<html><body>
Every negotiation can be very easily broken down into its component parts once you understand what is really going on.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be posing 20 questions, which (when taken together) are intended to help you fully grasp everything involved.
These questions will ensure you are thoroughly prepared, as they will also serve to remind you of the key things you should watch out for "at the table".
Both before (and during) any negotiation, here is what you need to be asking yourself. Are you:
1. Pursuing what you really Want?
Never enter a negotiation until you have a clearly defined outcome in mind. Be sure to write it down concisely, and then make it the focal point of your prep work.
2. Researching your opposition?
This is very important. Learn as much as you can about whom you're up against. Try to discover what it is they want, their strengths and weaknesses, even their likes and dislikes.
3. Preparing thoroughly?
And that means point by point.
It's important to do your homework on the property, the market and the neighbourhood. You do not want to be fumbling for papers, looking for statistics or sales evidence. Instead, you need to focus on the deal and have everything at your fingertips.
4. Considering method and timing?
Wherever possible, start your negotiation face to face. It's always easier for them to say no over the phone or by letter. Furthermore, master negotiators will always initiate the "process" to gain the advantage of both preparation and timing.
5. Achieving early agreement?
Try to get minor agreement on one or two point, early in the negotiation, even if it's just the recognition of a potential problem.
For example: “I think we can agree we have an issue with _________, so let's find a way to resolve that.”
6. Exploring constraints and flexibilities?
Discovering the cards held by the other side can be invaluable. Some of their constraints may be immovable, but you may find some issues to be reasonably flexible.
Likewise, examine and understand your own constraints and flexibilities.
7. Adopting a reasonable attitude?
In many negotiations, you end up forming a relationship with the other side, and this needs to be mutually beneficial. Therefore, recognise and acknowledge their constraints and desires, just as you expect them to recognise yours.
8. Listening carefully?
As you can appreciate, listening is actually quite different from merely hearing, whenever someone speaks to you. Make sure that you fully understand what is actually being said, but more importantly, why it's being said.
9. Offering solutions?
You need to understand that it's certainly not one-way traffic. Part of your role is to come up with solutions.
In every negotiation, you ought to try making a guess as to what objections, issues, and problems the other party is going to come up with. Once you do that, you can propose alternatives, solutions, and flexible outcomes that they may well not have even considered.
10. Properly anticipating?
What you're trying to anticipate here are the other party's reactions, objections, and responses.
For each possible objection or reaction, list what you might be able to use as a response. Try and come up with alternatives and examples, to counter the other party's potential negatives.
11. Seeking out win-win resolutions?
When it's all said and done, Negotiating is really nothing more than give and take by both parties.
What you're seeking to do is trade your least important items for those that will really help you achieve your desired outcome.
12. Proposing options, not ultimatums?
You should only use an ultimatum as a last resort — only when you can back it up and carry it through, and the other side knows that. Even then, you are probably better to seek options and alternatives, which will lead to a positive outcome for both parties.
Whenever the only answer simply is yes or no, someone has to lose.
13. Staying with the big picture?
Don't allow yourself to end up debating just one point or issue. To resolve that single issue will again require someone to lose.
To achieve your desired outcome, always make sure you have a number of variables under negotiation, all at the same time.
That way, you can float “trial balloons” simultaneously in an attempt to trade what are minor issues for you.
14. Adopting persuasive rationale?
Think about what you need to do (or say) to logically convince the other side — without the need for confrontation.
You might not necessarily win every point, but they will have difficulty finding flaws in your logic. Whenever they are ambivalent on a point that's important to you, your logic will win the day.
Bottom line: You're now about 70% of the way through your prep-work for a successful negotiation. And after next week, will have the complete framework to refer to.
Chris Lang is an advisor to commercial property investors and gives keynote speeches and regular seminars on the best way to invest in commercial property. He maintains a blog, <a target="_blank" title="Chris Lang's blog" href="https://his-best.biz/">his-best.biz</a>, which he updates regularly about the best way to get the most out of your commercial property investment.
 
 
 
 
</body></html>

chrislang-EQKojcgJPV

Fourteen questions to ask yourself before you begin a negotiation in commercial property

<html><body>
Right now, the Sydney suburban office market is trending sideways. And that's rather good news, because the general consensus was it was about to slump.
While its vacancy rate sits at 9.6%, there is little new space coming onto the market over the next couple of years.
Because of the recent general uncertainty, most of lettings the have come about through lease renewals – as businesses choose to stay put, rather than relocate.
The expectation is for a return to solid rental growth during 2012-13, as business confidence improves.
The Melbourne market has a lower vacancy rate.
Although demand for space actually fell, so did the rate of new construction over the past year — which has kept Melbourne's vacancy rate at 5.7%.
Once again, there is no new construction in the pipeline. And over the past 12 months, the market seems to have been dominated by owner-occupiers and private investors.
This trend is likely to continue as larger investment trusts selectively re-balance their portfolios, by divesting some of their suburban offices.
Bottom line: Both the Sydney and Melbourne suburban office markets appear to be at (or just leaving) the bottom of their cycles.
And with little new construction looming, now would be perfect timing to secure a well-let office suite — ready to ride the strong upswing, during the next four or five years.
Chris Lang is an advisor to commercial property investors and gives keynote speeches and regular seminars on the best way to invest in commercial property. He maintains a blog, <a href="https://his-best.biz/" title="Chris Lang's blog" target="_blank">his-best.biz</a>, which he updates regularly about the best way to get the most out of your commercial property investment.
 
</body></html>

Now is a good time to invest in Melbourne and Sydney suburban office markets

<html><body>
Last week, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/commercial/how-to-market-and-sell-your-commercial-property-investment/2012030553685">I explored the various selling methods available to you</a>, which ones were the preferred, and why.
Plus, you were also given some initial insight into the benefits of using web (or "wealth") marketing techniques. But how does this differ from traditional marketing for commercial property?
Traditional marketing tends to adopt a "scatter gun" approach, which depends heavily upon expensive media advertising and a detailed information memorandum.
Whereas stealth marketing is more like using a "laser gun", focusing on your target market using a personalised direct-email campaign, plus a dedicated website, to explain everything about the property.
What else should you expect from your selling agent?
Your agent should be able to explain the current state of the market to you in detail, as well as providing a firm estimate of the likely price for your property.
But you're entitled to expect a whole lot more. And so, by way of a quick checklist, a good selling agent should also:
<ol start="1">
<li>Gather and collate all necessary information to ensure purchasers will be fully informed and capable of making a decision to buy;</li>
<li>Liaise with you and your lawyers to make sure the documentation is fully complete and correct; </li>
<li>Create a dedicated website (or at least several webpages) for your property – making everything available to prospective buyers, in exchange for their contact details;</li>
<li>Co-ordinate the overall marketing campaign: mailing out brochures and letters (or preferably, sending out personally addressed emails, with direct links for the website) to those potential purchasers known to be currently active in the market;</li>
<li>Try to secure editorial coverage within the various media being used;</li>
<li>Qualify and record all the enquiries that are generated throughout the marketing campaign;</li>
<li>Arrange for the various inspections to take place;</li>
<li>Prepare prospective buyers for the actual auction or tender;</li>
<li>Keep you advised as to progress, on at least a weekly basis;</li>
<li>Ensure all preparations are made, so that everything runs smoothly on the day of the auction or the close of tenders;</li>
<li>Conduct the auction (or open the tenders with you) and attend to signing of the contracts with the successful purchasers;</li>
<li>Depending upon local requirements, ensure an early release of the deposit;</li>
<li>Follow up with your lawyers to ensure that the documents have been executed to their satisfaction; and</li>
<li>Once the deposit has been released account to you with the deposit monies, 30 days after the sale, setting everything out in a detailed statement for the sale.</li>
</ol>
Bottom line: Unless your selling agent is proposing to undertake these vital 14 steps on your behalf, then you should be looking elsewhere.
Chris Lang is an advisor to commercial property investors and gives keynote speeches and regular seminars on the best way to invest in commercial property. He maintains a blog, <a href="https://his-best.biz/" title="Chris Lang's blog" target="_blank">his-best.biz</a>, which he updates regularly about the best way to get the most out of your commercial property investment.
 
 
</body></html>

Fourteen steps a selling agent should take when selling commercial property

<html><body>
What you need is a strategy to make absolutely sure you obtain the best possible price when you sell.
And you do this by creatively targeting investors, developers and potential owner-occupiers — through adopting a broad (yet cost-effective) marketing campaign, which draws out those buyers best suited to your property.
Choosing the best method of sale
The number-one secret for successfully selling any property is to promote the feeling among your prospective buyers that "they could miss out".
However, this is difficult to achieve with a straight private sale. In fact, this method generally takes far longer to achieve a result — as it fails to create any sense of urgency in a buyer's mind.
Plus, you are at a real disadvantage in having to nominate an asking price. Traditionally, you need to inflate this figure to allow for the expected level of negotiation. But that becomes a double-edged sword.
You could effectively deter potential buyers because your figure is considered to be too high. Or it could go the other way — you may end up selling at a figure below what buyers may have been prepared to pay, simply because your buyers were not put under any competitive pressure.
For my clients, I recommend either a public auction or tender as the most appropriate method of sale.
That way, prospective buyers are all heading towards a fixed end-date and there is no need for you to publicly nominate an actual selling price — so you maintain control all the way through.
How to market your property
As you'll appreciate, media advertising can be very costly. And there is also a limit to just how much you can actually say about the property in any one advertisement.
So the best approach has been to link the media ads to dedicated web pages for each property, which has proven extremely successful.
You will find most agents simply choose to place their properties onto the internet in a rather generic form using portal sites like realcommercial.com.au or commercialrealestate.com.au.
But this creates a problem for you, in that every buyer for your property needs to go through a lengthy search process on one or more of these portal sites.
And what's even worse (for you as a vendor) is that these buyers will probably discover several other properties they prefer along the way!
Bottom line: What works best is to create a dedicated website (or least several web pages) for your property. And then promote that specific web address via the media ads, the brochure and the board.
That means prospective buyers are able to home in on your property to view and download everything about it. And probably do this after hours, when your agent is actually closed.
Chris Lang is an advisor to commercial property investors and gives keynote speeches and regular seminars on the best way to invest in commercial property. He maintains a blog, <a href="https://his-best.biz/" title="Chris Lang's blog" target="_blank">his-best.biz</a>, which he updates regularly about the best way to get the most out of your commercial property investment.
 
 
 
 
</body></html>

How to market and sell your commercial property investment

<html><body>
As you will appreciate, being able to sleep at night is one of the key objectives for any commercial property investor.
And that's what many property investors refer to as staying below your "threshold of insomnia".
There can be several things that might cause you to lose sleep. One is over-borrowing, and the others are making a poor assessment of the market and the property itself.
Six tips on what you should do:
<ol>
<li>Always maintain sufficient cash reserves in order to cover several months' mortgage repayments — just in case you were to lose a tenant, or the tenant is simply late in paying for some reason.And keep a sharp eye on smaller items like any equipment and maintenance bills, which can quickly add up.</li>
<li>Make sure you have an investment plan you're comfortable with, and then follow it. In other words, set realistic goals and go after them. More goals have been missed through lack of planning than through the plan itself failing.</li>
<li>Get yourself a financial calculator or access to a good software program. And learn to use it to generate a realistic projected cashflow on an after-tax basis.</li>
<li>Always keep yourself up to date with various trends within the marketplace. Make sure you monitor the news and legislation affecting real estate, undertake courses, attend seminars and read books on commercial property. Knowledge will reduce your risks and improve your profits.</li>
<li>Identify and engage a top team of consultants (property, legal, finance, construction, etc). The money you pay them will be more than returned to you through the deals they will help you put together.</li>
<li>Wherever possible ensure your mortgages to not require you to provide a personal guarantee. Always strive to make them non-recourse loans.</li>
</ol>
Six tips on what to avoid:
<ol>
<li>Do not be tempted to invest a large proportion of your funds into speculative investments. They may appear glamorous on the way in, but they are often painful on the way out.</li>
<li>Never do deals on a handshake — always put them in writing, for your own protection.</li>
<li>Avoid entering into joint ventures or partnerships without taking detailed advice from your advisors.</li>
<li>Never commit funds from the sale of one property to finance another until settlement on the first one occurs. Too many "sure deals" have an uncanny habit of coming unstuck.</li>
<li>Avoid mortgages with variable payments. There are too many elements outside your control, such as a sudden surge in interest rates. Ideally, choose a fixed- rate mortgage. But at worst, have a 50/50 split between a fixed-rate and variable-rate mortgage. </li>
<li>Shy away from properties that have substantial negative cash flows (where your expenses considerably exceed your income from the property). The return on equity may be greater, but you can leave yourself rather exposed — much like share traders discovered with their margin calls. Just settle for neutral gearing; and then maximise your depreciation benefits.</li>
<li> </li>
</ol>
Bottom Line: With commercial property investing, always live within your means and reinvest profits. It is far better to be inconspicuously wealthy than ostentatiously poor.
Chris Lang is an advisor to commercial property investors and gives keynote speeches and regular seminars on the best way to invest in commercial property. He maintains a blog, <a href="https://his-best.biz/" title="Chris Lang's blog" target="_blank">his-best.biz</a>, which he updates regularly about the best way to get the most out of your commercial property investment.
 
 
 
</body></html>

Six do's and don'ts for commercial property investment

<html><body>
When it comes to commercial property investing, have you ever actually sat down and analysed your principal aims?
And have you then matched them against the properties you already own — or those you may now be considering?
Basically, you'll find most people purchase commercial property for one (or more) of four reasons.
<ul>
<li>to receive a solid cashflow;</li>
<li>to provide a profitable return;</li>
<li>to benefit from tax savings; and</li>
<li>as a hedge against inflation.</li>
</ul>
You may feel you'd like to achieve all of these. But generally, one or two will stand out as being more important for you.
As you're probably aware, the truly rich tend to generate their capacity for wealth through their business activities. But then, they turn to commercial property to preserve and grow that wealth.
And in the same way, your underlying principles should also be to protect your original equity, and then obtain a worthwhile, ongoing return on it.
With that in mind, you would need to remove anything of a highly speculative nature from among the properties you pursue. Because, what you're effectively seeking is solid growth — without unnecessary risk. And that brings us to:
Your investment profile
More often than not, you can determine your profile based upon your personality type and your past experience.
Type #1: The Risk Taker
Some people love telling stories about how they "gambled a lot" — where they would have either made a fortune or gone broke. These investors can be quite entertaining to listen to, but rather dangerous to imitate.
Type #2: The Armchair Investor
These people certainly know their stuff — because they attend lots of seminars, read many books and are probably a regular on several forums. But they never have enough conviction to actually invest for themselves.
Type #3: The Shrewd Conservatives
These are the mildly aggressive investors, who only increase the size of the portfolio when they have enough funds in reserve. They do their homework before buying and don't put the existing properties at risk.
Bottom Line: As you can appreciate, it is the Type #3 investor who is most likely to succeed. And that's the one you should strive to emulate, going forward.
Anyway if you'd like to explore all of this in more detail, I would invite you <a target="_blank" href="https://commercial-property-secrets.com/">to watch a video</a>, where I'll walk you through a case study and also outline the precise steps you need to follow.
Chris Lang is an advisor to commercial property investors and gives keynote speeches and regular seminars on the best way to invest in commercial property. He maintains a blog, <a target="_blank" title="Chris Lang's blog" href="https://his-best.biz/">his-best.biz</a>, which he updates regularly about the best way to get the most out of your commercial property investment.
 
 
</body></html>

The three types of commercial property investor: Which type are you?

<html><body>
Before you purchase your next commercial property, you need to take some advice on which purchasing vehicle is right for you — because it's definitely not “one size fits all”.
The Australian Tax Office is quite happy for you to arrange your affairs so as to minimise the tax you pay. In other words, it is quite legal for you to avoid tax — you simply cannot evade it.
Income tax and capital gains tax are clearly two important issues to consider when arranging your property investments, and so, too, is GST.
But tax planning is not the only factor to consider. There are other commercial concerns that you should also address, depending on your circumstances. Apart from ensuring your overall flexibility, you also need to be able to:
<ul>
<li>admit partners down the track;</li>
<li>allow one or more individuals to sell out when desired;</li>
<li>cope with future tax changes;</li>
<li>handle a marriage breakdown;</li>
<li>cope with the death of one or more individuals;</li>
<li>pass on the investments to future generations; and</li>
<li>take advantage of the new superannuation provisions.</li>
</ul>
If you haven't already done so, you need to give careful thought to these matters in choosing the best investment "vehicle" for your next purchase.
From a tax viewpoint, which vehicle is best for you?
The simplest way to answer this question is to fully review the advantages and disadvantages of the commonly recommended tax structures and decide which best suit your circumstances. Those possible structures (investment vehicles) include:
<ul>
<li>Company</li>
<li>Fixed trust (commonly referred to as a unit trust)</li>
<li>Partnership, or joint venture</li>
</ul>
Depending upon your particular situation, there will be one vehicle better suited to your needs. And it is vital for you to determine that before you finalise the contract of sale for your next purchase.
You may prefer to obtain advice from your accountant. Alternatively, most competent legal firms will have a taxation division, which can provide you with that advice.
And this is always my preference — because there is then less chance of something being able to "slip through the cracks".
Generally, the discussion about the most appropriate investment vehicle takes only about  15 to 20 minutes with a tax adviser.
However, the real advantage comes from being able to dovetail the formation of that vehicle with the conveyancing aspects of the contract itself — because everything is now happening in-house.
Bottom line: You are able to leave that initial meeting with the comfort of knowing the transaction will now be documented in the most tax-effective manner.
Plus, it will also provide you with the greatest flexibility down the track; and you now have one fewer thing to follow up in the process.
Chris Lang is an advisor to commercial property investors and gives keynote speeches and regular seminars on the best way to invest in commercial property. He maintains a blog, <a target="_blank" title="Chris Lang's blog" href="https://his-best.biz/">his-best.biz</a>, which he updates regularly about the best way to get the most out of your commercial property investment.
 
 
 
</body></html>

How to choose the right investment vehicle for your commercial property investment

<html><body>
Once you have carefully chosen your commercial property investment, and negotiated a great deal with the purchase, you then need to turn your mind to ensuring you extract the most from it during your time of ownership.
Therefore, you either need to know how to properly manage the property yourself or you engage some professional help to handle that for you.
And in the current litigious climate, there is no way you can possibly keep abreast of all the regulatory requirements relating to property ownership.
So your next question becomes: "How do I know whether a particular property manager is up to the task?"
To help you, here are the key areas where your property manager needs to be really well versed.
1. The market and the marketplace
<ul>
<li>Rental levels in your property's market</li>
<li>The balance of supply and demand in your market</li>
<li>Up-to-date records of properties, owners, tenants and service providers</li>
</ul>
2. Taxation (especially GST and capital gains tax)
<ul>
<li>Taxation advice in relation to repairs/replacement</li>
<li>Income management</li>
<li>Budget forecasting</li>
<li>Depreciation</li>
<li>Insurance</li>
</ul>
3. The laws governing ownership and leasing of property
<ul>
<li>Landlord and tenant legislation</li>
<li>Subdivision legislation</li>
<li>Essential service regulations</li>
<li>Lease preparation</li>
<li>Local Government Act</li>
<li>Rights of property owners</li>
<li>Trade Practices Act</li>
<li>Anti-discrimination Act</li>
</ul>
4. Trust accounting
<ul>
<li>Acts governing real estate agency practice</li>
<li>Basic bookkeeping principles</li>
<li>Cashflow management</li>
<li>Budget forecasting</li>
</ul>
5. Various legislative requirements
<ul>
<li>Health and safety matters</li>
<li>Essential services</li>
<li>Town planning</li>
<li>Building Code of <country-region><place>Australia</place></country-region>
</li>
<li>Fire regulations</li>
</ul>
6. Building and construction
<ul>
<li>Property maintenance</li>
<li>Building methods</li>
<li>Cost control</li>
<li>Alternative materials</li>
<li>Design and decoration</li>
<li>Market requirements</li>
<li>Optimum layouts</li>
</ul>
Chris Lang is an advisor to commercial property investors and gives keynote speeches and regular seminars on the best way to invest in commercial property. He maintains a blog, <a target="_blank" title="Chris Lang's blog" href="https://his-best.biz/">his-best.biz</a>, which he updates regularly about the best way to get the most out of your commercial property investment.
 
 
</body></html>

What a commercial property manager needs to know

<html><body>
Will commercial property investors and businesses be starved of ready funds during 2012?
The banks seemed to be protesting about the increased cost of offshore borrowing and are using that as their excuse for not wanting to pass on any future RBA rate reductions in full.
But are they really telling you the whole truth?
Since 2008, the banks have reduced their dependence upon offshore funding by a third — now providing only 20% of their funding needs. In turn, they have raised (from 40% to 50%) their contribution from domestic deposits.
As such, their overall exposure to the European crisis has been significantly reduced. But what if things were to get worse? How would it look then?
During the early stages of the GFC, the Australian dollar fell as commodity prices collapsed.
But our dollar has now proven itself to be a safe haven — with foreign governments eagerly buying Australian 10-year bonds. This has driven yields down from 5.5% per annum early last year to where they currently sit, at around 3.8% per annum.
Unlike most Western countries, Australia still enjoys an envied AAA credit rating. And the Gillard government wants to ensure banking stability, along with a steady flow of funds throughout the system.
Therefore, if global conditions were to worsen or there were any suggestion of a funding shortage frustrating the banks, the government would undoubtedly extend its guarantee facility to them — as it did during the GFC.
That would have a twofold benefit:
The banks would then be able to borrow cheaply, backed by the AAA rating of the Australian government.
Plus any reduction in the cash rate by the RBA would immediately be passed on in full — given that the taxpayers would effectively underwrite the banks' wellbeing.
Bottom line: Because of Australia's rather unique economic position, it is well placed not only to survive any further global upheaval but actually emerge stronger as a result of it.
Therefore, as a commercial property investor, you need to grasp this window of opportunity and secure some well-let property now, ready to ride the underlying growth wave over the next five to six years.
Chris Lang is an advisor to commercial property investors and gives keynote speeches and regular seminars on the best way to invest in commercial property. He maintains a blog, <a target="_blank" title="Chris Lang's blog" href="https://his-best.biz/">his-best.biz</a>, which he updates regularly about the best way to get the most out of your commercial property investment.
 
</body></html>

A credit squeeze would not likely hurt commercial property investors

<html><body>
During the last quarter of 2011 there was a definite improvement in the US economy — with consumer spending up and companies finally replenishing their inventories.
GDP increased by an annualised 3%, with improved sales for durable goods and new homes.
Petrol prices have been cheaper since mid-2011, and the US jobless rate was the lowest in nearly 3 years.
Therefore, with improved employment figures, consumers have felt more comfortable spending — which represents around 70% of US economic activity.
And despite the European turmoil, the German economy has remained resilient — also growing by 3% over the past 12 months.
What does this mean for Australian commercial property?
In Australia, offices remain the preferred asset class for performance during 2012, followed by retirement property.
However, retail property was expected to be a negative performer after decades of strong rental price.
In contrast, the Property Council of Australia/ANZ survey found:
The office and industrial markets are particularly well placed, as reflected by the positive net balance of capital growth expectations for the sectors.
According to Jones Lang LaSalle, during last year $US400 billion in direct commercial property deals were made worldwide — which reflected an increase of 25% on 2010.
Bottom line: Australia's share of those deals was $6.5 billion in office towers during last year — <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/commercial/offshore-investment-in-australian-commercial-property-at-20-year-high/2011122052916">with 28% of those purchases being made by overseas buyers</a>.
And this <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/commercial/office-and-industrial-sectors-to-lead-commercial-property-growth-in-2012-pca-anz-survey/2012011153019">trend is expected to continue strongly during 2012</a>, and beyond.
Chris Lang is an advisor to commercial property investors and gives keynote speeches and regular seminars on the best way to invest in commercial property. He maintains a blog, <a href="https://his-best.biz/" title="Chris Lang's blog" target="_blank">his-best.biz</a>, which he updates regularly about the best way to get the most out of your commercial property investment.
</body></html>

Improved global outlook helps Australian commercial property

Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.

The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.

The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.

The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.

The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.

MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.

Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.

The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.

<img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" />

MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.

"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.

"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."

The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.

Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.

Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.

"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.

"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."

MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.

"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.

"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."

Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.

"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."

The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.

MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.

Joel Robinson

First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

<main data-perf-region="main">
Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.

But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.

Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377679]

The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.

It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377675]

Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.

Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.

Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377685]

Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.

"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.

A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.

It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.

At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.

Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377680]

Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.

"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.

The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.

More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152737]

<h3 data-end="3697" data-section-id="q3n5ak" data-start="3672">&nbsp;</h3>
</main>

Nova Rêve arrives as Reve Group bets on Castle Hill's next growth phase

A collection of just 25 large-format apartments and penthouses overlooking Goodwin Park is entering the Coolangatta market, with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/marea-residences-coolangatta-27-27a-dixon-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Maréa Residences</a> combining a low-density, residential-only approach with uninterrupted park and Pacific Ocean outlooks.

Located at 27 Dixon Street, Maréa comprises three and four-bedroom residences alongside a limited number of dual-level penthouses, with the project positioned between Goodwin Park and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/coolangatta-qld-4225">Coolangatta</a>’s coastal precinct.

Construction has commenced, with completion currently estimated for late 2027. Three-bedroom residences are priced from $1.8 million.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374005]

The project has been designed around its northern outlook across the park, with the building’s architecture, landscaping and material palette intended to establish a connection with the neighbouring green space. The residences have been configured to maximise natural light and views across Goodwin Park towards the ocean.

Inside, the material palette incorporates timber, stone and brushed brass, complemented by curved detailing and ambient lighting. Kitchens and bathrooms carry the same natural material approach, while residences also include basement parking, storage and lift access.

Maréa’s penthouses are arranged over two levels and include private pools, adding another layer to the project’s focus on larger-format apartment living. Across the development, residences are configured with three or four bedrooms rather than the broader mix of smaller apartment types commonly found in larger projects.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374010]

Resident amenity is concentrated at rooftop level, where landscaped entertaining terraces and pools take advantage of elevated views across Coolangatta and the Pacific Ocean.

The project has so far been particularly well received by local owner-occupiers and downsizers, according to Urban Activation Property Sales and Marketing Director Matt George, with the residential-only format, construction quality and northern park outlook among the features resonating with purchasers.

“The uninterrupted northern aspect overlooking Goodwin Park has been a key point of difference, with buyers attracted to the sense of serenity and open space the park provides, while still enjoying easy access to the ocean and being within walking distance of the lifestyle and amenities Coolangatta has to offer,” George said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374002]

“The combination of high-quality construction, a residential-only building, park outlook and proximity to the beach has resonated strongly with the local downsizer market.”

The Dixon Street address is within walking distance of Coolangatta Beach and the broader southern Gold Coast coastline, including the surf breaks at Snapper Rocks and Kirra. Coolangatta’s cafés, restaurants and retail are nearby, while Gold Coast Airport is also within close proximity.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150999]

Maréa Residences brings parkside apartments to Coolangatta

Melbourne developer PDG has secured Victorian Government approval for its $1.5 billion Southbank development <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-one-1-queens-bridge-street-southbank-vic-3006">The One</a>, clearing the way for the long-dormant riverfront site opposite Crown to finally be developed.

The Minister for Planning has approved the project at 1-29 Queens Bridge Street, with the Department of Transport and Planning issuing the planning permit following its assessment.

The approval will allow PDG to develop the prominent 5,059 sqm site with a major mixed-use tower comprising premium apartments, including branded residences, a luxury hotel and boutique office space.

PDG acquired the site in late 2024, with its position directly opposite Crown's main entrance and near Melbourne's Arts Precinct making it one of Southbank's most significant remaining development opportunities.

<img alt="PDG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3933013e-6332-4386-b9be-089df05caf17" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%209.29.22%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=sITIgBqDL0N3VNSMwWEmF5UA.uvcsRyu" />

Designed by COX in collaboration with ODO and PDG, the tower's architecture draws on the movement of the Yarra River, with six vertical pleats running the height of the sculpted facade.

The project will also see the heritage-listed Queens Bridge Hotel restored and incorporated into the development&nbsp;with new hospitality and public uses, including a rooftop venue.

A significant component of The One will be its residential amenity.

More than 5,000 sqm of resident facilities will be delivered across a single level, making it one of the largest consolidated residential amenity offerings proposed in an Australian apartment development.

The planning approval also incorporates a major upgrade of Queensbridge Square, which PDG will deliver in partnership with the City of Melbourne.

<img alt="PDG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="73167fcd-1031-4b6f-a408-a064cfe45ed1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%209.29.17%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=Pf1AEWxw6SNmBqR0zQW5lyEze.MtxgFp" />

The existing square will be revitalised as a new civic and pedestrian space along the Yarra River, strengthening the connection between the project, Southbank and the riverfront.

PDG Founder and Managing Director Vince Giuliano said the approval represented a major milestone for a site which has remained largely underutilised for more than 15 years.

“This is the most significant Planning Permit approval Melbourne has seen in recent years,” Giuliano said.

“For more than 15 years, this site has remained underutilised. This approval enables us to deliver a project that will contribute meaningfully to the revitalisation of Southbank, restore and reactivate an important heritage building, and create a new civic and hospitality destination for Melbourne.”

The latest approval follows an earlier planning permit issued by the City of Melbourne covering demolition works across part of the site at 9-29 Queens Bridge Street. Those demolition and early works are already underway.

PDG has also started generating early interest in the residential component from owner-occupiers ahead of a planned public launch in early 2027.

PDG secures approval for $1.5bn Southbank apartment development, The One

Local developer Harridan is seeking to turn its Woolloongabba apartment project into the first stage of a broader transformation of Burke Street, using a new 16-storey mixed-use building to establish a greener pedestrian connection toward the rapidly evolving Boggo Road transport and knowledge precinct.

The South East Queensland developer has filed plans for 154 apartments on the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/4-burke-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">southern side of Burke Street</a>, where its proposal has been designed alongside a wider vision by LatStudios for the street.

That vision positions the southern side of Burke Street for buildings of 15 storeys and above, while envisaging lower-rise development of up to five storeys on the northern side to transition into Woolloongabba's existing character housing. It also proposes wider pedestrian verges, deep planting, new street trees and upgrades to the pedestrian approach to Boggo Road Station.

The Harridan development itself has been designed by Brisbane-based Arqus Design and will comprise 154 apartments across 16 storeys. The mix is weighted heavily toward two-bedroom apartments, with 121 proposed alongside 10 one-bedroom and 23 three-bedroom residences. There will typically be around 14 units per floor.

A lower-ground car park and three podium levels will accommodate 156 resident parking spaces, along with visitor and commercial parking. There will also be 154 resident bicycle spaces and 40 visitor bicycle parks.

&nbsp;

Harridan is a family-owned developer and part of the Holmwood Highgate Group, with more than three decades of development activity across South East Queensland. Its portfolio spans residential, commercial and industrial property, with current residential projects including Riverbank on Byron in Bulimba, Esperance Residences in Carina and The Precinct at Kinross Road in Thornlands.

Wooloongabba has been popular for apartment developers, particularly since the announcement of the 2032 Summer Olympics games in Brisbane.

While there have been a lot of development applications, it has failed to materialize into real supply.&nbsp;

Sarazin has been the major player in the area. They are under construction at Murcia Residences, on the fringe of East Brisbane and Woolloongabba. They have just launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-stanley-residences-woolloongabba-8-trafalgar-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">The Stanley Residences</a>, in Woolloongabba on Trafalagar Street. They also have Nuage coming soon on the nearby <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nuage-woolloongabba-14-wellington-road-woolloongabba-qld-4102">Wellington Road</a>.

Chris Lang

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News