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Latest Real Estate News

Latest Australian Real Estate News

This special section of the Real Estate Your Way website is dedicated to providing you with the latest news, ideas, figures and trends on real estate in Australia. It's another way we help DIY property sellers and buyers to stay informed and take control of your FSBO and private real estate transactions with greater confidence. If you would like to contribute please email us at contact us

18 May The number of properties up for sale has jumped by over 30% in Victoria and in ACT over the last 12 months. For a full picture of the number of properities for sale across Australia read this report from Property Observer magazine

6 May Safety issues have emerged following the Queensland floods for people doing home renovations. This article from ABC news is definitely worth a read for all home owners

1 May  The Reserve Bank has cut the cash interest rate by 0.5%. This will bring some relief to home owners and business but will the big banks pass it on in full? Please let us know your thoughts on this.

26 April Australian house prices are unlikely to see a significant decline in value because of the suppy Vs demand imbalance in the Australian property market. The demand of up to 200,000 new homes per year is not able to be met and this is helping to keep house prices relatively stable. However the number of properties on the market has declined to it's lowest level for a number of years. Read more at this latest report from RPData research.

22 April  Changes to the aged care system have just been announced that have implications for home owners and for the real estate industry generally. Australian's rapidly increasing elederly population will be a little better off with these changes aimed at keeping people in their own homes for longer. The changes are also expected to be means tested so the fine detail will emerge over the coming weeks. Watch this space for more information.

17 April  According to respected ABC financial corresponent Peter Ryan, financial markets are pricing in a 90 per cent chance that the RBA will cut interest rates by 25 basis points at its May 1 meeting, with some economists tipping a more aggressive move of 50 basis points. What do you think?

14 April The ANZ bank has lifted it's interest rates independently of the Reserve Bank for the second time this year. Despite massive profits and savage job cuts across the banking sector the government seems powerless to intervene. We welcome your feedback on our facebook page 

4 April Today the Reserve Bank announced that interest rates will remain on hold for now. The explanation is that Interest rates for borrowers remain close to their medium-term average. Credit growth remains modest. Housing prices have shown some signs of stabilising recently, after having declined for most of 2011, but generally the housing market remains soft.  

29 March  We are all into saving energy right? From the ABC Science team this article looks at how the use of home battery systems are being trialled to test battery technology. It's a bit technical but the basic idea is to save power and reduce reliance on coal fired power stations.

27 March Beat Lonliness with better housing design. This report from the Grattan Institute makes interesting reading in the Australian Financial Review as it explores the connection between housing design and social isolation.

24 March Please be careful and make sure you read the fine print before you list your property with anyone else. Real estate websites who advertise on google claiming 'Free Listing'  on the large property portals are making misleading and deceptive claims. There is no such thing as a 'free lunch'. These websites are actually run by agents! You will only end up paying  large sums of money in agent fees and commissions and you will still have to pay the large portals to advertise your property online.

21 March Australia's biggest losers - some areas of QLD property really taking a knock of up to 25% reduction. See this real estate report summary from RP Data that appeared in the online magazine Your Investment Property

15 March  Slight encouragement on Housing Finance Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. In trend terms, the number of commitments for the purchase of established dwellings rose 0.9% and the number of commitments for the construction of dwellings rose 0.4%, while the number of commitments for the purchase of new dwellings was flat 0.0%. See latest report here

13 March The impacts of a natural disaster may affect the types of expenses you can claim and the income you need to report for your rental property. Check out this advice from the Australian Tax office  

9 March  Do you think a rate cut is back on the table? read this article from property obersver and then send us your thoughts on facebook

6 March  From the horse's mouth - no it's not Black Caviar! it's Glenn Stevens Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia explaining why official interest rates are on hold - for now.   

4 March  A 7.2% decline in new home sales in January may give the RBA more to discuss when they meet this week to set interest rates, according to The Adviser.

29 February  In this article from RP Data, an increase in first home buyer activity is anticipated for 2012.

27 February Oh dear! It just makes you wonder why they keep doing it and think they can get away with it? A well-known Cooma livestock and property agent has been jailed for an eight-month non-parole period after being found guilty of six offences of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception involving the funds of his business clients. A statement of facts tendered to the court said that eight creditors  suffered a total loss of $1,294,576. Check out this article for more info 

24 February  Aussie Loans Founder John Symond sees signs of life in the metro housing marketing for properties in the $600,000 to  $650,000 range. Article

23 February  The number of real estate agencies the NSW Office of Fair Trading has investigated for misusing trust account money has doubled in the space of a year, according to research highlighted in this Smart Company article.

21 February  The Property Observer reports that homes priced between $300,000 and $400,000 recorded the highest volume of activity in 2011.

20 February  Victoria's housing supply and demand imbalance continues to provide the property market with the prospect of upward pressure on prices and rents, according to this analyis in The Age.

18 February  Agents are doing it tough with declining sales and margins and many are leaving the industry. Check out this article for more details. Well that simply confirms that we are on the right track!  The whole nature of the real estate industry is rapidly moving towards a situation where consumers are much better informed and more and more are willing to do their own real estate marketing online with real estate your way. 

17 February  Celebrity property update! Nicole Kidman's NSW beach land has failed to sell at auction according to this report in Property Observer

13 February  The Australian property market is at a "tipping point" according to the industry experts quoted in this article from Smart Company.

13 February  Home buyers now rank multiple bathrooms as a more essential feature of a house than lawns or even peace and quiet, according to this article in Property Observer.

11 February  The property market in Victoria is stalled in a stand-off between buyers and sellers, according to this report in The Age.

8 February  Real estate industry observer and commentator Michael Yardley discounts the "property bubble about to burst" as the biggest property myth of 2011.

6 February  There are 154 capital city fringe suburbs where the median value of a house is less than $300,000, with half of these outside either Adelaide or Brisbane. Details in this Property Observer column.

2 February  A report that mainland Chinese buyers have returned to buying inner city apartments is good news for the Sydney and Melbourne markets.

30 January  According to this report from ANZ Bank, there is no Australian housing bubble.

28 January  The carbon tax, which starts in July, is not expected to have much of an impact on the housing marketng, according to this analysis.

25 January  The industrial property market appears to have stablised and a modest growth is forecasted for the current fiscal year, according to this article on the Smart Company website.

24 January  Properties are taking longer to sell as stock articles hit record highs in some areas. Details in this Smart Company article.

21 January  There is a growing divide between property values, with 43% of all Australian homes worth more than twice the original purchase price, but 5% now worth less than their purchase price. See other data from the latest RP Data Equity Report.

20 January  Residential house price expectations are on the rise, but consumers are still pessimistic, according to this Smart Company article.

19 January The demand for rental properties is once again pushing rents higher. Details in this article in The Adviser.

14 January  Here's an in-depth analysis of the latest Property Industry Confidence Survey. At the end of the article are links to PDFs of the commentary and various charts and data from the survey.

11 January Weak retail figures may lead to another RBA rate cut, according to this article in The Adviser.

10 January Building approvals for detached houses rose 4.9% in November, while approvals for other dwellings rose by 16.1%. Details in this The Adviser website article.

9 January  New home sales rose nearly 7% in November, helped by declining interest rates. But industry experts warn there is more work to be done, in this SmartCompany article. 

5 January The Queensland Office of Fair Trading has confirmed it will continue investigations into allegations that wealthy investors were duped into buying multi-million dollar properties on Mermaid Beach in an elaborate price-fixing scheme. Story

21 December  The Housing Industry Association forecasts 141,000 new housing starts in the year ahead, a figure that is well below demand. Details in this SmartCompany article.

20 December  Mortgage arrears declined in the  September quarter, and recent interest rate cuts should provide more scope for improvement in 2012, according to this SmartCompany report.

15 December  Housing Markets will recover in most capitals in 2012 according to Australian Property Monitors.

12 December   First-time buyers help lieft the October mortgage lending figures, the fourth straight month of inceases. Details in this Property Observer article.

6 December  The Australian Bankers Association has started a new website to help homeowners who are experiencing financial difficulty to contact their banks and figure out ways of obtaining some financial assistance. See this article in Smart Company.

30 November   Thinking of buying off the plan? This article in Property Observer highlights three critical risks that should be considered.

25 November  Consumers and businesses have been warned that anyone claiming to offer energy savings devices from the "Australian Electricity Commission" are not actually linked to government and any claims about the energy savings devices they promote are unsubstantiated. See this alert from Consumer Affairs Victoria.

18 November  Office buildings need to be more bike-friendly to keep tenants happy, according to recent research from Colliers Internaitonal. This Property Observer report shows why bike racs are a key to securing office tenants.

13 November The Age reports that thousands of home owners are deciding to sell privately rather than risk the auction route.

12 November See the Australian Property Portal for property news, data, research and resources.

5 November The Australian Financial Review profiles places you can afford to live.

31 October  The cost of renting has started escalating again, as shown with detailed statistics in this article on rental inflation.  

26 October  With consumer inflation at an anaemic 0.6% in the third quarter, and in line with expectations, expectations for a Melbourne Cup Day reduction in interest rates is rising, according to this SmartCompany report. 

19 October  Marketing Magazine reports that "women are pushing the property market forward" and that 87% search online for properties three times per week.

18 October  Over two-thirds of lenders are now requiring a deposit of as little as 5% in an effort to kick-start a sluggish mortgage market.

17 October  Home Loans Rise Again; Housing Steadies. Home loan approvals increased by 1.2% in August and the housing sector is stabilising as talk of an interest rate rise wanes according to this report in The Age.

12 October  Sydney and Perth to see property price growth of 20% by 2014 according to a new report compiled by QBELenders Mortgage Insurance and highlighted in this article.

11 October  Victorian home owners have lost more than $290 million over the past three years selling properties for less than what they paid for them, according to this HeraldSun report.

10 October  ANZ expects two rate cuts by the Reserve Bank in the next six months according to this Property Observer report.

7 October  Residential listings rose 5.6% in September, with Melbourne and Sydney recording the highest increases. Listings are now 24.2% higher than a year ago, according to SQM Research figures cited in this SmartCompany article.

30 September  Housing Prices fall 0.4% in August with biggest declines in Perth (3.8% for the past quarter) and Canberra (1.7% for the past three months). Details in this SmartCompany article.