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One of Adelaide’s oldest family companies, J &amp; AG Johnston, is selling 25 South Australian properties, including 17 hotels, a shopping centre and smaller residences and shops.
Established in 1843, the company produced ales and cordials and established the hotels as a distribution network. The company has retained ownership of the hotels to this day but the board recently decided to move out of the hotel business.
“The investment properties have served the company’s stakeholders well, but following a major strategic review our shareholders decided it is time to offer these properties for sale to enable their funds to be invested in other ventures,” says chairman Mark O’Leary.
The Jones Lang LaSalle memorandum says the portfolio “provides the smaller investor an attractive opportunity to secure well-leased investments in the desirable Adelaide Hills, Lower Murray and Fleurieu regions”.
Jones Lang LaSalle agent Jamie Guerra says the company will be focusing on its winery and golf course businesses.
The company owns 50 hectares of vineyards and other land holdings around Oakbank as well as the nine-hole Oakbank Golf Course, founded in 1892.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/charleston.jpg">
All the hotels are at least 100 years old. The oldest hotel in the group is the 1851-built Woodside Inn (pictured below), built by James and elder brother William Johnston in the year the town was established.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/woodside.jpg">
They include the Balhannah Hotel and Chinese Restaurant in Balhannah, Bridge Hotel in Langhorne Creek, Charleston Hotel in Charleston (pictured above), District Hotel in Nairne, Millers Arms Hotel in Nairne, German Arms Hotel in Hahndorf, Gumeracha Hotel in Gumeracha, Mannum Hotel in Mannum, Meadows Hotel in Meadows, Pier Hotel in Milang, Pretoria Hotel in Mannum, Rising Sun Hotel in Lobethal, Stanley Bridge Tavern in Verdun, Swan Reach Hotel in Swan Reach (pictured below), Totness Inn in Mount Pleasant, Woodside Hotel in Woodside, and Callington Hotel in Callington (pictured below).
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/callington.jpg">
Johnston’s aim with his brewing company was to supply as many of the hotels around the brewery as could be reached by bullock or horse-drawn wagons.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/swanbeach.jpg">
Together the hotel investments earn a total rent of $2.1 million per annum.
The Balhannah Junction Shopping Centre, anchored by Foodland supermarket, earns $221,800 per annum.
The properties are available individually or in one line.
The properties are being marketed through JLL’s Jamie Guerra and Roger Klem and Steele Hotel Brokers’ Darren Steele.
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awalsh-7Ub9EypybQ

Adelaide's J & AG Johnston lists 17 century-old South Australian hotels

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An 1871-built former Presbyterian church has been listed for sale in Fitzroy.
The bluestone church was built to the design of the 19th-century architect George Browne, whose work includes the 1874 design of the Academy of Music in Ballarat and Melbourne’s Theatre Royal in 1872.
The Presbyterian church was established in Fitzroy in 1851 and commissioned this building as a larger premises.
In 1908 the church established itself as a refuge for women in the impoverished suburb.
The Napier Street building currently belongs to the Uniting Church, which has been holding off selling for 13 years while Yarra Council sought a new home for former tenants the Annie Todd childcare centre.
The building has been listed for vacant sale through Grant Sutherland of Sutherland Farrelly Real Estate.
In 1970 the church was deemed to be of local heritage interest for stylistic details of the west front including the star tracery at the head of the five-light west window and the superimposed colonettes of the flanking buttresses.
The heritage report says the interior incorporates a hammer-beam roof, elaborate plaster corbels, cedar joinery and windows by Ferguson &amp; Urie, one of Melbourne’s most historically renowned stained-glass window makers.
The sale includes a red brick building, which has similar heritage value. The buildings are in separate titles but sold together as the borders between the two titles are murky.
Sutherland says he is marketing the building aimed at developers, who would keep the building intact, or to an individual home buyer.
He says the roof is high enough to support a mezzanine floor. The whole land area is 1,334 square metres.
Sutherland is looking to sell the church for around $2 million.
Nearby, an 1860-built Bible Christian Church conversion in Gore Street sold for $3.41 million in June. The building was converted 10 years ago into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a six-car garage.
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Fitzroy 1870s bluestone church listed with $2 million hopes

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The prospect of Tony Abbott's Coalition government countenancing a $15 million cap after which Foreign Investment Review Board scrutiny of agricultural land purchases would be mandatory attracted strong debate today.
The<a href="https://www.tonyabbott.com.au/News/tabid/94/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/8829/The-Coalitions-Policy-Discussion-Paper-on-Foreign-Investment-in-Australian-Agricultural-Land-and-Agribusiness.aspx"> policy discussion paper</a> released today proposes FIRB scrutinise any foreign acquisition of agricultural land valued at $15 million or more. The current cap is $244 million.
The paper also recommends the FIRB get involved at an earlier level than it does currently when considering agribusinesses purchases.
The policy discussion paper attracted quick Twitter criticism including Jan Davis who represents the Tasmanian Farmers &amp; Graziers Association.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/3-8tweet1.jpg" alt="3-8tweet1" height="221" width="466">
Penny Wong, the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, rehashed data from a suspect ABS survey on levels of foreign agribusinesses.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/3-8tweet2.jpg" alt="3-8tweet2" height="206" width="450">
ABC journalist Melissa Clarke also brought Treasurer Wayne Swan's thoughts into the debate.
<img alt="3-8tweet4" src="/images/stories/2012/08/3-8tweet4.jpg" height="182" width="450">
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Coalition's $15 million foreign investment cap for land purchase FIRB review triggers Twitter debate

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We’re down to the best of Property Observer's list of the 20 top home cinemas and this one's an interesting case.
All the previous 19 cinemas were like going to a Gold Class cinema and having it all to yourself or family and friends.
But this one is trend setting – its a shared cinema facility within a modern luxury East Melbourne apartment building.
The cinema is in the Salta redevelopment of the former Mercy Hospital for Women hospital building on Clarendon Street.
Property Observer gleans the 17-seat cinema can be booked by residents of the apartments for film screenings and parties. During big sporting events, such as the Olympics and the Grand Final, it's an open house with the first in getting the best seats.
The cinema comes with access to a hard-drive with 250 films or residents can bring their own DVDs.
RT Edgar agent, Sarah Case, says the building has a friendly atmosphere and shared facilities like this help build the community.
She says the building also comes with a library where residents meet once a month for a book club.
There is also a boardroom, an indoor pool, a sauna, a steam room and a full-sized gym with better facilities, says Case, than most commercial gyms.
Wine connoisseurs are able to buy a portion of the building's massive wine cellar to store their wine.
To get access to the cinema you could look at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-vic-east+melbourne-110109565">apartment 405 </a>on the north eastern side of the building, being sold by RT Edgar's Sarah Case.
For just $3.8 million-plus, buyers will get a two-bedroom, two bathroom apartment with views from every room.
If you find the cinema booked out though, residents do have access to the movie hard-drive through the internal wired network.
Another opportunity to buy in 150 Clarendon is <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-vic-east+melbourne-110799111">apartment 213 </a>for $2.95 million through Paul Caine from Caine Real Estate.
<img height="353" width="470" src="/images/stories/2012/HOMECINEMASNUMBER1.gif" alt="HOMECINEMASNUMBER1">
Case says having a cinema as a shared facility in luxury apartment buildings could be an emerging trend.
<img height="300" width="470" src="/images/stories/2012/3-8cinema2.gif" alt="3-8cinema2">
Yve, on St Kilda Road, does have a shared cinema facility (photo below) but by our reckoning, it's nowhere near in the same league as this one.
<img height="300" width="470" src="/images/stories/2012/IMG_0503.gif" alt="IMG_0503">
As part of trend of vertical villages, at least two apartment blocks are being built with shared cinema facilities. Melbourne’s Fifty Albert and MY80 on A'Beckett Street will both feature shared facilities.
A 38-seater home cinema in a $9.5 million house at Paradise Point on the Gold Coast was the runner up on the top 20 cinemas on our Property Observer list which follows:
Two
Three
Four
Five
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/the-swan-river-mosman-park-home-cinema-in-australia-s-priciest-sold-residential-compound/2012072655718">Six</a>
Seven
Eight
Nine
10
20-11
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Australia's best home cinema - popcorn shared with fellow East Melbourne apartment block film connoisseurs

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Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley has topped the list of suburbs with the highest proportion of rentals, with 70% of dwellings occupied by renters.
It narrowly pipped Canberra’s City at 69.7% and Perth’s Northbridge at 69.3%.
The other 30% of Fortitude Valley is made up of 20.6% owned with a mortgage, 6.7% owned outright, 2.3% not stated and 0.4% other tenure.
The top 20 is dominated by Sydney and Brisbane suburbs while Victoria doesn’t make an appearance until 21, with the Melbourne CBD at 63.1% renter occupied.
The list, compiled by RP Data’s Tim Lawless using ABS 2011 Census data, does not include suburbs with fewer than 200 dwellings or suburbs where more than 25% of rental dwellings are not privately owned.
This excluded suburbs like Sydney’s Claymore where 93.9% of homes were renter occupied, but mostly made up of public housing.
The top 10 suburbs include Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, Canberra’s City, Perth’s Northbridge, Adelaide’s New Port, Sydney’s Chippendale, Brisbane’s Spring Hill, Sydney’s Gosford, Sydney’s Ultimo, Darwin and North Cairns.
Sydney suburbs appear 20 times on the top 50, Brisbane suburbs seven times and Melbourne and Perth suburbs five times respectively. The rest of the list is made up of Queensland, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and NSW suburbs.
The median unit price in Fortitude Valley is $399,000 with an indicative gross rental yield of 6.0%. Some 78.6% of rentals dwellings are privately rented.
Meadowbank in Sydney had the highest proportion of privately rented properties on the list, with 97.8% of rental dwellings privately rented.
"What is even more interesting is drilling down on the Census data to show exactly where the most popular suburbs for investment/renting are located. The table below shows the top 50 suburbs around the nation that have the highest proportion of renters where at least 75% of the dwellings are privately rented (ie. dwellings where the landlord is the government or a community/church group comprise 25% or less of all occupied rental dwellings). Based on these parameters, Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley is the most popular ‘investor/rental’ suburb in the nation with 70% of all occupied dwellings being rented, followed by Canberra’s city centre (69.7%) and the Perth suburb of Northbridge (69.3%).
Of the top 50 list, 40% of the suburbs are located in Sydney, 14% are in Brisbane and 10% respectively in Melbourne and Perth. Unit dwellings are clearly the most popular dwelling type for investors, with many of the suburbs in the top 50 list recording fewer than 10 house sales over the past year (this is why a median price or rental yield is not recorded for houses in some suburbs). Yields for units tend to be well above average in most of these suburbs, highlighting the attractive investment conditions."
<img height="849" width="315" src="/images/stories/2012/50suburbs.jpg" alt="50suburbs">
Source: RP Data/2011 Census
Photo: fortitude : 1997 Commissioned by the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane for the  "Art On Line" project. Temporary installation of artificial flowers on Brunswick Street Railway Station, Fortitude Valley. 
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Property investor must-know guide to Australia's top 50 rental suburbs

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Young Spaniards tired of having awkward sex in the back of their cars are being told by one of Spain’s biggest online real estate portals to move out of their parents’ home and start renting their own place.
Idealista.com have launched a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://vimeo.com/43813383">20-second ad</a> (risque warning) showing a series of still shots of Spanish couples and even threesomes caught in flagrante in their often cramped cars. The ad urges young Spaniards to stop having such uncomfortable sex and to get their own place.
<img height="300" width="470" src="/images/stories/2012/idealista.gif" alt="idealista">
Idealista co-founder, Fernando Encinar, told Bloomberg they were trying to portray a scene familiar to Spanish youths.
“We were brainstorming the moment when people most think ‘I need my own home’ and having sex in a car sprang to mind. Millions of Spaniards have gone through it,” Encinar says.
In an effort to attract foreign investment into Spain’s 1.5 million unsold homes as banks approve fewer mortgages in the country, the Spanish government is pushing for more people to start renting.
At 85%, Spain has the third highest rate of home ownership in the euro zone.
Of the 25 million homes in Spain, three million are empty and 1.8 million are rented.
Encinar says the Spanish rental market will grow by to 25%of the total by 2015.
<img height="300" width="470" src="/images/stories/2012/idealista2.gif" alt="idealista2">
He says young Spaniards are locked out of the mortgage market.
“Youngsters with no deposit saved and permanent labour contract are effectively locked out of the mortgage market. We are already seeing part of that huge pent-up demand running into flat sharing as it’s the only option for some.”
New measures to boost investment in the rental market include laws to make it easier to evict troublesome tenants, allowing landlords to raise rents above inflation and to reduce the length of leases.
Bloomberg reports that since 2007, there have been 330,000 home foreclosures in Spain.
By coincidence a somewhat less risqué effort to encourage kids to move out has been produced by Australian bread company Lawsons, though in their<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOJEW1KQl34&amp;feature=plcp"> latest ad</a>, the roles are somewhat reversed.
Australian comedian Trevor Marmalade plays a frustrated would-be empty nester.   
<img height="300" width="470" src="/images/stories/2012/idealista3.gif" alt="idealista3">
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Spanish car-sex youths encouraged to move out of home, while Trevor Marmalade gives an Aussie twist to empty nester desires

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In a move that comes after Darrell Lea being placed into voluntary administration and closing 32 shops, Haigh’s Chocolate is opening a second Sydney store in the Queen Victoria building.
The company’s first Sydney store opened seven years ago in the Strand Arcade and say the latest opening comes in response to strong consumer demand.
“An opportunity arose in the iconic QVB building and the company believed that this site and the Haigh’s brand were an ideal fit,” great-grandson of the founder Albert Haigh, and current joint managing director, Alistair Haigh told Fairfax Media.
“We are now awaiting approval from council.”
Darrell Lea was placed into administration in July after 85 years of business in Australia. The company blamed the expansion of chocolatiers and chocolate cafes like Haigh’s, Max Brenner, Gânache Chocolate, and Theobroma.
Darrell Lea’s administrators, PPB Advisory, have announced that they will close 32 of their shops, making 198 casual, part-time and full-time staff redundant. The closures include the Darrell Lea QVB store.
Darrell Lea stores to be closed
ACT: Belconnen Mall, Tuggeranong Hyperdome and Woden Plaza
NSW: Blacktown Westpoint, Bondi Westfield, Broadway, Burwood Westfield, Carlingford, Gorokan Lake Haven, Liverpool Westfield, Merrylands, Miranada Fair, Parammatta Westfield, QVB Sydney, Roselands Centro, Rouse Hill and St Ives Shopping Town.
VIC: Doncaster Shopping Town, Highpoint West Shopping Centre, Swanston Street, Northland Shopping Centre and Southland Shopping Centre.
QLD: Broadbeach Pacific Fair, Southport Australia Fair, Upper Mt Gravitt, Robina Town Centre and Toombul Westfield.
SA: Westfield Tea Tree Plaza.
WA: Hilarys Whitford City, Morley Galleria, Cannington Westfield, Joondalup
It leaves 34 Darrell Lea stores set to remain open, some of these as franchises.
PRB Advisory’s Mark Robinson says closing underperforming stores will make it easier to sell the business.
“While this is a very unfortunate development, our objective at this time is to make Darrell Lea more attractive to potential purchasers, and help protect the interests of the remaining 480 employees,'' he says.
He says even prior to being placed in administration, the company was already considering closing stores.
The new Haigh’s store will be in the premises currently occupied by Adidas which is due to move out. The space fills the ground floor at the southern entrance to the building.
Haigh’s was founded in Adelaide by Alfred E. Haigh in 1915. They claim to be the oldest family-owned chocolate manufacturing retailer in Australia. It currently has six Adelaide stores, six Melbourne stores and one in Sydney They have more than 300 employees across their 13 stores.
It’s flagship Melbourne store is located in the historic Block Arcade in Collins Street.
The flagship Adelaide store opened in 1915 in the historic Beehive Corner building on the corner of Rundle Mall and King William Street.
Darrell Lea was founded in 1927 and up until now employed about 700 staff through its manufacturing and retail divisions.
 
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Haigh's sweet success in Sydney, as Darrell Lea closes 32 shops including Bondi Westfield

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Villa Amalfi in Paradise Point, Queensland is a riverfront home advertised as a work of art.
The 1,600 square metre six-bedroom house comes with a 12-metre pool, an 180-person formal dining room, an internal lift that can carry 13 people and a gourmet chef’s kitchen.
And of course, this 38-seat home cinema is the Mediterranean masterpiece.
The four-level residence was built with its 42 metre north easterly Broadwater frontage by Geart and Birthe Bjerring, who bought the Knightsbridge Parade East block for $3.2 million in 2008 before going on to build what is their fourth Sovereign Islands home.
It was on the market with $12 million price hopes in mid-2011 and <a href="https://realestate.brisbanetimes.com.au/overview/3942957/50-knightsbridge-parade-paradise-point-4216/">Coldwell Banker</a> is now seeking interest at $9.5 million in conjunction with <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-sovereign+islands-109089731">First National Paradise Point</a>.
<img width="470" src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre1.jpg">
<img alt="2009741178_24_FS" height="353" width="470" src="/images/stories/2012/2009741178_24_FS.jpg">
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With 38 seats, Villa Amalfi is Australia's second best home cinema

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Winter may be coming to a close shortly but some agents think it was the wisest time to sell in preparation of buying in spring.
Against popular opinion, selling property in winter might not be such a bad idea, especially on delayed settlement terms.
“Melbourne is iconic for its spring market obviously, when the property looks its best. However, there are a lot of property that is transacted through winter,” Cameron Deal from Infolio Property Advisors told Melbourne Property TV.
“It’s sometimes better for a vendor to sell in winter because there’s less competition amongst other properties.”
The sentiment is echoed by veterans in the industry, like Tim Fletcher from Fletchers.
“If you decide to sell your most important asset over the winter period you’ll join a small number of people who are selling because most people either do it over autumn or spring.”
“So I think it’s a smart move to think about selling when there are fewer properties on the market.”
Brace real estate agent Aldo Verga says winter can make homes much more welcoming.
“A lot of people come spring will do up their garden, but winter is a great time – there’s warmth, the heater is on, the lights are on. It’s beautiful, ” Aldo Verga told Melbourne Property TV.
Paul Keane from Jellis Craig says he always sells his own properties in the winter.
“It just seems there is less stock around. It gives less of a choice to buyers and it attracts the buyers who are prepared to compromise slightly because they want to get into certain areas."
Agent Elizabeth Treonze from Elizabeth Treonze Real Estate says she finds more genuine buyers during the winter.
What everyone seems to agree on if you’re selling in the winter, is to make the property welcoming.
“If it’s cold in your home, light a fire, cheer it up, do things to make people want to walk inside and feel like it’s a real home. Give it that 'wow' factor and you should succeed,” says Fletcher.
REIV’s Robert Larocca puts a chill on things though and says numbers in winter are neither up nor down.
“Our figures show it doesn’t matter when you sell during the year, your outcome is likely to be the same.”
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Why selling property in winter and buying in spring makes sense

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House prices across most of Tasmania continue to fall, according to a report by the Real Estate Institute of Tasmania.
The June quarter property report found median house prices in Tasmania dropped 3.3% to $290,000 for the quarter in an environment where sales volumes dropped 6.5% to 1170 sales.
The North-West Centres region was the hardest hit with prices dropping 7% to $236,250 over the quarter. Sales numbers there rose 2.9% to 106 over the quarter.
Transaction numbers are significantly down in Hobart dropping 16% overall to 377. Numbers in outer Hobart dropped 25.5% to 82, middle Hobart dropped 22.5% to 162 while numbers in inner Hobart rose 2.3% to 133 over the quarter.
Median house prices in Hobart grew 4.8% to $370,000 over the quarter, with inner Hobart dropping 5.6% over the quarter to $435,000, outer Hobart dropping 0.7% to $335,000 and middle Hobart growing 4.7% to $335,000.
Launceston median house prices dropped 1.2% to $262,750 while sales volumes increased 4.3% to 220.
While Tasmanian house prices are down for the quarter, the median price for other dwellings grew 3.1% to $240,000 over the quarter, while sales dropped 6.1% to 201.
The median prices for other dwellings in Middle Hobart grew 6.7% to $240,000, the largest increase across Tasmania, though sales numbers were down 35.4% to 42.
For inner Hobart, other dwellings are selling like Tasmanian hotcakes with numbers up 33.3% to 40. Prices rose 0.5% to $327,500 over the quarter.
In the North West Centres region, sales numbers for other dwellings have rocketed 111.1% to 19, though prices dropped 2.8% to $210,000.
According to the report, median house prices in the town of Strahan, on the West coast, increased 225% over the quarter though this should be taken with a bucket of salt as there was only one sale.
Similar scepticism should be applied to King Island where one sale led to the median house price dropping 69.5%.
Median house prices in Riverside, in the north east, dropped 32.1%. There were 18 sales over the quarter.
REIT president Adrian Kelly says while house sales have decreased, median house prices in 10 municipalities increased over the quarter.
“There are also currently six municipalities across Tasmania recording a median house price higher than that of the state median, those being Clarence, Hobart, Kingborough, Latrobe and the Meander Valley,” Kelly says.
“The top five most expensive suburbs were Tolmans Hill, Tranmere, Taroona, Acton Park and Sandy Bay, while the top five most affordable suburbs were Queenstown, George Town, Ravenswood, New Norfolk and Smithton.
“The top five Tasmanian suburbs with the highest turnover of house sales were Sandy Bay, Devonport, Newstead, Kingston and Howrah.”
First time buyers accounted for 15% of house sales for the quarter, while interstate buyers made up 14%.
“The average time it took to sell a house fell by two days for the June quarter, closing the median at 77 days for Tasmania.”
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Tasmania property prices slide further south amid sales volume slowdown

Perth’s new apartment market recorded its strongest quarter of sales since Q4 2021, with 412 apartments sold in Q1 2026 and a record quarterly sold value of $537 million, according to Urbis’ latest Apartment Essentials results.

Urbis said the March quarter result reflects strong, highly product‑specific demand across both ends of the market, from more attainable projects delivering at scale, through to premium stock being absorbed by equity‑rich downsizers.&nbsp;

David Cresp, Partner at Urbis, said the key story in Perth is not demand, it is the market’s ability to convert demand into delivered housing.&nbsp;

“This is the strongest sales quarter since Q4 2021, and it reinforces that demand in Perth is real and it’s local,” David Cresp said. “But the task now is delivery, turning that demand into projects that can actually be built and completed.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=110291 project_image_fid=302785]

<h2>Affordable product leads, premium demand remains resilient</h2>

Sales in Q1 were led by more affordable projects, with The Boulevard (SKS Group) recording 115 sales in the quarter, the presentation noting this is only the second time a single project has surpassed 100 quarterly sales. The project was able to offer more affordable housing product right next to a train station.&nbsp;

Palmyra West (Finbar) also delivered strong results with 28 sales in Q1, following 84 sales in Q4, with an average price of under $800,000, underscoring depth of demand for well‑located, attainable new stock.&nbsp;

At the premium end, Urbis said downsizer demand is continuing, with the results highlighting Romeo (Applecross, Finbar) recording 75 sales and reaching almost 50% sold in one quarter.

Jual (Shenton Park, Celsius Property) also posted a strong quarter with 28 sales, reaching 39% sold in one quarter.

Urbis noted that Perth apartment demand is not speculative, not investor‑led, and not uniform, describing it as localised, often equity‑driven and highly product‑specific, a pattern reflected in the polarisation between strong “attainable” performers and premium downsizer product.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=148957 project_image_fid=364102]

<h2>Prices underpinned by costs, and the delivery risk is growing</h2>

Urbis said pricing pressure is cost not demand‑driven: construction costs and delivery risk are now a central constraint, with the results noting build costs remain elevated and volatile, and that energy, fuel and labour uncertainty weigh on feasibility.

David Cresp said a growing challenge for private Build‑to‑Sell developers is simply securing a builder in the current environment.

“Developers are really feeling the pressure from a building market that was operating at capacity and securing a builder is challenging,” David Cresp said, adding that even where a builder can be secured, “trying to get to the price that makes the development financially viable is incredibly challenging in the current market.”&nbsp;

Urbis’ broader WA commentary also notes that industry remains at or above capacity with lot and housing creation, and that many builders are limiting new sales to manage stretched workforces and fixed‑price contract pressures, conditions that flow directly into apartment feasibility and delivery timing.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108869 project_image_fid=317905]

<h2>Supply: improving later, but still constrained, and Perth lags eastern benchmarks</h2>

While near‑term supply remains constrained, Urbis’ forecast shows completions lifting “Supply is forecast to be back above 1,500 apartments per annum for the first time since 2019”, with 1,775 completions forecast for 2026, and volumes remaining above that level over the following years.&nbsp;

Looking further ahead, completions are forecast to reach 2,500 in 2028, with the report noting 32% of that total is social/affordable, reflecting the role of government‑supported delivery in rebuilding the pipeline.&nbsp;

However, Urbis said Perth remains behind comparable markets on pipeline scale. In a national comparison of projects under construction, the report shows under construction Perth Build‑to‑Sell (BTS) at 3,446 apartments versus the Gold Coast at 7,922. Mr Cresp said “The challenge for Perth is how to we grow the delivery pipeline”.

Urbis’ conclusion is that Perth’s market is increasingly defined by product discipline and delivery certainty, with the research identifying “delivery certainty is key” and calling out builder risk and procurement models as core success factors, alongside “timing and staging”.&nbsp;

Joel Robinson

Perth apartment sales hit strongest pace since late 2021 as builder capacity tightens

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sammut-developments">Sammut Group</a> has secured development approval for its latest Brisbane apartment project, marking the Sydney developer’s next step in expanding its Queensland pipeline following the success of its debut Gold Coast development, Coast.

The approved project at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/44-glen-road-toowong-qld-4066">44 Glen Road, </a><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/toowong-qld-4066">Toowong</a> will deliver a 15-storey riverfront apartment building with 42 residences, significantly increasing the scale of the site’s previous approval for a smaller luxury scheme. Designed by Bureau^proberts, the development will comprise a mix of predominantly four-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments positioned to maximise Brisbane River and city views.

Sammut Director Julian Sammut said the group had been actively searching Brisbane for several years before identifying Toowong as the right fit.

“Brisbane was the right step for Sammut,” Sammut said.

“With the success of Coast we thought we should definitely look to do more in Queensland alone. We then pushed up to look at Brisbane. We've been looking for I'd say two to three years actually and it was hard to find the right location.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.14%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=dYAVIL7qdcGA8ojvkslSrLjczXFejSSx" />

Sammut said suburbs including New Farm and Teneriffe were considered before the group ultimately focused on Toowong due to its strong downsizer demographic and limited supply of developable riverfront land.

The site was acquired off-market after what Sammut described as a lengthy negotiation and planning process, with the developer pursuing an uplift to the original approval.

“We are DA approved now which is very exciting,” Sammut said.

“We've had our change approval come through and we've obviously doubled the height, 15 storeys plus rooftop. We've got 42 amazing apartments that are going to be coming to market soon.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.26%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=ohkRkY0dIZlqdfME2EZePsCQavRiBadE" />

Bureau^proberts said the design responds to Toowong’s evolving urban character, balancing contemporary apartment living with the area’s established residential identity.

“A place where traditional Queensland living has taken place for centuries; Toowong is seeing a shift of contemporary influence, commercial and retail hubs mixed with well-considered residential offerings – all the while maintaining its character and charm,” the architect noted in planning documents submitted to Brisbane City Council.

The architecture practice said the project’s form was shaped by its riverfront setting, flood considerations, neighbouring building scales, and view corridors.

“They said the mix of four and two-bedroom apartments capture the ‘fundamental qualities of Queenslander living,’ translated into the context of a contemporary subtropical building.”

The development sits just off Coronation Drive within walking distance of Toowong’s retail precinct and the upgraded Regatta ferry terminal, while also benefiting from proximity to the incoming green bridge connection to West End. Sammut said the accessibility and amenity offering were central to the site’s appeal.

The approval adds to growing residential activity along the Toowong riverfront, joining nearby projects including Consolidated Properties’ Monarch Residences and Spyre Group’s ARC Residences.

Sammut secures approval for debut Brisbane apartment development in Toowong

Developer Lanevick is heading back into Sydney’s apartment market after focusing more heavily on the luxury townhouse and terrace sector in recent years.

Lanevick, founded and directed by Steve Maroun, is expecting to receive approval in the coming months for a new apartment development in Gladesville, with the aim to launch it to the market later this year.

The 51-apartment project, designed by Studio Johnston, will comprise a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments positioned toward the Hunters Hill downsizer market.

“Traditionally it’s been difficult for people in that market to downsize because there just hasn’t been the right product available,” Maroun said.

“We’re targeting buyers who might have 30 to 40 per cent of their house value sitting in the bank after downsizing.

“They still want good spacious entertaining areas, they still want quality design, but they also want flexibility and the ability to enjoy life a bit more after working hard for a long time.”

The project sits near Boronia Park and within close proximity to the Parramatta River foreshore, an area Maroun says offers more of a Hunters Hill lifestyle than a traditional apartment precinct.

“From a lifestyle perspective, it’s really more Hunters Hill than Gladesville,” Maroun said. “You’re close to the foreshore, close to parklands, and still connected back into the village precinct.”

From level four and above, apartments will capture water views&nbsp;toward Sydney Harbour. Communal amenity will include rooftop entertaining areas, wellness spaces, and a gym tailored toward owner-occupier buyers.

“We’ve really designed these apartments around that buyer coming from the Hunters Hill LGA and what they’re actually looking for in their next chapter.”

The proposed development has also been designed to respond to the changing character of the broader Gladesville town centre, where a growing number of mixed-use and residential proposals are expected to emerge over the coming years.

“Gladesville presented a rare opportunity to deliver a genuinely design-led residential project within an evolving lifestyle precinct, just moments from the growing Gladesville town centre, and we’ve approached the project with a strong focus on architecture, liveability and long-term community value,” Maroun said.

Maroun said Lanevick saw a first-mover advantage within the precinct as planning controls continue to evolve to accommodate greater housing density.

“We think there’s a real opportunity there that hasn’t really been serviced properly yet,” he said.

“There’s going to be a broader evolution of the whole Gladesville village precinct over time, particularly with more activation and mixed-use outcomes.”

The Venus Street proposal will include a commercial and retail component at ground level designed to contribute to that evolving streetscape activation.

“A big part of the thinking was how do you activate that area properly and create more vibrancy and amenity, which is what Hunters Hill has been looking for,” Maroun said.

Lanevick’s focus since 2020 has largely been on smaller-scale luxury townhouse and terrace developments. The developer recently completed Royale Randwick, also designed by Studio Johnston, where prices reached $3.65 million. The project was featured in the UDIA NSW 2026 Professional Development Prospectus and was also named a finalist for Development of the Year.

&nbsp;

Lanevick to cater for Hunters Hill downsizers with new Gladesville apartment development

Property developer One Living, backed by former Macquarie banker turned investment manager Chris Green’s investment firm, has unveiled plans to bring more institutional capital into housing to help address the national supply crisis.

The New York-based investor has focused his firm, GreenPoint Partners, on addressing the supply shortage hitting middle market housing in Australia.

It is backing the new One Living business to develop more than 1000 units along the eastern seaboard. The new firm is starting with a development on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with around 140 apartments planned. They are eyeing off more sites across the city.

With cost pressures rising in the industry, One Living’s model is to be a vertically integrated developer-builder, so it can respond directly to the housing gap by removing the cost inefficiencies embedded in traditional residential delivery.

“We are building a platform designed to operate at scale and starting in a market where there’s a clear need for quality, attainable housing,” One Living joint managing director Joseph Scuderi said.

“It’s that missing middle – it’s that attainable end of housing… that’s what most Australians invest into and what Australians can actually afford.”

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="798dfa93-4941-4db6-a696-31e9dc18e81c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.31.50%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=mKBqi5C_DmeiXS.AtJkcR8LQIxqCqmFi" />

GreenPoint Partners brings years of experience assembling and scaling real estate operating businesses across major markets. And Green sees a big opportunity in Australia.

“For its size, sophistication and importance to the community, Australia’s living sector has remained largely under-institutionalised, which represents significant opportunity,” Green said. “GreenPoint identified that gap, assembled the right team, and is backing One Living to build a platform that is aligned to market needs.”

Green said being a builder-developer would give the company the capacity and flexibility it required to deliver reasonably-priced homes.

“We want it to be at that attainable level; not super high end luxury but at that attainable level,” he said.

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74a5344a-4b26-4d4a-ada3-056b1220be77" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.32.15%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=vY8hXHO4reBMdO8ZXMWCNtGZJofUPQ3j" />

&nbsp;

One Living will undertake a component of affordable housing in its schemes, which it will own and operate, and it could also run build-to-rent on some sites.

Green praised local policy settings.

“The NSW government is being very supportive, strategic and pragmatic in terms of how do we generate more supply of housing,” he said. “We think it’s actually positive for development and the bit that’s been lacking at that attainable level is that it’s lots of relatively small private developers, whereas we want to create an institutional platform.”

One Living is also&nbsp;looking at high-density projects and could take on more institutional funding in the future.

“The way we will be able to achieve economies of scale is through size,” Green added.

One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition

It's been several years since there's been an opportunity to buy a brand new townhome in Melbourne's coastal suburb of Mordialloc. Even apartment developments in recent times have been few and far between in the area.

Local developer LDS Property identified the gap in new housing, securing a site on White Street, directly opposite&nbsp;Woodlands Golf Club Mordialloc. They've recently launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/wm-residences-mordialloc-102-white-street-mordialloc-vic-3195">WM Residences</a>, just 13 townhouses which they have already started building.

Projects by Buxton Director Heath Thompson, who is selling WM Residences, says the townhouses x that perfect middle ground be

"Mordialloc residents have had limited options to downsize within the suburb, often forcing them to look elsewhere despite long-standing ties to the area," Thompson says.

"With very little comparable new supply coming to market, projects like WM Residences are well placed, particularly as buyers look to capitalise on current conditions amid constrained supply."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6109]

The development, designed by regarded architecture firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ewert-leaf">Ewert Leaf</a>,&nbsp;adopts a deliberately restrained architectural approach, focusing on simplicity, durability and liveability rather than overt design gestures.

The boutique scale is central to the offering. With only 13 three-bedroom residences, each home is configured to prioritise functional layouts and everyday use, supported by private terraces and secure two-car garages.

Ewert Leaf’s design response leans into a calm, neutral material palette. Interiors are defined by oak flooring, white walls and soft finishes, creating a consistent and understated backdrop. The approach avoids trend-driven detailing in favour of longevity, with an emphasis on natural light and spatial clarity.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6110]

Beyond aesthetics, the homes are designed to meet contemporary performance expectations. Each residence targets a minimum 6-star energy rating, incorporating double glazing, comprehensive insulation and all-electric Bosch appliances.

The project’s location supports a walkable coastal lifestyle, sitting within close proximity to Mordialloc’s foreshore, Main Street retail strip and the train station. Local cafés and dining venues, including Suburbia Deli and Hendriks Café, are within a short walk, reinforcing the area’s established neighbourhood character.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6116]

While <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/mordialloc-vic-3195">Mordialloc</a> is often defined by its beach and pier, the project taps into other areas of day to day living, offering easy access to local food, casual dining and transport, rather than positioning itself purely as a lifestyle retreat.

WM Residences reflects a continued trend across Melbourne’s coastal suburbs towards smaller-scale, design-led townhouse developments, particularly on infill sites where proximity to amenity is already established.

With construction commenced prior to its market entry, the project aligns with a growing preference among buyers for developments with visible progress and defined delivery timeframes.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134646]

Alistair Walsh

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