<html><body>
Prominent Melbourne law firm Slater and Gordon has cut its conveyancing fees for Victorian first-home buyers rushing to buy an existing home before the $7,000 grant for existing homes ends on June 30.
The firm’s standard conveyancing fee is $695, meaning eligible first-home buyers will receive a $347.50 discount if they buy a home before July 1.
From July 1, the government will provide a $10,000 incentive but only for those first-home buyers purchasing a new home.
All first-home buyers can also access a 40% stamp duty discount.
Adam Zuchowski, a Melbourne-based lawyer with Slater &amp; Gordon Conveyancing, predicted increased activity at the entry level of the property market.
“We have experienced a significant increase in conveyancing files since the [May 7] announcement was made,” he said.
Zuchowski said most first-home buyers were buying existing dwellings.
“Clearly there is a benefit for those first-home buyers who are able to negotiate a purchase prior to July 1 and I anticipate there will be a significant number of Victorians who will be wanting to take advantage of that,” he said.
</body></html>

lschlesinger-FZcF9M3vE6

Slater and Gordon cut conveyancing fees to Victorian FHBs facing grant deadline

<html><body>
All seven hardware store premises listed for sale in Sydney and Melbourne Burgess Rawson portfolio auctions have sold to investors with yields ranging from 5.79% to 10.28%.
Six of the seven stores are Home Timber and Hardware, 67% owned by Woolworths and 33% by US-based Lowes - the same partnership that owns the Masters business - and one was the Bunnings (pictured below) in Warragul, Victoria.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2013/05/may17bunnings]}
The successful sales under the hammer comes as demand rises among private investors for commercial property assets with strong lease covenants.
Total enquires for the Melbourne portfolio exceeded 650 for the first time ever for a Burgess Rawson portfolio auction.
Burgess Rawson’s previous best was 641 in April 2009 where five more properties were offered than this 14 property campaign.
The top price paid under the hammer was $4.63 million on a yield of 8.54% for the Bunnings in Warragul, a regional town 104 kilometres southeast of Melbourne.
It was bought by a Brisbane-based investor, who had missed out on previous Bunnings properties.
Burgess Rawson director Billy Holderhead said Bunnings assets were always “really popular” among investors both in upturns and downturns.
“Masters has made it a much competitive environment for Bunnings, rents have increased fairly significantly.
“In some situations leases have been renegotiated to be a little more landlord friendly,” he told Property Observer.
The Warragul Bunnings is at 10 June Court with a lease running until 2022 with two renewal options of five year's each.
It brings in annual rent of around $395,992.
The modern 5,094 square metre building includes a drive through plus nursery and secured yard on a 10,510 square metre site.
The vendor was a Bunnings private syndicate.
The highest yield of 10.28% was achieved for the Home Timber &amp; Hardware store in the Tasmanian port town of George Town, on a brand new seven year lease with 21 years of renewal options.
The two level store has 1,070 square metres of retail space on a 1,777 square metre site with further development potential.
The stores sold for $458,000 below pre-auction expectations of around $500,000 plus.
 
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
Another Tasmanian store, the Becks Timber &amp; Hardware premises at Shearwater sold for $890,000 on a yield of 8.66%.
Holderhead said the yield would have been above 10% when the business was privately owned. It forms part of the Woolworths/ Lowes enterprise with a brand new seven year lease with multiple renewal options and a new lease  of $71,000 net per annum.
Shearwater is a popular holiday destination 17kms from Devonport and one of Tasmania's fastest growing towns.
A third Tasmanian hardware store – Becks Timber &amp; Hardware – sold for $890,000 on an 8.66% yield.
All three Tasmanians hardware stores were bought by Melbourne-based buyers, who bought them sight-unseen.
Holderhead says there were Tasmanian bidders, but they were unsuccessful.
The other hardware businesses to sell were the Home Timber and Hardware in Canberra, which sold for $4.57 million on a 7.68% yield, a Home, Timber and Hardware in Queanbeyan, NSW which sold for $3.275 million on a yield of 7.79% and the Home, Timber and Hardware in Footscray which sold for $3.11 million on a 5.79% yield.
In addition, the Port Adelaide state office of hardware chain John Danks &amp; Son Pty Ltd, also tenanted as part of the Woolworths/Lowes partnership, sold for $712,000 on a yield of 8.01%.
In total 12 out of 14 properties in the portfolio auction sold under the hammer totalling $21,395,000 following Tuesdays seven property sell-out, bringing in $24,846,000.
In the Melbourne auction, the average premium on reserve expectations for the properties sold yesterday was 14% (or $1,913,000 overall), with three properties achieving 35% or more in excess of the vendor’s pass mark.
</body></html>

Bunnings Warragul store snapped up by Brisbane investor for $4.6 million as Coles versus Woolies DIY battle pushes up rents

<html><body>
Consumers in WA are being warned about free property investment seminars being offered by east coast “property investment spruikers” a day after ASIC banned a Melbourne-based property investment adviser, also calling him a “spruiker”.
With the ominous heading of “Beware property investment spruikers”, WA’s department of consumer protection is urging potential investors “who may be lured into attending so-called ‘free’ property investment and wealth creation seminars to carefully consider what’s being offered before signing any contracts”.
It follows officers from consumer protection attending a number of these seminars to gauge the content and message being presented to potential investors.
WA commissioner for consumer protection Anne Driscoll said seminar attendees were subject to “high pressure sales tactics that promote coaching and mentoring programs costing between three and ten thousand dollars".
East coast property investment spruikers most likely see WA, with its cashed-up beneficiaries of the money boom, as easy targets for their investment programs.
The WA warning comes a day after ASIC banned<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/industry-news/property-investment-smsf-spruiker-matthew-george-director-of-money-choice-banned-by-asic-for-multiple-compliance-failures/2013051561378?utm_source=po&amp;utm_medium=aida&amp;utm_campaign=news" target="_blank"> Melbourne-based property investment adviser Matthew George, director of Money Choice</a> and labelled him a “spruiker” as part of its crackdown on advice in relation to self-managed super fund property investments.
Last month a letter obtained by the Australian Financial Review revealed that <a href="/news">four Melbourne businesses running seminars on investing in real estate through self-managed super fund</a>s are being investigated by ASIC over the potentially misleading nature of flyers, advertisements and online ads promoting these seminars.
Consumer protection officers have attended three separate seminars recently and report that all followed a similar formula:
<ul>
<li>The seminars were free to attend but were mainly a forum to sell expensive mentoring and coaching programs</li>
<li>Downplay the risks and costs involved in property investment</li>
<li>Claim to offer the secrets to financial success</li>
<li>Offer hints or teasers at the seminars, but participants had to pay for programs to get any further information</li>
<li>“Special” rates for the programs were offered if attendees signed up on the day</li>
</ul>
“The advertising of these seminars give the impression that those who attend simply receive free information about how to secure their financial future but, in fact, they are subjected to high pressure sales tactics that promote coaching and mentoring programs costing between three and ten thousand dollars ,” says Driscoll.
“The presentations highlighted the benefits of investing while downgrading the risks involved in securing the financial future of participants. They also appear to exaggerate the potential gains from property and other investments by following the promoter’s programs.
“The seminars appear to be just a clever sales tactic to get people into a room for many hours with the hope that they will sign up to expensive training courses, but very little information is offered for free. The question to ask is what would be the benefit to a promoter of holding a ‘free’ seminar if they didn’t sell something at the event.
“We believe some of the courses and programs on offer are just the next stage to get investors to make large financial investments that will be of benefit to the promoter, or simply a way to sell their coaching and mentoring packages.”
“I am concerned that the practice of offering special discounts to sign up on the day is designed to prevent the participants from having time to think carefully about their decisions and getting some independent professional advice,” the Commissioner said.
“We warn attendees to resist the pressure to sign any contracts or pay any fees when attending these events, without first getting proper independent advice from financial advisers and property investment professionals. Consumers should be wary about any ‘get rich quick’ claims being made.
“Consumer Protection has reviewed advertising material and seminar content and is preparing to issue substantiation notices to ensure promoters are able to justify the claims and representations that they make to members of the public.
“Promoters will be asked to justify their claims including the financial resources investors need to buy a property, the potential profit they could make within short periods of time and the substance of the course content.
“In certain instances, people may have rights to a 10 day cooling off period if they signed up for something they were not aware would be offered to them when agreeing to attend the seminar. If people believe they have been pressured into buying something under those circumstances, they can contact Consumer Protection to have their cases reviewed and to ascertain their rights.”
WA consumers with inquiries, concerns or complaints about property investment seminars can contact Consumer Protection on 1300 30 40 54 or email: <a href="mailto:consumer@commerce.wa.gov.au">consumer@commerce.wa.gov.au</a>.
</body></html>

WA government warns consumers about east coast “property investment spruikers"

<html><body>
The national residential vacancy rate lifted from 1.9% to 2% in April with all capital cities except for Darwin recording a rise in their vacancy rates, the latest SQM Research figures show. 
SQM Research managing director Louis Christopher says this is the first time that national vacancies have reached the 2% mark excluding seasonal months (December) since September 2009, “suggesting that the rental crisis is truly beginning to ease”. 
“While the rental market is unlikely to blow out to an oversupply situation in this cycle, we do believe an easing of what has been an extended period of tight conditions for tenants, will now come into existence. 
“It means rent rises which have been running at above inflation for the past five years now, will now slowdown to be more in line with CPI and indeed this is already occurring according to our newly released weekly rents index," he says. 
SQM Research records there were 56,973 properties available for rent across the eight capital cities in April compared with 52,931 in March and 50,884 in April last year. 
The vacancy rate lifted by 0.2 percentage points in Sydney from 1.5% to 1.7% with 9,631 rental properties available over April while Melbourne remains the most favourable capital city market for tenants with its vacancy rate rising from 2.6% to 2.7% with 11,609 properties for rent.
Click to enlarge
<a href="/images/stories/2013/05/sqmmay16one.gif" rel="shadowbox" title="Click to enlarge"><img src="/images/stories/2013/05/sqmmay16onethumb.gif"></a>
Key points:
<ul>
<li>Darwin has recorded the tightest vacancy rate of the capital cities, revealing a vacancy rate of 1.1% and a total of 272 vacancies.</li>
<li>Canberra has recorded the highest yearly increase in vacancies. Climbing 0.7% to 1.5% since the corresponding period of the previous year (April 2012) and coming to a total of 753 vacancies.</li>
<li>Hobart has recorded the largest yearly decrease in vacancies, falling by 0.3% to 2.5% since the corresponding period of the previous year (April 2012) and coming to a total of 699 vacancies.</li>
<li>Hobart has however, recorded the highest monthly increase in vacancies, rising by 0.5% during April 2013.</li>
</ul>
SQM’s calculations of vacancies are based on online rental listings that have been advertised for three weeks or more compared to the total number of established rental properties.  
</body></html>

Rental crisis easing as national residential vacancy rate rises to 2%: SQM

<html><body>
Mortgage lender RAMS has cut its two-year fixed-rate home loan by 26 basis points to 4.99% as well as reduced its three, four and five-year fixed-rates as it recorded a rise in home loan enquiries from investors.
Its three-year fixed-rate home loan has been reduced by 20 basis points to 5.09%, its four-year fixed rate has been reduced by 25 basis points to 5.39% and its five-year fixed-rate by 24 basis points to 5.45%.
RAMS one-year fixed-rate home loan remains unchanged at 4.99%.
It passed on the full 25 basis points to variable rate borrowers following the May RBA cash rate cut with its lowest advertised variable rate offer being at 5.29%.
RAMS will also waive its $595 application fee and $275 settlement fee for any RAMS home loan "predominantly for investment purposes" for applications received until June 30 2013.
RAMS reported a 23% uplift in the volume of investor customer enquiries to their call centre and online in the first quarter of the 2013 calendar year compared to the same period in 2012 (January to March 2013 versus 2012). It follows the latest ABS housing finance data for March confirming investors are leading mortgage growth with a 21% increase in investment housing commitments over a 12-month period compared to owner occupied housing commitments at 12%.
Commenting on the rise in investor demand, RAMS chief executive, Melos Sulicich said historic low interest rates and greater competition in the home loans market were “creating opportunities for savvy investors to get into the property market”.
“It is encouraging to see property investment activity on the rise and early indications shows the investor market is set to lead the housing market uplift over the coming months,” he said.
Earlier this week, <a href="/news">Aussie Home Loan cut fixed-rates</a> on its Aussie-branded home loan with a 4.99% three-year fixed-rate offering.
</body></html>

RAMS cuts two-year fixed-rates to 4.99% and waives investment home loan fees as investor demand rises

<html><body>
Fast-expanding serviced apartment group Quest has listed its Sydney Olympic Park apartment hotel for sale seeking around $39 million.
The group is looking to free up cash to fund the development of more than a dozen new serviced apartment projects and tap into growing investor demand for Australian hotels and serviced apartments, particurlarly from Asian investors.
Total hotel sale activity for 2012 was in excess of $1.25 billion, an increase of 30% on the total value for 2011 and the strongest since 2007, according to Colliers International.
Asian-based funds accounted for more than 70% of all sales, with investors from Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore the most prevalent.
The largest hotel transaction to occur so far in 2013 is the sale of the 4.5 star Holiday Inn on Flinders in Melbourne, which sold to New Zealand based Priscilla David Ltd for $50 million. Going against the recent trend,  the hotel was sold by an Asian investor, Singapore-listed Lasseters International Holdings. 
Last year, the largest single hotel property sale was the purchase of the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/leisure/sydney-shangri-la-hotel-sells-to-hong-kong-shangri-la-asia-group-for-record-%24352-million/2012062555249">Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney for $330 million </a>by Hong Kong based Shangri-La from the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.
Should the sale of the Sydney Olympic Park hotel prove successful, Quest will look to sell a further $170 million worth of apartment hotels to fund $220 million of new Quest projects.
In February, Quest announced plans to build <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/commercial/quest-to-build-10-new-serviced-apartments-buildings-in-nsw-over-next-two-years/2013020659191">ten new apartment buildings in NSW by 2014</a> in addition to three new properties that will open in Queensland, one in outer Melbourne, one in regional Victoria and another in the Adelaide CBD this year.
The group currently has over 150 serviced apartment properties in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, located in CBDs suburban and regional areas.
The Sydney Olympic Park property, featuring 140 studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, each with kitchen and laundry facilities as well as a café, gym, conference room and basement car park.
It is being sold by Mark Durran and Peter Harper of Jones Lang LaSalle.
It opened in October last year, built at a cost of $30 million with the aim of tapping into the growing Olympic Park business hub, which attracts around 10,000 employees a day.
The newness of the building means it is being offered “with substantial depreciation benefits”.
Meriton paid a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.meriton.com.au/blog/meriton-buys-olympic-park-site/">reported $22 million plus to buy a 15,000 square metre</a> site with plans for 300 apartments in Sydney’s Olympic Park in February this year.
Quest at Sydney Olympic Park is the only serviced apartment in the area.
Quest has a long-term lease over the property.
Earlier this month, Quest said it would target the growing number of extended-stay business travellers in Queensland, with five new properties across the state to open in the next 12 months.
</body></html>

Quest lists Sydney Olympic Park serviced apartments as appetite for Australian hotels rises

<html><body>
GPT looks to have found a buyer for its half share in the Erina Fair shopping centre on the Central Coast.
National Pension Service of South Korea has been named by both The Australian and Australian Financial Review as the likely buyer, though this has not yet been confirmed by ASX-listed GPT.
The shopping centre and commercial property landlord and manager was seek around $400 million for its half share in the 113,700-square-metre centre, which was valued at $392.9 million as of June last year and is the largest mall on the Central Coast.
The cash injection might help fund a higher offer for Australand – with negotiations between <a target="_blank" href="/news">Australand and GPT set to resume</a>.
GPT co-owns the mall with Lend Lease’s Australian Prime Property Fund Retail (APPRF). Lend Lease is the manager of the mall.
The sale is being handled by Simon Rooney of Jones Lang LaSalle.
It paid in excess of $80 million to acquire its half share of the mall in June 1992 from the Capita Statutory Fund and has been refurbished twice – in 2003 and 2009.
It reportedly put up its half-share for sale in February, though it has not publicly stated its intention to sell the mall.
However, in June last year, GPT revealed plans to “reweight the retail portfolio to 50% and increase the weighting in office and logistics &amp; business parks to 35% and 15% respectively".
GPT sold stakes in two Brisbane Homemaker centres – bulky good stores – at Jindalee and Aspley in January for $91.7 million and has also sold half-stakes in malls in Canberra and Darwin.
The Korean pension fund investment is part of a wave Asian institutions buying up Australian malls, hotels and office spaces, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/new-south-wales/singapore-s-bright-ruby-seeks-out-more-sydney-office-acquistions/2013022059457">Singapore-based investment house Bright Ruby</a> and Chinese conglomerate HNA Group, which paid $117 million for 1 York Street from Colonial First State in 2011 in the Sydney CBD.
Recent smaller deals include a Gold Coast-based Singaporean investor buying the Harbour Town shopping centre at Biggera Waters for $10.3m in a deal negotiated by Colliers International.
In its latest retail market update, Jones Lang LaSalle’s head of retail Tony Doherty painted a mixed picture for the sector.
“While there has been a modest recovery in underlying retail spending, and some reasonably positive signs for the short term outlook, market rents continue to remain under downward pressure,” he said.
He also highlighted a growing trend of capital partnering to unlock funds for future development following Coles and property superannuation fund ISPT announced a joint venture transaction, involving the sale of a 75%t interest in an initial portfolio of 19 Coles-owned shopping centres across Australia valued at $532 million, delivering proceeds to Wesfarmers of approximately $400 million.
The portfolio included 18 neighbourhood shopping centres and one sub-regional.
</body></html>

South Korean pension fund set to acquire GPT's half of Erina Fair mall for $400 million

<html><body>
'Barefoot' investment adviser Scott Pape has slammed the government for not having the “ticker” to remove negative gearing in his latest newsletter following the federal budget announcement.
“Our 1.25 million loss making landlords cost taxpayers $5 billion a year - a significant saving when the budget is in deficit of $18 billion,” writes Pape.
“And all it achieves is to make it harder for young people to compete to buy their first family home.
“Sadly, the government didn't have the ticker to abolish it this year."
Pape bills himself as "Australia’s favourite money guy", but his views on negative gearing won’t be popular among the 1.2 million property investors who claimed losses on their investment properties for the 2010-11 tax year.
The recently published <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/landlords/two-thirds-of-property-investments-negatively-geared-ato-figures/2013043060891">ATO annual report</a> revealed that around two-thirds of 1,811,174 property investors - 1,213,597 taxpayers – claimed losses on their investment properties for the 2010-11 tax year up from 1,110,290 who claimed losses in the 2009-10 tax year.
The average loss recorded for negatively-geared property investors was $10,947 in 2010-11, up from $9,132 in 2009-10.
The highest proportion of tax payers claiming rental deductions are those earning between $37,000 and $80,000 per year, making up more than a third of all negatively-geared property investors.
Pape has long been a critic of negative gearing calling for its banning on talk back radio in 2011 and telling a negatively-geared listener that “negative gearing is really just a socially acceptable way of saying ‘I’m losing money’”.
Pape has labelled it a “dud policy” despite admitting to having been a “big beneficiary of negative gearing over the years”.
“Contrary to real estate rhetoric, it does little to increase the supply of new homes, since the majority of investors buy established properties. What’s more, it costs the Australian taxpayer billions of dollars in forgone revenue,” he says.
</body></html>

Government didn’t have the “ticker” to abolish negative gearing in budget: Scott Pape

<html><body>
Property investors who use questionable tax avoidance schemes will come under more sophisticated levels of scrutiny following the Australian Tax Office (ATO) receiving an additional $77.8 million in federal budget funding over the next four years.
The extra funds are aimed at improving compliance among taxpayers by “expanding data matching with third party information”.
The ATO will use the funds to undertake compliance activity to target “known tax scheme designers, promoters, individuals and businesses who participate in such arrangements”.
“This measure will tackle the use of abusive trust schemes in the wider community and encourage active compliance by taxpayers,” says Treasury in its federal budget papers.
The money will be used to strengthen existing reporting systems for:
<ul>
<li>taxable government grants and specified other government payments;</li>
<li>sales of real property, shares (including options and warrants), and units in managed funds;</li>
<li>sales through merchant debit and credit services;</li>
<li>managed investment trust and partnership distributions, company dividend and interest payments; and Centre transactions reported to the ATO by the Australian transaction reports and analysis </li>
</ul>
The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/tax/taxpayers-face-ato-data-matching-crackdown-over-residential-and-commercial-property-sales/2013032460054">ATO began using improved data-matching technology</a> earlier this year to closely scrutinise residential and commercial property sales to ensure tax payers paid the correct amount of tax.
Treasury estimates this technology has resulted in an estimated increase in tax receipts of $431.7 million with a projected gain to revenue of $610.2 million over the coming financial year.
</body></html>

Property investors face greater ATO scrutiny following $78 million data-matching budget handout 

<html><body>
The Melbourne CBD's last remaining heritage horse stables property has been sold to a Melbourne-based property developer for $8.5 million with plans for a $100 million apartment project.
The narrow 36-40 LaTrobe Street site, measuring 569 square metres, is the former premises of the Burton Livery and Bait Stables built in 1890, but more recently modified as offices, though still retaining its Victorian-era facade.
The site has a permit for an Elenberg Fraser-designed 35-level tower featuring 243 apartments (pictured below).
<img src="/images/stories/2013/05/latrobemay16one.jpg" width="400" height="828" alt="latrobemay16one">
The sale was negotiated by Fitzroys agents Charles Emmett and Rob Harrington in conjunction with Daniel Wolman and Matt Stagg from Colliers International.
The sale price reflected a sales rate of $8,500 per square metre.
The sale continues a recent trend of strong East End sale prices over the past month such as the former Cancer Council site (circa $16m) and Glass headquarters at 50 LaTrobe St (circa $4.6m).
A further three prime development sites in the Melbourne CBD have been listed for sale as part of a $76 million portfolio divestment by Melbourne private investor Jimmy Goh through Colliers International’s John Marasco and Matthew Stagg, in conjunction with CBRE’s Mark Wizel and Josh Rutman.
The prized asset is expected to be the 3,197 square metre LaTrobe Street site comprising a 689-bay 10 storey commercial car park operated by Wilson Parking directly opposite Melbourne Central, the CBD’s largest shopping centre.
There are two ground floor retail tenancies fronting LaTrobe Street and three fronting Little LaTrobe Street, with a combined net lettable area of 852 square metres.
It is expected to sell for in excess of $40 million.
“This property has substantial development upside. It has the potential to accommodate several major high-rise buildings as well as providing enormous scope for multi-level retail tenancies.  It will provide the successful buyer with an opportunity to create the Melbourne CBD’s next landmark building,” says Wizel.
“The East End of the CBD has proven to be a very popular precinct with residential apartment developers such as Chip Eng Seng who have recently sold out at 33M and PDG Corporation who are close to completing Abode,” said co-selling agent Daniel Wolman.
Recent sales in Melbourne’s ‘East End’ include the former Cancer Council site (circa $16m) and Glass headquarters at 50 LaTrobe Street (circa $4.6m).
</body></html>

Heritage Melbourne office property and former CBD horse stables sells to local developer for $8.5 million

<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.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360965]

“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.

&nbsp;

[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.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360966]

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.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360969]

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.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=149670]

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

<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>

Larry Schlesinger

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News