should focus their attention on South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland following new data that shows construction levels reached record highs in the September quarter.
28/11/2008

Good news at last!
Those of us who battled through the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s may be feeling a sense of de ja vu - but this time around, the fear and panic are running deeper and broader as this unprecedented financial meltdown steamrollers its way around the world.
28/11/2008

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24/11/2008

FHOG to boost mortgage competition
Recent rate cuts and the boost to the First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) are drumming up a surge in mortgage enquiries, with one lender recording an 80% increase in enquiries since mid-October.
24/11/2008

NSW property investors hit by higher fees
The troubled NSW state government has announced that it will ramp up property transaction fees in its mini-budget this week, in a move that the industry body says will have "a direct and negative" impact on the property market.
24/11/2008

Housing prices weather financial storm
Despite the slowing economy, Australia's property prices held themselves up according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics House Price Index for the September Quarter.
7/11/2008

Investors urged to think long-term
Investors have the opportunity to pick up heavily discounted property in the current market - but to realise maximum profit, they need to adopt a long-term strategy and focus on location, according to an industry expert.
7/11/2008

Inner Sydney units offer good investment prospects
Investors looking for affordable and high yield properties should consider looking at Sydney's inner city units, according to RP Data.
30/10/2008

Why Australian house prices are unlikely to fall
While the merchants of doom have been busy peddling their gloomy views of a massive drop in housing prices, one of Australia's leading economists said the dire prediction is unlikely to happen.
24/10/2008

Optimism returns to office property sector
Signs of optimism have emerged in the office property market, with experts tipping solid medium-term growth in Perth and Adelaide.
24/10/2008

Have we reached the bottom of the property cycle?
The bad news: property values remain stagnant. The good news: things can only get better from here for national prices.
10/10/2008

Rate cut boosts buying power by 10%
Investors and first homebuyers look set to re-enter the property market in droves following the surprise 1% rate cut by the Reserve Bank of Australia, according to experts.
10/10/2008

$4bn cash injection to pressure banks to pass on rate cuts
Australian consumers will be the big winners benefiting from the federal government's move to inject $4bn into the non-bank mortgage market.
3/10/2008

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