Buyers considering a residence at boutique Gordon townhouse development <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/lume-gordon-43-47-dumaresq-street-gordon-nsw-2072">Lume</a>&nbsp;now have another reason to bring forward their decision.

For a limited time, purchasers of a residence at Lume will receive a BMW iX3 50 electric SUV, valued at more than $120,000, as part of their purchase. The offer is designed to add value for buyers while complementing the lifestyle envisioned for the architecturally designed Upper North Shore development.

Scott Timmins, Development Manager at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/winim">WINIM</a>, said the partnership was created to provide buyers with a compelling reason to act.

"In today's market, buyers need a compelling reason to act now, and the BMW partnership was designed to create that catalyst. We wanted to add genuine value for our future purchasers. Choosing the all-electric BMW iX3 50 also reflects the values behind LUME, forward-thinking design, innovation and a more sustainable way of living. It's a premium incentive that complements the lifestyle our buyers aspire to and rewards those who commit early."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7354 project_image_fid=374893]

Delivered by WINIM in partnership with Burtonwood Investment Partners, Lume comprises 14 architecturally designed two, three and four-bedroom townhomes created for families seeking the space of a freestanding house with the ease of modern, low-maintenance living.

The three-storey residences, designed by award-winning architecture practice <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a>, have been tailored for families and multi-generational living, featuring private internal lifts, flexible lower-level spaces, generous open-plan living and entertaining areas, media rooms, and landscaped outdoor spaces with custom outdoor kitchens.&nbsp;

Inside, engineered oak flooring, bespoke dining joinery with integrated wine fridges and backlit bars, sculptural porcelain bathrooms, Parisi freestanding baths and Astra Walker tapware create interiors that balance functionality with refined finishes.

Each townhome has been designed to combine generous internal spaces with sustainability initiatives such as EV charging infrastructure, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>'s landscaped communal areas, centred around a restored creek line and native planting, encourage residents to connect with nature and spend more time outdoors.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7354 project_image_fid=269527]

Rothelowman's Gary Tsui said the architecture was conceived to respond carefully to its Upper North Shore setting.

"Our vision was to create elegant, uplifting homes that draw on and positively contribute to the local character through meticulously considered design and an interaction with the surroundings."

The communal landscape has been designed as more than an open space between homes. Arcadia's Ben Newell and Kate Phillips said the adjoining reserve provided an opportunity to create a distinctive natural retreat for residents.

"Just as waterways carve their way through Ku-ring-gai's landscape, a raised boardwalk weaves through the reserve, connecting the homes to this tranquil oasis."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7354 project_image_fid=374892]

Located just 300 metres from <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/gordon-nsw-2072">Gordon</a> Village and Gordon railway station, Lume offers convenient access to Sydney's CBD while placing residents close to some of the North Shore's leading schools, including Ravenswood, Pymble Ladies' College and Knox Grammar. Lane Cove National Park, Gordon Golf Club and a range of cafés and restaurants further reinforce the family-focused lifestyle on offer, with the BMW iX3 50 complementing everything from local trips around Gordon to weekend drives and city commutes.

Construction is underway with completion expected in mid-2027.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=7354]

Joel Robinson

Boutique Gordon townhomes now come with a BMW iX3 50

Two apartments have sold for more than $10 million at EADE Byron Bay, setting some of the highest apartment prices ever achieved in the coastal town and underlining the growing appetite for luxury beachfront apartments in Australia's most popular coastal locations.

The $210 million project by Vitale Property Group has now secured more than $70 million in sales, led by residences that changed hands for $12.75 million and $11.75 million.

The record-breaking transactions reinforce the shift occurring in Byron Bay's premium property market, where affluent downsizers and lifestyle buyers are increasingly opting for high-end apartments over large beachfront homes.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/eade-byron-bay-29-shirley-street-byron-bay-nsw-2481">EADE Byron Bay</a> occupies a rare 6,000 sqm absolute beachfront site on the corner of Shirley and Milton Streets overlooking Main Beach and The Wreck surf break, just 350 metres from Byron Bay's town centre.

The 25-residence development is the first beachfront apartment project approved in Byron Bay in more than a decade and is currently under construction, with completion expected in May 2027.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=145590 project_image_fid=359521]

The project has attracted a mix of local Byron Shire residents downsizing from larger homes, alongside interstate buyers from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane seeking a permanent coastal lifestyle without compromising on space.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hayball">Hayball</a> and with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/alexander-co">Alexander &amp; Co</a>, EADE comprises&nbsp;10 garden apartments ranging from 284 sqm to 622 sqm, nine with private pools, five full-floor apartments and 10 rooftop residences with private plunge pools, expansive outdoor entertaining areas and uninterrupted ocean views.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=145590 project_image_fid=359527]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/vitale-property-group">Vitale Property Group</a> Managing Partner Chris Vitale said the project's combination of scale, location and limited future supply was driving buyer demand.

"There isn't another beachfront holding in Byron Bay of this size and position that could be developed again," Vitale said.

"Buyers are responding to the scarcity and the irreplaceability of a site of this calibre and to floorplans they can't find elsewhere in the market.

"We are seeing buyers place significant value on quality, space, design, resort-style amenities and the rarity of the location. The sales achieved to date demonstrate that discerning purchasers recognise the long-term significance of what is being created at EADE Byron Bay.

"Many are coming from larger homes in the Byron region, or from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and are after the space, security and convenience, without the upkeep of a house."

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=145590 project_image_fid=359523]

The Byron Bay project follows Vitale Property Group's delivery of the Mondrian Hotel and Private Residences at Burleigh Heads, with EADE continuing the developer's focus on luxury coastal developments.

Residents will have access to a resort-style swimming pool, gymnasium, sauna, cold plunge pool, concierge services and dedicated workspaces, while the project is targeting an 8-Star Green Star rating.

EADE Byron Bay is being exclusively marketed by Projx Australia in conjunction with WHITEFOX Projects.

WHITEFOX National Projects Director Phillip Rand said demand had been driven predominantly by owner-occupiers.

"We are seeing buyers at EADE place significant value on quality, space, design, resort-style amenities and the rarity of this location," Rand says.

"The sales achieved to date demonstrate that purchasers at this level recognise the long-term significance of what is being created at EADE Byron Bay."

Residences at EADE Byron Bay are currently priced between $4.75 million and $15.95 million.

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[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=145590]

Vitale breaks Byron Bay records with EADE sales flurry 

When buying an apartment, most people compare the big-ticket items first. Floorplans. Kitchens. Balcony size. Natural light. The view.

But there's one everyday consideration that often doesn't come up until after moving in: how parcels are delivered.

As online shopping has become part of everyday life, parcel deliveries have shifted from an occasional event to a regular occurrence. Australians spent a record $82.6 billion shopping online in 2025, with almost one in every four retail dollars now spent digitally.

For apartment residents, that can present a challenge.

If nobody is home to accept a delivery, parcels may be redirected to a nearby Post Office, left in a building lobby or common area, or require building management to step in. In higher-density buildings, where dozens or even hundreds of residents may receive deliveries each day, parcel management has become an increasingly important part of everyday living.

That can create a range of frustrations. A missed delivery often means making time to collect a parcel elsewhere, while packages left unattended in foyers or mail areas can create clutter and increase the risk of theft. What seems like a minor inconvenience can quickly become a recurring issue for residents who shop online regularly.

It's one of those details that rarely features in a display suite but can have a noticeable impact once residents move in.

As a result, buyers are beginning to look beyond traditional apartment features and consider how a building supports day-to-day convenience, including whether there are secure options for receiving deliveries.

Australia Post's Parcel Lockers provide one solution.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CkF2oKmlACg?si=C50sDaoUUn2nuLmq" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Rather than having a parcel delivered directly to an apartment, eligible deliveries can be sent to a nominated Parcel Locker. Once the parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS and can collect it using a QR code or one-time PIN at a time that suits them.

The Parcel Locker network now includes more than 1,500 locations nationwide, with installations at Post Offices, shopping centres, transport hubs and an increasing number of residential developments. By providing a secure collection point, Parcel Lockers help reduce missed deliveries and avoid parcels being left unattended in common areas.

For developers, parcel infrastructure is becoming another way to improve the resident experience. Rather than relying on concierge staff or leaving parcels in communal spaces, secure collection points help streamline deliveries while preserving the presentation and functionality of shared areas.

For buyers, it's a reminder that the best apartment features aren't always the most obvious.

A generous floorplan or quality finishes might help narrow the shortlist, but the conveniences that simplify everyday life, whether that's EV charging, secure bike storage or reliable parcel delivery, often become the features residents appreciate most once they're living there.

The apartment feature many buyers don't think about, until their first missed delivery

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hg-developments">HG Developments</a> is doubling down on Maud Street in Newstead, filing plans for a new apartment tower just a few doors down from its under-construction Aire Newstead development.

Recently submitted to Brisbane City Council, the proposal is for an 18-storey building designed by bureau^proberts, which has drawn heavily on Brisbane's subtropical design principles while referencing the suburb's industrial heritage.

A total of 64 apartments are planned for the amalgamated 1,518 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/17-21-maud-street-newstead-qld-4006">17–21 Maud Street</a>, a short walk from the Brisbane River and Newstead Riverwalk.

<img alt="First look: HG Developments plans 18-storey subtropical apartment tower for Newstead" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a400c7fd-bd15-48f8-a63b-10ede92efe00" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Maud%20st%20bldg.png?VersionId=.0vPmjpbC7CNP7kqGWa6L7rGIwsNExaw" />

"The building is defined by a series of vaulted motifs that reinterpret the arches, colonnades and layered facades evident throughout Newstead's historic built fabric," the Urban Design Report states.

"Combined with recessed glazing and generous balconies, these elements create a layered building envelope that provides shade, weather protection and opportunities for natural ventilation whilst establishing a distinctive architectural identity."

The proposal comprises 64 two, three and four-bedroom apartments across 18 residential levels, positioning it alongside a growing number of taller residential projects transforming Newstead's northern precinct. The tower incorporates extensive subtropical landscaping, with cascading planter boxes, deep planting at street level and a landscaped rooftop recreation area.

<img alt="First look: HG Developments plans 18-storey subtropical apartment tower for Newstead" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1d8140f4-8b98-45cd-b1b8-1efe8c8e266b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Maud%20st%20podium.png?VersionId=VAZtbCoD44YCJ57N99fQCAKeSJx7ldZs" />

Bureau Proberts has prioritised passive environmental design throughout the project, with generous balconies, recessed glazing and operable façades helping reduce solar heat gain while maximising natural ventilation. River views become available from the upper levels, while the building has been orientated to capture prevailing breezes from both the Brisbane River and the west.

The architects say landscape is intended to be integral to the building rather than an applied element.

"Vertical greenery, cascading planter boxes and elevated gardens are woven throughout the architecture, softening the built form and strengthening the connection between residents and the subtropical environment."

"Through the integration of landscape, high-quality materials and passive design principles, the development delivers a refined residential address that celebrates Newstead's heritage character while contributing positively to Brisbane's evolving subtropical identity."

Newstead has remained one of Brisbane's most active apartment markets in recent years, with a number of developers continuing to back the inner-city suburb.

HG Developments is currently delivering the 40-apartment Aire Newstead at 25 Maud Street. Fortis recently launched the 65-apartment <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/crest-walker-newstead-12-kyabra-street-newstead-qld-4006">Crest &amp; Walker</a> on Kyabra Street, while builder-developer BPG and Don O'Rorke's Consolidated Properties are both expected to launch their respective Newstead projects before the end of the year.

HG Developments doubles down in Newstead with second Maud Street apartment development

Walk past a new apartment development promoting its sustainability credentials and it's easy to picture rooftop gardens, mature trees, landscaped courtyards and residents surrounded by nature.

But in many cases, that's not actually what those sustainability ratings guarantee.

Australia's leading environmental rating tools have played a significant role in improving the energy efficiency and environmental performance of buildings. Yet despite their focus on reducing emissions, many don't require developers to include trees, biodiversity or meaningful green space.

In other words, a building can achieve one of the country's highest sustainability ratings while containing little more than concrete, glass and hard landscaping.

That disconnect has led to the emergence of a new movement across Australia's property industry: nature-based cities.

The concept goes beyond designing buildings that consume less energy. Instead, it encourages developers to treat nature as essential infrastructure, integrating biodiversity, tree canopy, living landscapes and green spaces into projects from the earliest stages of planning.

Research has consistently linked access to nature with better physical and mental health, cooler neighbourhoods, improved biodiversity, stronger climate resilience and more connected communities. As Australia's cities continue to become denser, advocates say those outcomes should be considered just as important as energy efficiency.

Nature Based Cities (NBC) was established in 2022 to help accelerate that shift.

Founded by Hamton Executive Chairman Paul Hameister OAM, the not-for-profit was created after research highlighted a significant gap in Australia's sustainability framework. While existing environmental rating tools rewarded energy performance and emissions reductions, they placed little emphasis on the inclusion of living landscapes.

"We've always wanted to do more, and we know other developers who want to do more, but the ESD rating tools just aren't there," Hameister says.

"In Australia, you can have a five-green-star rated building that's concrete and glass with not a blade of grass.

"The focus is on reducing emissions, which is laudable, but there hasn't been enough attention paid to protecting and re-establishing nature. We need both for the health of the environment and for communities."

Since its launch, NBC has developed independent design guidelines and accreditation frameworks that encourage developers to prioritise ecology, biodiversity, tree canopy, walkability and living landscapes alongside traditional sustainability measures. The organisation first focused on medium and high-density residential developments before recently expanding into precinct-scale communities and masterplanned neighbourhoods.

Jan Talacko, founder of sustainability consultancy Ark Resources and a member of the Nature Based Cities Advisory Council, says the initiative addresses an area that has largely been overlooked by the property industry.

"Throughout my 25 years of working collaboratively with all stakeholders in the property sector, I've always favoured a pragmatic approach to sustainable design which encourages initiatives that not only meet environmental expectations but also improve amenity," Talacko says.

"Whilst we are making steady progress in relation to energy and carbon emissions from buildings, there has been much less emphasis on encouraging biodiversity and tackling the urban heat island effect.

"The Nature Based Cities initiative responds to a gap in the suite of tools currently used by the property development sector, which don't provide sufficient incentive, or recognition, for the integration of landscaping and greenery."

For apartment buyers, the shift is also changing the questions worth asking.

Rather than assuming a sustainable building will naturally include abundant green space, buyers are increasingly being encouraged to look beyond environmental ratings and ask what nature is actually being delivered. How much tree canopy will the development create? Has biodiversity been considered? Are landscaped spaces designed for people as well as appearance?

As Australia's cities continue to grow upwards and outwards, the next generation of sustainability may not simply be measured by lower emissions, but by how successfully developments bring nature back into everyday urban life.

What does it really mean for a building to be 'green'?

Sydney’s property market is known for high prices, competitive bidding, and mounting pressure on first home buyers. But change is on the horizon.

From late 2025, eligible first home buyers in New South Wales will have access to a new federal government initiative aimed at addressing affordability: the Help to Buy Scheme.&nbsp;

<h2>What is the Help to Buy Scheme?</h2>

The program introduces a shared equity model intended to reduce the upfront cost of entering the property market, particularly in high-demand urban areas such as Sydney.

The scheme operates under a shared ownership structure in which the federal government takes an equity stake of up to 40 per cent for new homes, or 30 per cent for existing dwellings. This arrangement allows eligible buyers to significantly reduce their loan size and avoid the added cost of Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI).

Under this model, purchasers can enter the property market with as little as a two per cent deposit, well below the traditional 10 to 20 per cent usually required. The government’s contribution is not a loan but a co-ownership stake in the property. As such, there is no interest or rent charged on its portion.

Because the government’s equity combined with the buyer’s deposit typically meets or exceeds the 20 per cent threshold, LMI does not apply. The remaining balance, generally between 60 and 70 per cent of the property’s value, is financed through a standard home loan with a participating lender.

The government's equity in the property remains in place until the buyer chooses to repay it voluntarily or until the property is sold. Buyers can buy back the government’s share over time, in increments of at least five per cent, depending on their financial situation.

There is no fixed repayment timeline, but the amount to be repaid will be based on the property's market value at the time of repayment, not the original purchase price.

<h2>How do you qualify for the&nbsp;Help to Buy Scheme?</h2>

To qualify for the Help to Buy Scheme, applicants must meet the following conditions:

<ul>
	<li>Be an Australian citizen at least 18 years of age.</li>
	<li>Be a first-home buyer who does not currently own property.</li>
	<li>Intend to live in the property as their primary residence.</li>
	<li>Earn less than $100,000 per year for individuals, or $160,000 for couples.</li>
	<li>Purchase a property within the regional price caps, currently $950,000 in Sydney, though this is expected to rise to approximately $1.3 million ahead of the program’s launch.</li>
</ul>

While the Help to Buy Scheme does not solve affordability challenges across the board, it does offer a more accessible pathway for a defined segment of the market, particularly younger buyers with moderate incomes who have been priced out of traditional lending routes.

The scheme is expected to commence in NSW in late 2025, as part of a national rollout.

Under the new model, purchasers can enter the property market with as little as a two per cent deposit, well below the traditional 10 to 20 per cent usually required

Help to Buy Scheme: What first home buyers in NSW need to know

The First Home Owners Grant (FHOG) is a government initiative designed to help eligible first-time home buyers by offering financial assistance towards the purchase or construction of a new home.

While the FHOG is a nationwide program, it is administered separately by each state and territory, meaning the eligibility criteria, grant amounts, and property requirements can vary depending on your location. This means that the amount available and the conditions attached to the grant will differ, so it is important to check the specific guidelines for your state or territory.

It’s important to note that the FHOG is just one of several incentives available to first home buyers. In most states and territories, the grant is not linked to stamp duty exemptions or concessions, with the exception of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The FHOG is typically a one-off payment, reducing the overall cost of purchasing or building a new home before any stamp duty concessions are applied.

Below, we provide a breakdown of the First Home Owner Grants available across Australia, outlining the specific details for each state and territory.

<h2>New South Wales First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Offers a $10,000 grant for new homes valued up to $600,000. For land purchases and owner-builders, the threshold extends to $750,000.

Stamp Duty Benefits: Provides full stamp duty exemption for homes valued up to $800,000, with concessions available for properties up to $1 million.

<h2>Victoria South Wales First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Provides a $10,000 grant for first-home buyers purchasing or building new homes valued up to $750,000.

Stamp Duty Benefits: Offers full stamp duty exemption for properties up to $600,000, with concessions available up to $750,000.

<h2>Queensland First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Offers $30,000 for contracts signed between 20 November 2023 and 30 June 2025. The FHOG applies to new homes valued up to $750,000.

Stamp Duty Concessions: Provides additional concessions for properties valued up to $800,000.

<h2>Western Australia First Home Owner Grant</h2>

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First Home Owner Grant: Offers a $10,000 grant for new homes valued up to $750,000 in the southern regions and up to $1 million in the northern regions.

Stamp Duty Concessions: Available for homes valued up to $600,000 for transactions entered into on or after 9 May 2024.

<h2>Australian Capital Territory First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Replaced by the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, offering full stamp duty concessions for eligible buyers.

<h2>South Australia First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Provides up to $15,000 for new homes, including houses, apartments, and townhouses. As of 6 June 2024, there is no property value cap for eligibility.

Stamp Duty Relief: Available for new homes and vacant land purchases.

<h2>Tasmania First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Offers a $10,000 grant for new homes and off the plan purchases.

Stamp Duty Exemption: Between 18 February 2024 and 30 June 2026, first home buyers of established homes valued up to $750,000 receive a full exemption on property transfer duty.

<h2>Northern Territory First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: The Northern Territory provides a $10,000 grant for new homes only. Additional government grants and concessions are available for first home buyers.

Stamp Duty Exemption: The only stamp duty exemption available to property buyers is the House and Land Package Exemption (HLPE).

Eligibility criteria and application processes differ across states. Prospective buyers should refer to their respective state revenue offices for full details on grant availability, conditions, and additional concessions.

Every First Home Owner Grant for new property by state

In the ever-evolving landscape of sustainable architecture and environmentally conscious design, systems and ratings in place can help determine the energy efficiency of residential buildings in Australia.

Australia has multiple building rating systems that evaluate energy efficiency and sustainability in existing and new building designs.

Some systems assess individual building components, while others provide an overall rating for the entire structure.

A rating system ensures that homes are comfortable and energy-efficient, whether you are buying, renovating, or building.

NatHERS (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme) is a common way for new homes to meet energy efficiency requirements.

As new developments continue to shape the urban environment, understanding NatHERS ratings becomes essential for developers and homeowners. This article delves into the concept of NatHERS ratings, their significance, and how they contribute to creating energy-efficient homes.

<h2>What is NatHERS?</h2>

NatHERS is a national initiative implemented by the Australian government to promote energy efficiency in residential buildings. The scheme aims to provide a standardised method for assessing the thermal performance of homes, considering factors such as insulation, orientation, ventilation, and building materials.&nbsp;

NatHERS ratings are the most common way new homes meet the National Construction Code's (NCC's) minimum energy efficiency requirements.&nbsp;

NatHERS assessments provide thermal and whole-home ratings for new homes, townhouses, and apartments.

The rating helps evaluate the energy performance of buildings, guides homeowners and developers to make informed decisions about the energy efficiency of their properties, and encourages the construction of more sustainable, comfortable, and cost-effective homes.

<h2>How NatHERS Ratings Work</h2>

NatHERS ratings are determined through four accredited software tools (AccuRate, BERS Pro, FirstRate5, HERO) using a calculation engine CSIRO developed to predict building temperature based on various factors.

The tools can model complex effects of building mass, insulation, window size, and other elements.

The outcome is a star rating that reflects the building's overall thermal efficiency, indicating how well it can maintain a comfortable indoor temperature without excessive reliance on heating or cooling systems.

The star rating scale ranges from 0 to 10, with a 6-star rating being the minimum requirement for compliance with the National Construction Code (NCC).&nbsp;

Achieving a higher star rating demonstrates a commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability, as the building is better equipped to minimise its environmental impact and reduce long-term energy costs.

Anyone can use NatHERS tools, but accredited assessors can provide certified ratings and professional advice.

<h2>Benefits of Higher NatHERS Ratings</h2>

Energy Efficiency: Buildings with higher NatHERS ratings are more energy-efficient, requiring less heating and cooling energy. This reduces the structure's carbon footprint and lowers occupants' energy bills.

Cost Savings: Homes with higher NatHERS ratings are generally more energy-efficient, resulting in reduced energy consumption for heating and cooling. This translates to lower energy bills for homeowners, making sustainable living environmentally friendly and economically viable in the long run.

Environmental Impact: Lower energy consumption directly translates to a reduced environmental impact. Buildings with higher NatHERS ratings contribute to the overall goal of mitigating climate change by lowering greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating and cooling systems.

Improved Comfort: Buildings with high NatHERS ratings offer better thermal comfort to occupants. Proper insulation, well-designed ventilation, and optimal orientation maintain a consistent and comfortable indoor temperature, providing occupants with a more enjoyable and healthier space.

Market Value and Desirability: Higher NatHERS ratings can enhance the market value of a property. As energy efficiency becomes a more significant consideration for homebuyers, a well-rated building may attract a premium price and stand out in the real estate market.

Compliance with Building Codes: NatHERS ratings are a vital component of the National Construction Code (NCC), and compliance with these ratings is often a mandatory requirement for new developments. Local councils and planning authorities may set minimum energy efficiency standards that must be met to obtain development approval.

The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is a crucial initiative shaping the future of energy-efficient, resilient, and cost-effective homes. With its recent upgrades, NatHERS has evolved into a world-leading tool for the building sector, supporting the global commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Staff Writer

What is a NatHERS rating in new off the plan apartment developments?

Mixed-use developments have gained significant popularity across Australia in recent years due to their unique blend of residential, commercial, and recreational spaces.

Unlike traditional single-purpose developments, mixed-use projects offer a harmonious integration of various functions within a single locale.

Residential units seamlessly coexist with commercial establishments, retail outlets, dining venues, entertainment hubs, and recreational facilities, with the combination not only enhances convenience but also fosters a vibrant lifestyle and a sense of community.

<h3>Convenience and accessibility</h3>

Mixed-use developments are designed with convenience in mind. They often integrate residential units with commercial spaces, retail outlets, restaurants, and recreational facilities, creating a self-contained community.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=114215 project_image_fid=204874]

The proximity allows residents to enjoy the convenience of having essential amenities and services within walking distance. Whether it's grabbing a cup of coffee, going grocery shopping, or accessing healthcare services, everything is conveniently located, saving residents time and effort.

<h3>Vibrant lifestyle and community</h3>

One of the major advantages of mixed-use developments is the vibrant lifestyle they offer. With a diverse range of amenities and communal spaces, residents have ample opportunities to interact, socialise, and build a sense of community.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=107714 project_image_fid=214122]

The presence of parks, community centres, and shared spaces fosters a lively atmosphere, encouraging residents to engage in various activities and events. The vibrant lifestyle within these developments creates a unique sense of belonging and camaraderie among the residents.

<h3>Potential for higher rental yields and property value appreciation</h3>

Mixed-use developments tend to attract a broad range of tenants and buyers due to their versatile nature. This high demand can result in higher rental yields for investors and potentially lead to property value appreciation over time.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=139989 project_image_fid=212887]

The integration of commercial and retail spaces attracts businesses, which can provide a stable rental income stream. Additionally, the popularity of mixed-use developments often drives up property values, making them a potentially lucrative investment in the long term.

<h3>Enhanced security and maintenance</h3>

Mixed-use developments typically have comprehensive security measures in place. With controlled access points, CCTV surveillance, and professional security staff, residents can enjoy enhanced safety and peace of mind.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108019 project_image_fid=212658]

Additionally, these developments often have dedicated maintenance teams responsible for the upkeep of common areas, landscaping, and infrastructure. This ensures that the overall appearance and functionality of the development are well-maintained, creating a pleasant living environment for residents.

<h3>Live-work-play balance</h3>

One of the key attractions of mixed-use developments is the ability to achieve a desirable live-work-play balance. The integration of residential and commercial spaces allows residents to live closer to their workplaces, reducing commuting time and improving work-life balance.

The proximity to various amenities and recreational facilities encourages an active and healthy lifestyle. Residents can easily access fitness centres, parks, restaurants, and entertainment options, all within the same development, leading to a more fulfilling and convenient way of life.

alisonwarters@gmail.com

The top five reasons to buy in a mixed-use development

When buying a property, everyone needs to be aware of the additional costs that come as part of the buying process.

Often the largest outlay, after the deposit which goes to the bank, is stamp duty.

<h2 style="line-height: 1.38;">What is Stamp Duty?</h2>

Stamp duty is an extra tax to pay the government when you buy land, a property, and other certain assets.

It happens when the legal ownership is transferred. It can also be known as property transfer duty or transfer duty.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="415" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C32BWkB5--c" title="YouTube video player" width="660"></iframe>

<h2>Who pays Stamp Duty?</h2>

In some circumstances, you may get an exemption. For some states, you won’t have to pay for stamp duty if you are a first home buyer or a pensioner for houses under a particular price. There are also stamp duty concessions, where you may be entitled to a discount.

<h2>How much does Stamp Duty cost?</h2>

Each state has different rules which affect how much you need to pay. These rules can affect the rate you pay, and the timeframe you will need to pay in. Before you buy land or a property, make sure you check the up-to-date information for your state’s stamp duty.

You can use a free stamp duty calculator online to see approximately how much you’ll need to pay. Find out if you’re eligible for an exemption by enquiring on a project via Urban!

Overall, the stamp duty you need to pay will depend on:

<ul>
	<li aria-level="1">How much your land/property is worth</li>
	<li aria-level="1">Where your land/property is located</li>
	<li aria-level="1">What type of land/property it is</li>
</ul>

Want to find out more? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@UrbanAustralia?utm_source=YouTube&amp;utm_medium=Video&amp;utm_campaign=Subscribe&amp;utm_id=Subscribe">Subscribe to our YouTube channel</a> for more property videos.

Ellen Walker

Off-the-plan property explained: What is stamp duty?

Prominent New Zealand apartment and hotel operator, <a href="/developers/safari-group">Safari Group</a>, is offering up a prime investment opportunity for Australians to purchase off the plan in one of the world’s most popular ski destinations.

They recently took to market Mountain Oak Queenstown Apartments, in the growing precinct of Remarkables Park in Frankton, near the airport and at the foot of The Remarkables - the mountain range the locals like to call “The Remarks”.&nbsp;

Sydney investors have shown interest in the one, two and three-bedroom apartments that secure high-season occupancy six months over the year, primarily over summer and winter months.

They average 90 per cent occupancy across their portfolio over January, February, March, August, November and December, while shoulder season months of April, July, September and October are still occupied 70 per cent of the time, with the growing appeal of Queenstown becoming not just a hotspot for the snow, but a lifestyle destination.

Even in the low seasons of May and June, occupancy levels reach around 40 per cent.

<img alt="Safari Group’s Mountain Oak Apartments brings new investment potential to Queenstown" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_auto/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Ext_Cam15_Sunny.jpg?VersionId=SJAROUM_1s.Tr5ciMk4EEj5oAt_Vewmv" />

Safari’s Safari Hotels arm can also manage the holiday letting for an investor, from the listing on holiday accommodation websites such as Airbnb and Booking.com to the cleaning and maintenance of the investment. They’ve been in the short stay management business for 15 years and offer 24/7 support for investors, an important convenience benefit for any overseas investor

Another major drawcard for Australians is that New Zealand doesn’t have a stamp duty policy - so the entry price of NZ$639,000 (AU$586,000), is all that is payable on completion.

<img alt="Safari Group’s Mountain Oak Apartments brings new investment potential to Queenstown" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/313_Livingv2_WEB.jpg?VersionId=nV229fM0ZeYpoxOrX372HyGjfwY_LR8c" />

Safari is starting construction of the 141 apartments in Q2 this year, with a two-year build estimated to complete in mid-to-late 2027.<img alt="" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="15" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXczFpFAb7WuA6f4f9TtKWcqXyNwR8qqtakWv352ERkpqNlP3KwIo8YKxw67jZNHfpjEGIZGv5MQTbnvLZwNt8iu9IVdOrswOjCvBZ4zhSoOOLrpt6etVEZTN1gkBho0r_R72zdHNA?key=yq3daOanqHSb88QFd8jGYKdb" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" />​

The apartments will feature modern amenities and contemporary designs with expansive windows capturing sweeping views of The Remarkables mountain range.&nbsp;

Interiors are equipped with modern finishes, premium appliances, and secure electronic key-locked doors, ensuring a comfortable living experience for residents and guests alike.

With its strategic location near Coronet Peak and Cardrona Alpine Resort, as well as key retail and dining precincts such as Market Street, Five Mile Shopping Centre, and Remarkables Market, Mountain Oak offers a strong proposition for investors seeking high rental yields and capital appreciation in one of New Zealand’s most sought-after locations.&nbsp;

Queenstown’s sustained demand for visitor accommodation and rental properties is underpinned by a shortage of housing options, attracting both local and international buyers.

Safari Group offers low-touch investment proposition in Queenstown’s popular ski fields district

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Despite the spate of headlines forecasting further property gloom, Mortgage Choice CEO Michael Russell says a record level of mortgage pre-approvals indicates that there is “patchy pent-up demand”, with a rate cut likely to spur many sitting on the sidelines back into the market.
Russell says mortgage pre-approvals have risen over recent months, particularly among first-home buyers.
“There are lots of people on the sidelines who are still waiting for a lower entry price – for the market to bottom out – and another cash rate reduction,” he says.
“Another cash rate cut either next week or in February will make property irresistible for investors and stimulate the market.”
Aside from the increase in pent-up demand, Russell says industry-wide home loan approvals have picked up in five out of the last six months.
Having bottomed out in March at around $19 billion from a high of around $24 billion at the end of 2009 (helped out by the first-home owner boost), Russell saysindustry-wide mortgage approvals have now climbed back up to around $21 billion a month.
“My feeling in terms of momentum for the market is one of optimism and confidence,” he says.
And despite the media attention on what is happening globally and in particurlar in Europe, Russell says consumers are not that concerned about macro issues.
“Speculators – those that buy off the plan and look to flip the property at settlement for profit – have lost their appetites for property.
“But investing in property is not about making a short-term investment, it’s about investing for seven to 10 years.”
 
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lschlesinger-FZcF9M3vE6

Rate cut will encourage first-home buyers and investors: Mortgage Choice CEO Michael Russell

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In the Q+A after his speech last Friday night the RBA governor Glenn Stevens claimed that central bankers are spending a lot of time these days “nowcasting”. That is, trying to figure out exactly how the economy is tracking in the present tense.
In rationalising this allocation of time, he made a statement of the obvious:  unless you know what your starting point is today, it is nigh on impossible to make a credible forecast of where you will be tomorrow.
A more impolite interpretation might be that since the RBA has little faith in its own forecasting prowess – which is why it discarded its November 2010 experiment with ‘pre-emptive monetary policy’ – its next best option is to concentrate its energies on determining how the economy is tracking right now.
That is not as easy as it seems. Even carefully collated data, such as core inflation, is subject to material errors. As regular readers will know, the RBA, media and financial markets were grossly misled by a major downward revision to the second quarter core inflation print.
This had serious ramifications for the RBA’s approach to monetary policy, which it shifted away from a tightening bias. Yet a second revision to these same numbers (which was, therefore, the third time the ABS had attempted to calculate them) increased the Q2 core inflation estimate back up to unacceptably high levels that would normally warrant policy tightening.
Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the imperfect informational beast that the RBA has to grapple with.
Today we get a batch of new data that will shed further light on how <country-region><place>Australia</place></country-region>’s economy is sailing in what is undeniably a stormy global sea. The most important stuff includes the third-quarter capital expenditure data, the ABS’s estimate of capital spending plans over 2011-12, and private credit growth for October.
We also have RP Data-Rismark’s October house price index results, which will show that capital city dwelling prices are down 2.8% in raw terms (4% seasonally adjusted) over the first 10 months of 2011. Given that the dollar value of rents is rising at nearly a 5% per annum rate, this modest 3% to 4% correction in housing costs is no big deal.
Importantly, our house price data precedes the RBA’s crucial November rate cut, which, in concert with record yield curve inversion, has forced home loan rates to plummet to as low at 5.99%.
As a quick aside on the housing market, the ABS tells us that seasonally adjusted housing finance approvals to people buying established homes have increased every month over the last seven months to the end of September.
We also know that consumer confidence in November rose to above-average levels, and, perhaps most importantly, that the previously surveyed expectation among Australian households that rates would rise two to three times in the year ahead has likely evaporated. Today the average Australian family probably expects unchanged rates and/or more cuts.
As I have pointed out before, this means that the “expectational” impact of the RBA’s November cut will be significantly larger than would otherwise be the case.
Have you ever noticed how there tends to be relentless media coverage of deteriorating housing affordability when prices rise, but next to nothing written about improving affordability when prices fall? Without a shadow of doubt, this is the biggest story in the Aussie housing market today.
RP Data-Rismark’s estimate of the national median dwelling price across all regions and dwelling types has fallen from a recent high of $420,000 to $400,000 today. So the cost of Australian housing is unambiguously lower than it was one to two years ago. Concurrently, discounted fixed and variable mortgage rates are now well below their long-term historical averages while disposable incomes per household have been expanding at a healthy 8% per annum pace, according to the ABS’s National Accounts. This has resulted in Rismark’s national dwelling price-to-income ratio falling to its lowest level since before 2003. It is little wonder that first time buyers are returning to the market.
The striking improvement in Australian housing affordability is one reason why Rismark is projecting that there will be a sustained recovery in housing activity by the end of the first quarter next year.
While I am not in the least bit concerned about <country-region>Australia</country-region>’s housing market, given the daily doses of doom and gloom that we are asked to ingest, how is the rest of <country-region><place>Australia</place></country-region>’s economy faring? One needs to address this question before we can turn to the RBA’s December dilemma.
Data flows over the past month or two have confirmed that consumer spending and housing credit are expanding at “new normal” rates that are near household income growth, as you would expect.
Notwithstanding the rhetoric about the specter of a global recession, surveyed business confidence and business conditions remain at trend-like thresholds, which helps explain why business credit growth has recovered of late.
And despite a step-down in job ads and employment growth, Australia’s unemployment rate has remained sticky at a touch above its “full-employment” level.
Beyond the ABS’s small and volatile unemployment survey, we can get further labour market insights by parsing the more comprehensive unemployment benefits data reported by the federal government. In absolute terms, the number of people on the dole has been declining consistently right through to the end of October (see first chart). Expressed as a share of a growing labour force, the decline in dole recipients would be even sharper. There are no signs here of a labour market that is “rolling over”.
Click to enlarge
<a title="Click to enlarge" rel="shadowbox" href="/images/stories/nov301.gif"><img src="/images/stories/nov301thumb.gif"></a>
The government has created a second series that tracks the number of dole recipients who have been looking for jobs for a relatively short period of time. This is illustrated in my next chart. The main take-away is that the number of people looking for jobs has been falling, not rising, albeit at a reduced rate in 2011 compared to the steeper declines evidenced in 2010.
Click to enlarge
<a title="Click to enlarge" rel="shadowbox" href="/images/stories/nov302.gif"><img src="/images/stories/nov302thumb.gif"></a>
Finally, last week we got a major upside surprise with the ABS reporting that “construction work done” in the third quarter printed at +12.5% – its highest rate on record and way above consensus forecasts of a +2% increase. Economists believe that this variable alone has the potential to add as much as 1.5 percentage points to the critical third quarter real GDP data.
The available empirical evidence implies that <country-region><place>Australia</place></country-region>’s overall economy is advancing at a trend pace, although when you lift the bonnet there is significant cross-sectional diversity in the growth experienced by individual industries.
While we always knew that a narrow resources investment boom would make this the case, one tends to hear much more from the noisier “have nots”. This can in turn blur one’s vision in respect of the broader economy’s performance.
Telescoped sources of economic growth can also interfere with the integrity of numerical surveys (or polls) of business conditions/confidence if participants’ responses are not weighted by their contributions to overall growth.
The bottom line is that based on the hard data and the RBA’s forecasts for gradually increasing core inflation over the next few years there seems to be no prima facie case for a rate cut next week.
This view was reinforced by the RBA’s top economist, Dr Phil Lowe, who explained, for the avoidance of any doubt, that following the November rate cut domestic “interest rates now are broadly neutral. They're neither expansionary … nor contractionary for the economy.”
While most economists currently expect the RBA to stay its hand in December, the financial markets have been pricing in a 100% probability of a cut for some time.
The interest rate debate is swirling around what experts think is the RBA’s “policy of least regret.”
In this context, there is universal agreement that the chief near-term risk <country-region><place>Australia</place></country-region> faces is to the funding of our banking system, with the wholesale finance markets that supply about 40% of total bank funding temporarily closed.
The concern is that if the banks feel they cannot fund themselves, they will ration credit, and, by doing so, rather myopically kill off economic growth. Of course, we have been here before during the GFC, and know that contrary to some predictions, the banking system did not fall in a heap.
Why? Because the Government decided to lend its pristine AAA credit rating to all ADIs by providing a taxpayer guarantee of deposits, which make up 50-60% of total bank funding, and through an offer of a taxpayer guarantee of the banks’ wholesale debts. In addition to these two insurance policies, the RBA also lent directly and very cheaply to the banks to provide them with enough funds to meet their day-to-day liabilities. Had the Government and the RBA not acted in this way, many Australian banks would have ended up trading insolvent.
The good news for the banks is that the RBA is in the process of launching another, more formal, bail-out program called the Committed Liquidity Facility, which will furnish banks with a line of credit that they can tap during liquidity crises such as the current one.
The RBA is the first to admit that it does not know what is going to happen in Europe, and what, if any, adverse economic shocks might be sent Australia’s way. It has ample time to watch how things unfold.
If the “nowcasting” Glenn Stevens is increasingly fond of reveals that the economy is about to come to a grinding halt, and if unemployment starts to rise at a surprising rate, he can comfortably cut rates.
Yet dropping rates today in response to bank funding problems prior to his nowcasting telling him to do so is foolish for at least two reasons.
First, there are many much more direct policy measures that can be used to immediately cauterize these issues, such as the assorted taxpayer guarantees and RBA liquidity facilities discussed above.
A cut in interest rates, on the other hand, is likely to be almost entirely absorbed by the banks in the form of margin expansion, which they would argue they need in order to vouchsafe their profitability.
This has two adverse consequences for the RBA and taxpayers.
The first is that if the RBA cuts its cash rate, and the banks don’t pass it on, this undermines the effectiveness of the RBA’s conventional monetary policy instrument. There is a zero lower bound on how far the RBA’s cash rate can go.
If you assume that banks want to maintain, as a minimum, net interest margins of around 2.5%, it is hard to see how mortgage rates can fall below circa 3% to 3.5%. And that assumes no further margin expansion by the banks along the way, which is heroic. So the RBA probably has the ability to reduce actual lending rates by about 300 basis points, give or take.
The point is that the RBA wants to be very careful to disentangle the policy solutions to bank funding problems and those required to stop an economy heading into recession (especially when fiscal policy is purportedly out-of-action).
Confusing the two could hamper your ability to lower market lending rates and thus stimulate the wider economy. Put differently, the RBA should preserve its policy firepower for when it needs it rather than using it to subsidise bank margins.
The issue for households is that if banks absorb RBA cash rate cuts via margin expansion, the RBA is, in effect, facilitating a wealth transfer from the 5 million families with mortgages, who will not get the benefit of lower rates, to bank executives and bank shareholders.
Don't get me wrong. A sustained deterioration in global economic conditions would absolutely warrant deep cuts by the RBA. Yet unlike its peers overseas, the RBA is in the fortunate position of having most domestic debt being issued in ‘variable rate’ form. This means the RBA can make immediate and very significant changes to household cash-flows through adjustments to its policy rate. In many other countries, such as the <country-region>US</country-region> and <country-region><place>UK</place></country-region>, most household debt is fixed-rate and not, therefore, controlled as closely or immediately by the local central bank.
<country-region><place>Australia</place></country-region> does indeed have an economic insurance policy, or a “Stevens’ Put” <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/trends/will-the-financial-markets-give-the-rba-a-stevens-put-christopher-joye/2011112352496">as I described it in an earlier column</a>. But instead of trading some of that insurance away to vocal bankers and financial market investors, the RBA should preserve it for the maximum benefit of all Australian households.
Christopher Joye is a leading financial economist. The above article is not investment advice.
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chrisjoye-JYhJsTrNRC

Should the RBA bail out financial markets?: Christopher Joye

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Brisbane house prices registered the biggest fall in dwelling prices nationally over October with values down 2.9% for the month and 9.3% compared with a year ago, according to the RP Data-Rismark October Hedonic Home Value Index Results.
Canberra was the only capital city to register an increase in dwelling values over the month, up 1.6%.
Brisbane units have proved far more resilient, with values up 1.1% for October to be down only 1.4% over the past 12 months.
The average dwelling price in Brisbane declined by 1.6% in October to be down 8% year-on-year with the median price declining to $402,000
The median price for a Brisbane house now stands at $425,000 and at $360,000 for a unit.
The declining in Brisbane dwelling values in October was triple the overall capital city home values decline of 0.5% in the month before the RBA’s decision to cut interest rates.
For the year to date, dwelling prices are down 4% for capital cities.
Regional dwelling prices declined by 0.8% to be down 3.4% over the past 12 months.
<img src="/images/stories/rpnov30.gif">
Sydney and Canberra were the most resilient capital city markets, with dwelling values unchanged in Sydney over October to be down just 1.4% off their peaks while Canberra dwelling prices increased by 1.6% over the month to be 1.1% off peak prices.
Dwelling prices fell 0.6% in Melbourne over October to be down 5.4% year-on-year and 5.8% off the peak.
RP Data director of research Tim Lawless says the year-to-date results highlight the divergent outcomes more clearly. 
“Over the 10 months to October, Canberra and Sydney dwelling values have not moved a great deal: up 0.9% and down 1.4% respectively.”
“In contrast, Brisbane home values have been hit hard and are now off 7.5% while Melbourne dwellings have corrected 5.8% after very strong 25-30% capital growth over 2009-10.” 
“The combination of lower interest rates, cheaper homes, and rising incomes is generating a welcome boost to housing affordability, particularly in those markets where value falls have been more significant,” he says.
For property investors, the 2.8% decline in house prices over 2011 has been offset by solid growth in rents.
 
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Brisbane house prices fall 10% over past year as Canberra only mainland city with rising market: RP Data

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The Mermaid Beach beachfront attracts the highest prices on the Gold Coast – and thereby attracts the greatest attention in both buoyant and depressed markets.
The latest resale hasn't had much publicity, but at 56% less than its 2007 pre-global financial crisis sale price, it’s the highest yet recorded luxury price decline.
The 199 Hedges Avenue property has been bought by Parkdon Pty Ltd, a company associated with Avi Silver from Caulfield. The vendor, Max Twigg, also comes from Melbourne.
It cost $17.5 million in 2007 and resold recently at $7.7 million, meaning the price dropped by about $50,000 a week during his four-year ownership.
Another $10 million plus loss on the Gold Coast's "Millionaires' Row" was incurred by the internet-billing company high flier Daniel Tzvetkoff, who splashed out $27 million in early 2008 on the unfinished mansion of fallen tourism entrepreneur Tony Smith and his wife, Simone. At its mortgagee sale in 2009 it resold at $17 million to drilling tycoon Peter Mitchell, who was cashed up after selling his business for $150 million. Given the Ipswich-born internet whiz-kid spent $8 million on almost completing construction, Tzvetkoff's foray actually translated to an $18 million loss.
Many buyers are only prepared to purchase under market value at the moment, according to valuer Herron Todd White.
The company suggests current enquiry for property is steady, with agents noting that vendors must be keen and willing to meet the market.
"As well as a reduction in the volume of sales, prices since the GFC have fallen by anywhere between 35% and 50%, with the most expensive homes generally suffering the greater price drops," HTW notes.
HTW advised that housing varies from original 1950s beach shacks on single 405-square-metre allotments to luxury mansions built over four to six allotments.
The most recent land content sales have ranged from $4.17 million to $4.25 million.
Quality house sales have been $5 million to $5.5 million on single blocks and $7.7 million for a luxury house on a larger 530-square-metre block of land.
HTW notes sales in Main Beach have also been few and far between, given there are only 15 beachfront house properties in Main Beach and these are generally tightly held.
 
Beachfront Sales (Mermaid Beach and Main Beach)
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
Year
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
Number of sales
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1989
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
4
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1990
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
6
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1992
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1991
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1993
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
9
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1994
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
5
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1995
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
5
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1996
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
6
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1997
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
9
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1998
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
13
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
1999
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2000
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
8
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2001
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
13
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2002
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
8
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2003
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
10
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2004
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
5
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2005
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
5
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2006
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
15
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2007
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
14
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2008
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
10
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2009
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
8
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2010
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
4
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="154">
2011
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
5*
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
* includes under contract sale
Source: Herron Todd White
“There has only been one sale of a 400-square-metre allotment (improved with a one-bedroom cottage) at $3.6 million early this year,” it notes.
Twigg – who made his fortune in waste management – has indicated he did not know that the market in Hedges Avenue properties had been fuelled in the boom by unusual and hidden deals.
The Ray White Australia chairman Brian White recently noted that Hedges Avenue in recent years had been "like a property casino and people were caught up in a frenzy to get in".
Investigations by the Queensland Office of Fair Trading and police into alleged property price manipulation continue.
 
Top 8 Mermaid Beach price collapses (compiled by Property Observer)
<img src="/images/stories/hedgesave199use.jpg">
199 Hedges Avenue, sold in 2011 for $7,700,000, last sold for $17.5 million in 2007, a loss of 56%
<img src="/images/stories/hedgesave247.jpg">
247 Hedges Avenue, sold in 2010 for $5 million, last sold for $10.25 million in 2007, a loss of 51%
<img src="/images/stories/hedgesave31.jpg">
31 Hedges Avenue, sold in 2011 for $5.4 million, last sold for $11 million in 2008, a loss of 50%
<img src="/images/stories/albatross19right.jpg">
19 Albatross Avenue, sold in 2010 for $6 million, last sold for $11 million in 2008, a loss of 45%
<img src="/images/stories/albatross31.jpg">
31 Albatross Avenue, sold in 2009 for $5.35 million, last sold in 2008 for $9 million, a loss of 40%
<img src="/images/stories/hedgesave492.jpg">
49 Hedges Avenue, sold in 2000 for $9.5 million, last sold in 2008 for $16 million, a loss of 40%
<img src="/images/stories/albatross89.jpg">
89A Albatross Avenue, sold in 2010 for $6.5 million, last sold in 2006 for $10 million, a loss of 35%
<img src="/images/stories/hedges33.jpg">
33 Hedges Avenue, sold in 2009 for $17 million, last sold in 2008 for $27 million, a loss of 37%
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

The eight biggest losses on Mermaid Beach's Millionaire's Row show no post-GFC recovery in sight

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?The tightening Sydney rental market has its epicentre in the inner-city suburbs of Leichhardt and Randwick as vacancies across the greater metropolitan region tightened from 1.4% to 1.3% over October, according to NSW Department of Housing analysed by PRDnationwide.





Leichhardt in Sydney’s inner west is experiencing the largest increase for a two-bedroom unit (20% year-on-year to September) and the second largest for a three-bedroom house (12%), while the Randwick municipality in Sydney’s east recorded the largest growth in median rent for a three-bedroom house, equating to 14.3% between September 2010 and 2011.

<div><img src="/images/stories/prdnov30.gif"></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div><img src="/images/stories/prdnov301.gif"></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div>Source: PRDnationwide</div>
<div></div>
<div>
 The median rent for a three-bedroom house in both Randwick and Leichhardt was $800 per week as at September 2011.</div>
<div>
The average increase in median rent across all municipalities in greater metropolitan Sydney equated to 5.8% for a three-bedroom house, with a 6.4% increase in the rent for a two-bedroom unit – slower growth than the average of 8% per annum (three-bedroom house) and 8.3% (two-bedroom unit) recorded over the past five years.
The increase in rents in Randwick follows growth in demand for rental accommodation in the suburb, with the municipality now accounting for 4.2% of the total 531,838 rental bonds held in the greater metropolitan region.
The highest proportion of rental bonds is held in City of Sydney, accounting for 9.5% of total bonds.
Sydney and Randwick were also found to contain some of the highest concentration of rental properties of the total dwelling stock, corresponding to 63% in Sydney and 47% for Randwick.
The most expensive place to rent in the Sydney metropolitan area is in the Waverley Council, in the inner east, which includes the suburbs of Bondi and Bondi Beach, where the median rent for a three-bedroom house is of $980 per week.
The most expensive median rent for a unit was recorded in the City of Sydney, where a two-bedroom unit returned $600 per week in September 2011.
Around Sydney the council area of Botany Bay recorded strong increases in new rental bonds for the past three consecutive quarters, with a September growth representing an 18.4% increase on the same period in 2010.
<a target="_blank" href="/news">Nationally, houses are currently taking an average of 56 days to sell with units typically selling in 54 days</a>, according to RPData.
 
 
 
 
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Leichhardt and Randwick the epicentre of Sydney rental squeeze

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Meriton boss Harry Triguboff expects the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates at its meeting next week (December 6) and says reducing the lending rate is one of the best ways to encourage people back into the property market.
“If we want to see the economy improve, we must do more to help people invest in property. 
“Keeping interest rates low is a very good place to start,” he says. 
Triguboff also backed the property market over the share market, saying investing in the share market should be secondary to investing in the property market. 
“When the stock market crashes, you need something ‘concrete’ to fall back on,” he says. 
“To build a better economy, we need to build more housing. We need to make it easier for young people and investors to enter the property market and councils must make the approval process faster so we can build more, sooner. 
“Help people get started, help them invest, help them use their superannuation for property. Get them into bricks and mortar.” 
Triguboff made his comments on the need for an interest rate cut following the launch of his latest project, Oceanvale at Warriewood in Northern Sydney, where prices begin at $425,000 for a one-bedroom unit.
Speaking yesterday at the AICC 2011 Annual Property Lunch in Sydney, he warned of the growing impact of global factors, in particurlar China on Australia’s economy.
“If China does something different, it affects us, even if it has nothing to do with us. Before we had to think only of ourselves, now we have to think of the whole world,” he said.
He says there is a growing demand for one-bedroom apartments and Meriton will build more one-bedroom units as people are less willing to share.
Triguboff’s comments follow the release of the government’s mid-year budget review yesterday with plans to cut spending over the next four years and reduced growth forecasts with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development downgrading Australia's economic growth for calendar 2011 from 2.9% to 1.8%.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/economy/europe-worries-and-budget-cuts-intensify-pressure-for-rba-to-cut-rates-in-december/2011112952594">AMP chief economist Shane Oliver</a> said yesterday that he expected the RBA to cut rates in December, arguing that waiting until February 7 meeting would be too high a risk due to “the increase threat from the Eurozone debt crisis, rising bank funding costs and increasing fiscal drag following federal government belt tightening”.
 
 
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Harry Triguboff says interest rates must fall next week

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As we look to what's ahead for 2012, Property Observer is republishing some of our most noteworthy stories of 2011.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/november30makepeace]}
Cashed-up holidaymakers who were hoping to spend their summer break on Makepeace Island will have to make other plans – Sir Richard Branson’s $16,890-a-night Noosa getaway was fully booked over Christmas and New Year’s and is busy over the summer period.
Branson opened his private retreat to the luxury holiday market <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/sir-richard-bransons-noosa-getaway-for-hire-%E2%80%93-for-%2417000-a-night/2011071150769" target="_blank">earlier this year</a>, and spokeswoman Kirsty Aitken says it has proved popular with well-heeled travellers.
“The interest we have had after just four months of opening has been overwhelming, and we are thrilled with the bookings we have received,” she says.
Aitken says many of the island’s visitors have been well-known names who choose to holiday there to escape the pressures of fame.
“Our clients often book the island because of its seclusion and to meet their desire in most cases not to have their celebrity known,” she says.
Branson, along with Virgin Blue executives Brett Godfrey and former colleague Rob Sherrard, bought the heart-shaped island for $2.86 million in 2007. It rents for between $7,900 per night for up to eight guests during the off season to $16,890 per night for up to 22 guests during busy periods.
There is a main house, three two-bedroom villas and a four-bedroom guest house. It has a boathouse, lagoon pool and a 15-person spa.
Guests travel to and from the island by riverboat, and it contains a host of facilities, such as an outdoor cinema and a full-sized tennis court, to keep them occupied.
When he announced that Makepeace island would be available to rent, Branson said: "When neither Brett nor myself are visiting Makepeace, we will make the island and its facilities available for others to enjoy the tranquillity of what is a very special place.”
One can assume the Virgin chairman will be spending more time on his island the next time he is in Australia.
 
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Sir Richard Branson's Noosa getaway, Makepeace Island, booked out for summer in the tropics

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It is just 31 days before the NSW government limits first-home buyer full stamp duty concessions to those buying newly constructed houses and units.

From January 1, 2012 first-home buyers will no longer have their stamp duty fully subsidised by the state government if they buy established homes.

First-home buyers who buy established houses or apartment next year will forego up to $17,990 in stamp duty exemption. 

Purchases must be exchanged before January 1, but can settle later next year.

The measure was unveiled by Treasurer Mike Baird in the Coalition’s first budget in office on September 6 this year.

"We recognise this is a difficult decision, but we believe it is necessary to make buying a new house relatively more attractive than buying an existing dwelling for first-home buyers," Baird advised.

“The government has therefore decided that from 1 January next year, while all eligible first-home buyers will continue to receive the $7,000 first-home owner’s grant, eligibility for additional stamp duty concessions will be limited to those purchasing newly constructed homes, including ‘off the plan’,” the Treasurer said. 

Baird predicted the first-home buyer housing market would spike up until January 1 as a result of the change and claimed that after January 1 more much-needed new homes would be built.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/auctions/agents-rushing-nsw-vendors-hoping-top-get-first-home-buyers-before-the-stamp-duty-concessions-conclude/2011112952609">Some estate agents have held first-home buyer auctions to engender a competitive element for their listings</a>, but there appears not to have been a herd of buyers paying silly prices. 
First-home benefits of up to $24,990 have been available, including the $7,000 first-home owner grant and a duty exemption of up to $17,990 under the First Home Plus Scheme.

The $7,000 first-home buyer grant will continue to be available to all eligible first-home buyers in 2012.
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NSW first-home buyers have a month left to secure stamp duty concessions on established homes

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The Future Fund chairman David Murray, who served as Commonwealth Bank of Australia chief executive for a decade until 2005, has warned that houses are overvalued and predicts that prices will at best stay flat for some time.

He believes house prices are higher than justified by income levels, but says this does not mean prices will collapse.

Instead, prices and incomes would come back into line over several years, he told the Australian Business Economists’ annual forecasting conference.

“The lending system for housing has resulted in a house price which is higher than it should be,” he said in answer to a question reported by the Australian Financial Review.

“I believe that will be worked through by stabilisation of house pricing and rising increases in incomes and hopefully that’s the outcome.”

Murray said in hindsight he saw that banks were funnelled into home lending by prudential standards that required them to hold much less capital in reserve against home loans than for other loans.

Banks were unlikely to face major losses on home loans based on historical experience but it was a concern that they needed to refinance the home loans on international markets, which were showing signs of stress, Murray added.
 
 
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Future Fund chairman David Murray says Australian housing overvalued

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In Queensland, the Gold Coast holiday rental market is picking up again after a tough year, says Clark Brackenridge, principal of Raine &amp; Horne Surfers Paradise.
“Our property markets are showing signs of turning the corner, and as it stands, our holiday bookings for the Christmas period are reasonably strong, and are certainly well up on this time last year.
“In addition, buyers are beginning to recognise that property prices on the Gold Coast represent good buying, with good yields available to investors,” says Brackenridge
Two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments overlooking the beach can be purchased for $400,000, and rent for $250 a night as a holiday rental, or for between $500 and $550 a week to long-term tenants.
In Far North Queensland, Port Douglas is also maintaining a steady stream of holiday bookings, says David Cotton, Principal of Raine &amp; Horne Port Douglas / Mossman.
“To date, our holiday bookings have been on a par with 2010, if not higher, and we currently have between 60% and 70% occupancy for Christmas.”
Luxury homes on the hill overlooking Port Douglas can rent for between $5,000 and $7,000 a week, notes Cotton, but ultimately, the town runs the gamut of holiday accommodation, including backpacker lodging and beachside holiday units.
“For buyers interested in purchasing a slice of the Far North Queensland holiday lifestyle, quality holiday homes start from $1 million and provide returns of between 3% and 5%,” Cotton adds.
 
 
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