National
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First Home Buyer Share Reaches Five-Year High, HIA
The January 2018 housing finance figures show that the First Home Buyer share of owner-occupier mortgage volumes is the highest it’s been for five years. “During January, First Home Buyers accounted for 18 per cent of home mortgage loans to owner occupiers. This is the highest monthly share in over five years,” explained Shane Garrett HIA Senior Economist. “First Home…
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Planning and Investment are the keys in the population debate, says Property Council
Last Nights ABC Four Corners program Big Australia: Are we ready? has further invigorated the population debate that has recently been rekindled in Australia. Property Council of Australia Chief Executive Ken Morrison welcomed the debate, but called for people to look past anti-immigration fearmongering and focus on the opportunity to plan for great cities and liveable communities. “Beware the false…
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Chatbots are coming to an apartment near you
As anyone who has ever worked in strata management can appreciate, often inquiries and complaints relate to similar things – Can I book a facility? What day is bin day? And that good old strata living gem, how do I make a noise complaint? A new service called Strata.chat sees chatbots taking on some of this repetitive grunt work, allowing…
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McGrath hosts annual leadership forum in Melbourne
More than 100 of McGrath’s business leaders, executives and franchisees gathered together in Melbourne this week for the company’s annual Leadership Forum, held over two days. The company’s largest leadership forum to date was led by McGrath Founder and Executive Director John McGrath and recently appointed CEO Geoff Lucas. Chair of the McGrath Board Peter Lewis joined Mr McGrath and…
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Purplebricks enters into two enforeceable undertakings in QLD
According to a QLD Government media release, national real estate agency Purplebricks has entered into two enforceable undertakings with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), for alleged breaches of the Australian Consumer Law and the Property Occupations Act 2014. The release states that between November 2016 and June 2017, Purplebricks Australia Pty Ltd, entered into agreements with consumers who were…
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March 2018: Interest rates on hold, Industry reaction
At its meeting today, the RBA Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.50 per cent. REALESTATE.COM.AU “More indicators are pointing to improving economic conditions and given how fast the US is growing, this will support our economy,” says Nerida Conisbee, realestate.com.au Chief Economist. “The main thing holding them (RBA) from increasing rates are consumers, in particular the enduring…
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Morgan Stanley report shows Airbnb growth has slowed overseas but Australian data tells a different story
According to a recent report from Morgan Stanley, as awareness of security issues rises, Airbnb’s growth slows. The third annual AlphaWise survey saw the researcher drop their prediction of Airbnb growth by over 50 per cent, from 29 per cent to 12 per cent, in the EU/US. However, the data in Australia tells a much more concerning story for property…
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Property developer Goldfields appoints McGrath to market its first QLD project
McGrath Estate Agents, a division of McGrath Limited (ASX:MEA) has been appointed by Goldfields as the exclusive agent to market the sale of its latest project, Hayfield, in Brisbane’s western growth corridor. McGrath Projects General Manager Adam Sparkes said “We are delighted to be representing Goldfields as they launch their first Queensland project, Hayfield, in the Ripley Valley. Goldfields have…
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New co-ownership platform launches to tackle housing affordability challenge
Kohab, a digital platform, community and marketplace for co-ownership, launched yesterday. The platform helps friends, family and like-minded buyers purchase a home together, connecting them with the right property, real estate agent, legal, mortgage and insurance providers all in the one place. Platform partners such as Sparke Helmore and National Australia Bank have been specifically selected by Kohab for their…
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Scaleup Mediafund and Spheria lead LocalAgentFinder $5.5m funding round
LocalAgentFinder has announced a successful completion of a $5.5m funding round that was oversubscribed, and values LocalAgentFinder at a pre-money valuation of more than $60m. The round was led by Scaleup Mediafund, which is owned and supported by News Corp Australia, Network Ten, Nova Entertainment, and Fox Sports Australia, together with leading Australian small cap fund manager Spheria Asset Management.…
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The Agency teams up with Guy Leech to roll out life-saving automated external defibrillators (AED)
A friendly connection between Jon Snead and ironman Guy Leach has lead to an agreement to have The Agency roll out automated external defibrillators (AEDs) nationally, starting with Sydney with staff being trained on the life-saving equipment. “I’ve known Guy for many years through paddling, we’ve trained together over the past eight years. It was two years ago when we…
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New C21 website sees an explosion in growth
Launched in January, the new Century 21 website has seen a large (42.8 per cent) increase in unique users from January 14 to February 14 compared to the same period last year. Redesigned to enhance the experience for mobile users, the site also registered a 275 per cent increase in mobile users over the period. Charles Tarbey, Century 21 Chairman…
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Global Consumer Group Launches Push for New South Wales Government to Ban Rent-Bidding Apps
SumOfUs, an international consumer group with more than 170,000 members in Australia has called on the New South Wales Government to ban the spread of “pernicious and mercenary” new rent-bidding apps. They say the apps – US-based Rentberry and local apps Property Connect and RentWolf – will push up rental prices by forcing applicants into rent-bidding wars. Victorian Premier Daniel…
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Algorithm predicts risk or reward of property purchase
Imagine a simple algorithm that could help determine the risk or reward of a property purchase… Well, that’s exactly the new research tool available to property purchasers. Using data and financial modelling, an algorithm from Riskwise Property Review allows buyers a glimpse into the long-term risk or possible reward of a purchase, and the analysis is instant. Riskwise founder and…
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Console announce integrated payment solution
Console Group have announced the introduction of Console Pay as a new capability in their flagship property management and trust accounting software, Console Gateway. Console Pay powered Ezidebit, is now officially the first fully-integrated payment solution on the market. The integration provides full visibility of payment information and the ability to manage changes to payment schedules, such as rent increases,…
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Germany v Australia – same tax breaks, different markets
In a recent report on the private rental sector, AHURI compared the landscape of 10 countries across Europe, North America and Australasia. Their findings have revealed some major similarities between Germany and Australia’s capital gains and negative gearing policies, but stark differences in the actual property market. The report’s lead author and UNSW City Futures Research Centre research fellow Dr…
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Harcourts spreads reach toward South Coast
Daniel McConnell, Director of Harcourts Shellharbour City/Albion Park, has been joined by Daniel Dajcic in opening a new office Harcourts Kiama. The dynamic duo is excited to lead the new company, with a focus on offering clients’ a superior experience whilst maintaining youthful passion and energy. The pair have over 25 years combined real estate experience in the Illawarra region.…
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PM Leader Michael Conolly returns to McGrath
McGrath Estate Agents have announced the return of Michael Conolly as Head of Network Property Management for McGrath. Mr Conolly is one of Australia’s most respected experts in property management with over 28 years’ experience in residential, commercial and business management. He has extensive leadership experience including roles as State Manager of multi-billion-dollar asset portfolios. Mr Conolly returns to McGrath…
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RE/MAX Australia celebrates 21 years by awarding its best
RE/MAX Australia announced its top performers for 2017 at a gala event also celebrating 21 years since the first RE/MAX office opened in Australia. More than 550 attended the annual awards held at the Royal ICC in Brisbane on February 15th. Keeping with tradition, the network’s ultimate individual honour, The Eagle Award, was the final announcement for the evening. RE/MAX…
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New weapon in the sub-letting battle
Landlords and agents now have a new weapon at their disposal in the battle against illegal sub-letting, with the launch of an Australia-first monitoring service called BnbGuard. Live as of late last year, but publicly launched last week, BnbGuard was created by an Australian start-up and monitors properties for unauthorised use on popular short-stay accommodation sites such as Airbnb. Co-founders…
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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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