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Economist and Rismark International director Christopher Joye has pointed to taxes as a serious restraint on the national housing market that could be eased.
He told the HIA housing conference that government taxes account for almost a third of the price of the average Sydney home.
"Housing is one of the most heavily taxed sectors in the Australian economy," Mr Joye said.
"It accounts for 12% of total government tax revenue and an amazing 45% of total state and local government revenue."
{module Do you think property owners, property investors and property developers will ever have their property taxes reduced? }
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po-LsXgBTHBmX

Over taxed housing: Christopher Joye

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Many Australians have taken a new approach to borrowing, which could see a whole generation of mortgage holders paying off their home loan a decade early.
Variable rate borrowers who have kept their monthly repayments at the November 2011 level are well ahead in their repayments.
{module Are you a home loan borrower who has kept repayments at recent interest rates highs?}
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Are you a home loan borrower who has kept repayments at recent interest rate highs?

<html><body>Australian Property Monitors (APM) has released a list of results from 203 auctions in Melbourne for the weekend of  July 20. <a style="font-size: 14px;" target="_blank" href="https://www.homepriceguide.com.au/saturday_auction_results/Melbourne.pdf" rel="nofollow">Click here</a> for the auction results, and click on each street address to see the property's marketing.</body></html>

APM's Melbourne auction results for July 20 weekend

<html><body>Australian Property Monitors (APM) has released a list of results from 258 auctions in Sydney for the weekend of July 13. The clearance rate was 81.0% up from 56% last year. <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.homepriceguide.com.au/saturday_auction_results/Sydney.pdf" style="font-size: 14px;">Click here</a> for the auction results, and click on each street address to see the property's marketing.</body></html>

APM's Sydney 81% sold of the 258 reported results in Sydney, up on the 56% same time last year

<html><body><div style="overflow: hidden; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" class="story-intro">
RP Data has researched the entry point price for the top 1% of homes across the capital cities.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/07/NUMBERS/numberonejuly11.jpg" width="35" height="44" alt="numberonejuly11"> Sydney's top 1% of homes begins at $3.3 million
<img src="/images/stories/2013/07/NUMBERS/numbertwojuly11.jpg" width="35" height="41" alt="numbertwojuly11"> Melbourne's top 1% of homes was $2.3 million.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/07/NUMBERS/numberthreejuly11.jpg" width="35" height="46" alt="numberthreejuly11"> Perth's was $2.29 million.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/07/NUMBERS/numberfourjuly11.jpg" width="35" height="45" alt="numberfourjuly11"> Darwin's top 1% of homes was $1.73 million.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/07/NUMBERS/numberfivejuly11.jpg" width="35" height="38" alt="numberfivejuly11"> Canberra's was $1.7 million.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/07/NUMBERS/numbersixjuly11.jpg" width="35" height="41" alt="numbersixjuly11"> Brisbane's top 1% starts at $1.57 million.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/07/NUMBERS/numbersevenjuly11.jpg" width="35" height="42" alt="numbersevenjuly11"> Adelaide's was $1.45 million.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/07/NUMBERS/numbereightjuly11.jpg" width="35" height="37" alt="numbereightjuly11"> Hobart's top 1% of homes kicks off at $1.03 million.
Source: RP Data News Ltd papers
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The top 1% of house sales across capital cities: RP Data

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Plenty of time now given the recent arrival in the new financial year. So if you are you intending to sell a property at a loss this financial year and offset the loss in your tax return against capital gains derived during the year there's plenty of time?
Make sure the sales contract is dated on or before June 30.
See our free ebook on the <a target="_blank" href="http://propertyobserver.com.au/ebooks/free-ebook-top-24-tax-strategies">top 24 tax strategies</a> for property investors.
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Check date of sales contract

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The unemployment rate in June ticked up to 5.7% from 5.5% the month before, according to figures released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
This is slightly higher than had been expected, with an AAP survey of 14 economists having tipped a 0.1% rise to 5.6%.
The increase was actually only 0.1% due to the fact that the original rate of 5.5% was revised at 5.6% and thus only moved 0.1% to 5.7%.
The economy added 14,800 new part-time positions in June, but lost 4,400 full-time jobs.
Unemployment increased 23,700 (3.5%) to 709,300.
The ABS had the number of persons looking for full-time work at 525,900 and the number of persons looking for part-time work at 183,400.
{module Is rising unemployment adversely affecting residential property markets?}
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Is rising unemployment adversely affecting residential property markets?

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Bigger is not always better when it comes to BBQs, tweeted Stewart Bunn.
"This handy railing BBQ is perfect for apartment and solo dwellers."
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/RealEstateCast" style="font-size: 0.8em;"><img height="75" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/07/tweetofthedayjuly15.jpg" alt="tweetofthedayjuly15"></a>
<div class="stream-item-header" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Much smaller than anything Property Observer has seen, although there was the terracotta herb garden that turns into a grill.</div>
<p class="js-tweet-text tweet-text" style="margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> 
<p class="js-tweet-text tweet-text" style="margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Its the <a target="_blank" href="https://shophorne.com/content/hot-pot-bbq">Hot Pot BBQ</a> from Horne that looks like a potted herb garden when not in use but is your bench top bbq.
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The mini-BBQ that's right-sized for apartment balconies

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Sydney sits at the top of Australian capital cities for the number of private treaty house sales, according to RP Data.
The median price for private treaty house sales in Sydney was also second in the nation at $610,000, only trailing Darwin which came in with a median price of $665,000.
<img alt="rpdataprivatetreatyjuly8one" height="287" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/07/rpdataprivatetreatyjuly8one.jpg">
<img alt="rpdataprivatetreatyjuly8two" height="209" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/07/rpdataprivatetreatyjuly8two.jpg">
Private treaty sales represent around 85% of all dwelling sales across the country.
The statistics are calculated across houses and units sold over themost recent four week period.
Records without a valid sale price have been excluded from the analysis and median prices are withheld for cities wherefewer than ten sales have been recorded.
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Darwin pips Sydney for median private treaty house prices: RP Data

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RP Data's Tim Lawless says that the latest June data takes the quarterly growth rate to just 0.2% after the March quarter posted a seasonally strong 2.8% increase.
Dwelling values are now 3.8% higher over the 2012/13 financial year.
As a comparison, capital city home values fell by -3.6% over the 2011/12 financial year.
{qtube vid:=A5BGnDSjdIw}
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RP Data's Tim Lawless July housing market update

<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

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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.

[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]

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