News

Video – Why is it important to have a deposit when applying for a home loan?

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:51:00 GMT

Having a deposit is extremely important when applying for a home loan. John Symond, of mortgage broker Aussie, shares his thoughts on why this is.

Watch his advice on TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2012/05/why-is-it-important-to-have-a-deposit-when-applying-for-a-home-loan/

Australia shows modest improvement in new home loans

Ivan Radford — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:01:00 GMT

While the property industry Down Under continues to call for interest rate cuts, Australia's mortgage sector has shown a modest improvement, the Housing Industry Association has revealed.

The HIA's latest finance report shows that lending for the construction or purchase of new properties rose by 3.5 per cent in March 2012, despite the weak conditions facing the new home building sector.

The increase in seasonally adjusted loans for owner-occupied new homes was driven by a 13.3 per cent rise in the number of loans for the purchase of a new dwelling. Lending for the construction of dwellings, on the other hand, essentially stayed flat, edging upwards by just 0.2 per cent.

Hailing the figures as "welcome good news", Senior Economist Andrew Harvey comments: "The March figures reflect a period prior to the 50 basis point cut in interest rates which occurred in May, and although the cut was only partiallly passed on by Australia's banks, this factor should act to spur a further modest improvement in new home lending in the coming months.

But Harvey insists that further rates are needed. "We need to keep in mind that new home lending figures show that there are around 2,000 fewer loans each month than there would have been if the longer-term pre-GFC trends in housing finance had continued."

More Australians rent rooms to pay mortgage

Ivan Radford — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:24:00 GMT

More Australians are now considering renting out rooms to pay their mortgage, a PRDNationwide survey shows.

11 per cent said they would consider renting out space if they had a spare room, the survey found, while a further 14 per cent said that they were already letting out a room. The overall report reveals that almost one in three homeowners would sub-let to help make ends meet, compared to one in five two years ago, when the global recession first hit.

Director Aaron Maskrey commented on the findings: "Renting out a spare room to generate extra cash could reduce the likelihood of suffering mortgage stress. Getting onto the property ladder is increasingly difficult for thousands of first time buyers in Australia, and increasingly, homeowners are making unused space earn its keep."

Source: Property Wire

Moving from the UK to Australia

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:12:00 GMT

With Australia recently being ranked as the second best place in the world to live by the United Nations' Quality of Life index, compared to the UK's 28^th, Brits would not be blamed for eyeing up a move down under. Furthermore, with over two thirds of British expats in Australia saying they have no plans to return to the UK, it seems Brits are becoming far more satisfied with the Aussie lifestyle to that back at home. Respondents to the Lloyds TSB survey cited the 2011 summer riots and the UK's economic downturn as reasons for not returning, with 64% interviewed feeling that they were financially better off living abroad. Given these surveys, Brits who have long been thinking of making to move to Australia would be forgiven for finally making the move. Here are a few tips for those thinking of relocating down under.

Research

For such a big move, it has to be the right one. Firstly, research what is required to reside in Australia in terms of visas. Secondly, take research to a more local level by looking at local crime rates, schools, employment rates and local attractions. These statistics are readily available over the Internet.

Set a Date

Although this is such a big decision, there is nothing worse than constantly delaying and putting it off. Set a date and work towards it.

Have a Clear Out

This is the best chance to clear away some of that old junk that has assembled in the attic and gather exactly what you need for your big move. Packing is the ideal opportunity for this so start afresh by setting up a "keep" and "throw away" system - and be ruthless!

Hire a Specialist Removal Company

For such a big move, valuables and belongings need to be transported safely and efficiently; therefore hiring a removals company that specialises in moving to Australia from UK is a must.

Sources: Overseas Emigration UK

Mining towns are ones to watch in Australia

Ivan Radford — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:30:00 GMT

Mining towns are the ones to watch in Australia, according to experts.

The areas are experiencing "huge demand" for housing, explained Brett Alegre-Wood, founder of Your Property Club. The towns are becoming increasingly affordable, making them a "top target" for property investors Down Under.

Indeed, while Melbourne and Sydney remain popular with buyers, places like Victoria are the places to go for long-term investment, Property Showrooms adds, highlighting the recent report from the HIA that listed settlements away from the capital as the country's top 20 real estate hotspots.

New Zealand commercial property picks up

Ivan Radford — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:40:00 GMT

Demand for New Zealand commercial property has picked up at the start of 2012, according to the latest RICS Global Commercial Property Survey.

While Australia's activity remained "largely flat" in the first quarter of the year, New Zealand saw interest from occupiers at the headline level rose for the first time in nine months, but did so most notably for office space. Available space also rose on the quarter, while, significantly, the rental picture looks to be stabilising after several quarters of decline.

On the investment side there has also been a pickup in enquiries, adds the report, with the net balance rising to +17. For the meantime, capital values will stay broadly stable, predicts RICS, but with future investment transactions also turning positive, there could be some upside to values going forward.

In Australia, tenant demand and available space for occupation remained unchanged from last quarter, with both net balance readings moving closer to the neutral reading of zero. Accordingly, the rental outlook remained unchanged; the net balance was zero for the second consecutive survey indicating that there has been no change in rental expectations for the past six months.

Investment enquiries jumped in Q1, from -8 to +22 and transactions are expected to continue rising in the next quarter. Capital value expectations remain flat, but could begin to pick up in the coming three months if the surge in investor demand is anything to go by.

The report attributes the slight uptick in growing confidence in the global economy, which improved modestly through the first quarter of 2012, following central bank support in the UK and Europe and a brighter outlook in the US. This more positive sentiment has carried over into Oceania.

Domestically, the central banks in Australia and New Zealand have both taken notice of external events - especially the euro area situation - and have kept interest rates on hold throughout Q1.

"The Oceania region is still an attractive market place for international investors, which is being shown in these recent survey results. Australia and New Zealand continue to show a healthy market place well ahead of the northern hemisphere, which is only just starting to show signs of repair after the global down turn," commented Kaye Herald, RICS Asia Pacific Managing Director.

Revealed: Sydney’s top 5 rental hotspots

Ivan Radford — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:11:00 GMT

Campbelltown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Maitland and Canterbury are the top 5 rental hotspots in Sydney, according to new research.

In the past five years, rental rates in each location have accelerated faster than anywhere else in the Greater Metropolitan Region, PRDnationwide revealed.

The city of Sydney still has the highest rent for one and two-bedroom flats, at $500 and $670 per week respectively, but "savvy investors" are moving outside of the main town, according to the Australian firm's research.

"Investment opportunities also exist in areas outside the metropolitan area, where strong demand and limited supply of units maintains the pressure on rent prices," analyst Oded Reuveni-Etzioni told Property Wire.

Woollahra, Canada Bay and North Sydney were also highlighted as key markets for buy-to-let investors, with new bonds lodged each year increasing by an average of 22.6 per cent.

"This indicates a shift in tenant demand from inner to middle and outer parts of Sydney Metropolitan Area," added Reuveni-Etzioni.

Oz housing credit stays at 35-year low

Ivan Radford — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:27:00 GMT

Housing credit in Australia stayed at a 35-year low, according to Australia's Reserve Bank.

The bank revealed this week that housing credit rose by just 0.4 per cent in March, matching the increase recorded in February. While this outstripped predictions of 0.3 per cent, credit has only grown by 5.3 per cent compared to the same month in 2011, which is the lowest level since the Reserve Bank began collating data in 1977.

The low levels of borrowing follow last week's report of a decline in new home sales by the Housing Industry Association, which have also hit a record eight-year low.

Stephen Koukoulas told the Sydney Morning Herald: "Consumers were burnt in the global financial crisis," he said. "They lost a lot of wealth in the stockmarket and their pensions have had a massive underperformance since then."

He added: "There is an element of uncertainty of where their wealth is going."

Australia calls for interest rate cuts as new home sales plummet

Ivan Radford — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:26:00 GMT

Australia's Housing Industry Association are calling for a "large cut" in interest rates as sales of new homes fell to their lowest level in over a decade.

New home sales fell in March 2012, revealed the voice of Australia's residential building industry this week, prompting calls from HIA Chief Economist, Dr Harley Dale, for the Reserve Bank of Australia to "act boldly" tomorrow and cut the official cash rate by 50 basis points.

"The Bank needs to send a clear signal that it is back on the case of assisting an economy that is clearly weaker than it anticipated in 2012," said Harley Dale.

"Leading housing indictators such as new home sales are pointing to on-going deterioration in already very weak new home building conditions," said Harley Dale. "That situation is in turn having a major negative impact on manufacturing and services sectors."

"It is not too late to turn the situation around and prevent new housing from revisiting a GFC low. Interest rate cuts, while no panacea, can provide substantial assistance in restoring confidence and activity," noted Harley Dale.

"Needless to say Australia's banks need to pass all official rate cuts on in full. Their actions to date on interest rates have damaged economic confidence and activity," added Harley Dale.

The HIA - JELD-WEN New Home Sales report, based on a survey of Australia's 100 largest builders, showed a sharp decline of 9.4 per cent in total seasonally adjusted new home sales in March 2012.

Detached house sales dropped by 9.7 per cent while multi-unit sales fell by 6.9 per cent. In March 2012 the number of seasonally adjusted new detached house sales fell by 9.7 per cent in New South Wales, 4.6 per cent in Victoria, 15.3 per cent in Queensland, 4.7 per cent in South Australia, and12.0 per cent in Western Australia.

26.8pc of Oz expats say euro will not fail

Ivan Radford — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:58:00 GMT

26.8 per cent of expats in Australia think that the euro will not fail, a new survey has shown.

The poll, conducted by Barclays Wealth and Investment Management and Expat Forum, found that almost 30 per cent of respondents were confident about the survival of the euro.

But while this figure may appear encouraging, Expat Forum adds that it is "under the average" for the site's polls, suggesting that there is rising concern among former Brits living Down Under that the euro debt crisis could affect their lives.

Some "may well be panicking because of their euro denominated savings and income," comments the site, with 19.05 per cent saying that a euro collapse would affect their savings back home.

Australia's currently booming economy is experiencing a consistent wave of UK residents choosing to move Down Under, with skilled labourers targeted by the immigration board. But while the country's financial stability attracts those afraid of euro troubles, the survey suggests that Oz's concerns about the European deficit are growing.

The results follow news that Chinese and Indian investors are playing a bigger role in foreign financial input in Australia, as the country looks for real estate investment away from the risk of the unstable euro.

Is Perth's property market on the move?

Ivan Radford — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:04:00 GMT

Perth's property market is about to start moving again, according to some local agents.

The Australian city's real estate has been stagnant for some time, with prices and confidence both taking a dive, but Blackburne Property Group has suggested the market is now bottomed out, with investors ready to turn back to Perth's property.

CEO Paul Blackburne told OPP: "[Investors] have realised that their shares are not performing, and so they are come back in to property... People feel the market has bottomed out. They can buy property 10% cheaper than two years ago, plus get a rental return of 6% to 7%."

The city's residential market may have been stale of late, but Perth's lettings are more occupied than ever as workers head West, pushing rental vacancy rates down from 4.7 per cent in 2009 to just 1.9 per cent. Average rental rates, as a result, have jumped up from $375 to $425 per week for houses in The City.

House prices, on the other hand, dipped from $505,000 in March 2010 to $462,000 at the end of 2011. But Blackburne highlights the rental yields that can be made on the back of the population boom:

"Apartments in Perth that were renting for $600 a week a year ago, are now renting or $900, for a two bedroom apartment. We're now seeing 6% to 7% returns as standard, and I've never seen that before."

Cunnamulla - the cheapest town in Australia

Ivan Radford — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Cunnamulla has been ranked as the cheapest town in Australia.

The Queensland town, where the average house is worth just 59,500 Australian dollars (or £38,300), topped the chart of affordable places, despite many of Australia's cities having houses available for under AU$100,000.

Tasmania's Roseberry came a close second place, with prices of only AU$70,500, followed by Bourke in New South Wales, where houses have an average value of AU$75,500.

"The key is to follow economic activity that will stimulate property demand and take a long-term outlook on capital growth," economist Andrew Wilson advised News.com, following recent suggestions from one Australian institute to reform regulations and stamp duty to make housing even more affordable.

Source: Property Showrooms

Foreign investment approvals double in Australia

Ivan Radford — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:16:00 GMT

The number of foreign investment purchases given approval in Australia doubled last year, according to the Foreign Investment Review Board's latest report.

The government approved 9,770 transactions from overseas investors in 2011, the FIRB revealed, up from 3,897 in 2010. This surge in activity took the total value of approved foreign investment in property to $41.5 billion, over twice as much as the $20 billion approved in the previous year.

Chinese investors dominated the market, accounting for 5,000 approvals, closely followed by the UK's 1,000. Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa completed the top five countries for foreign investors. Real estate made up 23 per cent of the total, with 80 per cent of that figure involving real estate valued under $1 million, reported Property Observer.

The increase has been attributed to the reintroduction in 2010 of a screening process for temporary residents purchasing residential property.

"The changes mean that all temporary residents and foreign non-residents seeking to invest in Australian real estate have been brought within the notification, screening and approval process," reads the report.

"Temporary residents may seek approval to acquire one established dwelling only to be used as their residence. No objections are raised subject to the condition that they sell the property when it ceases to be their residence."

Oz investors look abroad for better deals

Ivan Radford — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:19:00 GMT

Overseas investors based in Australia are being forced to look abroad for better deals, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

The agency says that because the country's housing market has seen opportunities drop and house-building decline, buyers are now heading overseas, despite ongoing global financial concerns.

"'There is a big demand for core real estate around the world and as more international investors buy into Australia, then the locals will have to go back overseas,'' CEO Glenn Rufrano told OPP, predicting that unlike 2011, where activity slowed in the second half of the year, 2012 will see improvements as the next 12 months progress.

Property in the USA are highlighted by Cushman and Wakefield as an attractive option, with areas such as New York experiencing a rebound in prices. With land sales falling to all-time lows Down Under, it may be no surprise that investors looking up elsewhere.

British tourists accused of stealing penguin

Ivan Radford — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:40:00 GMT

Three British tourists have been accused of stealing a penguin in Australia. The Welsh men, aged between 18 and 21, were accused of taking the animal from Queensland's Sea World during a drunken night out.

The trio, who reportedly woke up to find the penguin, named Dirk, in their accommodation then allegedly released the animal into a canal, where it was discovered by a couple.

"They heard a scuffle in the water, and this penguin came out onto the sand," Trevor Long, Sea World's director of marine sciences, told the Daily Mail.

"They thought it was very, very unusual, so they got on to their iPhone and googled "lost penguin". That came up with the story, and from there they were able to contact us."

The men were later tracked by police, adds the newspaper, after writing about the event on Facebook.

Do you feel housing stress? Young Australians do

Ivan Radford — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:19:00 GMT

Do you feel "housing stress"? If you are young, you probably do, reveals new research from Australia.

The report, carried out by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, found that one in five Australians between the age of 15 and 24 spend over 30 per cent of their income on housing costs, such as rents and mortgages.

This is three times more than the 10 per cent spent by the overall population, shows the NCSEM, with young people far more likely to encounter housing stress as a result.

Student Hiba Casablanca, for example, pays approximately 50 per cent of her weekly income on housing costs. "I definitely struggle at the start of the month when my rent is due," the 24 year old told The Age. "I forego food, entertainment, clothing..."

Australia for Affordable Housing concurred with the research, finding that young people living away from home or undergoing a transition from foster care were twice as likely to suffer from housing stress compared to the average population.

"Housing stress puts thousands of young people on the brink of financial crisis every single week," commented Sarah Toohey, campaign manager for AAH, highlighting the small amount of money held by young people after housing costs are deducted, even when receiving Youth Allowance payments and rent assistance.

"Youth Allowance for a young person living independently is $201 per week plus a maximum rate of rent assistance at $60 per week giving a total income of $261 per week. If you could find a place to rent at 30 per cent of that income (which is $78 per week - and I suspect you can't) - you'd have just $26 a day to live on."

Toohey adds: "With so many young people in housing stress and locked out of the housing market altogether, future generations desperately need state and federal governments to fix our broken housing system."

Beach towns bounce back Down Under

Ivan Radford — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:01:00 GMT

Coastal properties across Australia are seeing prices increase, according to PRDNationwide.

The research group's new report show that beach towns may be starting to recover from the housing slump, with values back on the up.

The highest rise was found in Bells Beach in Victoria, where unit prices jumped by 24.5 per cent in 2011. House prices also grew by 5.2 per cent. Indeed, unit prices fared better than houses in four out of the top five beach towns for the whole of last year.

Head of research Aaron Maskrey told Property Wire: ‘Looking at the main coastal markets across Australia, many of them are set to reach the bottom of their property cycle over the year, making it a good time to invest in coastal property, given the past three year's price falls."

But the regional variations mean that buyers must be careful to pick the right location, cautions Maskrey.

"Many coastal markets have experienced significant drops in value over the past three years, through the double hit of tightening credit from the banks and a softening in the tourism industry."

The strongest market in 2011 was across the country's Gold Coast, where 2,722 units were sold in the second half of the year - a strong indication that properties in the area re bottoming out.

9 out of 10 Australian apartments built by Asians

Ivan Radford — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:25:00 GMT

9 out of 10 Australian apartments are built by Asian developers, according to CBRE.

The agency's report shows that Asian builders are moving Down Under in a big way, with overseas firms lining up 13,000 residential units across the country, accounting for 90 per cent of planned construction.

Kevin Stanley, executive director for global research, told OPP that foreign developers had the advantage of available financing on their side: "There's still occupier demand for residential (property), and if the local developers aren't able to deliver, then that presents an opportunity for overseas developers."

Australian banks are now more restricted in their lending, often requiring all of a project's units to be sold before construction begins in addition to high deposits. Ross Griffiths, chief credit officer at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, comments:

"If there's demand for the property and it financially stacks up, then there's money available. There are certainly developments that are happening, by developers who are well known to us, with a track record and pre-sales."

Australian Capital Territory tops 2011 building hotspots

Ivan Radford — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:09:00 GMT

The Australian Capital Territory and Victoria were the stand-out building and population "Hotspots" in Australia in 2010/11, says the Housing Industry Association, the voice of Australia's residential building industry.

The HIA-JELD-WEN Population and Residential Building Hotspots report provides a snapshot of Australia's fastest growing metropolitan and regional areas in 2010/11. A "Hotspot" is defined as a local area where population growth exceeds the national rate (which was 1.4 per cent in the year to June 2011) and where the value of residential building work approved is in excess of $100 million.

Victoria registered nine of the top twenty national Hotspots in 2010/11. The peformance of the ACT was equally impressive, claiming the number one Hotspot in the country (Canberra City) plus number six spot. Western Australia had five Hotspots in the top twenty, Queensland had three, and the Northern Territory had one.

"The ACT and Victoria were the two strongest housing markets going into 2010/11. The prominence of these two regions in the latest Hotspots list highlighted their potential for further out-performance. This potential was realised with new home building activity in particular remaining the strongest in the country throughout 2010/11 and 2011/12," said HIA Chief Economist, Dr Harley Dale.

Canberra City was Australia's top building and population Hotspot in 2010/11 with $131.7 million of residential building work approved and a population growth rate of nearly 40 per cent.

The second-placed Hotspot was Whittlesea North in Victoria with over $717 million worth of residential building work approved and a population growth rate of 17.4 per cent. Wyndham South placed third where in 2010/11 the value of residential building work approved hit over $441 million and the population growth rate was 14.0 per cent.

The top five list was rounded out by Griffin-Mango Hill in Queensland, followed by Cardinia-Pakenham in Victoria.

"In 2010/11 and also through this financial year we have seen Victoria and the ACT dominate, and therefore partially mask, an otherwise bleak new home building landscape. These markets are now slowing too amidst the first synchronised downturn in the new home sector since the post GST building recession of 2000/01," Harley Dale said.

"There were nintety Hotspots around Australia in 2010/11, clearly demonstrating the potential for considerably higher levels of residential construction activity than is occurring," Harley Dale said.

"Inappropriate policy settings and a malaise in housing supply reforms are preventing much of this potential becoming reality. That is to the detriment of an enormous number of households and businesses within and outside the housing industry, and is consequently harming Australia's economic growth and prosperity," added Harley Dale.

Currency Watch: Strong sterling saves Brits 6pc on Greek property

Ivan Radford — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:16:00 GMT

In contrast to the first 3 months of the year, March saw the Pound finish higher against all major currencies, good news for buyers of overseas property as Greek real estate is effectively six per cent cheaper.

Some tentative signs of recovery in the UK have helped sterling, while new fears over government debt in Europe (Spain specifically) and structural problems in the US, have kept other currencies weaker. Combined with shifting house values in other countries, the currency fluctuations save buyers on the cost of overseas real estate. A property in Portugal is now nearly 4% cheaper for example, due to recent falling local prices combined with a better exchange rate.

In March, the most improved exchange rate was GBP-AUD, with the Australian Dollar over 4 per cent cheaper at the end of the month. The Aussie has remained very strong over recent history, so this will come as some respite for Brits looking to emigrate to Australia, with property becoming 5.38 per cent cheaper overall.

The South African Rand and New Zealand Dollar rates also posted impressive improvements.

For the mainstream US Dollar and Euro, we have seen modest improvements in rates, and a relatively stable month with the Euro rate only varying (from high to low) 1.53 per cent in March, compared with 2.75 per cent in February.

The recently-reported plummet in Spanish property prices will likely filter through to next month's Currency Watch and we would expect to see the overall cost for UK buyers, particularly in Europe, to become even more attractive just as the traditional season for Brits buying in the sun picks up pace.

Overseas property buyers should be aware of key events coming up in April which are likely to affect exchange rates and therefore their overseas property prices:

• Ongoing: stability or not for the Eurozone - is Spain the next Greece?

• Thursday 5th: Bank of England monthly policy announcement

• Thursday 12th: Trade balance

• Tuesday 17th: CPI inflation

• Wednesday 18th: Bank of England minutes

• Friday 20th: Retail sales

• Wednesday 25th: GDP

New home approvals drop down under

Ivan Radford — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:19:00 GMT

Building approvals in Australia dropped down to their lowest level in almost three years in February this year, according the Housing Industry Association.

The industry body announced the facts this week, prompting urgent calls for government action in lowering interest rates to boost construction across the country. Approvals for new homes fell by 7.8 per cent, the lowest figure since March 2009, and are now expected to fall even further.

‘We have warned for some time of the risk that new home building activity will again plumb the depths experienced around the time of the global financial crisis," HIA chief economist Harley Dale told Property Wire. "Building approvals are signalling that this outcome is unfolding in 2012."

The worst approval rate was found in New South Wales, where the seasonally adjusted figures fell by 41.2 per cent. Queensland also saw a drop of 13 per cent, with Tasmania posting a loss of 10.5 per cent. Other areas, such as Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, saw smaller decreases of 5.7 per cent, 1.4 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively.

"Even allowing for New South Wales virtually driving the entire fall, it is, quite frankly, woeful. It is difficult to be positive about the short term prospects for new housing," said Dale.

"Current policy settings are failing the housing industry and therefore the wider Australian economy. The time for contemplation is over. Australia's interest rate settings are clearly too high and there needs to be immediate federal and state government focus on policy reform to boost flagging levels of new housing supply, a key driver of domestic economic activity and employment."

But despite the downturn in approvals, sales are actually on the up. Transactions for new homes increased by 3 per cent in February, with multi-unit property sales jumping up by 10.5 per cent. While industry experts do not expect a nationwide recovery due to high interest rates, Western Australia's outlook is considered positive. Detached home sales in the area surged by 12.8 per cent in February, suggesting the start of a housing rebound.

Oz property on the verge of 'better times'

admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:06:00 GMT

Australia is expected to be one of the world's fastest-growing nations, with estimates of our population heading to 35 million by 2050.

House prices rose by 0.8 per cent in February and, while that might not sound like much, it is the biggest monthly increase in 18 months.

Prices rose in six of our eight capitals and in almost every major regional city, highlighting the strength of Australian residential property.

And further, we are seeing auction clearance rates hovering at about the low 60 per cent mark - with anything over 50 per cent suggesting that prices should continue to grow.

Source: CourierMail

Hobart most affordable location in Australia

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:27:00 GMT

Hobart in Tasmania has been named as the most affordable destination for property in Australia.

41.2 per cent of the properties on sale in the city were marketed at less than AU$300,000 (£197,769), according to figures from RP Data.

In contrast, Canberra is the most expensive location in which to buy Australian real estate, with just 8.8 per cent of sales coming in lower than this amount.

Source: APlaceintheSun.com

Boom run in foreign WA property ownership

Ivan Radford — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:04:00 GMT

Overseas ownership of commercial property in WA, and across the nation, in 2012 is poised to build on the previous two years' record-setting sales results.

According to global property experts CBRE and Jones Lang LaSalle, foreign investors bought record amounts of commercial property in 2010 and 2011. And sales data for the first quarter of 2012 suggest the trend is continuing - and may even be accelerating.

Dr David Rees, JLL's head of research and consulting in Australasia, said the global financial crisis (GFC) has proven to be a boon for the local real estate market, stimulating a major portfolio shift between countries, sectors and investment vehicles.

"During 2011 alone, offshore investors purchased $3.7 billion of Australian commercial real estate assets which is equivalent to 29.5 per cent of transactions by value (greater than $5 million), the largest percentage on record and just below the record dollar value of $3.8 billion achieved in 2010," Dr Rees said.

"The relative volume of funds seeking exposure to the Australian market from offshore - and from domestic sources - has increased substantially over the past three years."

Source: Perth Now

Revealed: Australia's most liveable city

Ivan Radford — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:25:00 GMT

Melbourne may be ranked the world's most livable city by The Economist Intelligence Unit, but ask Australians about their own cities and Adelaide comes out on top.

Canberra comes in second, with Melbourne and Perth vying for third, while Darwin just edged out Sydney to be ranked as our worst city for quality of life.

The rankings were listed in the Property Council of Australia's My City: The People's Verdict, a survey of 5,231 people across all capital cities as well as Newcastle and Wollongong. The survey, which was conducted by Auspoll for the Property Council, comes as the Council launches a new campaign to engage community input and participation in planning how communities should grow.

Property Council national policy director Ken Morrison says the results of the survey should encourage governments at all levels to take appropriate action to raise the performance of Australian cities.

"This is the people's verdict on their own city, the ultimate report card for policy makers on how livable our cities are," Morrison says. "Australians know what makes a great city and they rate our cities poorly in housing affordability, environmental sustainability, congestion and public transport."

Source: DesignBuildSource

Property Wars: Sydney vs. Melbourne

Ivan Radford — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:34:00 GMT

when it comes to property in 2012 the result is Sydney one, Melbourne nil. Auction clearance rates, property prices and industry forecasts show Sydney’s residential real estate gathering pace while Melbourne is firmly placed as the country’s "most at-risk" market.

Last weekend, Sydney enjoyed its best auction result since the start of the year with 58 per cent of the 448 properties on the market sold. In Melbourne - which usually enjoys a higher clearance rate than the harbour city - just 56 per cent of auctioned homes sold, down from 65 per cent on the equivalent weekend last year.

Project manager for BIS Shrapnel Angie Zigomanis said Victoria had been harder hit by economic uncertainty and Melbourne homebuyers were struggling with affordability after a boom before the GFC.

“Sydney may have more expensive property but in Melbourne people are spending a higher proportion of their income on mortgages,” Mr Zigomanis said. On the supply side, a saturated real estate market pushed Melbourne house values down 6 per cent last year - only Brisbane is worse off, down 7.5 per cent.

“Last year 60,00 dwelling constructions were commenced in Victoria while BIS Shrapnel estimated that there was only a requirement for about 47,000, so there was well above what was needed,” Mr Zigomanis said.

Source: Courier Mail

Queensland Resorts Sell at a Discount as Aussie Clips Tourism

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 07:58:00 GMT

Luxury resorts along Queensland’s coast, a destination for Great Barrier Reef visitors, are selling at a fraction of peak prices as a rising Australian dollar sends domestic vacationers overseas and hampers a recovery from last year’s hurricanes.

Properties on Dunk and Bedarra islands changed hands late last year for about 15 percent and 20 percent of their 2007 values. Club Mediterranee (CU) SA’s Lindeman Island resort is on the market with an asking price of about A$10 million ($10.5 million), a 10th of what the French company spent to buy and expand it in the early 1990s.

For-sale advertisements of hospitality properties in receivership jumped 47 percent to 85 in 2011, according to real estate company Colliers International. The decline in tourism to tropical North Queensland has led banks to push indebted resorts to declare insolvency or force them to sell, sending values to the lowest levels since 2000, said Wayne Bunz, senior director for hotels at property broker CBRE Group Inc.

“The sales are starting to gain momentum,” said Bunz, who is based in Brisbane and has handled the Dunk, Bedarra and Lindeman island deals.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Visa law change sees Oz enquiries shoot up

admin — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:10:00 GMT

Changes to Australia’s visa application process have pushed international removal enquiries up 60% year-on-year says Anglo Pacific as overseas property buyers try to beat a change in the law.

New legislation effective from 1 July 2012 will make it tougher to obtain permanent residency in Australia and, as Jason Diggs, Sales Director for Anglo Pacific, told OPP this week, the market in "2012 has been particularly unusual."

"The Australian dollar hasn’t weakened and we’ve seen no mass advertising campaigns or migration events backed by the Australian Government. All fingers seem to point therefore at the biggest change to Australia’s skilled migration programme since the points test was introduced 33 years ago."

Source: OPP.org.uk

Australia’s weaker housing, business confidence may slow hiring

admin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:25:00 GMT

Australian home-loan approvals dropped for the first time in 10 months and business confidence sank to a five-month low, signs that job growth may struggle to rebound after stalling last year.

The number of loans granted to build or buy houses and apartments fell 1.2 percent in January, a government report showed in Sydney today, twice the 0.6 percent drop forecast by economists. A private survey of 500 companies taken Feb. 20-24 and released earlier today showed business confidence fell last month to the lowest level since September.

The data added to a string of weaker-than-forecast economic figures in Australia, where the benchmark interest rate of 4.25 percent is the highest among major developed economies. Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens kept borrowing costs unchanged last week as policy makers rely on a A$456 billion ($481 billion) pipeline of resource investment to spur growth and employment.

Source: BusinessWeek.com

World's best beach destinations named

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:15:00 GMT

Not one Australian beach has made the cut into TripAdvisor's list of the world's top-25 beach destinations.

Providenciales, an island in the Caribbean's Turks and Caicos Islands, took out the top spot for the second year in a row.

Palm Eagle Beach in Aruba, another Caribbean island, was named the second best beach destination in the world, while Tulum in Mexico took out third spot.

Advertisement: Story continues below In a separate category for the best beaches in Australia, Queensland's Burleigh Heads, known for its surf break, was listed as number one, followed by NSW's Byron Bay, Queensland's Coolangatta and Broome in WA.

Source: SMH.com.au

Australia's top property investment locations revealed

admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:00:00 GMT

A table of the most attractive Australian regions for real estate investment has been published in this month's edition of Australian Property Investor magazine.

Reporting on the research, AAP noted Gladstone in Queensland and Hedland in Western Australia are among the hotspots to watch in 2012.

Among the reasons for Gladstone's popularity are low vacancy rates and strong rents, while attractive rental yields in Hedland have helped boost its appeal among those seeking real estate in Australia.

Co-author of the study Laura Cross told the news provider: "The experts widely name Queensland and Western Australia as likely to be the standout performers, largely due to the resources boom and the fact they've had weaker performing capital cities over the past few years."

Source: PropertyShowrooms.com

Weak start of the year for new home sales in Australia

admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:05:00 GMT

New home sales in Australia began 2012 on a weak note, a disappointing outcome given there was also a fall in December last year, according to the Housing Industry Association, the voice of Australia’s residential building industry.

The HIA-JELD-WEN New Home Sales report, based on a survey of Australia’s 100 largest builders, showed a decline of 7.3% in total seasonally adjusted new home sales in January 2012.

‘A sharp decline of 19.6% in detached house sales in Victoria weighed on the overall January result,’ said HIA chief economist Harley Dale.

Source: PropertyWire.com

Australian offices 'set to outperform other commercial assets'

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:39:00 GMT

The value of offices down under has been predicted to rise above other commercial property in Australia.

A survey from National Australia Bank (NAB) showed that capital city office values will grow by three per cent in the next couple of years, including a 1.6 per cent rise by December 2012, Bloomberg revealed.

Despite this boost for office properties, the report showed retail real estate values will drop by 0.5 per cent by December, while the industrial property market will be static.

Confidence in Australian business has risen recently, reaching an eight-month high last month, at the same time that consumer confidence rose as well, according to figures published by the news provider.

Source: PropertyShowrooms.com

House-hunters look to UAE to avoid Eurozone

admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:42:00 GMT

British house-buyers looking to invest abroad are increasingly willing to move outside of Europe, according to research from PrimeLocation.com.

Searches on the website for Spanish properties plummeted 15 per cent in the final quarter of 2011, compared with the previous quarter, the website said in figures out today.

Italy and France were close behind, with declines of 14 per cent and nine per cent respectively.

Searches for Portugal fell nine per cent, while Cyprus saw a 15 per cent slump in real estate interest, PrimeLocation claimed.

Source: CityAM.com

The house that Twitter sold

Ivan Radford — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:18:00 GMT

Photocredit: NorthcoteHouse.com.au

An Australian homeowner sold his house for more than its asking price after advertising it on Twitter. Kurt Opray, who lives in Melbourne, used the social network to promote his property, ultimately selling his house for $135,000 above its reserve price.

The Northcote home, which contains three bedrooms and one bathroom, had its own blog and YouTube content as well as the Twitter account, which used the handle @NorthcoteHouse. Tweeting updates in advance of his home's auction, Opray aimed to bring as many buyers to the home's blog as possible, giving them a personal insight into the house.

The bungalow sold for $1.05m last weekend, after 80 people attended the Hocking Stuart Northcote auction - 30 more than expected, according to Yahoo! Australia.

"I know my house better than any agent," Opray told the Financial Review. " Who better to sell the house than me?"

His modern marketing tactics were hailed by the Real Estate Institute of Victoria as a potential first in Australia. The success of his approach has seen him hailed as an innovator by estate agents.

"I think he has been rewarded for trying something new," REIV spokesman Robert Larocca told Adelaide Now, although other agents were keen to emphasise that social media could not replace their traditional selling approach.

On Twitter, the reaction was more positive. @ohbirdie asked "What happened to distributing flyers?" @NorthcoteHouse replied: "We thought we would give this a try. What do you think?"

REIV's Twitter account, @REIVictoria, was equally curious: "In the 178 auction sales yesterday was house with twitter account @NorthcoteHouse .... Did social media play a role?"

The response from Opray was convincing: "Yes. The people who bought said they were browsing the blog the night before," he tweeted, adding: "@HockingStuart said they had more interest in our property than any other they have listed this year."

But @NorthcoteHouse isn't the first home to use Twitter as a selling tool. A property in Tucson generated buzz at the end of 2011, after tweeting photos, quotes and jokes under the username @IAMAHouse1. "My owners just hung mistletoe in my foyer," the house tweeted during Christmas. "With all the kisses going on around here, gotta admit I feel a little used."

While @IAMAHouse1 is still waiting for the right person to click on the buy button, Opray's Australian auction may be Twitter's first property success story. Does it mark a major turning point for social media in selling property?

Sohail Rashid would argue that it does. He launched the first Facebook application for buying and selling property earlier this year. Property Place has since announced that it is recruiting 10 agents per day.

"We've had a phenomenal number of independent agents sign up," Rohaid told Estate Agent Today.

Kurt Opray's success may have been spurred on by another market trend, as demand for Australian property grows stronger. Prime Location announced this week that buyers were increasingly looking to "move outside of Europe", with interest in property Down Under up by 22 per cent, while familiar destination, such as France, decreased by 14 per cent.

Whether Australia's appeal played a part or not, Ospray's Twitter triumph is a landmark move for property marketing. What will be the next step? Follow @TheMoveChannel on Twitter (or like our Facebook page) to find out.

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Investment Watch: Investors go to Disneyland

Ivan Radford — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:44:00 GMT

Photo credit: Michael Huey

Real estate investors went to Disneyland in January, reveals TheMoveChannel.com's latest Investment Watch.

The report, which ranks the monthly level of interest in the portal's listings, saw the majority of investors turn to townhouses two miles from Mickey's home in search of a dream come true. The newest vacation home community in the Disney area, the Florida development was built in 2007 but a price reduction of one-third last month saw investors flock to buy a holiday home with strong buy-to-let potential.

While Florida topped the Investment Watch rankings for the second month in a row, Disney was not the only resort to receive attention, with a Bulgarian ski hotspot and a hotel in Marrakech providing popular commercial opportunities for buyers looking abroad. For buy-to-let investors closer to home, student accommodation in London and Cheshire saw similar levels of demand, taking eighth and ninth place respectively.

But January saw a new investment product climb up the chart.

Plots of land in Brazil and the UK generated lots of interest, but a carbon credits project in Australia emerged as the month's second most popular listing, proving that investors don't need to go to Disneyland to find a happy ending.

The alternative investment programme promised a 30 per cent return and a government-backed exit strategy on a reforestation scheme in Victoria - enough to attract almost double the number of enquiries received by a coastal villa in Murcia with 107 per cent finance.

Director Dan Johnson comments: "The demand for Florida's Disney homes was always going to be high - the combination of location, price and commercial opportunity is hard to beat. The popularity of the carbon credits project is more surprising though. Is this a sign that property investors are starting to consider more unorthodox investment vehicles for their capital? That remains to be seen, but with a variety of alternative schemes hitting the market, 2012 looks like being a growth period for that particular sector.

The Top 10 investment properties for January 2012 are as follows:

Rank	Property	Country	Company
1	Disney Pool Townhouse, Florida	USA	Starfish Property Investments
2	Carbon Credits, Victoria	Australia	Best Overseas Property
3	Below Market Value Hotel, Marrakech	Morocco	Best Overseas Property
4	Buy-to-Let Townhouse, Detroit	USA	Target Market Ltd
5	Land Development, Minas Gerais	Brazil	Obelisk
6	New Building Plot, Hampshire	UK	Landmark Developments
7	Ski Resort Hotel, Pamporovo	Bulgaria	Imagine Overseas
8	Student Apartments, London	UK	Principal International
9	Student Apartments, Cheshire	UK	Principal International
10	Financed Beach Villa, Murcia	Spain	Blue Med Repossessions

Notes to Editors

Founded in 1999, TheMoveChannel.com is the leading independent website for international property, with than 400,000 listings in over 100 countries around the world, marketed on behalf of agents, developers and private owners.

The website address is http://www.TheMoveChannel.com and the office address is 24 Jack's Place, Corbet Place, Spitalfields, London, E1 6NN.

Contact Dan Johnson on 0207 952 7650 for further information.

Video - South Australian real estate market report (February 2012)

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Raine & Horne South Australia CEO Kevin Magee answers the top real estate questions every month including “How’s the South Australian Property Market?” and “What does that mean for me?” in the process identifying property opportunities, clarifying Australian economic trends and providing real estate market tips for Raine & Horne members, Buyers, Sellers, Investors (Landlords) & Tenants.

Watch the full report on TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2012/02/south-australian-real-estate-market-report-february-2012/

Top 10 most romantic homes

Ivan Radford — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:00:00 GMT

It's Tuesday 14th February, which for many means chocolates, flowers, wine and romance. But if, like TheMoveChannel.com, you're a more property-minded individual, then Valentine's Day means only one thing: the hunt for the world's most heart-warming piece of real estate. Here, then, to make housing sparks fly, are the top 10 most romantic homes around the globe.

1. Coco Chanel's Riviera Home, France

Photo credit: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

Chanel No.5 may be gift-wrapped by some today, but Coco's villa was a far more romantic present. Located on the French Riviera, this 10,000 square-foot property - co-designed by her - has seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms and was built for the fashion icon as a gift from her lover, the Duke of Westminster. It was put up for sale this week.

2. The Dancing House, Czech Republic

Photo credit: Aidan McMichael

Prague's Dancing House (built in 1996) may seem askew at first glance, but take a closer look and you'll spot a similarity to iconic Hollywood couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Ginger leans casually into Fred's concrete structure, hugging around the waist in a rare architectural embrace.

3. The Playboy Mansion, USA

Photo credit: Brule Laker

It's impossible to talk about romance and houses without mentioning Hugh Hefner's Californian love nest. The property was purchased by the Playboy founder in 1971 for $1.2 million and has since expanded across the surrounding 5.3 acres of land, boasting a wine cellar, tennis courts, swimming pool, waterfall, a zoo and, of course, its famous residents. The original Playboy Mansion in Chicago, meanwhile, has since opened its doors to standard tenants and is now divided up into condos.

4. 800 Winnebago Court, USA

Photo credit: Zillow.com/Panoramio.com

800 Winnebago Court may not sound like a romantic address, but the town it belongs to certainly is. According to its listing on Zillow, the area used to be twinned with the nearby community Juliet. When the two places split, the village marked the break-up by renaming itself Romeoville.

4. The Empire State Building, USA

Photo credit: Archana Pandey

Home to many tenants, The Empire State Building is an iconic property for lovestruck couples everywhere. Is it the fact that they can now own a part of the once-tallest building in the world? No, it's the observation deck on the skyscraper's roof, a popular place for marriage proposals that has seen its reputation climb even higher as time goes by.

5. Schloss Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

Photo credit: K4Dordy

The Neuschwanstein Castle has inspired many a dreamy gaze over the years. Built (and paid for) by Ludwig II of Bavaria, the German palace was intended in the 19^th Century to be a retreat for the King. Since his death in 1886, the building has been open to the public, eventually inspiring Disneyland's iconic Sleeping Beauty castle - and, as a result, the romantic dreams of countless young girls across the world.

6. The Old Post House, UK

Photo credit: Telegraph.co.uk / Greenslade Taylor Hunt

This Dorset cottage, situated near the river Piddle, is a cosy affair. Pick it up for £575,000 and snuggle next to its open fire before retiring to one of the four upstairs bedrooms and you'll be tickled pink with affection.

7. Rooftop Romance, Australia

Photo credit: Becks_fever

From street level, this Melbourne property appears to be a regular block of apartments, until you take another look from overhead - and experience a complete change of heart.

8. The Patrick O'Donnell House, USA

Photo credit: CNBC.com / Douglas Berlinsky

For those of a less Disney-inspired outlook, this South Carolina home should fit the Valentine's Day bill. Constructed in the 19^th Century by O'Donnell, the $6.85 million home inspired the character Melanie in the classic romantic film Gone with the Wind. It was intended for Patrick's fiancée but took so long to build that by the time it was finished, she had already married someone else. O'Donnell lived there for the rest of his life. He died alone.

9. Island Getaway, Cornwall

Photo credit: Telegraph.co.uk

If privacy is the key to a quiet night in, this unique property in Cornwall is guaranteed to make sure you're not disturbed. Situated on top of an island by a Newquay beach, the only way in and out of the house is a 100ft long suspension bridge - a fact that has had elderly couple Lord and Lady Long searching for a new owner since 2010.

10. One Night in Philadelphia...

Photo credit: Curbed.com

This condo in Philadelphia is your usual penthouse apartment. Fireplaces, wooden floors, the works. But if you're looking to impress your partner with a more extravagant gesture, take them up to see the rooftop cinema, where a 6' by 10' HD screen (with surround sound) awaits a happy couple. There's an outdoor kitchen and a city view, too. In short, the perfect date - every night of the week.

Ready to embrace a new property?

Fall in love with our listings of houses, apartments and other overseas property:

http://www.themovechannel.com/property/all

Interest rate cuts boost new home lending in Australia

admin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Housing finance figures for December 2011 reveal that the November and December official interest rate cuts had a positive impact on home buyer confidence and new home lending in Australia, according to the Housing Industry Association, the voice of Australia’s residential building industry.

‘The 2.1% increase in new home lending in the month of December 2011 suggests the potential of a modest revival in the lending market. Let’s hope, however, that the recent decision by two of our big banks to independently lift their variable lending rates does not undo the work of the Reserve Bank,’ said HIA senior economist, Andrew Harvey.

‘The improvement in lending for established homes also continued, with the number of loans up by 2.3% in December, again highlighting the impact that the changed interest rate cycle had begun to have on homebuyer confidence,’ explained Harvey.

Source: PropertyWire.com

Australian commercial property market 'broadly flat'

admin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:30:00 GMT

The commercial real estate sector in Australia stabilised in the final quarter of 2011, with capital value growth, investor demand and occupier and owner sentiment all "broadly flat".

According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) Oceania Commercial Property Survey, vacancy rates in the nation fell and, despite tenant demand continuing to slide, it did so at "a noticeably slower pace" in the final three months of last year.

Kaye Herald, managing director of Rics Asia Pacific, commented: "The expectations for the first quarter of this year seem to suggest that this stability may result in some better results going forward."

Source: PropertyShowrooms.com

Aussie rental market to boom says NSW chief

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:58:00 GMT

Australia’s rental market could boom in 2012 as the country suffers from a chronic lack of supply according to the chief executive of the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales.

Tim McKibben believes that it is currently “a landlords’ market”.

“When you’ve got 30 people lining up for the one property you’re essentially going to have 29 people missing out,”

Mckibben added that this scenario could worsen after a change in stamp duty requirements meaning potential homeowners now have to fund their stamp duty from this year.

Source: OPP.org.uk

Australian house prices dip in slow December-RP data

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:33:00 GMT

Figures from property consultant RP Data-Rismark showed Sydney had been the nation's best performer, with dwelling values up 0.4 percent in December. The median dwelling price for Sydney stood at A$485,000 ($512,700).

RP Data-Rismark also revised up the November index for dwellings in capital cities to 0.4 percent from 0.1 percent, marking the largest month-on-month improvement since May 2010.

Source: UK.Reuters.com

Chinese buyers overtake Japanese as top foreign spenders in Oz

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:46:00 GMT

Overseas property buyers from China have overtaken the Japanese as the biggest spenders in the Australian state of Queensland, having upped their buying pattern three-fold during the global financial crisis says a new report from the agency group CBRE.

More than 30% of all Australia’s real estate investment from abroad is coming from China, and Queensland is a popular target. The Chinese account for 40% of foreign sales on the Gold Coast and 35% in Brisbane.

Villas near golf courses, luxury homes for business executives in the city centre and apartments for children studying in Australia sell best.

Chinese capital is also financing 9% of Australia’s new apartment building programme says CBRE. The last time Australia saw overseas property activity on the scale was the Japanese-led building boom of the late 1980s.

Source: OPP.org.uk

Britons rush for Australian visas

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:36:00 GMT

VisaFirst.com is using Australia Day (January 26) to launch a campaign raising awareness of the changes, urging prospective migrants to act now or risk missing out.

The latest changes, which come into effect on July 1 this year, are set to lengthen the application process and make it harder to obtain permanent residence.

Nearly 24,000 UK citizens were granted permanent resident visas for Australia in 2011, despite a toughening of the “points system” in July of that year. The prospect of further changes has already sparked a rise in applications from would-be emigrants, claims VisaFirst.com, which registered a three-fold increase in applications in January alone.

“Currently, if you meet the points requirement you can lodge your visa application,” said Edwina Shanahan, director of the company. “After July 1, applicants will have to achieve the pass mark and will then be entered into a skills pool. Australian immigration authorities will then decide which applications they want to invite for further processing from the pool. Applicants can languish here for up to two years, with no guarantee of ever receiving an invitation to apply.”

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Bloodbath to hit Australian real estate, analyst Jordan Wirsz says

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:35:00 GMT

Australia's love affair with property is about to be tested amid predictions prices will plummet by as much as 60 per cent, with capital cities hardest hit.

That’s the Armageddon-esque warning from leading US real estate analyst Jordan Wirsz, who believes Australia is heading towards a property bloodbath as the global economic downturn spreads to China and eventually here.

Mr Wirsz advises Fortune 500 CEOs and fund managers on investing in real estate.

He predicts that a flood of properties will begin to hit the market in Australia from next year as investors scramble to bail out, leading to a property crash of magnitude the country has not seen before.

Source: HeraldSun.com.au

Confidence in Australian property market 'broadly positive'

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:35:00 GMT

Confidence levels across the Australian real estate sector remain in positive territory, a new survey has revealed, although some areas are faring better than others.

This is one of the findings in the Property Council-ANZ Property Industry Confidence Survey December 2011, which noted the Northern Territory (NT) saw the greatest improvement in sentiment among real estate professionals.

A new gas deal with INPEX is expected to boost the economy in the NT, with the Property Council's division president in the state Brendan Dunn describing it as a "game changer" for the region.

However, respondents in New South Wales and Victoria - which are home to the country's largest property markets - took a more negative outlook in the final quarter of 2011 than they did in the previous three-month period.

Source: PropertyShowrooms.com

Video - Australian property market 2012 forecast

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:09:00 GMT

Sam Saggers, CEO of Positive Real Estate, discusses the Australian property market 2012 forecast.

Did you know approximately 80% of people buy real estate after a market has reached its peak? That means you may have to wait over five years to attain significant capital growth or you may even lose money!

That is why this week’s market update is one you do not want to miss, as the information revealed can teach you about emerging markets, where the secure sectors are this year - and where you should absolutely avoid.

Watch the full video forecast on TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2012/01/australian-property-market-2012-forecast/

Oz shows signs of recovery as building approvals bounce back

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:44:00 GMT

Australia's Housing Industry Association revealed new figures this week showing that the number of house-building approvals rebounded in November after recording their lowest level in 29 months in October 2011.

“Building approvals for both detached houses and other dwellings saw increases in November 2011, although the results come off a low base and total approvals remain significantly down on a year earlier,” HIA senior economist, Andrew Harvey told OPP.

Seasonally-adjusted building approvals rose by 8.4% following a 10% drop in October and a 14.8% fall in September. Detached house approvals rose by 4.9% in November while approvals for other dwellings rose by 16.1%. Total November approvals were down by 18.9% on one year earlier.

“At least today’s approvals update is on the right side of zero growth, but the level of total approvals remains weak and serves to reinforce the need for further interest rate cuts in the first half of 2012,” added Harvey.

Source: OPP.org.uk

Interest rate cuts boost new home sales in Australia

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:16:00 GMT

The first interest rate cut in two and a half years has had an immediate impact with sales of new homes jumping 6.8%.

The latest New Home Sales report from the Housing Industry Association based on a survey of Australia’s 100 largest builders, shows a significant bounce for sales in November 2011. Total seasonally adjusted new home sales increased by 6.8% following a downwardly revised 2.8% gain in October.

Detached house sales increased by a relatively healthy 9.8%, driven primarily by a stronger showing in New South Wales and Victoria, the report also shows. But multi unit sales fell by 17%.

‘This is a healthier but not unexpected result. Only two months earlier in September 2011, detached house sales plumbed to an 11 year low,’ said HIA chief economist Harley Dale.

Source: PropertyCommunity.com

Video - Tasmania World Australia

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Tasmania is Australia’s smallest state and the most decentralised and geographically diverse.

The landscape can change from rainforested valleys and highland lakes to long glistening white beaches, or towering sea cliffs … all within a 90-minute drive. And the climate is maritime and mild. Everything is so easy to get to: you can stand atop a mountain peak in the morning and paddle an azure sea in the afternoon. Y

Watch the full travel video on TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2012/01/tasmania-world-australia/

Oz timeshare operators facing commission crisis

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:20:00 GMT

Australian timeshare operators are facing new laws that could wipe out commissions … leaving them to face an “immediate and devastating” threat, they say.

Government-proposed Future of Financial Advice reforms would ban financial advisers from taking conflicted forms of payment, including commissions and volume-based payments.

In Australia timeshare products are regulated as managed investment schemes, with operators needing to hold financial services licences. Commissions are commonly used as an incentive in the sector.

And Barry Robinson, chief executive of Wyndham Vacation Resorts, said that timeshare operators could be “very detrimental” for the sector if the proposals become legislature.

Source: OPP.org.uk

Property prices set to rebound

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:33:00 GMT

After much speculation in recent months over the interest rate cut effect on property prices, recent data proves it was certainly a gear changer in November 2011, with the greatest increases recorded since December 2010, according to RP Data-Rismark‘s November Hedonic Home Value Index results.

In November, the index reported that capital city home values rose by 0.1 per cent and regional dwelling prices climbed by 0.3 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms.

Rismark’s Christopher Joye said this positive result in November is a confidence boost for the first quarter of 2012, which is now projected to experience a price rebound particularly as new home loan approvals for established dwellings continue to rise since the downturn in March last year.

Over the 12 months to November 2011, the total return for investors in capital city property markets remained positive overall at 1.2 per cent, however significant diversity still remained across these housing markets, said RP Data senior research analyst Cameron Kusher.

Source: APIMagazine.com.au

Cheeky house tour takes marketing to the next level

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:59:00 GMT

One very cheeky real estate agent in Australia has posted a video house tour that rivals most cologne commercials in both production value and sheer irreverence. The scene is set in 92 Savoy Drive, an ultra-luxe property where, the glossy video suggests, beautiful people vacation in the buff regularly. But it's not the home's sleek amenities or other aspects -- ahem -- that the camera captures again and again.

Over the course of the 2½-minute vignette, we're guided by our bare-bottomed host through a series of beautifully mundane activities. He bids adieu to his languorous partner; he lifts weights in his impeccable personal gym; and finally hands off the keys to the abode to our well-dressed real estate agent. The kicker, of course, is that the home affords unrivaled privacy -- but we didn't catch that until the second or third viewing.

The video was filmed by production company PlatinumHD, which is no stranger to the axiom "sex sells."

(Warning: The unedited version is probably not safe for work, unless you work in the designer fragrance industry.)

Source: AOL.com

Video - Tips: Preparing property for sale

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:16:00 GMT

Sydney property experts share tips on how to prepare real estate before selling and moving home.

Watch the video on TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2011/12/sydney-real-estate-tips-preparing-property-for-sale/

Oz residential prices plummet at increasing rate

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:36:00 GMT

Australian house prices are falling at an accelerating rate according to figures out this week from RP Data-Rismark.

Values in Melbourne and Brisbane are declining at the fastest rate with Sydney proving to be the most resilient market.

In the ten months to October, seasonally adjusted home prices in Melbourne crashed 5.8%, with only Brisbane doing worse … residential values dropped 7.5% in the first 10 months of this year RP Data-Rismark told OPP.

Sydney saw prices down 1.4% over the same period and the national capital of Canberra appears to have done best upping its average sales values by 0.9%.

Source: OPP.org.uk

Australian rental sector 'strengthening'

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:03:00 GMT

Although the value of homes across Australia's state capital cities has fallen by 2.8 per cent in real terms since the start of 2011, there has been an improvement in the rental sector.

This is according to the latest RP Data - Rismark Home Value Index for October, with Rismark managing director Ben Skilbeck highlighting the changing fortunes of the lettings market.

"While homeowners and property investors have endured a 2.8 per cent tapering in actual home values over the course of 2011, rental growth has been very solid," he stated.

Mr Skilbeck cited figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which show that rents have increased by between four and five per cent so far this year.

Source: PropertyShowrooms.com

Global housing markets struggling

Ivan Radford — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:29:00 GMT

The world's housing markets had a weak third quarter of 2011, according to the latest survey of worldwide house price indices prepared by the Global Property Guide. During the year to end Q3 2011, house prices fell in 25 countries (out of the 44 for which quarterly house price statistics are available) and rose in only 19.

Moreover, 26 housing markets performed more poorly during the year to the third quarter than last year, while only 18 countries performed better.

The Global Property Guide's statistical presentation uses price-changes after inflation, giving a more realistic picture than the more upbeat nominal figures usually preferred by real estate agents.

What is most remarkable this quarter is the wide variety of outcomes:

Brazil and India booming

India and Brazil's housing markets have continued their spectacular outperformance, with Delhi house prices up 22.68% during the year to Q3 2011, according to National Housing Bank (NHB) figures. There were strong house price increases in almost all India's major cities, reflecting the country's current high rate of consumer price inflation, despite a drop in demand resulting from the repo rate hike in October (currently at 8.50%), the 13th since March 2010, making home loans costlier.

Brazil's Sao Paolo had the second highest house price rise in the world during the third quarter, with house prices up 5.88% during the quarter, according to the FIPE- Zap price index. Sao Paolo had an astonishing year, with house prices up 20.26% during the year to Q3 2011. The country is experiencing an unprecedented boom, not least because it is the host country for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Europe's mixed housing markets

The world's second strongest quarter-on-quarter house price rise occurred in an unexpected city - Vienna, where house prices surged by 5.44% during the quarter (and +4.25% on the year), continuing 6 years of nearly unbroken price rises for Austria's capital.

The Baltics have also performed strongly. Latvia is the third best performer among all reporting countries in our survey over the twelve months to Q3 2011. In Riga, standard type apartments rose 13.31% year-on-year, a quick comeback after a fall of 5.40% in the second quarter.

Following Latvia was Estonia, whose housing market is rallying after three years of terrific losses that began during the onset of the global financial crisis. During the year to end Q3 2011, house prices in Tallinn were up 12.30% with a quarterly rise of 2.71%.

Other European markets which have enjoyed satisfactory increases were Norway (+6.74%), France (+4.80%), and Switzerland (+3.35 %).

Modest house price increases were seen in Slovenia (+0.82%), Iceland (+0.76%), Germany (+0.66%) and Luxembourg (+0.55%) in the year to Q3 2011.

Ireland stays weak

The Irish housing market remains the world's weakest performer. House prices were down 15.61% year-on-year, the steepest decline since 2008. Quarter-on-quarter, Ireland's house prices slid 4.25%.

Several other European housing markets experienced accelerated downturns during the year ending in the third quarter of 2011, including Netherlands (-5.20%), Portugal (-6.77%), Slovak Republic (-7.94%), Warsaw, Poland (-7.95%), Spain (-8.41%) and Bulgaria (-9.65%).

Conversely, European countries which saw slower house price falls this year than the previous year include Turkey (-0.50%), Russia (-3.47%), Croatia (-4.59%), Hungary (-4.67%), Athens, Greece (-6.57%) and Kiev, Ukraine (-7.02%).

Asian housing markets now cooling

In Asia, several countries had house price increases during the year to end Q3 2011, albeit less strong than last year, following the government measures to curb the heat in their respective housing markets.

In Hong Kong, house prices were up 12.07% year-on-year, after a rise of 19.30% the previous year. In Malaysia, house prices rose by 3.15% year-on-year, after a rise of 5.76% during the same period last year. In Singapore, house prices rose by 2.73% year-on-year, a big drop from last year's 18.96%. In Taiwan, house prices were up a mere 0.46% year-on-year, after a rise of 6.97% during the same period the previous year. During the latest quarter, house prices were down 7.02%.

However, housing markets in South Korea and Philippines (Makati CBD) improved from a year earlier with price rises of 1.55% and 0.89%, respectively.

In Japan (Tokyo) and China (Shanghai), housing markets have been deteriorating since Q1 2011. House price declines are being reported across China, indicating the success of government measures during the past year. The country's skyrocketing housing prices have been blamed for social tensions and other economic problems.

Patchy progress for North America

The Canadian housing market has been a notable performer in the year to Q3 2011, with house prices in the six cities rising by 3.25% year-on-year, according to Teranet - National Bank Composite House Price Index. Record-low interest rates and a fairly stable Canadian economy have bolstered consumer confidence in the housing market. During the third quarter, house prices were up 3.46%.

In the United States, the housing market drifted lower as house prices plummeted by 7.22% (seasonally-adjusted) year-on-year to Q3 2011, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). However, the number of homeowners who owe more than their homes' worth decreased modestly in the third quarter, though levels remained high.

Israeli house price boom now over

House prices in Israel fell 0.58% in the year to Q3 2011, the first drop since 2009. During the latest quarter, house prices were down 3.65%.

The moderation in home prices comes against the background of the continued increase in the number of building starts, the lagged effect of the increase in the interest rate, measures introduced by the Bank of Israel affecting mortgages, and steps taken by the Ministry of Finance in real estate taxation. The effect of these moves is expected to continue and be evident going forward.

Pacific housing markets heading down

In New Zealand, median house prices were down 4.30% from a year earlier, with a quarterly house price fall of 2.26%. However, there is optimism in the housing market buoyed by low interest rates and recovery following earthquakes in Christchurch.

High interest rates and global economic uncertainty have continued to impact the Australian housing market, and it slumped 5.55% in the year to Q3 2011, the third quarter in which annual house price falls were reported this year.

Accordingly, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) lowered the benchmark interest rate in November, the first time since April 2009, moving to boost the nation's economy amid uncertainty stemming from Europe's debt crisis. The benchmark rate is currently at 4.50%.

Video - Australian floods leave more than 2,000 residents stranded

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:09:00 GMT

Flooding in the Australian state of New South Wales has cut off roads and left more than 2,000 people in the region stranded.

Watch the full video report by Sophie Foster on TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2011/11/australian-floods-leave-more-than-2000-residents-stranded/

Video: Visit Australia

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:15:00 GMT

Australia is a country that is attracting an increasing number of British expats looking to relocate abroad. But what does Down Under have to offer overseas visitors?

Watch the Visit Australia tourist video on TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2011/11/visit-australia/

Aussie developers should push for 15-day planning approval

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:52:00 GMT

Australian developers who build into their plans proposals to overcome common residential problems such as privacy, overshadowing, height and setback should be allowed to win a fast track 15-day building approval says a new report out this week from Grattan Institute, called “Getting The Housing We Want.”

It currently takes more than six months for many Austrlian councils to process a typical residential planning application. The report also called for Melbourne's adversarial planning application system to be replaced with a universal housing code.

The Grattan Institute is also proposing that a think tank of architects, builders and planners should be set up in Australian to produce innovative designs.

Source: OPP

Melbourne hits 5 months housing supply high

admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 06:29:00 GMT

Australian residential property data specialist Monique Wakelin there is now “the equivalent of 5 months of supply on the Melbourne housing market.” This is almost double the long-term average of 3 months’ supply.

With interest rates falling, and stock levels high, Wakelin argues that the local market is about to start improving as buyers move in again.

Source: OPP.org.uk

Toni Collette buys new $6 million house in Sydney

admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:38:00 GMT

Toni Collette has bought a new Sydney property.

The Australian actress, who is best known for her roles in The United States of Tara and Muriel's Wedding, reportedly spent $6 million (£3.8 million) on the double-fronted, five-bedroom Victorian terrace in Paddington.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Collette and husband Dave Galafassi originally intended to renovate the Bronte house that they bought two years ago for $4.4 million (£2.8 million), but building quotes have blown out by millions of dollars.

The property was listed by estate agents as a "palatial", contemporary family home, "stunningly reinvented to embrace light". It is reported to have an open-plan living space, rooftop terrace, high ceilings, a courtyard and a marble kitchen.

Source: DigitalSpy.co.uk

Video: How will the November rate cut affect the property market in the lead up to Christmas?

admin — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:18:00 GMT

Australia's central bank cut the interest rate in November for the first time in 31 months. The reduction to 4.5 per cent (down 0.25 per cent) in response to global financial concerns has lowered mortgage payments for homeowners.

As the industry speculates about another quarter-percentage decrease in the near future, Australian broker John Symond shares his thoughts on how the November rate cut will affect the property market in the run-up to Christmas.

Watch the full video report at TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2011/11/how-will-the-november-rate-cut-affect-the-property-market-in-the-lead-up-to-christmas

Sydney spring surge as home buyers dive in

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:29:00 GMT

Home buying in Sydney is increasing, with auction clearance rates rising and a surge in first-home buyer activity. Last weekend, 572 properties were listed for auction, the same number as the previous weekend and almost the same as the 588 listed for auction at the same weekend last year.

Preliminary auction clearance rates for last weekend are higher than the 54.9 per cent achieved both the weekend before and for the same weekend last year.

Of the 392 auctions reported last weekend, 252 were sold, an auction clearance rate of 57 per cent, the highest preliminary rate recorded for nearly a month.

The total value of properties sold was $219.7 million at an average value of $871,825 per property. The median value of houses sold was $889,250 and for units the median value was $605,000. The most expensive property reported sold at auction in Sydney last weekend was a three-bedroom house in Coogee that went for $2,115,000. The most affordable property sold at auction was a two-bedroom unit in Mount Druitt that went for $232,000.

Latest data from the Bureau of Statistics is also pointing to increased buying activity in the Sydney housing market. The number of owner-occupied home loans in NSW rose by 3.9 per cent over September. This is the sixth consecutive monthly rise in the number of home loans.

Source: Domain.com.au

Australia's commercial property sector 'slowing'

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:47:00 GMT

The commercial property market in Australia is exhibiting signs of a slowdown, new data has revealed.

A survey carried out by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) covering the outlook for the Oceania region in the fourth quarter of 2011 recorded a slide in both tenant demand and investor sentiment.

However, the organisation noted that rental expectations for the final months of this year remained positive.

In its report, the institution stated that the figures "should be seen in the context of an extended period of strong economic growth and a healthy performance from the real estate sector".

Source: PropertyShowrooms.com

Video: South Australian real estate market report – November 2011

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:51:00 GMT

Raine & Horne South Australia CEO Kevin Magee provides the latest monthly update of the South Australian property market.

For house prices, market trends and real estate news, watch the full report on TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2011/11/south-australian-real-estate-market-report-november-2011/

Video: Travel guide to Adelaide, Australia

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:01:00 GMT

Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, is Australia’s fifth largest city with a population of slightly over 1.28 million.

This coastal city is also located among the wine regions of McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Clare Valley, all situated within a daytrip of the city. What are the area's other attractions?

Watch the full video travel guide at TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2011/11/travel-guide-to-adelaide-australia/

Property prices in Australian capital cities still falling

admin — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:05:00 GMT

The average price of residential properties in Australian capital cities fell 1.2 per cent in the third quarter of 2011 compared with the previous quarter, the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show.

Prices fell in all eight cities surveyed. The biggest declines were in Brisbane at 2.5 per cent, and the smallest was in Sydney at 0.2 per cent. Perth house prices declined by 1.3 per cent, Adelaide fell by 0.9 per cent, Canberra fell by 2 per cent, Hobart fell by 1 per cent per cent and Darwin fell by 0.4 per cent.

Year on year, preliminary estimates show that the price index for established houses for the weighted average of the eight capital cities decreased 2.2 per cent. Darwin was down 4.4 per cent, Perth 4.2 per cent, Adelaide 3.2 per cent, Canberra 2.2 per cent, Melbourne 2.1 per cent, Sydney 0.3 per cent and Hobart 0.3 per cent.

Source: Property Wire

7 simple ways to house 7 billion

Ivan Radford — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:10:00 GMT

Photo credit: 7 Billion Actions / JJelenBass

This week, the world population hit 7 billion. The number of people on the planet has doubled over the last 50 years and there are now 21 mega cities around the world housing 10 million or more. According to National Geographic, “7 billion people could fit shoulder-to-shoulder in Los Angeles”, but what if people want a home?

With 5 people born every second, and life expectancy on the up, the population is expected to reach 9 billion within 35 years. Where will they all live?

Here are 7 simple ways to house 7 billion people:

1. Live in space

Photo credit: Ken Banks

With space filling up on the ground, there's lot of room in space. A fixed home, or hotel, orbiting the Earth could house humans tired of crowded cities, while outer space has an unlimited capacity for new developments. As the race for space tourism takes off, living in space is looking like an increasingly sensible option. Inevitably, the Russians are already working on it.

2. Live in the sea

Photo credit: Andras Gyorfi / Seasteading Institute

Over 70 per cent of the Earth is made up of water. It seems silly not to build a home there. Indeed, The Seasteading Institute are an organisation dedicated to constructing offshore platforms to turn into island cities. Earlier this year, Paypal founder Peter Thiel was reported by many outlets to have invested in a flotilla near San Francisco’s coast, to be built next year. These reports were all incorrect, but Thiel has definitely donated money to the company. And as land space becomes limited, the tide may be turning for aquatic homes.

3. Live between buildings

Photo credit: Arch Daily / FastcoDesign

As buildings run out of spare rooms, why not live between them? In Poland, Jakub Szczeny is already trying. His Warsaw house is just 4 feet wide, with its thinnest point barely reaching 28 inches. Is it the thinnest house in The World? It’s certainly the narrowest in Poland, although it technically isn’t classified as a house; officially, the project is an art installation to avoid planning permission issues. Designed as a workspace for writer Etgar Keter, the property proves that there is always space if you look between the lines. Construction will be complete in December.

4. Live in cars

Photo credit: If It's Hip It's Here

In 2009, there were 50,000 homeless people in Los Angeles. 10 per cent of those lived in cars, according to Time magazine. But if the prospect of an illegal vehicle home holds no appeal and you can’t afford the $2 million trailer that Simon Cowell has been living in, this VW Beetle-inspired house (and restaurant) in Salzberg provides a trendy alternative for those keen on automotive accommodation.

5. Live in a tree

Photo credit: Webecoist / The Independent

For people looking to find space off the ground, living in trees could provide a green alternative. It’s not just the vertical forests under construction in Milan that offer forest-based accommodation: tree houses are located around the world, including this spiral staircased property in France, located in the Rambouillet Forest.

6. Live in mobile homes

Photo credit: Webecoist

Mobile homes are an increasingly viable option for densely populated areas. The flat-pack houses launched this year by The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company in the USA provide an affordable answer, with miniscule models available from just £61. Meanwhile, modular homes, such as Matti Suuronen’s ski cabin above, are flexible enough to be constructed anywhere in the world (even on cliff tops), making mobile living both a cost-effective and practical solution.

7. Live in Australia

Photo credit: Melody Tan

After Mongolia, Australia is the world’s least densely populated country, with just 6.4 people living per square mile. That’s a lot of space for new residents. And with an increasing number of expats returning back to the UK after moving Down Under, there’s even more room available. Given the main reason for Britons leaving Oz was boredom, though, outer space might be a more exciting option.

Where would you like to live?

Browse our extensive range of overseas property, which hasn't quite reached 7 billion houses yet:

http://www.themovechannel.com/property/all

Video: The sustainable future of real estate

admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:43:00 GMT

Now is the time to consider the sustainable future of real estate, carbon change expert Patrick Dixon declared at the Total Real Estate Training conference this week.

The $40 trillion green tech revolution has an impact upon commercial property and residential property, and the longevity of buildings must be improved to reduce lifetime energy use. Energy savings can be found from heat pumps, better air conditioning systems and better boilers, but office block and factory design cab cgabge too, using new forms of concrete, zeobond and other materials.

Watch the full speech at TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2011/11/future-of-buildings-business-personal-life-sustainability-carbon-real-estate-energy-keynote/

Is Australia losing expat appeal?

Ivan Radford — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:44:00 GMT

Photo credit: JamesMellor

Australia is a popular destination for many British expats. Well-known for its high quality of life and boasting Melbourne, the World's Most Liveable City, Brits have been heading to Oz for years. But now an increasing number are returning to the UK. As Norway tops Down Under in the UN's index of Best Places to Live, is Australia losing its expat appeal? Is Oz not so wonderful after all?

Thousands of Britons seem to think so. Since 2005, 30,000 people have come back to the UK after moving to Australia, with 86,300 choosing to leave the country between 2009 and 2010. According to the University of York and Australia's Flinders University, many returned home because of boredom.

Analysing a web forum targeted at Australia's British community, researchers found that common themes among users included homesickness and a feeling of not belonging. One woman complained of Australia's "awful TV, heat, four-wheel-drives everywhere" and "macho culture". Another Briton enjoyed the familiarity of the UK after being away: "Coming back has been a bit like slipping into an old pair of shoes."

Australia dropped to second place in the UN's global rankings this week too, as Norway stole Oz's status as the best place in the world to live. The Scandinavian country's education attainment and income were both ranked higher than Australia's, officially replacing Down Under as the country with the highest quality of life.

And yet Australia continues to attract new arrivals. The country's booming economy and labour shortage make it an ideal destination for Brits out of work, with property prices remaining affordable. Mark Sharp, CEO of the Association of International Property Professionals, told Property Showrooms: "Now is a good time [to enter Australia's property market] when interest rates remain low and property prices are not rising as far as they were."

Indeed, the number of Brits wanting to head Down Under is actually on the up. 107,000 have moved to Australia in the last six years, and although 60 per cent have since returned, the Overseas Guides Company has seen a sharp rise in interest in Oz this year. Enquiries about Australia rose by an astonishing 160% in the third quarter of 2011, the OGC revealed this week.

"With the UK and most of the Eurozone teetering on the edge of another recession and employment opportunities depressingly low, younger Brits are understandably being attracted by opportunities of a new life down under," editor Richard Way commented to OPP.

So why do poms ping-pong back?

One of the researchers, Professor Roger Burrows, argues that it depends on the type of person. "Very local people" are considered most likely to return to the UK, often to spend time with their families and introduce children to their grandparents. But homesickness is not just restricted to expats abroad. "If they moved to another town in the UK they would have that sense of displacement and loss," Burrows adds.

Another interesting trend is for returnees to acquire Australian citizenship before leaving the country. "That way, when your duty to your children and grandparents is finally done you are free to go back to make your home in Australia," explained one Briton.

With some ping-pong poms pinging back to Oz, the pull of Australian property is clearly still strong. Norway may be a better place to live (scoring 0.94 out of 1 to Oz's 0.93), but Australian life expectancy is considerably higher and the quality of life is still one of the best in the world. "The UN gives Australia first place in its measure of 'non-income human development'', the Sydney Morning Herald confirmed.

Compared to the "old shoe" of the UK, it's no surprise that Brits still find Down Under a neat new fit. As demand continues to grow for Australian houses, the question isn't whether you want to move there, it's will you come back?

Interested in moving to Australia?

Browse our listings of houses, apartments and other property Down under:

http://australia.themovechannel.com/property/all/

Video: Bidding at auction

admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:36:00 GMT

In this special segment of Melbourne real estate program Melbourne property TV, experienced property adviser and advocate Sean Thomson of WBP Property Group teaches buyers how to bid at auction, highlighting the tactics professional bidders use to get the jump on their competition.

Watch the full video report at TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2011/11/mptv-bidding-at-auction/

Qantas resumes flights after bitter labour row

admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:47:00 GMT

Australia's Qantas re-launched passenger flights Monday, after a tribunal ordered an end to a destructive industrial dispute that grounded its fleet and sparked passenger and political fury.

The first Qantas commercial flight left Sydney for Jakarta with 88 passengers on board at 0441 GMT (12.41pm Singapore time), ending an extraordinary 46-hour shutdown that threatened to damage Australia's economy and the airline's brand.

"We have had over 10 flights take off now and we are hoping to clear the backlog of passengers in the next 24 to 48 hours," Qantas spokeswoman Sophia Connolly told AFP as the airline resumed limited service.

The shock grounding, announced Saturday by Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, stranded 70,000 passengers in 22 cities worldwide, dramatically escalating a long-running feud with airline unions.

Source: Relax.com

Top 10 haunted houses in the world

Ivan Radford — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:07:00 GMT

Photo credit: mksfca

With Halloween on the horizon, property buyers should be wary of the history of any house they find. Homes with a horrific past could come with a lower price tag, while a regular haunting might even boost the value of a property investment. TheMoveChannel.com picks up its torch and looks into the dark recesses of international real estate to hunt some truly terrifying property.

Here are the top 10 haunted houses in The World:

Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall

Photo credit: Christopher

Jamaica Inn is well-known for its Daphne Du Maurier connection, but as well as giving the title to one of her books, this 250-year-old inn has a history of haunted happenings. Noises in the courtyard and a man who walks through the empty corridors at night are just some of the ghostly remnants of the pirates and smugglers who used to reside in Cornwall’s spooky public house.

The Amityville House, New York

Photo credit: Nitroglicerino

America’s most famous haunted house is that of Amityville fame. Featured in several films, Amityville's horror story dates back to a real murder in 1974, when the owner, Ronald DeFeo Jr., shot six members of his family. Since then, several instances of paranormal activity have been recorded at 112 Ocean Avenue. The Dutch Colonial home was listed for sale in May last year for $1.15 million.

Monte Cristo, Junee, New South Wales

Photo credit: Island home

Regarded as the most haunted property in Australia, Monte Cristo was first occupied by William Crawley in 1884. Following his death in 1910, his wife refused to leave the two-storey home for over 20 years. Locals who witness lights and apparitions are convinced that she is still there.

Brissac Castle, Loire Valley

This mansion, built in the 11th Century, took its name from The Duke Brissac, but is haunted by another former resident, Jacques de Breze. Jacques killed his wife and her lover, then quickly sold the house to escape her ghost, which returned to haunt him. It was rebuilt in the 1600s, but the castle retains its scary reputation.

Spadina House, Toronto

Photo credit: Grant MacDonald

Spadina House was constructed in 1866 by James Austin, a Canadian investor who wanted to own an impressive piece of luxury real estate. No tragedies or accidents have ever occurred here, but researchers and visitors have reported sightings of “something” on the historic manor's third floor...

Whaley House, California

Photo credit: Miss Shari

Whaley House is two-storey property in San Diego’s old town that now houses a museum. Situated on the site of a gallows, the home is now one of California’s most popular attractions. Apparitions of “Yankee Jim”, who was hanged there in 1852, a young girl and even Thomas Whaley himself have all led to the building's status as a haunted house, officially recognised by the United States Commerce Department in the 1960s.

Joelma Building, Sao Paulo

Photo credit: Fjara Beck

The Joelma Building in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was the site of a tragic fire in 1978, which claimed almost 200 lives. Ghosts of the victims are said to have haunted the skyscraper, which has since been rebuilt and renamed.

LaLaurie Mansion, New Orleans

Photo credit: Reading Tom>

This three-storey house has a particularly gruesome past. Dr. Louis LaLaurie and his wife moved there in 1832 and kept several slaves in the property, before it burned down in April 1834. Local residents were shocked to discover the charred remains of animals and chained humans after the fire, and screams and wailings were heard in the neighbourhood for years. In 2007, actor Nicolas Cage bought the private property for $3.5 million, but then lost it to bank foreclosure in 2009. No connection is thought to exist between the two.

50 Berkeley Square, London

Photo credit: James Stringera

50 Berkeley Square has a reputation for being the most haunted house in London. Built in the 18th Century, it is now occupied by an antiquarian book dealer, but legend says that the attic is visited by the ghost of a girl who once committed suicide there. In 1879, a man was challenged to stay there for one night. He was later found dead in the house, reportedly of fright.

5 Real Street, Bélmez de la Moraleda, Jaén

This Spanish home is famous for its kitchen, where a former owner once saw the faint outline of a human face on the floor. Subsequent excavation of the property uncovered other faces and outlines and, eventually, a collection of bones from a 13th Century graveyard. It was listed for sale on the market in 2004. Spookily, there are no pictures of the house available...

Not afraid of moving abroad?

Browse our listings of houses, apartments and other overseas property, all at terrifyingly low prices:

http://www.themovechannel.com/property/all

Melbourne housing market 'could see price correction'

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 07:05:00 GMT

The housing market in Melbourne is one of the most likely in the country to experience "a significant price correction", according to new research.

In the Macro Business Melbourne Housing Valuation Report, it is claimed that the residential property market fundamentals in the city are weak, for several reasons.

Among them are the low rental yields, higher-than-average house price growth and the large number of homes currently on the market.

The study also pointed out that Melbourne property prices are "relatively expensive on a price-to-income basis".

Source: PropertyShowrooms.com

Property demand strong

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 06:51:00 GMT

The top end of the rural property market remains strong, despite several high-profile Riverina properties failing to sell last week.

But sales continue to be sluggish for the balance of farms in the sheep-wheat zones.

Riverina showpiece property Billabong Station, near Gundagai, was sold to an Australian buyer for an undisclosed price this week.

The 1785ha station, owned by Sydney businessman David Baffsky, was passed in at $8.7 million last week, and was expected to fetch $9-$10 million.

Source: WeeklyTimesNow.com.au

Phishing scammers raid real estate site

admin — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:28:00 GMT

Online property listing website, realestate.com.au has been hit by a phishing scam, with scammers posing as landlords offering rental properties to try to obtain personal details.

The scammers have infiltrated the accounts of real estate agents on the site and advertise properties for rent.

Once potential tenants contact the "landlord'', they are sent an email detailing the properties' attributes and giving advice on a quick way they can complete the deal.

Three different properties in Brisbane came with the exact same description stating the owner had lived there with their pet until last month but had to move to London for work and now wanted to rent it out.

Source: News.com.au

Oz housing costs pushing families to fringe

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:46:00 GMT

Australian inner city housing is more affordable for singles and couples without children on incomes over $60,000 than it is for families on incomes of $100,000, a study shows.

Developers have twigged to this and have been busy transforming inner-city areas with an apartment boom as a result, the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute study says.
The research into housing affordability found families with annual incomes less than $40,000 were forced out of buying a home altogether.

Those with incomes between $40,000 and $80,000 could only afford homes in the outer suburbs or growth areas, the study based on data from Adelaide and Melbourne found.

''Not until household income exceeded $100,000 was there much ability for families to purchase in the inner city and middle ring,'' the report, A New Lens on Housing Affordability and Market Behaviour, says.

And Australia's housing affordability problem was worse than expected, the study found. A very large proportion of households - 31 per cent - had little capacity to save or to buy beyond what they needed for a modest lifestyle after meeting housing costs. And 14 per cent suffered major financial and well-being pressures.

That lack of spending power had broader implications for the economy, not just housing.

''If we already thought it [affordability] was bad, it is actually worse,'' the report's co-author, Professor Terry Burke, of Swinburne University, said.

Renters, and more particularly the elderly, had the most severe affordability problem. Families with younger children under five also struggled, partly because some parents left the workforce to look after the children.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Sydney and Perth to see property price growth of 20% by 2014, investor sentiment to improve: Report

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:40:00 GMT

Property prices are set to grow over the next few years, as consumer confidence rises in tune with a growing demand from Asia for Australian resources, according to a new report compiled by QBE Lenders Mortgage Insurance in conjunction with BIS Shrapnel.

The report also predicts that residential property investment is set to pick up after a disappointing few years, with Western Australia tipped as the state to record the biggest growth.

The report comes just a few days after separate research from Deutsche Bank noted the amount of investment in residential property has declined over the past year, partly due to the increase in maintenance costs and flattening prices.

The QMI report states that despite the current weak economic environment, delaying the recovery in first home buying, the outlook is positive with the group confident prices have reached their bottom.

Source: SmartCompany.com.au

Property is the right way to build your SMSF's assets

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 06:53:00 GMT

IT is almost an understatement to say that superannuation auditor Chris Malkin is a strong believer in holding direct business and residential property in self-managed super funds.

Malkin's SMSF owns a two-storey office block and an inner-city apartment, accounting for almost 65 per cent of the fund's total asset value. Indeed, the fund had an even bigger exposure to property until recently when it sold a commercial building. The remainder of the fund is invested in listed shares and cash.

Malkin, head of superannuation auditing in Melbourne for accountancy and business consultancy WHK, says the sharp fall in share prices "absolutely" confirms that he made the right decision to heavily sell shares in the past couple of years to buy more property.

But as a partner responsible for signing off the annual audits of 3500 SMSFs, Malkin sees firsthand how some trustees run foul of superannuation laws and act against their own interests when making ill-advised property investments.

Source: TheAustralian.co.au

Australian Real Estate Prices Dip

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:27:00 GMT

The national average of home prices slipped 2.4% in September in Australia, although the statistic belies regional fluctuations. Queensland and Victoria saw significant drops that managed to pull down the average even though prices in New South Wales and Western Australia made modest gains. Analysts believe the market will regain traction in September 2013, but that right now demand is waning due to high construction costs, tight credit restrictions, poor employment and the expectation of higher interest rates. Meanwhile, rental growth increased for the month, although expectations are low for continued growth moving forward. For more on this continue reading the following article from Property Wire.

Nationally property prices in Australia have weakened and are expected to fall more this year, dragged down by Victoria and Queensland, before recovering in 2012, according to analysts.

The National Australia Banks Residential Property Index fell to -14 points in September, down considerably from -5 points in June. However, the index conceals considerable variation among the states, with conditions identified as being much weaker in Queensland, Victoria and South Australian.

New South Wales and Western Australia bucked the national trend and managed to produce small index gains.

Source: NuWireInvestor.com

Video: Australian Housing Market Overview – October 2011

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:43:00 GMT

Strong rental growth rates combined with slowing dwelling value declines have seen home owners realise positive ‘total return’ growth in August in Australia.

While national dwelling values fell by -0.4%, this was the smallest seasonally-adjusted decline since April 2011. Bucking the national trend, home values in Australia’s biggest city, Sydney, rose +0.4%. Including gross rents, Sydney dwellings have delivered a total 3.4% return in 2011 year-to-date.

Nationally, capital city dwellings also produced a +0.2% total return over 2011.

Watch the full video report on TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2011/10/australian-housing-market-overview-october-2011/

Video: Why Australia: Clean Energy

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 05:57:00 GMT

As environmental issues become an increasing concern for the real estate industry, Australia offers many business and investment opportunities within clean energy and the environment.

Watch the full video report on TheMoveChannel.tv:

http://www.themovechannel.tv/2011/10/why-australia-clean-energy

'Many reasons' for Brits to move to Australia

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:34:00 GMT

There are plenty of reasons why Britons could consider relocating and buying property in Australia.

This is according to Tom Blackett, a spokesman for the Australian Visa Bureau, who noted the country has everything that people love about the UK, but with much better weather.

He stated the country is among the most popular destinations for those who want to migrate, possibly because of the fact that it is "teeming with social, economic and lifestyle opportunities".

"On the whole, Australia offers a lifestyle that is healthy and rewarding," Mr Blackett observed.

Source: PropertyShowrooms.com

Australia announces pension reforms

admin — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:18:00 GMT

The Australian government has given final details of the reforms it has planned for Super – the country’s compulsory pension fund.

All of the measures are good news for the millions of Australian and foreign workers who qualify for a Super fund. But while some of the changes will be trickled out over the coming months, many of the most significant won’t take effect for years.

The latest announcement from the Gillard Government concerns the setting up of a new, low-cost default fund for those workers who haven’t specified a fund for their pension contributions. Many expats may have money tied up in default funds, as they are unaware of the investment choices available and are more concerned with their existing company pension scheme.

From October 2013 all employees must given access to MySuper, a low-cost default fund, which could slash the fees paid by up to 40 per cent, the government claims.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Sydney average house prices rise

admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:29:00 GMT

The latest research published by Savills shows that homes in Sydney have seen their values increase.

According to the firm, the average price of a dwelling in the New South Wales city in June rose by 1.6 per cent, with houses experiencing a boost of 3.4 per cent, compared to a year earlier.

However, the number of transactions taking place in the market over this period declined by 16.8 per cent for residential units as a whole and by 19 per cent for houses.

Savills noted that vacancy rates in the city remain very low at 1.5 per cent, citing the most recent data published by the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales.

Source: PropertyShowrooms.com

Spring in Australian property sales revealed at weekend auctions

admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:18:00 GMT

Property auction clearance rates have reached their highest level for more than three months suggesting that the slow Australian real estate market is picking up.

Auctions in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide had higher clearance rates than the previous weekend, although the national market remained relatively flat compared with this time last year.

According to Australian Property Monitors, 60% of the Sydney properties that went under the hammer at the weekend were sold, up from 51% on the first weekend of the month.

Melbourne recorded a similar result, with clearance rates reaching 57%, up from 52% the previous week.

Source: PropertyCommunity.com

Qantas strike to hit more than 6,000 passengers

admin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:54:00 GMT

Australian carrier Qantas on Monday said it would cancel 28 flights and delay a further 27 due to a ground staff strike this week which would impact more than 6,000 passengers.

The strike will hit most of the major Australian airports during Tuesday's morning peak period, with 3,800 baggage handlers and other ground staff to walk off the job for four hours over stalled contract negotiations.

Qantas said it would cancel 28 flights and delay another 27 by up to 35 minutes due to the industrial action, which it hoped to tackle by deploying larger aircraft and using management staff in ground roles.

The airline could not immediately say whether any international services would be hit.

Source: Relax.com.sg

Australian housing shortage a myth, bears claim

admin — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 06:49:00 GMT

Australia, where home prices are falling at the fastest rate in more than two years, has a glut of properties and is set for a US-style crash, some experts say.

The warnings from tax-reform advocate David Collyer, commentator Kris Sayce and academic Steve Keen contrast with banks and developers that claim a shortage of about 200,000 homes will underpin prices. The housing bears say builders and lenders are pushing flawed government data to keep prices afloat in the English-speaking world’s costliest place to buy a home.

“It’s important for the government and banks to keep the myth of a shortage alive,” said Mr Sayce, editor of Melbourne-based online newsletter Money Morning Australia. “Without it, prices drop, and negative equity results in housing repossessions and insolvent banks.”

More than two-thirds of the government’s shortage estimate arises by including people who can’t afford housing, such as the homeless or those living in trailer parks, Mr Sayce said.

Source: SMH.com.au

Down and out? Head Down Under

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:13:00 GMT

Australia: a rosy career choice for Brits
Photo credit: kool_skatkat

Australia is promising thousands of jobs for British migrants, as the country faces a major labour shortage.

Speaking at a recent Working In Expo held in London, Western Australia’s Minister for Training and Workforce Development, Peter Collier MLC, argued that Brits should migrate to “God’s given country” and take advantage of the 150,000 jobs available.

The high chance of employment is great news for UK residents, as the unemployed population in England hits a five-year peak of 979,000.

"Western Australia comprises one third of Australia's entire land mass, larger than the whole of Europe, yet has just 10% of the population,” Collier explained. Despite having huge prospects for agriculture, construction, manufacturing and the automotive industry, appromixately £150 billion of investment opportunities are currently at stake because the local labour supply is simply “maxed out”, leaving a shortage of 150,000 skilled workers. Migrants from the UK are therefore being welcomed with open arms.

Oz's Mediterranean-style climate and outdoor lifestyle have been attracting British expats for some time. 1.2 million currently live Down Under, which makes the UK Australia's main source of migrants. Indeed, new figures from UK removals company Anglo Pacific International now rank Australia as the most popular foreign retirement hotspot, with 43 per cent of its customers moving to Australia in 2010.

With sunny career prospects on the cards, a move to Australia could be the answer for many UK homeowners struggling to secure an income. Collier concludes: "I have one unambiguous transparent message - you are welcome."

Interested in moving to Australia?

Browse our listings of houses, apartments and other Australian property:

http://australia.themovechannel.com/property/all

Property values in Australian capitals fall

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:22:00 GMT

House prices in Australia's capital cities dropped by 0.6 per cent in July, according to the latest figures in the RP Data-Rismark Home Value Index.

On an annual basis, a fall of 2.9 per cent was recorded, although in Sydney and Canberra, capital values rose by 0.5 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively in the 12 months to July 2011.

Rismark's international economist Christopher Joye explained that the next interest rate decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) could be crucial for the Australian real estate sector.

"If rates do remain on hold, or begin to fall, we would expect to see Australia's housing market find a base and begin to generate capital gains again," he stated.

Source: Property Showrooms

Asia Pacific world's cheapest for building property

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 07:24:00 GMT

The Annual Construction Cost Comparison Report by EC Harris Research has revealed that countries throughout the Asia Pacific region have significantly lower building costs than their counterparts in The West, despite experiencing substantial economic growth.

Now in its seventh year, the report compares building costs per square metre in fifty six countries worldwide against construction costs in the South of England.

India and Sri Lanka have the lowest construction costs in the Asia Pacific region; 70% less than in the UK. China comes in next with building costs 55% lower than those in Britain.

And despite property prices booming in Hong Kong and Singapore over the last year, the two islands maintained their costs at 2010 levels; around 10% below those in the UK.

Source: OpenPR

Melbourne is world’s most liveable city

admin — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:58:00 GMT

Photo credit: Kev Whelan

Melbourne is officially the world’s most liveable city, just above Vancouver and Vienna, according to the latest survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The report, which takes into account living conditions, political stability, quality of health care, education and the environment, saw Melbourne knock the Canadian city off the number one spot for the first time in almost a decade. Vienna is ranked third.

Melbourne was placed above other Australian destinations in the top ten, including Sydney, Adelaide and Perth, beating the former winner Vancouver, which lost points based on its infrastructure.

The survey cites civil war in Libya and other tumultuous crises as responsible for the decline in some rankings, with Tripoli absent from the bottom ten for the first time ever. In its wake, quieter Australian cities with lower crime rates have risen up the table.

House prices in Melbourne also make Australia an attractive place to live, as property prices fell 4.4 per cent from a high last December. The reduction is a result of oversupply in the housing market, as 45 per cent more homes are available to buy than last year.

Vancouver, on the other hand, continues to see house prices rise. But an expected interest rate rise has been delayed until 2012 because of global financial concerns, which could keep buyers active for some time.

The ongoing Euro debt crisis has seen much of Europe lose favour with the EIU, but Vienna is now considered the third most liveable place in the world. The Austrian capital continues to attract a range of property purchasers, with approximately 40 per cent of its investment coming from countries that include Switzerland, Germany and the UK.

“It’s quite international,” describes one Vienna real estate firm to the New York Times, “because it’s becoming more and more well known and the prices are reasonable.”

The least liveable city in the world is Zimbabwe capital Harare, just above Dhaka in Bangladesh. Out of the 140 cities surveyed, London ranked 53rd.

Interested in living somewhere better?

Browse our listings of overseas property, including houses, apartments and villas in Vienna, Vancouver and Melbourne:

http://www.themovechannel.com/property/all/

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Video: Qantas expanding into Asian marlet

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 05:42:00 GMT

Qantas has announced plans to expand into Asia as the continent's aviation market continues to grow, ABC Business reports.

The Australian airline will be launching a new premium airline based in Asia as well as a budget Japan-based service called Jetstar Japan.

The announcement by Qantas follows predictions by the International Air Transport Association that the number of international flyers will increase from 952 million in 2009 to 1.3 billion passengers in 2014. The majority of these passengers are expected to come from China.

Details of the new airline services are still being finalised, but the company expect Jetstar Japan to begin flying by the end of next year.

Watch the full video report on TheMoveChannel.tv.

British grandmother 'will not be deported from Australia'

admin — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 06:30:00 GMT

Gladys Jefferson moved to Tasmania on a tourist visa from the Isle of Wight to be with her daughter, Bridget Grigg, after her memory began to fail 12 months ago.

But she was recently told that her application for a "contributory parent" visa, which allows parents to join their children in Australia provided they can support themselves financially, had been rejected.

Mrs Jefferson and her family believed she was about to be kicked out of the country. Mrs Grigg said that if her mother was deported she would have to sell her business and leave her own children to look after Mrs Jefferson in Britain.

However, Chris Bowen, the immigration minister, has said that is not the case.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Oz property prices fall for sixth month in a row

admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 06:47:00 GMT

The residential property market in Australia stood out like a safe beacon as those in the rest of the world slumped but now the real estate industry is suffering a slide.

Property prices in state capitals have fallen for the sixth straight month in a row amid warnings rising interest rates could accelerate the slide further and financial market volatility could also affect prices.

Nationally values fell 0.2% in June, according to the latest RP Data-Rismark Hedonic Home Value Index. This follows a fall of 0.3% in May, 0.4% in April and 0.5% in March.

House prices in Australia are considered to be too high, having risen sharply over recent decades amid easy credit conditions. Global investors are keeping a close eye on what many perceive is the Achilles heel of the economy.

Source: PropertyWire.com

Solar use in Sydney soars

admin — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 06:27:00 GMT

Beset by rising consumer energy prices, consumers in Sydney, Australia's most populous city, are looking to solar energy.

In 2010 the city introduced a solar bonus scheme, which was very popular in Sydney's more prosperous suburbs, with more than 14 percent of homes installing rooftop solar panels, compared with a New South Wales statewide average of about 3 percent.

Paul Myors is an energy efficiency specialist with Ausgrid, a state-owned electricity infrastructure company which owns, maintains and operates the electrical distribution networks to 1.6 million customers.

He said that the number of private dwellings with solar panels had increased from 2,000 18 months ago to 46,000 after the former New South Wales Labor government introduced a solar bonus rebate scheme.

Source: UPI.com

Life in a spectacular home for $1 a month

admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:26:00 GMT

In a property valued at $1,500 per week, a former Australian public servant is living for $1 per month.

James Thompson has been living in the sprawling publicly-owned house located in one of Sydney's most spectacular harbourside areas for the past six year, costing tax payers at least $1 million.

According to 7News, Thompson wakes up to one of the best views in Sydney, an unaffordable dream for most families.

“It is prime real estate, right on the habour. A waterfront exclusive,” Jodie Noll from LJ Hooker said.

Source: Emirates247.com

Australia plans $10 billion renewable energy investment

admin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 06:31:00 GMT

Australian taxpayers will front the bill for what will be the biggest single investment in renewable energy ever. During negotiations of a new carbon price and diversion away from renewable energy subsidies, interests groups led by the country’s Greens and rural independents ensured that a significant potion of the investment be made into clean energy projects. The total $10 billion renewable energy investment will be carried out over a five-year period slated to begin 2013-2014.

The Australian government is forming a new Clean Energy Investment Corporation that will manage the public funds for renewable energy projects that otherwise could not acquire loans through traditional channels like banks. The corporation will be independently run by a board of directors.

Clean Energy Investment Corporation will make loans or take equity shares in projects with returns on investment being reinvested. The revenues will be split into two streams to appease both the Greens and Labor parties. The first will fund only renewable energy projects such as wind, solar and geothermal, while the second will make money available for hybrid vehicle purchase.

The company will also invest in manufacturing businesses that provide parts for renewable energy projects, such as wind turbine and solar cell manufacturers. However, no funds will be granted for carbon sequestration or clean coal initiatives.

Source: OilPrice.com

Australian housing's signs of life

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 08:10:00 GMT

Another rise in home loans in May suggests Australia's housing market may be showing signs of recovery.

After three months of declines following floods in Queensland and Victoria, loan approvals rose 4.8 per cent in April and a further 4.4 per cent in May, to a total of 49,437 loans, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

ANZ economist David Cannington said bank lending had returned to its highest in about two years, suggesting a recovery from the global financial crisis.

However, much of the growth in lending was in refinancing by borrowers, Mr Cannington said.

Source: SMH.com.au