Elite Agent
-
REIQ: Rental market facing “tightest conditions since GFC”
Seventy per cent of Queensland’s rental market currently faces tight conditions, according to the latest quarterly rental vacancy rate report. Eighteen per cent of Queensland regions are experiencing less than 1 per cent vacancy at present, with areas like Maryborough (0.4 per cent), Mount Isa (0.5 per cent), Rockhampton (0.7 per cent), and Gympie (0.9 per cent) close to impossible…
Read More » -
Queenstown rents take a hit as tourism dries up
As average rent prices climb across New Zealand in spite of the pandemic, tourist town Queenstown has seen its rent prices plummet by 10 per cent since the same time last year. According to MBIE’s data, average rents for NZ rose by 4.8 per cent in the three months to June since the previous year. Surprisingly, rent prices in many…
Read More » -
Buy a private QLD island for less than $400K
If you’re the type to have your Desert Island Discs list ready and waiting in case the BBC call you up to appear on their show, then you’ve probably already considered the joys of living on a secluded island. For everyone else, Worthington Island is just a half hour boat trip from Gladstone Airport, just off the coast of the…
Read More » -
Eview set their sights on the south-side of Sydney
The Eview Group, has set their sights on the south-side of Sydney, launching an unapologetically sleek and fearless partnership.With almost four decades of combined real estate expertise, Danny Fox and Jed Wood are ready to inject leading industry innovation, as they commit to high-end, client-centric service through their savvy, bold brand, Fox & Wood. “It’s been nothing but pure delight,…
Read More » -
Survey: Aussie property investors buy an average of 300km from home
Gone are the days when property investors go and ‘kick the tyres’ themselves, so to speak. A new study by MCG Quantity Surveyors shows an abundance of Aussie-based property buyers are looking further afield for their investments, with 300km being the average distance between owners and their investment properties. Mike Mortlock, director of MCG Quantity Surveyors, analysed depreciation reports commissioned…
Read More » -
Billion-dollar buildings may become stranded assets
A new report released by the Australian and New Zealand Green Building Councils today warns that billions of dollars of industrial buildings face becoming ‘stranded assets’ if they cannot prove that are low or zero carbon. Green Star in focus: The case for sustainable industrial buildings finds Green Star certified buildings reduce emissions by two-thirds at a minimal 2 per cent…
Read More » -
Five ways to shift your mindset when times are tough: Chris
Life is complicated. In fact, it’s more complicated than ever with everything that society is going through with COVID-19, due to the lack of uncertainty of what life will look like coming out the other side. It is now more important than ever to think usefully. Here are five tips to help you do exactly that. 1. Positive thinking doesn’t…
Read More » -
Report: REA Group resilient against ‘unprecedented market conditions’
REA Group has announced its results for FY20, and considering the state of our economy, the figures are very pleasing.They report revenue of $820.3m, down only 6 per cent, with operating expenses of $328.2m, down…
Read More » -
Westfield malls fall 10% in just six months
Owner of the Westfield malls, Scentre Group, has seen the value of Australia’s largest shopping centre portfolio plummet in value by 10 per cent, over the past six months. The official report will be released on August 25, but they have stated the ‘expected fall’ was “principally due to the estimated impact of the COVID-19 pandemic”. Scentre released figures last…
Read More » -
What does Stage 4 lockdown mean for real estate?
Barry Plant Group CEO, Mike McCarthy has issued a market update, hoping to clarify some of the confusion surrounding what the real estate industry can and cannot do. “The next six weeks will be an eternity for some and for others, it will be over before we know it. But we can do this, if we all stick together and…
Read More » -
Shane Beaumont: Make passion your pay check
What’s a special place in your local area?My aunty’s old deli, that she owned for more than 30 years. It was my first job stacking shelves and started at the age of about five. It certainly taught me hard work! Did you choose real estate or did real estate choose you?I came back from the UK, after spending some years…
Read More » -
Five ways to get your cash flow back in shape
Pre-pandemic seems such a long time ago. We had a set and stable economy, rules in play that we understood and had learned to abide by. In the space of a few short months we now have a new normal which has managed to turn what we have known on its head. Decimated bank accounts have been a big source…
Read More » -
How to build a stress-free dream team
In these unprecedented times, many employers are fighting harder than ever to remain profitable, and employee performance is one of the most influential drivers when it comes to business success. Employee well-being directly affects how employees think and feel about their job and their organisation, and research has consistently shown that it predicts job attitudes, execution, efficiency, energy levels, and…
Read More » -
Family business takes leap of faith
The coronavirus crisis has caused some to run for the hills, overwhelmed by what appears to be a risky time for new ventures. But the opposite is true for Queensland-based agents Lou Cooper and her daughter Ambre Perry who are set to shake up Buderim and its Sunshine Coast surrounds with their new agency, ‘Perry Cooper’. And what better way…
Read More » -
REIQ demands ‘urgent action’ to protect property market
The Real Estate Institute of Queensland has called for the Palaszczuk Government to protect Queensland’s property market “as a new wave of contagion threatens to undo the state’s recognised efforts of containing COVID-19 to date”. The essential temporary measures being asked for include a 75 per cent reduction in stamp duty and extending the First Home Buyers Grant to established…
Read More » -
Top tips from NZ agents on how to navigate Stage 4 lockdown: Gower Buchanan
Speaking from Auckland, Ray White Pononsby director Gower Buchanan is quick to reassure his Melbourne colleagues there will be light at the end of this tunnel. Six months on from Stage 4 lockdowns he notes…
Read More » -
How Stage 4 lockdowns will impact auctions, inspections and real estate offices
Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) Chief Executive Gil King has confirmed that all real estate offices in Melbourne will be forced to close for at least six weeks. “We urge you to avoid assuming what will and won’t be allowed until the new directions are published,” Mr King wrote in a letter to REIV members. “We will advise you…
Read More » -
Extending NZ mortgage holidays a ‘no-brainer’
Century 21 New Zealand owner Derryn Mayne has called upon the NZ government and banks to follow the lead of Australia and extend the mortgage holiday scheme, calling the decision a ‘no-brainer’. Close to 60,000 New Zealanders had deferred their mortgage payments by the end of the financial year, while an additional 80,000 had reduced their repayments. “Having supported over…
Read More » -
Why ‘work/life balance’ is a myth
I think the most overused and misunderstood maxim is “work-life balance”. Work-life balance became trendy throughout the 1970s and ’80s in the US and UK and emigrated across the globe. It’s a catchy idea that you should learn to equally share your time between your professional and private life in order to establish a form of balanced sanity. To me,…
Read More » -
Ex-AFL player kicking goals in real estate
Nathan Wright played for St Kilda Football Club between 2013-2018, before an injury sidelined his career prematurely. Now, he has gone on to join another stellar team, as a sales executive with Barry Plant Bayside, turning a hobby he held while playing in the AFL to a thriving career. “While playing AFL, I was lucky enough to purchase a couple…
Read More » -
Supporting Australia’s growing rental marketplace with Val Brown
While Australia has traditionally been considered a nation of home owners, the share of people renting property continues to increase each year. We talk to REA Group’s Chief Consumer Product Officer, Val Brown who is…
Read More » -
Housing values drop for a third month in a row
Australian housing values have suffered a third consecutive month of declines. CoreLogic’s home value index dropped 0.6 per cent over July, an ever-so-slight improvement from June’s 0.7 per cent drop, but a drop all the same. CoreLogic’s head of research, Tim Lawless, explains: “The impact from COVID-19 on housing values has been orderly to-date, with CoreLogic’s national index falling only…
Read More » -
High-yield commercial property investments still in demand
Investment in high-yield commercial properties, especially those with long-term tenants, is flourishing despite the pandemic, according to RE/MAX U’s Deepen Khagram. “Investors are very focused on yields and we are achieving very good outcomes with commercial property that we are taking to the market,” he said. Mr Khagram recently re-sold a 7-Eleven Service Station in Burpengary East for $5.4m, representing…
Read More » -
Be a flamingo – why we need to stop conforming and start standing out
In this decade of disruption there’s a great blanding of the marketplace, so if you want to get ahead you need to be visible—you need to be a flamingo. Currently we see many businesses and people all competing on ‘same’: same products, services and offerings. They look and act the same, market themselves the same, and often the only differentiator…
Read More » -
HomeBuilder yet to halt downturn in building approvals
Despite the many incentives in play to help potential home buyers, residential building approvals fell by an additional 4.9 per cent in June. As HIA Senior Economist, Geordan Murray explains, this trend existed long before COVID-19. “The COVID-19 shock has occurred on top of a well advanced cyclical downturn in home building activity that began back in 2018,” he said.…
Read More » -
5 simple steps to master the essence of great service
Once upon a time, service was easy. There was less pressure and fewer expectations to meet in order to provide what we’d call ‘quality service’. Being responsive was simple and satisfying. In the 21st century, however, we’ve become so focused on systems and speed that we’ve forgotten service still is, and always will be, about building long-lasting relationships. So the…
Read More » -
Self motivation: Work out what drives you and why
Whether you are transacting with a buyer or a seller – the customer trigger, or the motivation, is essentially emotional driven. As a property professional, your capacity to understand the emotional motivations of your customer,…
Read More » -
Angela Limanis: Data drives success
Years in the industry?I started in 1998 as a receptionist who couldn’t turn on a computer. The role evolved into marketing coordinator and property manager very quickly. I spent a few years in commercial real estate but I was quickly drawn back to residential. In total I’ve been in sales for 12 years, but with a few years off in…
Read More » -
Government looks to extend First Home Loan Deposit Scheme
As the Federal Government readies to bring down its October budget, an expansion of the first-home buyer loan scheme could be on the cards, following a rush of demand. National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation figures show that over 40 per cent of the 10,000 available slots have been filled in less than a month. In comparison, the first 10,000…
Read More » -
REIWA: Emergency period tenancy legislation “needs to end”
As the ACT becomes the first state or territory to extend its emergency period tenancy legislation, Damian Collins, president of the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA), has said there is no need for the legislation to be extended in Western Australia. Mr Collins believes the legislation should end as initially planned, on September 29, 2020. “The emergency legislation…
Read More » -
Rent prices take first quarterly fall since 1972
In the first quarterly fall since 1972, rent prices were down 1.3 per cent for the June quarter, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The downward trend coincided with the biggest drop in consumer prices since 1931, with the consumer price index for the June quarter falling 1.9 per cent. “Weak rental market conditions…
Read More » -
Building social awareness
If you’ve ever wondered how well you fare when it comes to the topic of communication, the simplest way to gage your effectiveness is by analysing the response you get from the outside world – your colleagues, customers and competitors – how do they respond to you? And more importantly, do you communicate equally with all humans big and small,…
Read More » -
New Australian homes will soon be required to meet Green Star status
Double-glazed windows, air filtration systems and LED lighting are some of the elements new Australian homes will have to feature in order to achieve ‘Green Star certification’. A draft of the Green Star Homes Standard was released today, as part of the Building Council of Australia’s Future Homes Strategy. “The Standard is being developed collaboratively with rigorous consultation and input…
Read More » -
Almost 20% of new Victorian homes are sold to overseas buyers
Overseas buyers are snapping up new properties across Australia, according to findings from the National Australia Bank’s Q2 2020 Residential Property Survey. New development sales to foreign buyers rose from 6.6 per cent to 8.3 per cent in Q2, with figures for established housing increasing to 3.1 per cent from 2.4 in the first quarter. Victoria has seen the biggest…
Read More » -
Build-to-rent incentives ‘a shot in the arm’
The Property Council of Australia has spoken out in favour of the NSW Government’s new measures to help boost the growth of the ‘build-to-rent’ sector. “The incentives announced today will help to attract institutional investment into new housing, giving the one-third of Australian households who rent their home more choice, certainty and better amenity,” said the Property Council’s Chief Executive,…
Read More »