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Here is a quick list of nine pieces of wisdom to guide your thinking as you seek a property investment. Property Observer has cherry-picked some bright ideas and insights from some long-time property players.
1. Pick gems before they have gotten their shine
John Edwards, the Residex forecaster, says the best investor returns are made when you buy at the right price, in the right place and at the right time.
Edwards stresses investors need to keep in mind that locations that already have a reputation for being a hotspot have most likely passed their invest-by date by the time you actually find out about them in the published hotspots lists. The Residex boss says a current “gem” is just that – current – and the opportunity to maximise returns has passed.
2. Pick investments with an element of scarcity
The WBP Property Group chief Greville Pabst suggests investments ought to have high land value and an element of scarcity. He gives an example of buying an apartment in a period-era block of flats in an established suburb, where there may only be half a dozen apartments built on valuable inner-city land, versus buying an apartment in the high-rise apartment precincts, and obvious building construction hotspots, where you are likely to be the owner of one of 100 similar apartments in the same development.
3. Look for nearby employment opportunities
Investors should look for nearby employment opportunities for tenants and/or owner-occupiers that are easily accessible, says PRDnationwide research director Aaron Maskrey. He says it’s essential for incoming residents to be able to source employment within the local region. Don’t just peruse the property websites, monitor the employment internet sites.
4. Don’t rely too much on population growth data; vacancy rates provide a better guide
An increasing population indicates work opportunities, investment in infrastructure and demand for housing, but according to buyers’ agent Catherine Cashmore, it does not always result in the best long-term capital growth.
Cashmore says it is always important to analyse the reasons behind any surge in population and conduct an assessment on the longevity of the move before committing to a purchase.  The approval of “mooted” residential developments is the first risk that must be evaluated to protect against periods of oversupply of any one type of accommodation, she says. Jobs are transitory and because workers choose only to rent, when the work dries up, the majority don’t hang around.
Cashmore says as a general rule investors should try and seek out those areas where turnover is low, with a good proportion of owner-occupiers to renters and a diverse range of accommodation. The 2011 census gives good insights.
5. Look for locations with good infrastructure
 
Investors should look for locations with good access to public transportation and nearby arterial roads/highways, PRDnationwide research director Aaron Maskrey says. He encourages investors to ask questions like: Is there new or improved transportation infrastructure? Is the area identified for future gentrification by local council? Is there a limited available supply of dwellings to meet current and future demand? What about planned developments in the area?
6. Heavily discounted properties are not always a bargain
At any one time every location across Australia has a significant amount of property stock where the price has been discounted. But just because the price has been reduced doesn’t mean the property is for sale at fair value. The property may still be overpriced.
SQM Research director Louis Christopher says some properties may still be overpriced, even if they have already been discounted by over 30%. Louis Christopher recommends investors disregard asking prices and instead focus on what comparable properties actually sell for to figure out if a property is overpriced, has met the current market or is at under market value.
7. Focus on the property, not the hotspot
You are buying a property, not a whole town or suburb, says Property Observer editor Jonathan Chancellor.
While hotspots provide a guide as to where to look, you should not let them narrow your field of vision. Excellent investment opportunities can appear within markets that are not themselves hotspots, they may even be in decline. The key is to focus on the underlying value of the property itself and its potential for capital growth and rental returns, depending on your investment outlook.
8. Look for signs of the next “Paddington” and trust your intuition
John McGrath, CEO of McGrath Estate Agents, says he does not look too closely at the finer details but instead looks for a feeling or indicators that a suburb is on the move. He looked at Paddington in Sydney many years ago when it was a virtually unwanted location. It proved over a 10 or 15-year period that it was one of the fastest growth suburbs in Australia.
Looking back, McGrath says he saw a suburb close to the city, of medium to high density property, with a lot of people wanting to get in there, from types of buyers that pushed prices up significantly. He recommends looking for the next Paddington in their particular marketplace, which really comes back to having an intuitive sense along with doing your research.
9. Sometimes it’s best to just do nothing
Bear in mind this quote from Warren Buffett: “The trick is when there is nothing to do, do nothing.” Yet many investors get itchy feet and want to do the deal.
There are stages in the property cycle and times in your investment journey when it is best to just sit back and wait for the right opportunities to come along, because wealth is the transfer of money from the impatient to the patient.
For advice on navigating hotspots, download our free eBook: <a href="http://propertyobserver.com.au/ebooks/free-ebook-tools-for-getting-through-the-hotspot-tipping-maze" target="_blank">Tools for Getting Through the Hotspot Maze.</a>
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Nine pieces of wisdom for finding and investing in property hotspots

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Weekly rental returns for Roxby Downs property investors have increased almost 27% over the past 12 months to May 2012, according to figures compiled by RP Data.
The median advertised rent for a house in <a target="_blank" href="/news">Roxby Downs</a> is now $520 a week.
Roxby Downs<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/hotspots/headwinds-for-roxby-downs-and-other-nearby-mining-towns-as-bhp-s-olympic-dam-expansion-project-cancelled/2012082256180"> is the township closest to the now cancelled BHP Olympic Dam expansion project.</a>
Its population was expected to double to 10,000 people due to investment by BHP in services and accomodation in the small town.
According to RP Data, Roxby Downs annual rental gains to May <a target="_blank" href="/news">were only bettered by the Isaac region in Queensland,</a> which recorded an incredible 88% increase in its median advertised rent to $1,600 per week.
Isaac takes in much of Queensland's Bowen Basin region, which houses one of Australia’s biggest coal reserves.
Second on the list was the well-known mining hotspot of Gladstone, with rents up 44% since May last year to a weekly median of $550.
The seaport South Australian town of Whyalla, which was also expected to benefit from the Olympic Dam expansion, recorded a modest 10.7% increase in weekly rents to $310 per week, according to RP Data.
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Slowdown to hit mining boom towns as Roxby Downs rents up 27% over past 12 months: RP Data

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The decision by BHP Billiton to cancel its $30 billion Olympic Dam mine expansion project is likely to have direct repercussions for the regional South Australian property markets of Roxby Downs, Port Augusta and Whyalla as well as for the wider South Australian economy.
All three property markets had been tipped to take off again once the long-mooted expansion project kicked off, which would have significantly expanded BHP’s existing mining and processing operation at Olympic Dam, 560 kilometres north of Adelaide.
Figures compiled by RP Data to May 2012 show that Roxby Downs house prices have been rising by a healthy 13.6%  per annum over the past 10 years with a median price of $440,000.
Over the past year to May house price growth picked up to 11.4% having slowed to 7.3% over the past three years - during a time when BHP was awaiting final approval on its Olympic Dam project.
Recent sales at Roxby Downs include a three-bedroom house that sold for $445,000 at the end of June, having last traded for $138,000 in 2003.
A four-bedroom house sold for $488,000 in July, having last traded for $160,000 in 2003.
BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers says current market conditions, including subdued commodity prices and higher capital costs, have led to the decision to investigate "an alternative, less capital-intensive design of the Olympic Dam open-pit expansion".
“As we finalised all the details of the project in the context of current market conditions, our strategy and capital management priorities, it became clear that the right decision  for the company and its shareholders was to continue studies to develop a less capital intensive option to replace the underground mine at Olympic Dam," says Kloppers.
BHP received approval for the project in March this year, with environmental impact studies dating back to 2005.
The planned open-pit mine was expected operate simultaneously with the existing underground mine.
By 2050 the size of the pit was expected to grow to be 4.1 kilometres long, 3.5 kilometres wide and one kilometre deep. Eventually, mining the planned open pit would have produced 60 million tonnes per annum of ore, equivalent to an additional annual rate of refined copper production of 515,000 tonnes.
The Olympic Dam project was expected to “put billions of dollars into the South Australian economy for decades to come”, said BHP in a booklet on the project released last year.
Apart from expansion of the mine itself, BHP also planned to build a new airport at Olympic Dam to cater for large commercial jets and the increase in passengers and air traffic and build a new accommodation village for workers.
Transport plans included the building of a landing facility about 12 kilometres south of Port Augusta and extensive use of the Stuart Highway between Port Augusta and and Olympic Dam.
The population of Roxby Downs township was expected to double in size to around 10,000 due to BHP providing additional services and accommodation.
Roxby Downs has a current population of 4,700, according to census 2011.
At the time approval for the dam was granted Sam Saggers from Positive Real Estate wrote that investors who purchased properties in 2008 – and who had been waiting a long time for an announcement – would be able to “recycle their equity and tighten their rents”.
“The Olympic Dam mine is the mothership of projects, so I expect the South Australia economy and workforce to reap the rewards,” <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/south-australia/want-to-capitalise-on-the-mining-boom-consider-whyalla-and-south-australias-olympic-dam-mine-sam-saggers/2012032253859" target="_blank">wrote Saggers in Property Observer in March.</a>
“I think we will see a lot of interest in Whyalla by the middle of this year, with clients looking for capital gains as a spin off from the project. Vacancy rates will tighten up and the outlook is a lot brighter.
Saggers wrote that Whyalla and nearby Port Augusta will derive a great deal from this expansion
“During the construction phase, 6,000 jobs will be created, and the mine will add another 4,000 jobs to its normal operations. Indirectly, the mine expansion will create 15,000 jobs, and the total number of jobs becoming available will total 25,000.
Mineral processing at Olympic Dam began in 1988, initially producing 45,000 tonnes per annum of copper plus associated products of uranium oxide, gold and silver.
Between 1997 and 1999 there was a major expansion of the mine and minerals processing plant.
In recent years annual copper production has averaged about 180,000 tonnes, with 4,000 tonnes of uranium oxide, 80,000 ounces of gold and 800,000 ounces of silver.
Copper produced at Olympic Dam is sold to global and domestic markets. The uranium oxide is sold to power stations for base load power generation. All of the gold and silver is sent to the Australian Mint in Perth.
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Headwinds for Roxby Downs property investors as BHP's Olympic Dam expansion cancelled

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Melbourne property investment adviser Monique Sasson Wakelin has questioned whether property developers are building the right type of new homes while encouraging investors to focus on buying in “blue-chip” areas.
Speaking recently to Hilary Harper on ABC Melbourne radio, Sasson Wakelin agreed there was a need for new housing due to the housing shortage identified by the ABS among others. Sasson Wakelin also concurred with Harper's observation  that new housing developments appear to be popping up all the time.
But she says the “$64 million question” is whether these new houses are being pitched and are consistent with what people are telling statutory bodies is the type of housing that is needed.
“Some of the time the answer is 'yes', a lot of the time the answer is 'no',” she says.
Sasson Wakelin says some of the new housing is developer-driven and is based on “inductive reasoning” (flawed interpretations of the what the market wants) rather than “deductive reasoning” (based on what is actually being observed in the market).
She also examined the issue of developers of high-rise apartments that no longer include a car space as part of the property offering.
“Developers are foregoing car spaces on a fairly large scale,” she says.
“Reading between the lines, it is dead money for developers, they are not getting a return out of it.”
However, she says a car space really provides additional storage space.
“All you need is a little roller door on your car space and you have additional storage.”
She says that on resale having a car space or extra storage space can add up to $30,000 to the realisation value of an asset.
Looking at the investment market as a whole, Sasson Wakelin advises property investors to stick with “blue-chip” suburbs that have demonstrated their relative resilience in the past.
At a time when the market takes a “breather” Wakelin says: “You don’t speculate, you don’t take a bit of plunge – you focus on blue-chip areas”.
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Many Melbourne developers not building the right type of new housing: Monique Sasson Wakelin

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UK fashion retailer Topshop will open up its third Melbourne store in the new Myer Emporium, currently under construction in the CBD.
The lease agreement with Topshop was announced by the owner of the $450 million development, listed property trust CFS Retail Trust, as part of its annual results presentation.
News of the third Topshop lease follows <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/retail/topshop-set-for-second-melbourne-store-as-fast-fashion-retailers-expand-down-under/2012081456011" target="_blank">GPT Group revealing in its half-year results earlier this month that Topshop would lease space at its Highpoint Shopping Centre in Maribynong.</a>
Topshop opened its first Melbourne outlet on the Chapel Street strip in South Yarra in December last year.
CFS Retail Trust also revealed that another major international retailer is carrying out due diligence on a lease in Myer Emporium.
Emporium Melbourne is the Lonsdale Street component of the redevelopment of Myer Melbourne. The Bourke Street component was opened in March last year.
Emporium Melbourne will include 38,000 square metres of retail space and is scheduled for completion in late 2013.
CFS Retail Trust reported a net profit of $409.2 million, 23% lower than $532.6 million it reported last year.
The REIT owns a $7 billion portfolio of shopping centres including Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne, Chatswood Chase in Sydney and the DFO chain.
Topshop is wholly owned by <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/retail/topshop-set-for-second-melbourne-store-as-fast-fashion-retailers-expand-down-under/2012081456011">Phillip Green from the Arcadia Group</a> and first existed in the basement of a Peter Robinson department store in 1964.
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Topshop to open third Melbourne outlet in Myer Emporium

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Attending the REINSW Commercial Property Conference in Sydney today, Ray White Menai’s Matt Debreczeni tweeted about rate cut forecasts from Westpac chief economist Bill Evans.
Evans was the keynote speaker at the conference.
<a href="https://twitter.com/mattdebreczeni" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/2012/08/rbatweet.jpg"></a>
In July, Evans pushed back his forecast for the next 25-basis-point rate cut reduction to the December quarter, having previously forecast rate cuts in August and September.
He re-affirmed this position in today's update to the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Leading Index of economic activity.
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Bill Evans and the rate cuts ahead over next six months: Tweet of the day

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Eight months ago self-promotional US real estate analyst Jordan Wirsz came to Australia to tell anyone who would pay to listen that Australian house prices would fall 60% over the next five years.
Wirsz’s outrageous claims even went further than US property bear Harry Dent, who has tipped a 50% slide.
Although not many people in the property market have heard of him, Wirsz’s contentions that Australian house prices would crash garnered headlines in the News Limited press of a “Bloodbath to hit Australian real estate”, while the ABC went so far as to call him a “global property analyst”.
His “bold predictions” about the Australian market can still be purchased for an $89 “enrolment fee”, but it appears that he now prefers to keep his opinions to himself.
“I have many 'thoughts' on the Aussie property market, but I’m really not all that eager to get into media debates again,” Wirsz tells Property Observer.
“I’d rather come back in a couple years and discuss it then.”
Well-known property market analyst <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/us-doomsayer-jordan-wirsz-s-predicted-60-drop-in-aussie-house-prices-silly-analysts/2012020353244">Margaret Lomas debated Wirsz when he visited in February.</a>
She says she challenged him on his facts and Wirsz’s only response was to say they were “on the internet”.
It appears the Wirsz continues to cherry-pick stories about the Australia property market to justify his claims.
In March, Wirsz’s Facebook page linked to an article that appeared in Perth Now with the headline “Property prices battered: Top 10 worst hit areas revealed”.
Wirsz commented that “It happening just as predicted....”, although the article said that home prices had lost almost half their value in “some parts of Australia”, with an RP Data list of the top 10 median price drops in percentage terms for 2011.
His Facebook page profile picture shows Wirsz hugging American self-help author and motivational speaker Anthony Robbins.
Wirsz suggests he's achieved over $500 million in sales and advised Fortune 500 CEOs about real estate investments.
He describes his life so far on his Facebook page as “a storybook tale of rags to riches, overcoming the ever-so-common challenging childhood, and working hard to attain his massive successes”.
Other descriptions appear plucked straight from Charles Dickens.
He describes himself <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prweb.com/releases/Jordan_Wirsz/Dallas/prweb3988434.htm">on PRWeb</a> (a press release distribution website) as “having come from a broken home and spending much of his childhood alone, even calling 4-1-1- up to 25 times a day just to hear another human's voice, has decided to take his challenges and turn them into a passion for feeding the world his secrets to his extraordinary success”.
His Facebook page is full of motivational quotes.
He lists as his “awards” as “recognised by members of Congress, Senate, and state hovernment” and describes himself  as a “former fund manager, private capital financier”.
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US doomsday forecaster Jordan Wirsz now prefers to keep Australian housing crash predictions to himself

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Talk of a so-called white-collar recession appears unfounded, with borrowers living in the most affluent parts of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth managing to keep up to date with their mortgage repayments, according to the latest mortgage arrears figures from Fitch.
Its September Australian Mortgage Delinquency by Postcode report highlights that “affluent regions still performing”.
Fitch says the best-performing regions exhibit “strong resilience in terms of mortgage performance”, with the weighted average delinquency rates in the top 10 best-performing regions worsening by just 12 basis points to 0.81% from 0.69%, in September 2011, versus a national decline of 18 basis points from 1.7% to 1.86% over the same period.
The top two positions were unchanged.
Lower northern Sydney, home to harbour-view suburbs like Mosman, Neutral Bay, Kirribilli and Cremorne, remains the best0performing region by both value and number of mortgages in arrears as of March 2012, with an average of just four mortgages out of 1,000 delinquent by 30 days or more.
Fitch says this reflected the “solid socio-economic situation in the region”.
Boroondara City in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and incorporating Hawthorn, Kew and Camberwell, ranked second, with a delinquency rate of 0.43%.
A notable inclusion in the top 10 performing regions was central metropolitan Perth – the inner and middle suburbs of Perth – which ranked as the third best-performing region, with a delinquency rate of 0.45%. The region did not rank in the top 10 six months ago.
Fitch notes that delinquencies in Perth have improved despite the general increase in Australia during the September 2011 to March 2012 period.
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 “In particular, central metropolitan Perth showed a remarkable improvement in terms of both value and number of borrowers in arrears: as of March 2012, the 30+ day delinquency rate was 0.78% versus 1.19% in September 2011, and only five borrowers out of 1,000 were delinquent," commented Fitch.
This improvement was in line with south-west WA dropping out of the worst-performing regions in Australia as of the March 2012 survey with the 30-plus-day delinquency rate dropped 32 basis points to 1.85%, from 2.17% in September 2011 (and against the national trend of delinquencies rising by 18 basis points over this period).
“This is a remarkable improvement, considering that delinquencies already dropped 76 basis points in the March 2011 to September 2011 period,” notes Fitch.
“The improvement was particularly noteworthy in the 90+ day bucket, with arrears decreasing to 0.98% in March 2012 from 1.33% in September 2011. This indicates an increasing clearance rate for secured properties of delinquent loans that have rested in the 90+ day bucket due to a stagnating housing market.”
Overall, south-west WA performed better than the rest of the country due to the flow-on effects of rising income from the mining boom.
However, the rest of WA, excluding Perth and south Western Australia, showed a slight worsening in mortgage performance, with 30+ day arrears increasing to 2.00% in March 2012 from 1.84% in September 2011.
As of March 2012, the 30+ day arrears rate in WA was recorded at 1.59% compared to 1.50% in September 2011 and 1.99% in March 2011.
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No white-collar recession as rich and middle class keep up with mortgage payments: Fitch Ratings

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The NSW coastal tourism and retirement towns of Nelson Bay and Budgewoi have retained their unwanted titles of Australia's most delinquent postcodes, according to the latest report by Fitch Ratings.
The Port Stephens suburb of Nelson Bay in the Hunter region of NSW has a delinquency rate of 7.8% as of March 2012 for mortgages more than 30 days in arrears – unchanged from the last survey by Fitch six months ago.
This is nearly five times above the national average of 1.6%, up 18 basis points from 1.42% in September 2011.
The seachange Nelson Bay district includes the areas of Corlette, Fingal Bay, Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay and has been among the worst-performing postcodes since Fitch first published its report in 2007.
Fitch blamed the high delinquency rate in Nelson Bay on “stagnation in the local housing market, which lead to an accumulation of arrears in the 90+ day bucket”.
“The stagnation in the local housing market has increased the time required for foreclosed properties to sell, leading to an accumulation of arrears in the 90+ day bucket (4.57% as of March 2012).
“Furthermore, properties that are in arrears tend to be high-value properties, where the mortgage balance is on average almost three times the average loan balance in Nelson Bay,” says Fitch.
Notably Surfers Paradise, the epicentre of the struggling Gold Coast property market rose from sixth to third most delinquent post code by value with its arrears rate rising from 3.9% to 4.1%
Cessnock in the Hunter region rose from 15th to 8th most delinquent post code by value with its 30 days plus arrears rate rising from 3.4% to 3.9%. Two years ago it had a delinquency rate of 2.56%.
RP Data's Tim Lawless says all struggling markets have in common "some material declines in values".
Eleven of the 20 worst performing suburbs were located in NSW, seven of which were around Sydney, predominantly in the traditional mortgage belts of south-west and western Sydney.
The-worst performing postcodes — such as Hoxton Park (2171), Eagle Vale (2558), Rooty Hill (2766), Macquarie Fields (2564), and Green Valley (2168) — are all in Sydney’s outer west, located in or nearby Fairfield/Liverpool.
Outer=western Sydney ranked as the ninth worst-performing region by value and 10th worst by number of delinquent mortgages.
Fairfield/Liverpool ranked the most delinquent region in Australia with 2.82% of mortgages more than 30 days in arrears.
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Budgewoi on the central coast remained the worst performing suburb by number of mortgages in arrears, with 33 borrowers out of 1,000 in delinquency as of March 2012, followed by Surfers Paradise (QLD), Eagle Vale (NSW), Cessnock (NSW), Nelson Bay (NSW), Crestmead/Marsden (QLD), Beaudesert (QLD), and Helensvale (QLD).
For the first time, two of the 20 worst-performing postcodes by number of mortgages in arrears were located in Victoria (Corio,\ and Wyndham Vale). In South Australia, Salisbury was the worst-performing postcode, with 25 borrowers out of 1,000 in delinquency as of March 2012.
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The figures are compiled before the May and June cash rate cuts (a combined 75 basis points) which may have subsequently helped borrowers better manage their mortgage repayments.
Fitch says interest rate movements are usually reflected in mortgage performance with a three to four month lag.
“Regions in which serviceability is key to mortgage performance are expected to benefit the most,” says the credit ratings agency.
 
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Nelson Bay and Budgewoi on NSW coast still most delinquent postcodes in Australia: Fitch

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Gross Melbourne residential land prices remained unchanged during the June quarter at a median price of $210,000 with lot supply trending down for the first time in two years, according to the latest research by Oliver Hume. Once rebates and incentives are factored in the net effective land price fell below the “magical” $200,000 mark for the first time since June 2010, the real estate group reported in its Melbourne Growth Area Land Market Report. 
Incentives included the $13,000 first-home buyer bonus for newly constructed homes, which ended on June 30.
Oliver Hume says that during the quarter, first-home buyer activity “underpinned the market, moving to a level higher than at the height of the incentive-led sales frenzy”.
“It will now move in line with the long-run trend, accounting for some 55% of all purchases.”
Two years ago, gross land prices were $187,500.
Over the six months to December 2010, prices rose by more than $38,000 or around $50 per day to peak at $225,750.
However, they have not risen since the June 2011 quarter.
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According to Oliver Hume, the monthly project sales rate on the 18 Melbourne residential land projects launched to date this year remains relatively weak.
Report author Andrew Perkins highlighted that the trend of rising lot supply since the June 2010 quarter reversed in the June 2012 quarter, falling by about 7% to about 3,500 lots (a fall of about 260 lots) available for purchase.
"Almost half of these 3,500 lots are titled, up from around 35% last quarter," Perkins says.
"This creates a number of marketing challenges over the next six months for developers, not to mention the need to pay land tax and rates.
"Based on current project sales rates, the retail supply represents 5.6 months' sales; once again falling below the industry benchmark of six months (after exceeding the mark last quarter for the first time since the September quarter of 2006)." 
All municipalities except Hume experienced a fall in supply.
Oliver Hume counted eight new Melbourne projects launching over the June quarter to bring the year-to-date count to 18 projects with around 4,850 lots end-yield.
As a comparison, the six months June 2011 delivered 16 new projects and a fully developed yield of around 10,350 lots.
The biggest drop in lot supply over the quarter occurred in the Mitchell: Wallan - Beveridge municipality in the outer north, where there is now around 8 ½ months’ supply, down from just over 20 months in the March quarter.
Mitchell: Wallan – Beveridge has the cheapest gross median land price at $171,500 alongside Melton (in the west), with the most expensive being Wydnham at $242,000.
Oliver Hume noted this drop was due to stock being withdrawn from the market as opposed to an uplift in sales.
The City of Whittlesea was the only other municipality to be comfortably over the industry benchmark of six months, with eight months’ supply.
Casey and Hume are now the tightest markets.
Wyndham in the west with 34 projects has 24% of the new land market, followed by 31 in Whittlesea in the north (22% of the market).
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Melbourne land blocks dip below $200,000 but no dramatic falls expected: Oliver Hume

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/broadbeach-qld-4218">Broadbeach</a> offers plenty of reasons to live vertically, but moving from a substantial family home into an apartment can expose the compromises of high-density living. Privacy, room for guests and usable living space tend to matter more when an apartment is intended as a permanent home rather than an occasional coastal base.

A typical residential floor at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-eveleigh-broadbeach-7-9-surf-parade-broadbeach-qld-4218">The Eveleigh</a>, on Surf Parade,&nbsp;contains just four apartments. The 94-residence development by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hirsch-faigen">Hirsch &amp; Faigen</a> is predominantly made up of expansive three-bedroom homes, with a limited collection of half-floor penthouses above.

Across the apartment floors, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> has used the relatively limited number of residences to give each home greater access to natural light and outlook. Living spaces extend towards full-height glazing, while a series of bay windows frame selected views across the Pacific Ocean, city and hinterland rather than treating the building edge as a continuous wall of glass.

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“The apartment floors deliver a collection of homes that embrace controlled outlook via a series of bay windows deliberately framing moments of view,” Rothelowman Director Kim Lowman said.

From outside, those projecting forms contribute to the tower’s faceted profile. Strong horizontal and vertical elements establish its proportions, while the changing position of the sun alters the light, shadow and reflection across the façade throughout the day.

The same attention moves inside the apartments, where the material palette combines warm timber, natural stone, metallic detailing and softer curved forms. Kitchens sit within the main living zone, with stone island benches, integrated joinery and European appliances, before the living areas extend towards the glazing and the outlook.

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[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360981]

Three genuine bedrooms provide room to accommodate family and guests, while two secure car spaces and storage address some of the practical considerations that can become more noticeable when moving from a larger home. Feedback from the display suite has centred on the warmth and restraint of the interiors, with buyers commenting that the residences feel like homes rather than conventional coastal apartments.

A limited collection of half-floor penthouses occupies the upper levels, increasing the scale of the living spaces and adding private balconies and elevated finishes. From this position, the outlook extends between the ocean and hinterland.

Outside the private residences, The Eveleigh separates its shared spaces between the podium and rooftop. The podium is centred on wellness, with subtropical landscaping surrounding a swimming pool and pool terrace, yoga garden, private gymnasium, sauna and hot and cold plunge facilities. Landscaped retreats and pavilions provide additional places to sit away from the main recreation areas.

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Higher in the building, a rooftop pavilion and private dining suite sit alongside resident lounge, barbecue and outdoor dining areas, opening towards panoramic views across the ocean, city and hinterland.

“Buyers are no longer just looking for an apartment, but a lifestyle where they can relax, reset, and enjoy a balanced way of living,” Hirsch &amp; Faigen Director of Sales Matt George said.

Interest to date has come from established owner-occupiers and interstate lifestyle purchasers, including buyers planning a future move to the Gold Coast. Many are coming from larger homes and want to reduce ongoing maintenance without giving up space for family and guests, privacy, two car spaces or the ability to entertain at home.

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Much of that daily life can also take place beyond the building without requiring a drive. Kurrawa Beach and Pratten Park are an easy walk from Surf Parade, while Pacific Fair, Oracle Boulevard, The Oasis, restaurants, cafés, entertainment and public transport are also within walking distance.

The Eveleigh is Hirsch &amp; Faigen's fourth Gold Coast development since entering the market in 2021, following The Hemingway at Palm Beach, The Emerson at Kirra and Yves at Mermaid Beach. Each of the preceding projects sold out before completion.

“Broadbeach had been on our radar throughout our time operating on the Gold Coast,” the developer said. “Following our projects in Palm Beach, Kirra and Mermaid Beach, Broadbeach represented the natural next step for the business.”

The Surf Parade site brought together proximity to the beach, protected coastal outlooks and walkability to dining, shopping and recreation. Hirsch &amp; Faigen also identified the street as an emerging premium residential address, with enough separation from Broadbeach's busier destinations to retain a quieter environment at home.

The Eveleigh is now under construction by Maxcon, with completion forecast for mid-2028. Three-bedroom residences are currently available from $2.87 million.

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Joel Robinson

The Eveleigh brings house-like apartments to Broadbeach

A long-stalled Campbelltown development site is back in play, with new plans for 139 apartments set to supersede a mixed-use scheme approved almost a decade ago but never built.

The new proposal for 28 Cordeaux Street would deliver 116 market and 23 affordable apartments in a part 14-storey building, bringing a substantial new project into a Campbelltown market where new apartment supply remains limited.

Plans have been filed over the 3,092 sqm corner site at Moore-Oxley Street, around 600 metres from Campbelltown Railway Station and the city-centre retail core.

The site already carries a mixed-use residential approval dating to 2016. Doroch Architects has now been engaged on a larger replacement scheme, which is progressing as a State Significant Development Application following a Housing Delivery Authority determination in August 2025.

The apartment mix comprises 39 one-bedroom, 72 two-bedroom and 28 three-bedroom residences. Two-bedroom apartments make up just over half of the project, while three-bedroom homes account for 20 per cent.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="136dd5b9-3791-4da6-9e31-76f533f5b4de" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da2.png?VersionId=LgOSy9nwf5u.MGswBBwaGGxuX8QpHSl_" />

Of the 139 apartments, 23 will be delivered as affordable housing under the in-fill affordable housing provisions of the Housing SEPP. The affordable component represents 15 per cent of the residential gross floor area and will be managed by a registered Community Housing Provider.

Doroch has sought to break the scale of the building into two distinct elements, with a masonry podium of around four storeys establishing the street edge before the residential tower steps back above.

The corner position has shaped that approach. Cordeaux Street faces toward the commercial and civic centre, while Moore-Oxley Street leads into the lower-scale residential neighbourhood to the south, and the design verification report describes the site as "bridging the commercial core to the north and established residential areas to the south."

The podium will be expressed predominantly in face brick, while the upper levels shift to brushed and grooved concrete cladding with darker metal detailing. Recessed sections, deep balcony edges and landscaping break down the upper form, with an approximately 11.8-metre setback to the northern boundary addressing the adjoining St Peters Anglican School.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c8b3d2d3-c561-4bfc-a5d9-a68c0c10dac1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da1.png?VersionId=AeAEyJU02Gk2k5noUj2StziCvdQ7fW4B" />

Campbelltown has been starved of new residential developments in the last decade.

The only other notable development set to come to market this year is ALAND's Queen Square, a mixed-use precinct on over two hectares that will comprise apartments above a vibrant ground-level retail and hospitality dining precinct.

First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site

First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches apartments for low-rise Deception Bay

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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Larry Schlesinger

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