Real Estate News

  • Australia hits Top 20 in Global Home Price Index

    Australia has ranked 19th in the world for house price growth for the year to June 2020, according to the Knight Frank Global House Price Index Q2 2020. The index tracks the movement in mainstream residential pricesacross more than 50 countries and territories worldwide using official statistics. It showed Australia’s house prices grew 6.1 per cent over the year to…

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  • Common questions answered about Victoria’s new roadmap

    The Victorian government’s roadmap out of pandemic lockdowns includes new provisions for single people living alone and single parents: the “single social bubble” system, which comes into effect on September 14. Under the new system, if you’re a single person living alone or a single parent with children under 18, you can nominate one other person to be part of your bubble. The…

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  • Have we just stumbled on the biggest productivity increase of the century?

    One of the most striking responses to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the sudden shift of around half the workforce to working at home. In many cases, this was combined with an equally sudden shift to home schooling. Contrary to what might have been expected, working from home was one part of the pandemic response that went remarkably smoothly. Most…

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  • REIV Leah Calnan lockdown

    REIV calls for independent review of roadmap

    The Real Estate Institute of Victoria has called for an independent review of the roadmap announced on Sunday. In a statement released today, they claim the path proposed “jeopardises livelihoods and assets of hard-working Victorians who have abided by the rules and restrictions for over six months”. Among REIV’s criticisms of the government are a lack of “genuine consultation by…

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  • Stimulus must be brought forward immediately: PCA

    The Property Council of Australia has welcomed the Victorian Government’s roadmap for the safe reopening of the property industry, while acknowledging lifting restrictions is “a balancing act and all stakeholders must remain vigilant”. The PCA continues to urge the Government to bring forward its “desperately needed industry stimulus package”, noting it takes months for construction and real estate businesses to…

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  • Roadmap “extremely tough” on renovations: Master Builders Victoria

    Master Builders Victoria has welcomed the state government’s “vote of confidence” in the building industry, suggesting the shift to ‘Restricted’ practices on September 28 will require only “minor updates on what our industry has been doing for many months and would be achievable for both workers and employers”. A statement from MBV acknowledged “some disappointment” that the industry cannot open…

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  • Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke lists LA beach house

    Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke is hoping to net somewhere in the region of $6.8 million (AUD) for her Venice beach house, which was recently put on the market. In terms of Californian pads owned by movie stars, this one is rather modest, sporting only two bedrooms and three bathrooms – a “single family home” according to the listing.…

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  • LJ Hooker Avnu launches real-time real estate report

    LJ Hooker Avnu has released Australia’s first real-time real estate report, providing both property price and rental price estimates to assist homeowners in making an informed decision about when it could be the best time for them to sell what is often their greatest asset – their home. The report updates with the latest data compared to many reports that…

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  • Amazon launch new Alexa tool for property managers

    Amazon has launched Alexa for Residential in response to a survey that found the majority of renters want smart home amenities. According to US National Apartment Association, 84 per cent of renters want an apartment with smart home amenities; 61 per cent said they would pay a monthly fee for a voice assistant. The new tool allows property managers and…

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  • REIA applauds Tasmania’s new Landlord Support Fund

    The Tasmanian Government is being lauded as leading the charge when it comes to implementing sensible measures regarding the current rental situation. They announced the extension of the emergency period to December 1, 2020, meaning all current residential tenant protections will hold. In addition, they have extended the Rent Relief Fund with a second round of payments, introduced a new…

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  • REIV slams Vic Gov as sector faces ‘double whammy’

    The Real Estate Institute of Victoria has slammed the Victorian State Government for its continued ban on in-person inspections, claiming the decision will “effectively keep the property market shut down for an uncertain period”. Shortly after Premier Daniel Andrews today revealed strict lockdowns would extend a further two weeks, the REIV implored the government to rethink its ban on one-on-one…

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  • Sydney’s August clearance rate hits highest point since start of pandemic

    The month of August saw Sydney achieve its highest clearance rate since the start of COVID-19, with the harbour city returning a success rate of 59.7 per cent. A report by Domain indicates Sydney’s clearance rate edged 1.8 per cent higher throughout the month, taking it to 23.6 percentage points above the 15-year low it hit in April. “While clearance…

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  • Lower auction volume, but clearance rate stable

    This week, the combined capital city preliminary auction clearance rate was down only slightly to 67.5 per cent across a lower volume of auctions. CoreLogic figures indicate there were 882 homes taken to auction over the week, down from 1128 the previous week and 1533 this time last year. Of the 696 results collected so far, 67.5 per cent were…

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  • Victoria extends eviction moratorium

    The Victorian Government has announced today they will be extending the eviction moratorium until March 2021.  This means that evictions for both commercial and residential tenants are banned until March 28, 2021. In addition, rental increases will also be banned. Consumer Affairs notes: “Residential tenants and landlords who struggle to reach agreement over rent reductions have access to the dispute…

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  • Time for VIC construction workers to go back to work: John Setka

    Trade unionist John Setka, Victorian state secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, has penned an open letter to the Premier and Chief Health Officer of Victoria, urging them to allow the 300,000 plus Victorian construction workers back onto building sites. The letter is republished below. “The commercial construction industry has continued to lead workers safely through…

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  • Builders and tradies the biggest losers in NSW/QLD border closures

    The Housing Industry Association has warned the national cabinet it is “critical to both state’s economies” that they quickly come to an agreement to relax border restrictions between NSW and QLD, in order to assist thousands of builders and tradies working either side of the border who have been unduly impacted by closures. “When border closures started at 1am on…

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  • Homely supports Harcourts Property Centre’s Hairgust fundraiser

    Homely.com.au has sponsored Harcourts Property Centre’s Hairgust fundraiser, by donating $3000 towards pancreatic and bowel cancer research.Harcourts Property Centre Co-Directors Aaron Brooks and Sam Devlin ‘dared to hair’ by donning wigs during August to raise awareness and funds for Bowel Cancer Australia and the Pancare Foundation.“Both Sam and I have had personal experiences with cancer, and we’re so thankful for…

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  • Look inside Justin Bieber’s $25.8 million bargain in Beverly Park

    Justin Bieber and wife Hailey Baldwin have scored themselves a massive six-bedroom mansion in Beverly Park for a cool $25.8 million. The property was built in 1988, and first went on the market in April, 2018, with an asking price of $42m; enough to make it realtor.com’s most expensive listing of that week. Since that point, the price dropped incrementally,…

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  • Central Coast real estate group announces big changes

    One of the Central Coast’s largest and most reputable real estate businesses is set to shake up the local industry with the announcement of a major re-brand, which launched on September 1. Longstanding Principal Andre Kubecka and his team are exiting their group of 15 years to re-emerge as Brand Property, an exciting new Independent Group that is set to…

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  • Only 30 auctions expected this week for Melbourne

    Auction activity has taken a hit across the combined capital cities this week, as Melbourne enters its fifth week of Stage 4 lockdowns. The city will hold only 30 auctions, down from 765 auctions this time last week. CoreLogic are tracking 937 auctions in total across the capital cities this week, down from both last week’s 1128 and the 1533…

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  • 1.2m Aussie building jobs now in jeopardy

    Over 1.2 million jobs and 400,000 businesses are in danger after the 7 per cent fall in the June quarter GDP. Master Builders Australia are calling for the National Cabinet to reach a consensus “to deal cohesively and practically with the tension between the health and economic impact of the virus” or the entire building industry, and therefore the national…

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  • Gavin Rubinstein: from #1 agent to #1 owner in a year

    Ray White TRG founder Gavin Rubinstein is on top of his game and yet he feels like he is just getting started. In his first year of business ownership, Mr Rubinstein cemented his place as the number one Selling Principal in NSW & ACT based on commission for the Ray White Group. He was also awarded the Number One Principal…

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  • Ray White NSW | ACT celebrates its 2020 winners

    Close to 1000 people tuned in to watch the Ray White NSW | ACT 2019-20 awards, which looked a little different this year, held over Zoom. Nonetheless, the night felt the same, as the network celebrated the achievements of its top offices and individuals. Ray White NSW CEO Andrew McCulloch said the iso-style awards were a sign of 2020 given…

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  • Ray White Marsden Property Management Team Leader recognised at state awards

    Ray White Marsden Team Leader Rachael Curtis has been named Property Manager of the Year at the highly competitive Ray White Queensland annual awards. Ray White Marsden Principal, Avi Khan said the accolade was a testament to the hard work of the past year and the service offering provided by Ms Curtis and her team. “I am honoured to receive…

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  • Raine & Horne appoints CEO with a view to expansion

    Raine & Horne has announced the retirement of current CEO Brian Reid, which has included 40 years in the industry and a seven-year stint with the group. Current Head of Network, Andrew Brien will take up the CEO Role. Angus Raine, Executive Chairman, Raine & Horne welcomed Mr Brien’s appointment, noting the new CEO brings extensive experience in business management…

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  • Landmark apartment act will protect NSW buyers from shonky buildings

    The NSW Government is seeking to protect buyers from “shonky certifiers and dodgy developers” with the new Residential Apartment Buildings Act 2020, which came into effect on Tuesday. The new laws give the Office of the NSW Building Commissioner powers to stop defective apartment blocks from being built, or sold to prospective buyers. They also provide recourse if such a…

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  • House hunters are rarely told the home energy rating

    Most Australian homes have been built to notoriously poor standards. The energy performance of existing homes in Victoria, for instance, averages 1.8 stars – 6 stars is mandatory for newly built homes under the 10-star Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NaTHERS). Decision-makers typically fail to appreciate the importance of a low star rating, even though it have profound impacts on households’ health and…

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  • Embracing change and thriving during a crisis

    Recent events regarding the COVID-19 virus have affected, and will continue to have an effect on the real estate industry moving into the future. In this environment, we are already witnessing traditional services such as in-house dining being prohibited due to social distancing policy. As many businesses fail to adapt they will unfortunately go to the wall. Those businesses that…

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  • Wind up commercial rent relief this month, says PCA

    A ‘red tape burden’ has been placed on the commercial property sector, according to a new survey by the Property Council of Australia, with only 25 per cent of provision relief having currently been finalised. The results highlight the inherent complexities of the codes, coupled with state and territory delays, the Property Council notes. Now they are calling on state…

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  • Perth rentals moving the fastest since 2015 mining boom

    In August 2019, it took a median of 34 days to lease a property in the Greater Perth region. This August, it only took 21 days, meaning that properties are turning around two weeks’ less than this time last year. Reiwa.com data shows this is the quickest uptake rate since the last mining boom in February, 2015. The median rent…

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  • Property Council of Australia nominations now open

    Nominations for the Property Council’s industry committees are now open. “Effective advocacy for our industry and its contribution to Australia has never been more important,” said Property Council of Australia Chief Executive Ken Morrison. “Our members are critical in this important work, including through participation in our various industry committees. Our committee members help to shape the future for our…

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  • Rental affordability best since 2007: REIA

    The REIA Housing Affordability Report shows rent affordability has improved across the country in the June quarter, with figures not seen since late 2007. “The proportion of income required to meet rent payments decreased to 23.3 per cent in the quarter, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points over the quarter and down 0.5 percentage points compared to the same time…

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  • Experts positive about housing affordability

    Experts have never felt better about housing affordability around the country, according to a survey conducted by comparison site Finder.In this month’s Finder RBA Cash Rate Survey, 40 experts and economists weighed in on future cash rate moves and other issues related to the state of the Australian economy.While all experts and economists surveyed correctly predicted the cash rate to…

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  • J-Lo & A-Rod’s new Florida home

    Jennifer Lopez and baseball star Alex Rodriguez share a love of real estate, and together they’ve been collecting houses almost as often as Rodriguez collected base hits.  Now TopTenRealEstateDeals.com reports the couple have bought another mansion – this time on South Florida’s island of super-rich CEOs and entertainers. Listed at $40 million, the property is located on one of several…

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  • Josh Mana team joins Queensland Sotheby’s International Realty

    When it comes to the reason why Josh Mana entered the world of real estate, he both blames and credits his wife, Carrie. “I was a refrigeration air-conditioning technician in my early 20s and eventually got out of the trade in NSW when I moved to the Gold Coast,” Mr Mana said. “My wife, Carrie, was in property management and…

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