National
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Catapult Property Group Launches Lending Division
Leading property development company Catapult Property Group has launched a new residential lending division to assist first time buyers to enter the real estate market. Catapult Director Dylan Crowe said the Brisbane-based company, which has almost $130 million of residential projects in Queensland and NSW, had created a first home buyer program to enable clients to obtain a home loan…
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Dexar Group recruits big data expert Jeffrey Gray to the role of Chief Commercial Officer
The Dexar Group have announced the appointment of Jeffery Gray, to the newly created role of Chief Commercial Officer. With a Masters in Business Administration, Mr Gray has held positions with Domain Group, Aristocrat and Lexis Nexis, and has consulted with QANTAS and Hutchison Telecom. According to a group press release, this experience gives him a unique insight to the…
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Chinese New Year a cause for real estate celebration
This week’s Chinese New Year could be cause for celebration for Australia’s real estate industry, with Chinese international real estate website Juwai.com tipping many will use their week off to investigate purchasing in Australia. Juwai recently conducted a survey of 256 Chinese consumers about their travel and property investment plans over Chinese New Year and the rest of 2018, and…
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NPP is a game-changer if all banks step up to the plate
A new payments system has officially launched in Australia, giving consumers and businesses access to a new and modern payments system. Soon, services that use the New Payments Platform’s (NPP) capabilities will commence rolling out from about 60 banks, building societies and credit unions across the country. This will give consumers and businesses the ability to Transfer money instantly between…
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NSW falling behind on housing completions: Property Council of Australia
NSW is trailing both Victoria and Queensland in the pursuit to build enough homes for their respective populations in a worrying sign for addressing housing affordability in our State. The Property Council of Australia has compared historic data of the number of housing completions per thousand people in NSW, Victoria and Queensland and has found New South Wales comes up…
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Rent.com.au improves position
Rental property website rent.com.au say they are improving their position, notching up their tenth straight quarter of revenue growth on the back of increased product demand and reduced costs. Offering rental property searches and products like renter resume creation, bond payment plans and tenancy record checks, the company reported revenue of $557,000 for the second quarter of 2018, up 43…
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East West consolidation planned by The Agency to drive further growth
The Agency Group Australia Ltd (formerly “Ausnet Financial Services Ltd”) exercised an amended option to acquire Top Level Real Estate Pty Ltd (currently Trading as The Agency East Coast). According to the AFR, if successful, this deal alongside the acquisition of Sell Lease Property it will transform The Agency into a $50 million dollar business at the end of February.…
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‘One-stop’ CRM software designed for real estate
The ctcProperty platform is offering agents a one-stop solution that includes mobility built into the full life cycle of a busy agent. It covers the selling process, incorporating among other things lead generation, property appraisal, marketing of listings, an inspection app, vendor reporting and sales trust, in a single user-friendly space. ctcProperty is a software platform designed specifically for the…
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Energy changes for new homes out for comment
The Australian Building Code Board (ABCB) last week released the public comment draft of the 2019 Building Code that includes changes to the energy efficiency rules for new homes. In a press release from the HIA, they believe the resulting changes now out for comment will make a significant difference in the energy ratings for new homes across Australia. Last week’s…
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Real Women in Real Estate gaining traction
An Australian initiative that celebrates the success and achievements of women in real estate is gaining local and international traction, with a series of events scheduled to take place in 2018. Real Women in Real Estate is a networking group founded by Real Estate Institute of NSW President and Laing+Simmons Managing Director Leanne Pilkington, and since its inception has attracted…
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EAC delivers competitive advantage with Immoviewer 360
The Estate Agent’s Co-operative has announced the internal adoption of the Immoviewer 360 Virtual Reality product technology, allowing to conduct property viewings in Virtual Reality, from anywhere in the world. “Thanks to truly accessible 360 technology, prospects can now experience your properties as if they were really there, but from the comfort of their homes or offices,” says EAC CEO…
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ActivePipe completes $5.9m over-subscribed Series A round to drive global growth
ActivePipe, a Melbourne based automated communications platform for the real estate industry, announced it has successfully completed a $5.9m Series A funding round led by NAB Ventures, and joined by PieLab Venture Partners and other strategic individual investors. The round rapidly follows from the successful closing of a $1.8m pre-Series A round in August 2017. ActivePipe’s advisors were Asia Principal…
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Westpac Annual Home Ownership Report reveals new home buyer trends
Westpac’s 2017 Home Ownership Report reveals first home buyers1 have significantly reprioritised what matters most when searching for their ideal home. The research, commissioned by Westpac in September, surveyed over 1,000 Australian homeowners and first home buyers, and features trend data from the past two years. The latest report demonstrates in 2017 first home buyers are less focused on buying…
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Campaigntrack signs Tiger Pistol to boost results using Facebook and Google
Campaigntrack has inked a deal with Tiger Pistol, one the most talked about Australian technology platforms to hit the internet. While Tiger Pistol’s advanced Facebook technology is being used by big brands in many verticals, Campaigntrack’s specialist real estate focus is now using the technology to boost its unique Advanced Internet Marketing (AIM) product. If you are not familiar with…
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REA Group appoints Georgia Beattie to head up Spacely
REA Group has announced the appointment of Georgia Beattie as Executive Manager of Spacely, the company’s new property website for shared work and short-term commercial spaces for events, retail, meeting rooms and creative spaces. Ms Beattie joins REA Group from Startup Victoria where she has served as chief executive since 2016. Launched in May last year in beta, Spacely is…
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Century 21 kicks off 2018 with new website
Century 21 has launched a new Australasian website that was built to deliver the group heightened levels of online exposure. Charles Tarbey, Century 21 Chairman and Owner, said the sleek and contemporary website will provide a more streamlined and efficient experience for all users while having a strong focus on lead generation for agents. Individual office and agent landing pages…
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Ray White Agents Sharpen their Skills in Melbourne
It was standing room only when more than 550 Ray White sales agents from Victoria and Tasmania packed the Melbourne Convention Centre for Super Sales Day. The mega session – the single biggest gathering of Ray White agents in Melbourne outside of their annual awards – was the brainchild of Ray White Victoria and Tasmania CEO Domenic Belfiore who gave…
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Low inflation helps give home owners an interest rates reprieve: RateCity
Sluggish inflation figures mean the RBA will almost certainly leave interest rates on hold when they meet for the first time this year on Tuesday. RateCity’s RateForecaster shows 22 of the 23 economic indicators studied point to the RBA leaving interest rates at record lows. RateCity money editor Sally Tindall said we would need to see significant movement in inflation…
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CoreLogic January 2018 Home Value Index: values fall across six of Australia’s eight capital cities
CoreLogic released its January hedonic home value index results which, at a national level, revealed a fall of 0.3% for the month, led by a 0.9% fall in Sydney dwelling values. The national combined dwellings index posted a modest 0.3% fall in January, taking dwelling values 0.7% lower since their recent peak in September last year. Dwelling value falls were…
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Rental Inflation at 25-Year Low
“The pace of rental price growth dipped to just 0.6 per cent in 2017, the slowest pace of growth since 1993,” commented HIA Senior Economist Shane Garrett. These figures are contained in the ABS Consumer Price Index release for the December 2017 quarter published today. “For families reliant on the rental market, the deceleration in rents is welcome news. “The…
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Weakening investor activity impacts Sydney, but national median price in most captials: Domain
The median house price in most capital cities rose over the December quarter, although different cities continue to record varied rates of growth — according to the December Quarter Domain House Price Report. Weakening investor activity and tightened lending conditions continue to impact Sydney, and although it reported a slight increase over the December quarter, prices in the NSW capital…
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Now and Then: RE/MAX celebrates Founders Day
January 30, 2018 is Founders Day, the celebration of 45 years since RE/MAX began. What started as a dream and a plan on a pad of paper became a reality when the first office opened in Denver Colorado on January 30, 1973. American Dave Liniger had a controversial idea to build a real estate powerhouse where experienced, productive agents would…
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Nation building in the spotlight at national Property Council awards
From convention centres to master-planned communities, from heritage overhauls to new hospitals, the nation’s best buildings and brightest talent are once again in the spotlight. This year, 137 finalists in 20 categories have been named ahead of the 2018 Property Council of Australia / Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards in May. The awards program, now in its 36th…
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R&W donations to Starlight Foundation hit $500,000 milestone
Richardson & Wrench begins the new year with 500,326 reasons to celebrate. That’s the grand total that the network has raised for the Starlight Children’s Foundation to further its work helping to brighten the lives of seriously ill children in hospitals right around Australia. The milestone was reached at the close of 2017 with offices and agents across the group…
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New Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute report dispels negative gearing myth
A report released last week by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) joins others in confirming that negative gearing is not responsible for high home prices. The report undertakes an in-depth review of the private rental market in Australia and nine other comparable countries, considering tax and finance settings, demand and supply and regulation of landlords and tenants. Property Council Chief…
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National rents on the rise: CoreLogic Rent Review December quarter
Property investors will welcome news from CoreLogic that although rental yields are flat, rental rates are on the rise. According to the latest CoreLogic Rental Report over the December quarter, all capital cities, excluding Canberra, achieved a stronger annual change in rents over the past year compared to the same period in 2016. Simultaneously, regional markets also earned a rental increase.…
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Millennials to eclipse baby boomer real estate spending in next 5 years: First National Real Estate
Despite 74% of millennials requiring more help than usual in understanding the buying process, it is anticipated that the next five years will see millennials eclipse baby boomers’ real estate spending power with 66.1% of those born between 1982 – 2002 choosing property over lifestyle. With millennials earning more money than earlier generations, their buying budgets are anticipated to be…
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Ray White Joint Chairman pays tribute to Australian Auctioneering Legend
Tony Fountain – one of the key establishment figures for the Ray White Group in its Australian expansion – passed away yesterday at the age of 72. In a statement to the Ray White group yesterday, Joint Chairman Brian White paid tribute to Fountain noting his key role in establishing ‘an auction culture’ in the group back in 1988. “He…
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McGrath takes back the reins
Major change is occuring at McGrath Estate Agents with its chief executive officer Cameron Judson and almost its entire board resigning after another profit warning, with founder John McGrath to take back the reins of the company as interim executive chair when the company’s interim results are released next month. In an ASX announcement today McGrath Limited said the “half…
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Domain CEO Antony Catalano Resigns
Domain chief executive officer Antony Catalano has announced his resignation not three months after the company listed on the share market. Mr Catalano cited family reasons as being behind the departure. “When I re-joined Fairfax in November 2013, I made a commitment to my young family that I could be there for them and do the job,” he said in…
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Century 21 shares its 3 top tips for success in 2018
In light of softening conditions in many property markets, the Chairman and Owner of Century 21 Australasia has provided his three top tips to help agents succeed in 2018. Charles Tarbey’s first tip surrounds the growing use of broadcasts and electronic mail by agents: “While it’s great to see agents adopt new technologies, too many agents seem content with simply…
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‘Granny Flats’ no longer just for Grannys, now available online
One Australian company says they are revolutionising the granny flat industry by offering their unique service online from the space of their office in Mudjimba, Queensland. Heather Field, co-founder of Classic Kit Homes, said granny flats are no longer just for granny. “Anyone with a bit of space in their back yard who wants to provide a home for an…
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Your say: Real Estate and Politics – Should they mix?
It was reported in the SMH last week that “real estate agents are pushing PM Malcolm Turnbull to introduce a new ‘property services minister’ to bring the nations multi-billion dollar housing and development industry closer to the heart of government.” The proposal was floated by the REIA, believe that there should be someone in the house of Reps or at…
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Nine in ten Australian properties are ‘flipped’ for a profit, says new CoreLogic report
Global data analytics provider CoreLogic has released its first Property Flipping Report, which provides a national analysis of properties that were ‘flipped’ (bought and re-sold within a short time frame with the purpose of making a profit) in 2017. The research measures flips within one year of purchase and within one to two years of purchase. It also tracks national…
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Off to a smart start: realestate.com.au announces artificial intelligence for Amazon Alexa
A decade ago we held the first touchscreen mobile phones tentatively in our hands and now artificial intelligence allows us to talk to computers and for them to answer us. REA Group has launched Australia’s first property news report for Amazon Alexa and Kylie Dulhunty spoke to chief inventor Nigel Dalton about just how AI can, and could, help real…
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