<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]

<h3 data-end="3697" data-section-id="q3n5ak" data-start="3672">&nbsp;</h3>
</main>

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

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>

&nbsp;

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>

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Ellen Walker

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

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A very contemporary three-bedroom house in the coastal Victorian town of Inverloch was the most expensive sale for the second week of January, selling for $1.95 million at auction, according to RP Data.
<img height="353" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/01/inverloch.jpg" alt="inverloch">
Located on The Esplanade, the home (pictured above) sold at auction on January 12 by LJ Hooker Inverloch in conjunction with Raoul Holderhead at Burgess Rawson.
The property boasts three bathrooms, an internal lift and a self-cleaning pool.
"Designed to capture the water views you will find yourself drawn to the home's windows which frame the Inlet as if the views were a painting on the wall," Leighton Page, the LJ Hooker listing agent said.
The auction conducted by auctioneer David Scholes attracted 500 onlookers. The town is 140 kilometres south-east of Melbourne on sheltered Anderson Inlet near Venus Bay, between Cape Paterson and Cape Liptrap on the South Gippsland coastline.
Scholes joked with potential bidders, telling them the name <a target="_blank" href="/news">Inverloch </a>was Scottish for "huge future potential growth" the amusement of the crowd.
It set a new record price for a residential home on The Esplanade after its pre-auction inspections drew up to 150 at one open.
The first accepted bid was $1.5 million. The 1147 square metre block cost $350,000 in 2001.
The town's other significant listing is by the former AFL Melbourne champion-turned-football commentator Garry Lyon, <a target="_blank" href="/news">who listed his Inverloch holiday home for sale at $899,000 in early November</a>.
<div></div>
It's been listed LJ Hooker Inverloch director Allan Mann.
Architecturally designed with a contemporary style, its being marketed as able to accommodate a large family for either permanent or holiday living.
The 10 most expensive sales across Australia last week were:
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property-overview/61_the_esplanade_inverloch_vic_3996/11290114">61 The Esplanade, Inverloch, VIC, 3996</a>, three-bedroom house, sold at auction on January 12 by L J Hooker Inverloch for $1.95 million
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property-overview/131_coromandel_road_ebenezer_nsw_2756/2211895">131 Coromandel Road, Ebenezer, NSW, 2756</a>, five-bedroom house, sold on January 8 by Mcgrath Estate Agents for $1.5 million
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-act-barton-111856559">14/9 Bowen Drive, Barton, ACT, 2600</a>, three-bedroom unit, sold on January 10 by Independent Property Group Sales Turner for $1.38 million
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property-overview/16_reliance_close_pelican_waters_qld_4551/6812641">16 Reliance Close, Pelican Waters, QLD, 4551</a>, four-bedroom house, sold at auction on January 10 by Ray White Caloundra for $1.2 million
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property-overview/19_yarralea_street_alphington_vic_3078/14663441">19 Yarralea Street, Alphington, VIC, 3078</a>, three-bedroom house, sold on January 10 by Miles Real Estate Ivanhoe &amp; Rosanna for $1.07 million
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property-overview/62_garrett_street_maroubra_nsw_2035/4036453">62 Garrett Street, Maroubra, NSW, 2035</a>, two-bedroom house, sold on January 11 by L J Hooker Maroubra for $1.02 million
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property-overview/22_austral_avenue_beecroft_nsw_2119/1350111">22 Austral Avenue, Beecroft, NSW, 2119</a>, three-bedroom house, sold on January 10 by First National Real Estate Epping for $880,000
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property-overview/126_virgil_avenue_yokine_wa_6060/13651743">126 Virgil Avenue, Yokine, WA, 6060</a>, four-bedroom house, sold on January 9 by Century 21 Residential Solutions East Perth for $840,000
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property-overview/18_hobart_road_new_lambton_nsw_2305/4842269">18 Hobart Road, New Lambton, NSW, 2305</a>, four-bedroom house, sold on January 11 by Prd Nationwide Newcastle for $825,000
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property-overview/5_grieve_street_macleod_vic_3085/11543936">5 Grieve Street, Macleod, VIC, 3085</a>, three-bedroom house, sold on January 10 by Miles Real Estate Ivanhoe &amp; Rosanna for $785,000
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Modern Inverloch house Australia's most expensive summer auction result this week

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The median Perth house price grew by around 3% in the December quarter, increasing from $480,000 in the September quarter to $495,000 by December – according to a preliminary report by the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA).
Overall sales activity increased by 4% in the December quarter with increased sales volumes in the higher price ranges.
Strong activity was recorded in Perth's western suburbs, where sales activity increased by 57% on the September quarter.
The southern part of the City of Joondalup was up 9% volumes wise on the September quarter and the western part of the City of Stirling experienced an increase in activity of 6%.
The REIWA president David Airey says the lift in median price could be attributed to a significant increase in higher priced properties that changed hands through-trade-ups.
“We have recorded more activity in the $600,00 to $700,00 range, as well as with homes over $800,000,” says Airey.
Turnover for dwellings under $350,000 dropped off in the December quarter but there was an increase in sales within the $350,000 to $400,000 range.
Only 55% of sellers discounted their house in the December quarter compared to 60% in the September quarter.
“However, now that buyers have more confidence and sellers are meeting the market with better pricing, the number of selling days has dropped from 71 to 62 for the quarter and this figure has been trending down for a while,” says Airey.
The number of listings continued to fall, down 32% on the same time last year.
By years end there were 9,200 properties on the market including 1,800 blocks of land.
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ntrotman-Et3xWpamVh

Perth house prices up in December quarter

Andrew Winter&#39;s Selling Houses Australia described the Darwin apartment offering&nbsp;on its initial appearance as&nbsp;like a remand centre with the&nbsp;roofed terrace of a prison exercise yard.

It was the unsold&nbsp;three bedroom Rapid Creek apartment of&nbsp;the boilermaker Robert Crispe.&nbsp;

After its makeover it will feature&nbsp;among the&nbsp;LifeStyle Channel&#39;s Selling Houses Australia offerings in the show&#39;s upcoming series.

The&nbsp;show selects&nbsp;properties&nbsp;struggling to sell&nbsp;and then gives the vendors practical advice for&nbsp;also doing some renovation work.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=27783]

This one had four on-off marketing campaigns over the past two years.

The then&nbsp;vast, empty penthouse apartment had been on the market since December 2010 with its pre-Selling Houses Australia asking price falling from $790,000 to $599,000, despite Darwin being&nbsp;in the midst of a property boom.

Show presenter Andrew Winter said the penthouse&nbsp;was a 1970s time capsule before its five days of glamorous renovations.

However, it attracted no bids at the recently filmed auction and has been listed with a&nbsp;$699,000 asking price&nbsp;through&nbsp;Shun Hatton at O&#39;Donoghues First National.

The 151-square-metre, three-bedroom, two-bathroom 1979-built unit is being marketed as&nbsp;having<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-nt-rapid+creek-112221983" target="_blank"> &quot;wow factor&quot;.</a>

&quot;With stunning views, this north-facing oversized penthouse is superbly located a stone&#39;s throw from the beautiful Nightcliff foreshore,&quot; it says.

&quot;This truly is a stunning apartment in a fantastic location. Its magnificent ocean views and convenient location to all amenities including beaches, quality schools, university and transport make this an ideal home or brilliant investment property.&quot;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5490 project_image_fid=78490]

O&#39;Donoghues&#39;s&nbsp;property managers estimate the rental to be $850 plus&nbsp;per week furnished.

The show will be aired at the end of March.

It last sold at $275,000 in 2003.

The block&#39;s last sale was $350,000 for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom 74-square-metre garden unit, which was recently available&nbsp;for $430 a week lease.&nbsp;

Andrew Winter has a go at selling transformed Rapid Creek, Darwin '70s ugly duckling

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The Gold Coast summer auction seasons is kicking off this weekend. If sold, the properties will total tens of millions of dollars.  
Much of the activity is at the strip's northern end, but Hedges Avenue gets its look-in, too.
Of course most agents are anticipating, or more likely hoping, the Gold Coast property market could be in a state of recovery.
But the last five years has been typically tough for property, with many halving in value.
“Apart from Cairns, no market was affected more than here,” Ray White Surfers Paradise CEO Andrew Bell recently suggested.
While prices are still bouncing off the bottom, sales inquiry and activity has been climbing back.
Bell's numbers indicated a 32% rise in sales volume in November 2012 compared with November 2011.
“In our residential resale markets in just the fortnight since Christmas, we have recorded over 2,300 people through our open homes and inquiries,” says Bell.
“That is up over 41.5% on the corresponding period last year,” he told Fairfax Media.
Bell has sold 14 properties since Boxing Day, with a list of forthcoming auction dates coming up.
“There is no doubt in my mind anyone buying a property in 12 months' time will be paying more than they would at this point in time,” says Bell.
Ray White Surfers Paradise is preparing for its 20th annual summer auction, dubbed The Event – which is now spread over three days, January 27, 30 and 31.
As one of Australia’s largest auctions, The Event will bring more than 100 residential, prestige, industrial and commercial properties as well as land sites and even boats go to auction.
Included in the auctions will be a luxury architectally designed Hedges Avenue home of troubled Gold Coast developer Bruce Tilley. The Gold Coast Bulletin says searches show the Bank of Queensland is owed $7.843 million on the beachfront house, which will be offered on January 31. Property Observer<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/queensland/no-expenses-spared-mermaid-beach-property-hits-the-market/2012052254803" target="_blank"> reported the listing in May last year. </a> Tilley held the house through Hedges Avenue Pty Ltd, and receivers Andrew Fielding and David Whyte were appointed to take control of the company in October last year.
The house was built two years ago after Tilley paid $1.4 million for the 405-square-metre landholding in 2000. The replacement cost of the property, which has just two bedrooms and a study, has been estimated to be as high as $10 million. “In two decades The Event has grown to unrivalled heights and is now seen as a litmus test for the regional and national markets for the year ahead,” says Bell.
“The Event acts to spur the market into action, as a result we often see substantial sales activity in the weeks following the auctions.”
Bell says there has been a huge boost in sales to the international market this year, particularly Asian buyers.
He added that growing activity in the prestige sector and the record sale of a $12 million Sanctuary Cove mansion is helping drive buyer confidence.
““It gives the rest of us confidence when Australia’s highest wealth citizens back their intuition that now is the time to get into the market, and as a result we’ve seen steady activity across the residential market following the string of high-priced sales,” says Bell.
The selling season kicks off on January 20 with Lucy Cole Prestige Properties.
Following are Professionals Broadbeach, Ray White Broadbeach and Professionals Paradise Point, with auctions on January 24.
The Event by Ray White kicks off on January 27 as well as another auction by Southern Ray White offices.
Ray White Runway Bay Group and Harcourts Gold Coast Central will have hammers in their hands on January 29 and Ray White Robina/Varsity on January 30.
Three auctions will take place on January 31 by Ray White Surfers Paradise Group Prestige, Professionals Surfers Paradise and LJ Hooker Labrador.
Harcourts Broadbeach-Mermaid Waters and PRDnationwide Surfer Paradise will both have auctions on February 2.
</body></html>

Gold Coast auctioneers seek to climb out of five-year chasm

<html><body>
Shayne Harris of Savills Australia advises expats to look for houses in good condition that can be rented immediately after settlement.
An expat can claim excellent negative-gearing tax breaks.
The tax breaks should help ease the reality that rents for top-end properties are significantly down.
Harris says that an apartment overlooking Sydney’s Circular Quay, for example, that would have rented for $5,000 in the past would now get about $2,500 to $3,000, depending on the particular property.
 
For more tips for Australian expats buying back home this summer, <a href="http://propertyobserver.com.au/ebooks/free-ebook-20-top-tips-for-australian-expats-thinking-of-buying-homes-this-summer" target="_blank">download our free eBook.</a>
</body></html>

mlaurence-vhAHaLZT8y

Look for a property that's immediately rentable: Tips for expat Australian property buyers

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With a potential savings of up to $400,000, a new Suncorp report suggests it is little wonder more Australians are moving to regional cities such as Burnie, Tasmania, with its $230,000 median house price.

The Suncorp Family Friendly City report notes buying a family home in Burnie costs almost a third of what you will pay to live in a major capital like Sydney, which is unsurprisingly the most expensive place on the list to own a house.

Rounding out the most expensive places to live with Sydney are the resource boom hotspot Darwin and home of the national public service sector Canberra.

Located on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Burnie was also ranked as Australia’s healthiest city, according to the report.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6876]

Burnie has been labeled the healthiest city due to each resident only visiting their doctor on average 1.3 times over the course of the year.

Surprisingly, they were also ranked among the nation’s unhealthiest when residents were asked how they feel about their own health.

Other positives of Burnie include a low crime rate of 3,769 crimes per 100,000 of the population – making Burnie the fifth safest city in the report.

But the bad comes with the good, and Burnie recorded the highest unemployment rate – equal 29th place with Victoria’s Ballarat – at 8%.

Burnie also recorded the lowest median weekly disposable income of $595 – equal 28th place with its neighbours Launceston and Hobart.

Burnie also came last in the connectivity category, with only 59.8% of households having broadband internet.

However it could be the place for you if childcare is important – it is third for the least crowded childcare, with 65 children per childcare centre.

Overall, <a href="/news">Burnie </a>ranked equal 11th in terms of family friendliness, sharing the spot with <a href="/news">Mackay </a>in Queensland.

Burnie topped the list as the most affordable city with a median house price of $230,000.

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-burnie-110671113" target="_blank">A three-bedroom property located on Elizabeth Street</a> offering sea and port views (pictured below) comes with an asking price of $254,000

<img alt="eliz" height="342" src="/images/stories/2013/01/eliz.jpg" width="456">

Almost $400,000 above the median house price, a<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-burnie-110612285" target="_blank"> four-bedroom home located on Lorrie Place, Burnie (pictured below), </a>can be yours from $665,600.

<img alt="lorrie" height="342" src="/images/stories/2013/01/lorrie.jpg" width="456">

The property boasts three bathrooms, a grand foyer, a stacker stone feature wall and offers expansive sea views.

On the expensive end of the spectrum<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-burnie-111660767" target="_blank"> is a five-bedroom home on Ridgley Highway acreage</a> (pictured below) with an asking price of $1,595,000.

<img alt="ridgley" height="342" src="/images/stories/2013/01/ridgley.jpg" width="456">

There's a modern, recently renovated two-bedroom cottage also included on the 146-hectare property.

<table border="1" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="width: 470px;"><tbody>
<tr>
<td height="12" valign="top" width="33%">
			Rank
			</td>
			<td height="12" valign="top" width="33%">
			City (State/Territory)
			</td>
			<td height="12" valign="top" width="33%">
			Average cost of a house
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			1st
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Burnie (TAS)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$230,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			2nd
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			LaTrobe Valley (VIC)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$232,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			3rd
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Albury/Wodonga (NSW)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$267,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Equal 4th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Launceston (TAS)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$280,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Equal 4th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Bundaberg (QLD)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$280,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			6th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Toowoomba (QLD)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$286,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			7th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Ballarat (VIC)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$300,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			8th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Wagga Wagga (NSW)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$305,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			9th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Bendigo (VIC)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$311,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			10th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Rockhampton (QLD)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$320,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Equal 11th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Hobart (TAS)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$330,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Equal 11th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Hervey Bay (QLD)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$330,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			13th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Coffs Harbour (NSW)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$335,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			14th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Bunbury (WA)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$340,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			15th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Cairns (QLD)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$345,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="12" valign="top" width="33%">
			Rank
			</td>
			<td height="12" valign="top" width="33%">
			City (State/Territory)
			</td>
			<td height="12" valign="top" width="33%">
			Average cost of a house
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			16th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Townsville (QLD)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$365,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			17th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Mandurah (WA)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$373,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			18th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Geelong (VIC)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$386,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			19th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Wollongong (NSW)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$397,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			20th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Adelaide (SA)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$405,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			21th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Mackay (QLD)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$420,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			22th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Sunshine Coast (QLD)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$430,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Equal 23rd
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Perth (WA)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$467,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Equal 23rd
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Gold Coast (QLD)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$467,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			25th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Newcastle (NSW)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$474,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			26th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Brisbane (QLD)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$505,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			27th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Melbourne (VIC)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$530,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			28th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Canberra (ACT)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$545,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			29th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Darwin (NT)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$609,000
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			30th
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			Sydney (NSW)
			</td>
			<td height="5" valign="top" width="33%">
			$642,000
			</td>
		</tr>
</tbody></table>
 

The full Suncorp report can be read <a href="https://www.suncorpbank.com.au/sites/default/files/Suncorp_Bank_Family_Friendly_City_Report_FINAL.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Burnie most affordable family-friendly city in Australia: Suncorp

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There are 33 suburbs in Melbourne – many of them on the outskirts – where first-home buyers can purchase a three-bedroom apartment and pay equal or less than the average estimated first-home buyer mortgage repayment in Victoria of $414 per week.
The suburbs can be found in an interactive heat map showing weekly mortgage repayment price bands across Melbourne suburbs compiled by the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) as part of its new <a href="https://www.reiv.com.au/Property-Research/First-Home-Buyer-Guide" target="_blank">first-home buyer guide.</a>
<a href="https://www.reiv.com.au/Property-Research/First-Home-Buyer-Guide/3-bedroom-units" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/stories/2013/01/3bedmap.jpg"></a>
The $414 per week median mortgage repayment is based on the average first-home buyer loan size of approximately $286,600, a standard variable interest rate of 6.4%, receipt of the $7,000 first-home owners' grant, a loan term of 30 years, a 10% deposit, and benchmark lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) and conveyance fees.
The list is dominated by suburbs further out of town, but does include the middle Melbourne suburb of St Albans, which has a median three-bedroom unit price of $270,000 and average weekly mortgage repayments of $360 per week.
Also on the list are less fashionable, but well-located Sunshine and Sunshine North, where 'Kath &amp; Kim' obtained numerous TAFE qualifications and where Tracey, daughter of the Kerrigans in The Castle obtained her hairdressing diploma.
The full list starting from the cheapest is:
<ol>
<li>
<a href="/news">Melton </a>- $277 per week, median price of $210,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Werribee </a>- $312 per week, median price of $235,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Cranbourne </a>- $324 per week, median price of $244,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Hoppers Crossing</a> - $332 per week, median price of $250,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Pakenham </a>- $332 per week, median price of $250,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Tarneit </a>- $346 per week, median price of $260,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Frankston </a>- $346 per week, median price of $260,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Sunshine </a>- $350 per week, median price of $263,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Dandenong </a>- $353 per week, median price of $265,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">St Albans</a> - $360 per week, median price of $270,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Noble Park</a> - $366 per week, median price of $275,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Tullamarine </a>- $373 per week, median price of $280,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Narre Warren</a> - $373 per week, median price of $280,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Sunshine North</a> - $377 per week, median price of $283,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Langwarrin</a>- $380 per week, median price of $285,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Hadfield</a> - $380 per week, median price of $285,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Doveton </a>- $382 per week, median price of $286,250</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Somerville </a>- $382 per week, median price of $286,500</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Dandenong North</a> - $389 per week, median price of $291,700</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Mill Park</a> - $392 per week, median price of $293,750</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Broadmeadows </a>- $392 per week, median price of $293,750</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Epping </a>- $393 per week, median price of $294,500</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Thomastown </a>- $399 per week, median price of $299,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Seaford </a>- $400 per week, median price of $299,500</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Lalor </a>- $401 per week, median of $300,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Deer Park</a> - $401 per week, median of $300,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Hallam </a>- $403 per week, median price of $302,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Springvale </a>- $406 per week, median price of $304,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Craigieburn </a>- $408 per week, median price of $305,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Mernda </a>- $408 per week, median price of $305,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">South Morang</a>- $412 per week, median price of $308,000</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Sydenham</a> - $412 per week, median price of $308,500</li>
<li>
<a href="/news">Berwick </a>- $414 per week, median price of $310,000</li>
</ol>
Source: REIV first-home buyer guide
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lschlesinger-FZcF9M3vE6

From Melton to Berwick: The 33 Melbourne suburbs with affordable three-bedroom apartments 

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<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="margin: 5px; float: left;">
Bathing boxes are listed aplenty around Port Phillip Bay from Aspendale to Portsea on the pricey tip of the Mornington Peninsula. None seemingly come with air-con, and some don't come with fresh water, so they are for the outdoor, water-loving types.
Brighton bathing boxes can only sell to ratepayers, but anyone can buy these offerings.
Priciest is naturally at Portsea, where an offering (pictured below) goes up this weekend with $350,000 hopes – and that's cheap compared with prior recent sales.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/01/portsea.jpg" alt="portsea" width="470" height="307">
It's been listed by RT Edgar Real Estate Portsea agents Warwick Anderson and Ilze Moran for <a href="https://www.rtedgar.com.au/?pagecall=property&amp;propertyID=2251083&amp;agentID=948&amp;realestate=36_Shelley_Beach_PORTSEA_VIC_3944&amp;showGoBack=true" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">auction this Sunday, January 20</a>.
In January 2011 a Portsea box set a record $585,000 when five bidders fought for the property at RT Edgar auction. Another fetched $455,000 in January 2010. There had been a record $362,500 sale in January 2008. While the latest listing is among the prized Shelley Beach boxes, it is set well back from the water and a bit far up the beach too, so probably more of interest to just the immediate surrounding properties than the ones sold in recent years.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="margin: 5px; float: left;">Also this weekend there's a Rye bathing box with $180,000 hopes. Known as<a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/93-tyrone-foreshore-rye/Property-Details-buy-residential-4879877" target="_blank"> 93 Tyrone</a> (pictured below), it looks quite proud with protection from the wind amid the shrubbery of  the Tyrone foreshore.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/01/tyrone.jpg" alt="tyrone" width="470" height="313">
Last summer Title Tattle recalls a Rye beach bathing box without power or water sold for a record $275,000.
They might be a throwback to the 19th century, when the increasing popularity of sea bathing clashed with Victorian-era prudishness, but demand is still there for them today.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-rye-112570843" target="_blank">A stark yellow boatshed with a simple blue door</a> in Rye (pictured below) is listed for sale with hopes of $99,000. 
<img src="/images/stories/2013/01/boatshed1.jpg" alt="boatshed1" width="470" height="353">
Boatshed number 13 is being sold by John Kennedy from John Kennedy Real Estate Rye.
And <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-rye-112632863" target="_blank">boatshed 107 located on the Tyrone Foreshore Rye with views of Port Phillip Bay</a> (pictured below) is being offered through Emil Foller from Bennison MacKinnon Sorrento.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/01/boatshed3.jpg" alt="boatshed3" width="456" height="342">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="margin: 5px; float: left;">The cheapest Title Tattle found was just $30,000 plus at Rosebud. Sam Bucca at Eview Real Estate Partners has the offering of boat shed 94 Point Nepean Road, which comes with unappealing <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/Property/For-Sale/House/VIC/Rosebud/?adid=2009558151" target="_blank">garden shed-style front door</a> (pictured below). 
<img src="/images/stories/2013/01/boatshed4.jpg" alt="boatshed4" width="470" height="358">
Also another cheapie at $39,000 is box 164, Point Nepean Road, marketed as a concrete block bathing box of approximately 2.5 metres by three metres sans bedrooms or bathrooms.
<a href="https://www.hendersonrealestate.com.au/properties/residential/Other-Vic-Rosebud-108423566" target="_blank">Steve Deppeler at Henderson Real Estate has the listing</a>.
Rosebud has the most offerings of any of the beaches.  At Rosebud bathing box F169 is on the market at $79,500.
The timber box, which boasts side access as well as barn frontage doors, is listed through <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-rosebud-112080675" target="_blank">Wayne Robertson from David Short Real Estate Rosebud</a>.
There's a bright yellow, blue and orange bathing box in Rosebud that comes at a slightly pricer asking price of $89,990.
Bathing box F178 received a full renovation around two years ago including lined insulated internal walls, polished floors and a changing room with a shower.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-rosebud-107525180" target="_blank">It too is for sale through Wayne Robertson</a>.
Beach box 155 Rosebud boasts two entrances, a floating floor and a sink and has been listed by Jeffrey George from Ray White Rosebud with the <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-rosebud-110811095" target="_blank">ocean-blue coloured bathing box on the market with an asking price of $75,000.</a>
 
Box 176, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-other-vic-rosebud-111928511" target="_blank">a blue and white striped, red-roofed bathing box in Rosebud, is on the market for $79,950</a>, also through Jeffrey George.
Surely boatshed 88 is a lucky one. <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-rosebud-111373139" target="_blank">Located on the Rosebud Foreshore, boatshed 88 is on the market with price hopes of $57,950.</a>
It's a steel shed listed through Adam King from Norris Real Estate Rosebud.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="margin: 5px; float: left;">Situated on Mills Beach Mornington, there's a bathing box with that familiar blue and yellow listed <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-vic-mornington-107881951" target="_blank">through Dean Phillips from McEwing Partners Mornington</a>.
No price is given for 98C Mills Beach, Mornington and it's got stairway access. The nearby 19 Mills Beach beach box at Mornington comes with a $59,950 asking price through <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-mornington-109379896" target="_blank">Stavros Ambatzidis through Harcourts Chelsea</a>.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="margin: 5px; float: left;">A Domana bathing box rebuilt less than 10 years ago comes with an $85,000 asking price.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-other-vic-dromana-108763991" target="_blank">The bright yellow wooden box</a> (pictured below) is being sold by Stockdale and Leggo Dromana.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/01/dromana.jpg" alt="dromana" width="470" height="353">
There's a $199,500 asking price on <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/Property/For-Sale/House/VIC/Dromana/?adid=2010215206" target="_blank">another Dromana bathing box through Warlimont &amp; Nutt</a>.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="margin: 5px; float: left;">Hidden away in the scrub on the McCrae foreshore is F12.  Located in front of the rotunda at McCrae, it comes with a $100,000 asking price.
"Get the most out of this summer without lugging around all that beach gear," <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-mccrae-111787247" target="_blank">says </a><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-mccrae-111787247" target="_blank">Mike O'Neill at Harcourts Dromana</a>.
A plain looking slim-line box on McCrae comes with a $70,000 asking price. <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-mccrae-105144057" target="_blank">Box 30, Point Nepean Road</a>, at just 2.8 metres by 2.3 metres wide, the listing agent Peter Bennett at Henderson Real Estate Rosebud stresses in his marketing that it doesn't come with either bedrooms or bathrooms.   
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="margin: 5px; float: left;">At Aspendale boat shed 529 Gnotuk Avenue<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-aspendale-111818727" target="_blank"> has an $89,000 asking price </a>through Tyson Maschler at Century 21 @ The Glen, Glen Waverley.
 
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="margin: 5px; float: left;">There's also one for sale <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-edithvale-112446919" target="_blank">located on Dudley Grove Edithvale - known as boat shed 696 - which comes with hopes of $69,000 </a> through Matthew Marshall from Biggin and Scott Aspendale.
 
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="margin: 5px; float: left;">Looks like <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-mount+eliza-110454585" target="_blank">beach box 61 at Ranelagh Beach, Mount Eliza </a>has been snapped up. Its was under offer at around $65,000 when Title Tattle last looked. Maybe it was the "excellent restaurant and tennis facilities at your fingertips" which assisted James Crowder from Community Real Estate Mount Eliza achieve the sale.
 
 
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No power, no fresh water, no air-con, but these bathing boxes are beauties: Title Tattle

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Dixon Advisory’s US Masters Residential Property Fund has moved distinctly upmarket spending US$3 million on a historic four-storey apartment building in trendy Hell’s Kitchen in the heart of Manhattan.
In addition it has also bought a “limestone mansion” in Harlem for US$1.8 million dating back to the 1880s and a row house in Hoboken dating back to 1901 for US$1.54 million.
The ASX-listed Australian fund, managed by Dixon Advisory, was the first listed entity to invest directly in US residential rental properties, beginning in Jersey City across the Hudson River, but has extended into Manhattan and Brooklyn as well.
It raised a $100 million in its most recent oversubscribed public offer, having initially targeted between $40 million and $80 million with managing director Alan Dixon saying the investment would allow the fund to take advantage of “highly favourable market conditions” to expand its portfolio of acquisitions into areas such as Brooklyn and Harlem.
The Hell’s Kitchen and Harlem acquisition are two of 31 properties purchased by the US Masters Fund over December, increasing its portfolio to 332 properties worth US$107.9 million with yields ranging from 3.4% to 9.3%.
The fund also has conditional acceptances on 21 properties with an estimated combined acquisition cost of US$18 million, with pre-purchase due diligence suggesting they will achieve annualised net yields of 3.5% to 13%.
The Hell's Kitchen acquisition (pictured below) is a distinctive red-brick four-and-half-storey walk-up building with a penthouse addition at 458 West 50th Street.
<img alt="hellskit" height="510" width="338" src="/images/stories/2013/01/hellskit.jpg">
It was purchased with vacant possession for US$2.988 million and has six one- and two-bedroom apartments with estimated monthly rents of US$2,650 and US$4,000 respectively.
US residential data indicates the US Masters Fund acquired it at a discount of around 14% to the February 2012 asking price of US$3.5 million
Hell’s Kitchen – officially the neighbourhood of Clinton – was once an Irish-American working-class district and one of the grimmest parts of Manhattan, but it is currently undergoing gentrification.
The name is said to derive from descriptions of slum tenements in the districts.
 
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
 
The US Masters Fund has also acquired a fully renovated five-storey limestone mansion (pictured below) at St Nicholas Avenue &amp; West 146th Street in Harlem for US$1.82 million, which has two apartments bringing in estimated combined monthly rent of US$9,000 – an estimated net annual yield of 4%.
<img alt="harlem" height="525" width="340" src="/images/stories/2013/01/harlem.jpg">
The New York Times reported in 2009 that the carriage trade made St Nicholas Avenue, one of the best addresses in Upper Manhattan in the 1880s – a “broad boulevard … was a natural resort for the gentry and their fine horses and rigs”.
However, the arrival of the motor car turned St Nicholas Avenue into an “internal combustion highway”, with the limestone townhouses demonstrating the “highs and lows of this unusual street”.
The building acquired by the US Masters Fund was  designed by Boston-based architect Theodore Minot Clark in 1885, who most noted work is the 1877 Trinity Church in Boston.
The US Masters Fund also acquired a historic row house on Bloomfield Street in New Jersey in Hoboken for US$1.54 million with an estimated annual yield of 3.6%.
Not all the acquisitions are as expensive or prestigious – but they do offer higher yields.
They include a characterless, single-apartment building on Liberty Avenue in New Jersey, bought for just US$179,000 on a yield of 5.1%.
The highest estimated yield is 9.3% on a four-apartment on Neptune Avenue in Jersey City in the West Bergen region, which was bought for US$305,000.
The fund reported an after-tax loss of $2.1 million for the six months to June 30, 2012, which it said reflected the start-up phase of the group.
The share price has traded up strongly since November, rising from $1.55 to currently stand at $1.80.
Hell's Kitchen picture by Ed Gaillard courtesy of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.flickr.com/">Flickr.</a>
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US Masters Fund moves upmarket with historic Hell’s Kitchen and Harlem acquisitions

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Economist and housing market bear Steve Keen is at loggerheads with his academic institution, the University of Western Sydney (UWS), following comments made to his final-year economics students last year.
Keen is taking UWS to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) with the case due to be heard in Sydney on Monday afternoon.
A spokesperson for the FWC told Property Observer it is scheduled as a confidential conference to deal with a dispute between the two parties.
A report from the ABC suggests it is over delays in processing his voluntary redundancy with Keen tweeting yesterday that he needed urgent "industrial relations and also defamation legal representation".
At the same times UWS is investigating Keen for "serious academic misconduct" after Keen told his final economics students that he could not fail any of them because the university had abolished the economics faculty and they would have no way of re-taking his class.
"Without commenting on the specifics of a matter that is under investigation for serious academic misconduct, the University of Western Sydney believes that any allegation of ‘soft marking’ is extremely serious and an affront to academic standards," said the university in a statement.
The unversity says it also obligated to report any alleged breach of academic standards to the Federal Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for investigation, "which we have done".
"The matter is then to be investigated internally in accordance with the process outlined in the University’s collective agreements."
Keen told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/industry-news/steve-keen-contemplates-quitting-australian-academia-for-possible-private-sector-role-in-london/2012103057536">Property Observer in October </a>the university was cutting economics entirely from its curriculum and claimed UWS would soon have the “dubious” distinction of being the first university in Australia to offer no economics courses.
He made these comments as he contemplated quitting academic life for possible private sector roles in London, where he is a well-known economic analyst.
The university has denied it will no longer offer economics courses and said in a statement that it is “completely false” that students would not be able to re-sit their exams.
"Should an instance present where a current Bachelor of Economics student has failed a subject, the University would case manage the situation on an individual basis to ensure students can still finalise their degree and provide a good outcome for them, " said the university in a statement.
A spokesperson for the university told the ABC it would continue to offer a major and sub-major in economics as part of its Bachelor of Business and Commerce degree.
However, it did announce in November last year that it was closing its economics degree program after applications for the course fell from 241 four years ago to just 47 last year.
The Australian reported that the only economics course offered to students next year would be an introductory course for first-year business students.
Keen has tweeted about his battles with the university and also received messages of support from students.
He is one of 30 academics offered voluntary redundancy following UWS's decision to cancel economics and other courses.
 
 
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