National
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UniLodge signs with Cohort Go to simplify student accommodation payments
International edtech company Cohort Go has partnered with UniLodge Australia to roll out custom-built payments software that will make it easier for students to pay for their accommodation. UniLodge, a specialist accommodation provider for universities, colleges and TAFEs, manages over 70 properties across Australia. The partnership enables UniLodge to eliminate manual reconciliation of fortnightly student payment records, thanks to the…
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RBA cuts cash rate to 1.25 per cent – industry reacts
In what was a widely expected move, the Reserve Bank of Australia has cut the cash rate to an all-time low of 1.25 per cent. At their monthly meeting on June 4, the Board elected to lower the cash rate by 25 basis points, explaining the decision was aimed at supporting employment growth and providing greater confidence that inflation would…
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Sales activity falls in all Australian regions: CoreLogic
The latest CoreLogic Regional Report reveals challenging property market performance across Australia’s regions, with falling sales activity in the 12 months to February 2019. Commenting on the regional report findings, CoreLogic research analyst Cameron Kusher said: “The regional markets are taking their lead from the capital cities, with the annual rate of value growth winding down across most regions. While…
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Housing downturn losing steam: CoreLogic
The CoreLogic May 2019 home value index results have shown national dwelling values were down 0.4 per cent, the smallest month-on-month decline since May 2018. Although at a broad level dwelling values are still trending lower across the regions of Australia, the pace of declines eased further in May, continuing a trend that has been evident since the beginning of…
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End to part-time work for commission-only employees
Part-time commission-only real estate employment is set to be phased out following a recent decision from the Fair Work Commission (FWC). What has changed? Senior Employment Relations Adviser from Employsure, Sophie Joselyn said the Real Estate Industry Award 2010 was thrown into the spotlight during the FWC’s four-year review, which ruled that part-time commission-only employment was ‘neither useful nor relevant’.…
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Harcourts announces top national performers
Harcourts Group Australia capped off its annual conference with a black-tie awards gala to celebrate top performers in residential and commercial sales, property management and business achievements. Julianna Forsyth Baker received the company’s top accolade by being inducted into the Harcourts Hall of Fame. Harcourts Group Australia CEO Marcus Williams expressed his pride in the network for their work over…
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First National recognises more young leaders
First National Real Estate has recognised four more young Australians for their community leadership by presenting them with the First National Real Estate Leadership & Innovation Awards through the 2019 Seven News Young Achiever Awards. The winners announced across four states at separate awards functions included: Victoria – Yasmin Poole, 20, of Williamstown (First National Leadership Award) Yasmin is the…
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Lessons from Purplebricks: A New Zealand perspective
After two-and-a-half years of trading in Australia, the UK-based real estate start-up Purplebricks announced on 7 May this year that it was exiting the market. There is a lesson here for the real estate industry generally, and not just in Australia. It’s a lesson in real estate modelling. Take notice of what happens when the discount model comes to play…
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New leadership for Savills Project Management
Savills Australia has announced the appointment of Ken Ng as new National Head to lead its Project Management division. Ken is charged with the position after 15 years with Savills, having joined the team as a Project Director in 2010 when the business acquired Incoll. He was appointed to Queensland State Director in 2015 and Savills Australia CEO Paul Craig said…
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Finalists for national property management awards announced
The nation’s top property managers have been revealed, with 60 contenders listed as finalists in the PPM National Property Management Awards. The awards are renowned as the property management sector’s ‘night of nights’ and this year’s event will take place on 23 June on the Gold coast, in conjunction with the PPM Group’s National Property Management Conference. More than 120…
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Agents safer in the field thanks to ground-breaking technology
Fully integrating workforces in the field with head office management and keeping tabs on vehicles and assets has always been problematic. Inputting operational field data into IT systems has been mired by the lack of real-time information, often being reliant on paper forms and regular data entry. It also comes with problems like non-compliance, inaccuracies, and week-long delays, leaving management…
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One Agency reports strong start to 2019
Sydney-based Trans-Tasman network, One Agency, has reported a strong start to the year, already adding a dozen new members to the network with more on the way. CEO and Founder Paul Davies said the group continued to attract former franchised offices seeking a less constrained, more cost-efficient environment. “In both New Zealand and Australia we are also seeing a number…
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New software solution launched with Jeffery Gray as CEO
Jeffery Gray has been appointed the CEO of a new end-to-end real estate software solution called Propic. Mr Gray has previously worked with companies such as Dexar Group and will now work alongside Propic COO Peter Hutchison, leading a team of 40 with offices in Sydney and Melbourne. In a statement, the company noted that to date, Software as a…
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First National Real Estate honours top achievers at General Excellence and Marketing Awards
First National Real Estate’s highest achievers have been recognised at the General Excellence and Marketing Awards held at Singapore’s Flower Dome. The black-tie awards dinner brought recognition to the network’s top 2018 salespeople, property managers and administrators, attracting more than 300 delegates from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. The event capped off a year of strategic technology and…
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Property Exchange Australia recognises leaders in digital property settlement
The annual PropertyX Awards, presented by Property Exchange Australia (PEXA), have recognised some of the best digital property settlement players in Australia. Now in its second year, the event saw property developers, conveyancers, lawyers and lenders come together to celebrate businesses leading the digitisation of property settlements. Awards were given to businesses that have demonstrated leadership, innovation and customer-centricity in…
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APRA proposes loan providers to set their own floor rate, allowing bigger mortgages
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has announced a possible revision to its 7 per cent ‘stress test’ buffer on home loans. In a letter issued to authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs), APRA has proposed removing its guidance and allowing ADIs to review and set their own minimum interest rate floor for use in serviceability assessments. In the letter, the regulator…
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The future of rent – Real Ideas Prize finalists revealed, it’s time to cast your vote!
The competition to discover inspiring ideas that move the rental experience forward has now entered its final phase, with the public invited to have their say on who should win the Real Ideas Prize. Five entries were chosen to make the shortlist for the award after an overwhelming amount of entries were received nationwide. These finalists were recently given the…
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International House Sydney: Rider Levett Bucknall Australian Development of the Year
Lendlease has claimed the nation’s top property prize, receiving the Rider Levett Bucknall Australian Development of the Year award for their innovative timber marvel, International House Sydney. Lendlease was presented with the accolade at the Property Council of Australia / Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards in Sydney on Friday. “International House is not only a construction industry ‘game…
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Catalano backs proptech advertising platform startup
Former Domain Chief Executive Officer, Antony Catalano, has announced his involvement in The Today Business, a media and proptech company designed to enable clients to make better property marketing decisions. Mr Catalano, who recently purchased Nine’s regional newspapers has taken on the role of Chairman of the new company and told Fairfax that the platform had cost about $1 million…
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Belle Property launches Facebook-hosted coaching program for junior agents
Belle Property has launched a Facebook-hosted training and coaching program to help new agents bridge the gap between registration and commencing their career. Developed by Belle Property’s Academy Advantage training department, ‘Fast-Track’ is geared towards agents with less than 12 months experience and covers prospecting, building a database, and maintaining database health. “One of the major weaknesses of the real…
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Gavin Rubinstein to open Ray White office in Woollahra
Gavin Rubinstein, a number one salesperson in the Ray White Group for the past six years, is set to open a Ray White office on Queen Street, Woollahra as of 1 June, 2019. The location is in one of the most prestigious pockets in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Mr Rubinstein has been part of the leading Ray White Double Bay office…
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Entries for the Annual REA Excellence Awards (AREAs) are now open
Submissions are now open for the Annual REA Excellence Awards (AREAs), which celebrates excellence in the property and media industries. The AREAs honour the most innovative, community-minded and highest-achieving individuals and businesses across property and media. There are 21 awards in total across the three categories of Innovation, Service & Marketing Excellence and Community. The categories are designed to encompass…
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Property disruptor Soho launches ‘News Feed’ feature
Property disruptor Soho has launched a ‘News Feed’ feature for its app in an attempt to help buyers and sellers find their dream home. Similar to existing social networking platforms, users will be able to track trending topics through hashtags, connect to industry experts, and watch videos from industry figures. Since the platform launched in 2017 it has garnered over…
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Northern Territory triumphs in Transform/19
‘Transform’ is Elite Agent’s premier education program – a 30-day opportunity for real estate professionals to improve their careers and be coached by the best in the business. More than 100 agents with various levels of experience participated in the 2019 challenge, from novice auctioneers to experienced agents and agency leaders. Challengers are awarded points along the way for completing…
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Liberal Party announces leg up for First Home Buyers
First home buyers are set for a significant leg up with a new initiative from the Morrison Government to slash the size of a home loan deposit, announced last night. Recognising that it can take nine to 10 years for an average household to save a deposit the Liberal plan is to help Australians realise the goal of buying their…
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Michelle Delaney announced as permanent CEO for Better Homes and Gardens Australia
Better Homes and Gardens Australia has appointed Michelle Delaney to the position of CEO Australia. This appointment adds additional strength to the group following last week’s announcement that the company had opened its first two offices in Sydney’s Hills District. The team at Combined Services – the parent company of Century 21 and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in…
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REIA calls Federal Election campaign a success
The Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) has called its public awareness campaign against property taxation a success. According to REIA President Adrian Kelly, the aim of the campaign was to ensure that all political parties, candidates and voters know the consequences of the Opposition’s policy on negative gearing and capital gains tax in advance of the May 18 election.…
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May 2019: RBA rates remain at 1.50 per cent – industry reacts
Yesterday (7 May 2019), the RBA Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.50 per cent for its 30th consecutive meeting. Here’s a quick rundown of what happened. With respect to the housing market: The adjustment in established housing markets is continuing after the earlier large run-up in prices in some cities. Conditions remain soft and rent inflation…
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Purplebricks confirms Australian Exit
After weeks of speculation, Purplebricks Australia has announced its intention to exit the Australian Market. Michael Bruce, the Group’s Founder and CEO is stepping down from the business with immediate effect. Vic Darvey, previously Purplebricks COO, has been promoted to the role of Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. A statement from the new CEO regarding the Australian exit says: “After…
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Northern Territory agent shines bright at the Elders Annual Real Estate Awards
Elders Real Estate recently held its Elders Annual Real Estate Awards, honouring the best sales agents, property managers, business owners and administrative staff in the network. According to Elders Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Allison, the awards nights are an opportunity to thank the Elders community for their outstanding work throughout the year. “The awards provide an opportunity…
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Cost effective content marketing platform makes it easy for agents to share
A new platform has recently launched to help agents share information about listing, selling and buying property. RealContent.guru was founded by Kylie Davis and delivers downloadable articles written from the perspective of a property professional providing advice to a client. “Marketing and promoting yourself as an agent has changed dramatically over the past few years,” Ms Davis said. “Now, it’s…
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The worst could now be behind us: CoreLogic
CoreLogic has released the home value index results for April 2019, confirming that the decline in home values has lost some momentum over recent months. Dwelling values across Australia continued their downward trajectory in April, falling by half a per cent over the month to be down -7.2 per cent over the past twelve months, and -7.9 per cent lower…
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Catalano acquires regional mastheads from Nine
Nine Entertainment has announced the sale of its Australian Community Media (ACM) assets to former Domain CEO, Antony Catalano and Alex Waislitz of Thorney Investment Group. Mr Catalano and Mr Waislitz acquired 170 regional and country mastheads including The Canberra Times, The Border Mail, The Courier Mail, The Land and Queensland Country Life. The cash proceeds of the sale are…
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ATO to double the number of audits for rental deductions
Rental property owners are being urged to make sure their claims are correct, as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) announces it will double the number of audits scrutinising rental deductions. In the 2017–18 financial year, more than 2.2 million Australians claimed over $47 billion in deductions. Assistant Commissioner Gavin Siebert said this year the ATO have made rental deductions a…
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Professionals add some blue chip corporate experience to their marketing team
Professionals continues to build its internal team with the recent appointment of Alex Whitfield as Head of Marketing. Mr Whitfield has worked in strategic marketing and business development for over a decade and specialises in brand activation, lead generation and customer experience design. In the past, Mr Whitfield held the position of Marketing and Business Development Manager with the Australia-Israel Chamber…
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