<p>Family-owned builder and developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/omaya">Omaya</a> is bringing its 27-storey The Maybelle development to market, with the 229-apartment tower rising alongside Ismay Reserve near North Strathfield.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-maybelle-21-parramatta-road-homebush-nsw-2140">The Maybelle</a> will comprise one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with its height providing elevated outlooks towards the Sydney skyline and Harbour Bridge, while other residences will look across neighbouring Ismay Reserve.</p>

<p>Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/squillace-architects">Squillace Architects</a>, the tower combines its parkside setting with proximity to the established retail, dining and transport amenity around North Strathfield.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=134873 project_image_fid=376196]</p>

<p>Residences will feature open-plan living spaces and a choice of two interior schemes, while communal amenity is spread across two elevated levels of the building.</p>

<p>Level 8 will be home to the Garden Pavilion, a full-floor resident space incorporating communal entertaining and breakout areas, seating and recreation spaces. Further up the tower, a landscaped Sky Terrace on Level 14 will provide another communal area with panoramic views towards the Harbour Bridge and Sydney skyline.</p>

<p>At ground level, the development sits directly alongside Ismay Reserve, where lawns, walking paths, children's play areas, picnic spaces and recreational facilities extend the green space available immediately around the project.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=134873 project_image_fid=376194]</p>

<p>The Maybelle is also within walking distance of North Strathfield and the Bakehouse Quarter, which provides a mix of cafés, restaurants, shops and everyday services.</p>

<p>Existing rail and bus services provide connections across Sydney, while the future North Strathfield Metro and access to the M4 will add to the transport options available around the precinct. Walking and cycling routes also extend via Powells Creek towards Sydney Olympic Park and its sporting, entertainment and parkland precincts.</p>

<p>Families are also well positioned for access to a broad selection of established schools and education options across Strathfield and the surrounding Inner West.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=134873 project_image_fid=376181]</p>

<p>Omaya has operated in Sydney for more than 35 years, managing projects from acquisition and design through to construction and delivery. The family-owned company is both developer and builder of The Maybelle.</p>

<p>Apartments start from $560,000, with the development protected by 10-year Latent Defects Insurance.</p>

<p>Construction is well underway, with completion expected by the end of 2026 and move-in anticipated from Q1 2027.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134873]</p>


Joel Robinson

The Maybelle brings 27-storey parkside tower to market near North Strathfield

<p>Melbourne developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/pdg-corporation">PDG</a> has unveiled its vision for the former Water Tank Site in Ivanhoe, which would see it transformed into a thriving residential neighbourhood, complete with a 2000 sqm public park.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Delivered in partnership with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/development-victoria">Development Victoria</a>, the proposal would transform the prominent corner of Bell Street and Upper Heidelberg Road into a connected community comprising two residential buildings, generous public open space and shared amenities.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The vision includes 287 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with a minimum of 10 per cent allocated to affordable housing, alongside a 2,000-square-metre publicly accessible park featuring a children's playground, activity lawn, indigenous planting, timber climbing logs, seating areas and a rock gathering circle.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/dko-architecture">DKO Architecture</a>, the proposal draws on the site's industrial heritage, using a robust architectural language that references the former water tank through expressive structural elements and durable, self-finished materials.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Extensive landscaping has been woven throughout the development, creating a living landscape that strengthens connections to nature while responding sensitively to the surrounding neighbourhood. Two residential buildings ranging from three to 12 storeys are linked by a landscaped forecourt, creating a welcoming arrival experience and improving pedestrian connections through the site.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Residents would also enjoy more than 1,000 square metres of communal open space, including barbecue and dining facilities, vegetable gardens, landscaped seating pavilions and a dedicated coworking space.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PDG Founder and Managing Director Vince Giuliano said the vision reflected an opportunity to transform one of Ivanhoe's most recognisable sites into a place that balanced housing, community and landscape.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"This is an opportunity to reimagine an important site and create a neighbourhood that delivers lasting benefits for Ivanhoe," Giuliano said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We're creating much more than new homes. The vision brings together affordable housing, quality architecture, meaningful public open space and shared places that encourage people to connect, while respecting the site's history and its place within the local community."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Development Victoria’s Executive General Manager Precincts, Niall Cunningham, said the application is an important step for the government-owned site.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“This is about delivering more homes in a well-connected location, along with public open space that the Ivanhoe community will benefit from for years to come,” Cunningham said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PDG was selected as development partner in late 2025 following a competitive tender process.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A planning submission for the project is currently being progressed through the Victorian Government's Development Facilitation Program, with positive early engagement from both Banyule Council and the Department of Transport and Planning.</p>


PDG unveils plans to transform landmark Ivanhoe Water Tank Site

<p>Shane Wilkinson's <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/pace-development-group">Pace Development Group</a> has lodged plans for a major residential precinct on the former Presentation College site in Windsor, with an eight-building masterplan ultimately rising to 10 storeys.</p>

<p>The proposal at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/167-dandenong-road-windsor-vic-3181">167–187 Dandenong Road</a> spans a substantial 19,027 sqm site and is being progressed across six stages, with the first residential stages comprising 170 homes across four buildings designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cera-stribley-architects">Cera Stribley</a>.</p>

<p>Stage Two will deliver the bulk of the initial housing, with Building A comprising 81 apartments and Building B 49 apartments, both rising to six storeys.</p>

<p>Stage Three will deliver a further 40 homes. The heritage Nagel Building, identified as Building C, will be converted to 12 dwellings, while a new five-storey Building D will comprise 28 apartments at the Hornby Street and Dandenong Road corner.</p>

<p>The 170 homes across Stages Two and Three will include a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, including townhouse-style dwellings.<img alt="First look: Pace plans landscaped housing precinct on former Windsor school site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="83c56e3e-dfb9-4e12-b172-c3f18513ec32" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29_9.png?VersionId=xRcRpSZsxX.UX_NDDGcRZktw7HVrzx7u" /></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The longer-term masterplan points to considerably greater density across the site.</p>

<p>Indicative plans show Building E accommodating around 80 dwellings across up to 10 storeys, while Building F is earmarked for around 120 dwellings and also up to 10 storeys. Building G is planned to range between four and 10 storeys, however its apartment yield is yet to be determined. That means the masterplan currently identifies at least 370 dwellings across Buildings A to F before any apartments within Building G are counted.</p>

<p>Across the 1.9-hectare site, that represents an indicative density of at least 194 dwellings per hectare, with the final figure to increase once the yield of Building G is established.</p>

<p>Pace is pursuing the project through the Victorian Government's Development Facilitation Program, with Urbis lodging a combined Section 96A planning scheme amendment and planning application on behalf of the developer, which secured the site earlier this year.</p>

<p>The application seeks detailed approval for Stages One, Two and Three, alongside approval of the broader masterplan framework that will guide the later residential stages. Stage One will see an existing heritage building adaptively reused for a wellness and fitness-related facility, while the broader precinct will retain several significant heritage buildings and established trees as part of the redevelopment.</p>

<p>A minimum 10 per cent affordable housing contribution is proposed across both the initial residential stages and the later masterplan stages, delivered through a discounted rental model.</p>

<p>The project comes immediately after a major change to the site's planning controls.</p>

<p>The site was rezoned to the Housing Choice and Transport Zone through Planning Scheme Amendment GC285, gazetted on July 22, 2026, and now sits within the inner catchment of the Windsor Station precinct under the State Government's Train and Tram Zone Activity Centres Program.</p>

<p>While the new controls identify large sites within the inner catchment for buildings of up to six storeys, Pace's masterplan pushes height to 10 storeys in parts of the site, with the taller buildings concentrated toward the centre and along the Sandringham railway corridor.</p>

<p>Lower-scale built form is proposed toward the site's more sensitive residential and heritage edges, with Buildings A and B generally stepping from three storeys at their interfaces to six storeys at upper levels.</p>

<p>Cera Stribley's masterplan breaks the development into a collection of separate buildings rather than a continuous built form, with landscaped spaces, new pedestrian links and a new publicly accessible road forming part of the precinct.</p>

<p>The planning report says the development will create new pedestrian connections to Elm Place and along the railway corridor, as well as a new publicly accessible road linking Elm Place with Dandenong Road. The proposed buildings will occupy around 54 per cent of the site, leaving a substantial portion available for landscaping, communal areas and permeable surfaces.</p>

<p>Urbis said the scale of the project reflected the site's strategic location close to Windsor Station, tram services and the Chapel Street Activity Centre, with the former school campus identified as a significant opportunity to increase housing supply on an underutilised inner-Melbourne site.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


First look: Pace plans landscaped housing precinct on former Windsor school site

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/jl-place">JL PLACE</a>'s Veil Brighton is approaching its final months of construction, with the nine-townhouse development at 17 Rooding Street expected to complete in December 2026.</p>

<p>The milestone is bringing the boutique project closer to becoming a finished part of the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/brighton-vic-3186">Brighton</a> streetscape, with much of Brighton's everyday amenity within a short walk.</p>

<p>Palace Cinema, Coles Supermarket and North Brighton Station are all around five minutes on foot from <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/veil-brighton-17-rooding-street-brighton-vic-3186">Veil</a>, alongside numerous cafés, restaurants and bars. The station provides a direct rail connection toward Melbourne's CBD, while Bay Street and the wider Brighton retail and dining network add to the range of services accessible without relying on a car for every trip.</p>

<p>"The location was fundamental to the project. Brighton is an established suburb where many buyers already have strong connections to the area and want to remain close to the people, places and amenities that form part of their everyday life," the developer said.</p>

<p>"Veil sits in a highly walkable part of Brighton, with a Walk Score of 90/100."</p>

<p>For buyers looking to right-size within Bayside, that level of walkability adds to the appeal of a more manageable way of living. Everyday shopping, dining, entertainment and public transport can be accessed without relying on the car for every trip, while residents remain connected to the places and routines that make Brighton familiar. It allows buyers to simplify day-to-day life without giving up the convenience, amenity and connections they already value.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=7877 project_image_fid=355754]</p>

<p>As completion approaches, the architecture, landscaping and material palette are progressively becoming visible on site, giving prospective purchasers a clearer view of the finished development beyond its plans and renders.</p>

<p>Veil comprises nine townhouses, predominantly three-bedroom homes with between 2.5 and 3.5 bathrooms, two car spaces and, depending on the residence, study areas and private outdoor space. Selected homes include a bedroom on the ground floor.</p>

<p>Veil occupies a middle ground between detached housing and apartment living, retaining private gardens, storage and secure parking within a more manageable residential format.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/schmidt-pang-architects">Schmidt &amp; Pang</a> designed the architecture around natural light, ventilation, privacy and practical use of space. From Rooding Street, the façade has been composed to read as a cohesive residential building rather than nine individual townhouses, with landscaping by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/john-patrick-landscape-architects">John Patrick Landscape Architects</a> integrated throughout the site.</p>

<p>Inside, natural stone, oak flooring, integrated joinery and brushed nickel finishes establish a restrained material palette, while kitchens include Miele appliances and substantial storage such as pantries. Walk-in robes and dedicated study spaces have also been incorporated across the collection.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=7877 project_image_fid=355852]</p>

<p>The project team said the planning of the homes has been informed by how the spaces function for both daily routines and larger gatherings.</p>

<p>"Our new homes owners at Veil have enjoyed the attention to detail in creating efficient layouts that use every space well. Hosting Christmas lunch and large family gatherings is an ease when care is taken to consider how people really live and entertain."</p>

<p>Private landscaped gardens extend the living spaces outdoors, while secure basement parking and bicycle parking are provided below. The homes have also been designed to achieve a 7-star energy rating, supported by double glazing, high-quality insulation, natural ventilation, LED lighting, water tanks and water-efficient fittings. Each residence is backed by a 10-year building guarantee.</p>

<p>Veil is being built by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/builders/jeniton">Jeniton</a>.&nbsp;Limited-time stamp duty savings are also currently available on selected purchases at Veil, adding another consideration as the project moves toward completion.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=7877]</p>


Veil Brighton nears completion in one of the suburb's most walkable pockets

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mosaic-property-group">Mosaic Property Group</a> has recorded 134 sales worth just over $400 million in two months of pre-release activity at The Riversdale, as the developer brings its $750 million South Brisbane riverfront project to the broader market.</p>

<p>The sales represent more than 60 per cent of the project's 213 apartments, with Mosaic reporting the majority of purchasers have been local owner-occupiers and downsizers.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-riversdale-by-mosaic-south-brisbane-91-montague-road-south-brisbane-qld-4101">The Riversdale</a> will rise 39 storeys from its north-facing site at 91 Montague Road, delivering a mix of two, three and four-bedroom apartments alongside a collection of Mosaic's premium Masterpiece Series Sky Homes.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=151614 project_image_fid=371872]</p>

<p>The early buyer response comes ahead of the wider evolution of the northern end of Montague Road, where The Riversdale will be one of the first major residential projects delivered within an emerging riverfront precinct.</p>

<p>Directly adjoining the development is a planned 7.1-hectare mixed-use precinct, set to introduce new residences, parkland and public realm along the river's edge. The Riversdale's position directly on the Brisbane River gives it a relationship with the waterfront that Mosaic says cannot be replicated by future buildings within the precinct.</p>

<p>The site is also the result of a years-long pursuit by Mosaic. The developer first earmarked the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/south-brisbane-qld-4101">South Brisbane</a> property in 2018, reflecting what Founder and Managing Director Brook Monahan has described as a deliberately patient approach to acquiring development sites.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=151614 project_image_fid=372083]</p>

<p>"We aren't opportunistic," Monahan previously told Apartments.com.au.</p>

<p>"Every site purchase is carefully considered. As seen with Kangaroo Point and South Brisbane, it can take years to eventuate. There are sites we're looking at now that we may not secure for several years."</p>

<p>Designed in collaboration with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bureauproberts">Bureau Proberts</a>, The Riversdale has been shaped around the qualities of the riverfront site, with apartments oriented to capture northern light and uninterrupted Brisbane River views.</p>

<p>Generous floorplans and expansive balconies extend the living spaces towards the river, while natural materials and a restrained interior palette have been selected with longevity in mind.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=151614 project_image_fid=371890]</p>

<p>Residents will have access to a level of amenity more commonly associated with world-class hotels and private members' clubs, with almost 3,000 sqm dedicated to wellness, connection, recreation and everyday convenience.</p>

<p>At ground level is a business lounge, private meeting rooms and dedicated workspaces. Mid-tower is a wellness sanctuary featuring magnesium hot and cold plunge pools, sauna, steam room, infrared therapy facilities, a Pilates and yoga studio, and a commercial-grade gymnasium.</p>

<p>Crowning The Riversdale is a rooftop featuring a 35-metre swimming pool with lap lane and spa, outdoor dining and seating terraces, firepit lounges and views of the city, river and Mount Coot-tha.</p>

<p>A private members' club-inspired retreat offers private dining rooms, a whisky lounge, media rooms and immersive entertainment experiences. Completing the amenity offering are two hotel-style guest suites and a resident-exclusive electric vehicle fleet and car-share program.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=151614 project_image_fid=371877]</p>

<p>The Riversdale sits at the northern end of Montague Road between South Bank and West End, around 1.3 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD, providing access to the city's major cultural, dining and recreation precincts.</p>

<p>It becomes Mosaic's largest Brisbane project to date and adds to a pipeline already under construction across the city.</p>

<p>In Brisbane, the developer is currently delivering The Bedford and The Carter at Kangaroo Point, both of which are approaching sell-out, with a further four projects being delivered on the Gold Coast. Mosaic has completed more than $2 billion in projects since 2012 and has a further development pipeline exceeding $2 billion across South East Queensland.</p>

<p>Early works are underway at The Riversdale, which will be delivered by Mosaic's in-house construction division. Completion is anticipated in late 2029, with remaining apartments priced from $1.98 million.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=151614]</p>


Mosaic records more than $400m in two months at South Brisbane's The Riversdale

<p>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.</p>

<p>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;</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>Even in the low seasons of May and June, occupancy levels reach around 40 per cent.</p>

<p><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" /></p>

<p>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</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p><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" /></p>

<p>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.<span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><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" /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>​</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p>The apartments will feature modern amenities and contemporary designs with expansive windows capturing sweeping views of The Remarkables mountain range.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Interiors are equipped with modern finishes, premium appliances, and secure electronic key-locked doors, ensuring a comfortable living experience for residents and guests alike.</p>

<p>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;</p>

<p>Queenstown’s sustained demand for visitor accommodation and rental properties is underpinned by a shortage of housing options, attracting both local and international buyers.</p>


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

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<p><em>Hi Margaret,</em></p>
<p><em>With banks now restricted to only 80% LVR do you think this will significantly affect prices? </em><em style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">I have two properties in Sydney. <em>Both are renting for $450 per week</em></span></em></p>
<p><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Before this announcement one was probably worth at least 800K (house on land 873sqm) and the other at least $500,000.</span></em></p>
<p><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Do you think it's worthwhile seeing the yield is so low for my Canley vale property to sell it and buy 2 properties in Brisbane where the yield could be higher and I'll have two more properties despite losing 1?</span></em></p>
<p><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Would this be still worthwhile seeing I have to pay capital gains tax (purchased 7 years ago for 446K) and taking into account all buying and selling fees.</span></em></p>
<p><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">I have considered more on using buyers agents as maybe they are not all spruikers.</span></em></p>
<p><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Regards,</span></em></p>
<p><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Allen</span></em></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Hi Allen, </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Firstly we must make clear that the banks are not technically restricted to only lending 80% (it's not law), and the new, tougher criteria being set by some banks is only targeting investors, with owner occupiers mostly not affected.</span><br><br><span>In response to The Australia Prudential Regulatory Authority's (APRA) calls for stricter controls around investment lending, banks like NAB and CBA have announced an end to pricing discounts for investors. ANZ have done the same, unless you have a PPR mortgage with them as well. Many lenders are also changing the maximum Loan to Valuation ratios (LVR) that they will allow for investors. As an example, BankWest will now apply a maximum LVR of 80% for all investment purposes (property and shares).</span><br><br><span>This means that you will still be able to access funding at higher LVRs if you're an investor, you'll just have to pay for it with an increased interest rate, or, more to the point, no access to the discounts which can usually be obtained if you negotiate well enough.</span><br><br><span>It's my opinion that this won't have a big impact on property prices, instead landlords will simply raise their rents to make up for the difference in their cash flows which the loss of these discounts will cause. We have to remember also that it's simply not suitable to say we are in a boom in the property market - I am sure the people of Adelaide and Perth would be quite surprised to hear they are in a boom, which making such sweeping claims infers.  We should hope that this inappropriate move by lenders doesn't impact the property market, as many areas can ill afford anything else to stunt growth.</span><br><br><span>In terms of your property, I believe that, with or without these moves, people holding Sydney property may well find that the values stall a little in the coming 18 months anyway.  The market has overshot the mark, with frenzied buying pushing prices up well over the intrinsic value of properties in many areas. When that happens and the market cools, as it always does, the values seen in the last phase of that boom often suffer and fall back a little.  In your case you'll still be fine, as even with an adjustment in values, you've still made a really good gain.</span><br><br><span>While I believe that the Brisbane market is likely to run soon, that's not advice to sell what you have in Sydney.  You could be up for a hefty capital gains tax bill which will eat into the returns.  It can be better to instead leverage against the equity and hang on to property you already have, choosing to sell it at times when you know you will be in a lower tax bracket, such as when you have left the paid workforce. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>As you have bought in to these areas while prices were a lot lower, I'm sure that your yields are pretty good, for you.  Yield relates to what you paid for the property, not what it is worth, and as the property has gained so much value, you should be seeing a pretty good return on that initial investment.</span><br><br><span>In terms of a buyer's agent, just make sure that, if you choose to use one, they are a Qualified Property Investment Adviser (with the Property Investment Professionals of Australia) and that they have a broad based knowledge of all markets in Australia. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>You want your adviser to be helping you to buy property in the best area at that moment in time, not just in the area where they personally happen to be active. You should also become as educated as you can about everything to do with investing (not just where to buy) before going any further. In my experience, those who take the time to become suitably educated first usually make better and more lasting choices and build stronger, better performing portfolios.</span></span></p>
<p><em>Have a property question?   <a href="mailto:askmargaret@propertyobserver.com.au" target="_blank">Ask Margaret!</a></em></p>
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mlomas-KC9MUPZ6Ca

Ask Margaret: Will bank LVR restrictions affect prices?

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<p>Queensland is a great example of how fussy investors need to be in selecting location.</p>
<p>The state has three of the four leading markets in regional Australia, and one of the more vibrant capital city markets, but also the greatest number of danger markets. </p>
<p>You could end up with a strongly-performing growth market and a basket case, depending on how well you choose your location.</p>
<p>Brisbane has had a fairly busy market for 18 months or so. It hasn’t produced a big price growth number, in terms of the average across the metropolitan area, in the way Sydney has, because the uplift in activity has been quite localized. </p>
<p>Some parts of the Greater Brisbane market, such as Logan City and the Moreton Bay Region, have seen elevated activity, but others have failed to deliver significant growth momentum, including Redland City and Ipswich City.</p>
<p>So you need to choosey about location.</p>
<p>South-east Queensland generally, with the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast added to Brisbane, is one of Australia’s rising markets. Both the coast markets have increasing sales activity and many suburbs are producing solid price growth. But again, you need to be careful.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">The Sunshine Coast generally is buoyant but Noosa, which I have described frequently as Australian real estate’s biggest lemon, continues to struggle. And the Gold Coast may appear to be a growth market that should interest investors, but it has a poor record of growth because of bouts of oversupply – and developers are currently working hard to creating the next boom-bust scenario, which is a specialty of the Gold Coast.</span></p>
<p>Cairns joins the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast in providing three of the four biggest growth markets in regional Australia (the other biggest the City of Gosford). There are also signs that Townsville and the Fraser Coast are emerging. Toowoomba, one of the stars of regional Australia in recent years, remains solid - although the best time to buy there was two years ago.</p>
<p>But regional Queensland also has some of the worst places to buy. </p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">In the new edition of <em>The Price Predictor Index</em>, six of the 12 locations which make up our National Dirty Dozen (the worst markets that must be avoided) are Queensland locations which had resources-related booms, only to have their markets undermined by developers who built too many dwellings.</span></p>
<p>They failed to take into account how many resources personnel would be staying in workers camps, rather than renting in the local towns. </p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">In the most extreme cases, markets have been destroyed by over-building and the predominance of temporary workers camps. They include Central Queensland coal-mining towns like Moranbah and Dysart, and some of the Surat Basin towns where the coal seam gas boom produced a short boom followed by rapid decline, because 94% of resources personnel are accommodated in camps rather than rental houses.</span></p>
<p>To provide one stark example, the property market in Miles has been destroyed. There were no sales in the town in the March 2015 Quarter and only two in the December 2014 Quarter. The market no longer has sales to provide price statistics. The vacancy rate is 33%. </p>
<p>Before Miles disappeared off the radar screen, its median house price had dropped 27% in 12 months and it was taking six months, and discounting around 20%, to sell a house. In the past six quarters, house sales in Miles have dropped from 25 to 20 to 13 to seven to six to two to zero.</p>
<p>There are similar stories across regional Queensland – providing a timely reminder to investors that they need to be very careful about where they opt to buy.</p>
<p><em>TERRY RYDER is the founder of <a href="https://www.hotspotting.com.au/" target="_blank">hotspotting.com.au</a>. You can <a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au" target="_blank">email him</a> or follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/hotspotting" target="_blank">Twitter.</a></em></p>
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The best and the worst found in Queensland: Terry Ryder

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<p><span>Talk in the industry is about whether or not house prices are in a bubble, if so have we been in one for some time and is it expensive bubble or a seriously expensive one?</span></p>
<p><span>One quote I read recently in relation to the current housing market was "One thing seems clear: If we’re having a discussion about whether or not house prices are in a bubble (as we have been for some time now), house prices do not represent good value at the current level. The debate is about whether they are expensive, or seriously expensive."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Now, of course we're all guilty of making sweeping comments - and myself more than most given my tendency towards a macro focus on this blog - but this snippet gives the full broom treatment to Australia's property markets.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">The last time I checked in at the back end of 2014 there were 9,448,300 dwellings in Australia, a figure that will be approaching 9.5 million or so today. </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em; font-weight: bold;"> </span></p>
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<div><img src="/images/2015/05/22/Waregent1.jpg" alt=""></div>
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<div><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Are some of those dwellings expensive? Indeed, and some of them are extraordinarily so in the present and persistent low interest rate climate.</span></div>
<div>
<div> </div>
<div>But equally, aren't some house prices very cheap? Very much so - in outer suburban Adelaide and Hobart, for example, and in any number of regional centres - although of course, "cheap" does not been good value ("cheap today is cheap tomorrow" as the old real estate mantra goes).</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The same holds true of share prices and indices, for that matter.<br><br>Are some share indices and stocks trading at high valuations? Yes. In fact, globally some markets are romping ahead to dizzying heights as I looked at only earlier this week.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>That does not mean that some individual stocks don't offer great value, though, particularly for those investors with the requisite skills in fundamental analysis.<br><br>With the benefit of hindsight, although not my favourite sector due to being capital intensive and reliant on the sale of commodities, 1999 was a great time to buy resources stocks. 2009 was an amazing time to load up on bank shares.  Today, health care and materials companies are worthy of consideration.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><img src="/images/2015/05/22/wargent2.gif" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div>Of course, this doesn't mean all companies in a sector are worth buying, or even any of them. There is no "one size fits all."</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>Focus</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div>This was one of a raft of pieces of late referencing popping property bubbles, property speculators, the end of the property boom, shares now being due to outperform property, and so on.</div>
<div> </div>
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<div><img src="/images/2015/05/22/monty.jpg" alt=""></div>
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<div>
<div>All fair enough, although the truth is that ex-Sydney (and to a lesser extent Melbourne) there hasn't actually been a property boom to date in this cycle, rather a protracted period of relatively flat prices in real terms, and correspondingly there is no "Australian property bubble".<br><br>Resources influenced Perth and Darwin are seeing declining rents, the polar opposite of frothy conditions, while a number of mining towns have already capitulated. Canberra's property markets seem similarly uninspired.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Why so much angst from equities-only investors then, one wonders, apart from the wider ramifications for the Australian economy and share markets of a genuine and material property correction?</div>
<br><div>An obvious point from a fundie perspective is that more funds under management equals more fees, so naturally enough does make sense to point out from time to time the benefits of a diversified share portfolio over the risks of holding a specific investment property or portfolio of properties.<br><br>I'm not sure whether it makes a great deal of difference, though. In my experience there exists a fair proportion of investors who are simply "shares people" or "real estate" people, and they won't ever be budged either way!<br><br><strong>Stock valuations decline</strong>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Perhaps another of the reasons for the angst is that the Australian share markets (generally!) have been on the receiving end of a bit of a shellacking over the past month, which naturally the financial media reports unfailingly on a daily basis.</div>
<br><div>Since threatening to crunch through 6,000 on March 18 the market has tanked, paring all the way back down to 5,600.<br><br>6,000 now seems like a distant dream once again, although the recent dovish Board Minutes from the Reserve Bank reinstated a moderate easing bias, which may help to fire markets up again.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Now as intelligent people both you and I know that such short term movements don't mean a great deal for stock market investors with a long term mindset.<br><br>In fact, cheaper market prices equates to a greater array of buying opportunities for those with an appropriately disciplined investment approach.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>But it's funny what daily media headlines can do to folk, particularly when Sydney house prices are suddenly once again rising at an annualised pace of somewhere north of 15%. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>The XJO (ASX 200) chart shows that this index has pulled back to the same level as the beginning of March 2007, well over eight years ago.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><img src="/images/2015/05/22/ASX.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div>While experienced investors are well aware that accumulated returns inclusive of dividends have been robust, a good proportion of Mum and Dad investors tend to like to see capital gains, preferably of the fast buck variety.<br><br><strong>Sydney property leads cycle</strong>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>What seemed to be a highly unlikely outcome for much of the past decade is now once again becoming a reality - Sydney houses selling for double what they did during their last cyclical low around 2005.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Granted I have only come across a few such examples to date, all of them houses rather than apartments, and usually in popular beachside suburbs such as Bondi, but I expect this will become an increasingly common occurrence over the year ahead.</div>
<div>
<br>Of course, the main advantage that property investors have over share market investors is the use of leverage which can magnify gains...and losses.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>An investment which doubles in value can see the dollars invested increased 10 or 20 fold before transaction and holding costs - for those who get it right and are prepared to hold through the lean periods of the cycle.</div>
<div>
<br>Dare we even mention it, some folk even used 100 per cent leverage in the period leading up the the financial crisis, making the returns on "investment" extraordinarily high.<br><br><strong>Risks to the downside</strong>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>There is an old saying in investment that if something sounds too good to be true then it probably is.<br><br>So, what's the catch? </div>
<div> </div>
<div>One such catch is that most people just aren't very good at investing in property. The stats show that most don't achieve their goals, owning only one or two properties, with many selling within the first early years of ownership.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>It's not always entirely their fault, mind - property advisers have recommended some desperate choices over the last decade, including mining towns and any number of far-flung locations which haven't fared anything like as well as Sydney has. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>It was popular for a while to say that capital city investors were singing the same old tune from years ago and had failed to move with the times, though I haven't heard anyone saying that of late as the Sydney market continues to take off.<br><br>Inner ring Brisbane is now seeing prices rising again too, though not for all property types and suburbs it must be said, and I believe that generic apartments will struggle through this cycle.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>Spruikfest</strong></div>
<br><div>You only had to set foot in the <em>Sydney Homebuyer Show</em> this year to see that the property forum was packed to the rafters with the flocking crowds far outweighing the numbers at the share trading and investing event.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>This is what always happens when house prices are rising, of course.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Unfortunately so too were the self managed superannuation fund (SMSF) property spruikers out in force, barking orders about setting up trust structures to buy property to anyone who would listen - and anyone who wasn't listening as well, come to think of it.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The thing to remember is that property and shares are not really directly comparable investments for any number of reasons which I don't have the space or inclination to repeat here.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Equities are a far "cleaner" and more liquid asset class, very well suited to retirees of the right mindset contrary to popular opinion, particularly given the favourable tax treatment of franked dividend income in Australia.<br><br>No tenants or related headaches. No repairs and maintenance bills, Quick and easy to sell parcels of shares. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Property investment suits many long term Mum and Dad investors, despite its illiquidity, and the leverage can see them magnify gains (or losses) at a greater rate, provided they invest well (or badly).</div>
<div> </div>
<div>For reasons I never really got my head around some property advisers have recommended investing in towns where there is acres of land around and thus no scarcity. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>The key to long term successful property investment is finding an asset which is in extremely high demand.<br><br>This generally means the larger capital cities, near jobs and where people want and need to live - and is scarce in supply, which ideally means a dwelling with a land value content, and in a land-locked suburban location.<br><br>The long run data shows that even most average capital city property has generally done well through the cycles, beating inflation over time.<br><br>It won't be long before the Sydney median house price has doubled again since 2003, soon thereafter to be threatening the $1 million level.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><img src="/images/2015/05/22/Property.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p><em><span>PETE WARGENT </span>is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">blogger</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>His book '<a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>' is out now.</em></p>
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Blowing bubbles (again): Pete Wargent

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<p><span>Fifty-three of the 200 people on the forthcoming annual 2015 BRW Rich List are property tycoons.</span></p>
<p><span>They include Meriton's Harry Triguboff, whose personal wealth is estimated to be $10.23 billion. He has been on the Rich 200 list since it was first published in 1984, when his net wealth was put as $25 million. The $10.23 billion was almost double last year's $5.5 billion. He was at $4.9 billion in 2013.</span></p>
<p>Meriton has focused on the apartment sector, but it is increasingly expanding into serviced apartment and also childcare centres, with plans to include 18 child care facilities in its new apartment buildings in the next year.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Meriton last year led Australia in housing starts with 7929 dwelling constructions, about triple the number the year before.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Meriton recorded its biggest ever profits from well over $1 billion worth of apartment sales with Triguboff’s wealth climbing to his highest mark in the 32-year history of the BRW Rich List, at $10.23 billion.</span></p>
<p>Mr Triguboff says Meriton will sell about 2500 apartments in 2015, mostly Sydney but also on the Gold Coast.</p>
<p>“We could certainly build more but there is only so much you can do with the labour you have,” he told BRW.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Harry Triguboff, 82, also played down chances of him selling all or part of Meriton after fielding approaches from Chinese investors last year, saying he was exploring options within his family for a succession plan.</span></p>
<p>The property sector this year accounts for 53 people among the 200 on the BRW Rich List, the most of any industry.</p>
<p>The magazine noted several list members, including Toll Holdings founder Paul Little and Nutrimedics co-founders Bill and Imelda Roche, have made their fortunes in other sectors but in more recent years have poured the bulk of their wealth into property.</p>
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Almost doubling, Harry Triguboff at $10.23 billion in 2015 BRW Rich List 

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<span style="line-height: 1.3em;">It was top-down success as apartments went on sale </span>today<span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> at Crown Ashfield's $88 million resort-style development.</span>
</div>
<div class="default"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></div>
<div class="default"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Sold stickers in the early sales were very dominant among the pricier apartments on offer.</span></div>
<div class="default"> </div>
<div class="default"><img src="/images/2015/05/26/crown.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div class="default"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></div>
<div class="default">
<span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Located nine kilometres from the Sydney CBD, six kilometres from the University of Sydney, 10 kilometres from the airport, 300 meters from Ashfield Mall and 750 metres from the railway station Ashfield, </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">sales were underway at same-day launch events in Sydney, Indonesia and Singapore.</span>
</div>
<div class="default"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></div>
<div class="default"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span>Crown Group chief executive Iwan Sunito tweeted his delight at the early morning buyer queues as it represents an important milestone for Crown Group as its brand continues to gain momentum around the world.</span></span></div>
<div class="default">
<p><img src="/images/2015/04/22/Crown%20Ashfield%20Interior%20%20-%20Dark.jpg" alt=""><br> </p>
<p><span>Crown Group chief executive Iwan Sunito said Crown Ashfield will feature a forest interior concept along with the development’s internal atrium.</span></p>
<p><span>"The common areas will be bathed in natural light, lush greenery and first-class residents’ amenities," Sunito said.</span></p>
<p><span>The starting price mark was around $700,000 for a one bedroom apartment.</span></p>
<p><span>Crown Ashfield was designed by Surry Hills architects Turner featuring natural, organic elements throughout including an internal atrium, abundant natural light, a flowing sculpted water feature and lush greenery at 168 Liverpool Road.</span></p>
<p><span>The sold stickers were being quickly posted for the apartments in the modern nine-storey development comprising 79 boutique apartments, four exclusive retail spaces, resident and visitors’ car parking, grand lobby lounge, theatrette, piano room and rooftop communal facilities including a terrace and a recreational area with city views. </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
<p><span>Crown Group achieved an impressive $173 million in sales within four hours at the launch of Sydney by Crown in November last year for its Clarence Street project.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Closer to town, strong sale were also achieved as 581 apartments (below) were offered at the Lend Lease launch of the Darling Square project.</span></p>
<p><span>The two penthouses sold at more than $10 million each.</span></p>
</div>
<div class="default">
<div class="cT-imageGallerySnapshot cfix">
<div class="media">
<img src="https://images-2.domain.com.au/2015/04/19/6455642/Darling-Square-Cover-image_1024-620x414.jpg" alt="Artist's impressions of the second stage of Darling Square, Darling Harbour" width="619" height="414"><a class="more-photos size-lrg" href="https://news.domain.com.au/photogallery/domain/darling-square-darling-harbour-20150419-3ud7f?aggregate=&amp;selectedImage=0"><span class="size-lrg">C</span></a>
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Crown Ashfield secures top down sales success at its tree-house inspired Liverpool Road offering

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<p><span>The historic Newspaper House, at 247 Collins Street, Melbourne has been sold at around $23 million, with<span> the $12,000 a square metre a new record for Collins Street.</span></span></p>
<p>It comes with mosaic mural on its front facade designed by Napier Waller in 1932.</p>
<p>Mervyn Napier Waller's "I'll put a girdle about the earth" features heroic human figures appear among scenes of commerce, construction and communication.</p>
<p>There's lots of gold, an echo of the Byzantine era, in the 1933 commission by Sir Keith Murdoch from the Herald &amp; Weekly Times who needed more than their empire on Flinders Street.</p>
<p><img class="img-responsive" src="/images/2015/05/08/700_mural.jpg" alt="Newspaper House, Collins Street under offer"></p>
<div class="row article-content"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">It was the former WH Rocke Ltd building on a 478 square metre holding.</span></div>
<p>There had been around 12 expressions of interest <a href="/expert-insights/investing/newspaper-house-collins-street-under-offer">before it went under offer through CBRE last month</a>.</p>
<p><span>Eu Ming Lim, of Thomson Geer solicitors, represented the purchaser from Singapore, who told the Australian Financial Review his client was considering both leasing and subdivision plans for the building.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-retail-vic-melbourne-501464323" target="_blank">Set near Swanston Street with a 2084 square metre floor area</a>, it was marketed as an irreplaceable seven level sandstone retail and office building, fully refurnished and upgraded.</p>
<p>Agents suggested it was a genuine “blank canvas” providing strategic opportunity for multi-level retail and/or residential/hotel conversion.</p>
<p>In 2010 Savills Australia had brokered a five-year lease deal for 250 square metres to Nespresso, who have now departed.</p>
<p>Its latest sale price has not been revealed but the former Herald and Weekly Times building sold for $11.08 million to a private investor, Melbourne horse-racing identity Ken Biddick in 2006 through Knight Frank, fully leased for $403,600 a year, reflecting a yield of 3.6%.</p>
<p>The then vendor, Desmond Oppenheimer had bought the building for $7.55 million in 2002.</p>
<p>The ground floor of 247 Collins Street had been previously leased to the House of Cashmere, and the upper levels to Sydney International College.  </p>
<p><strong>HIDDEN TREASURES OF NAPIER WALLER</strong></p>
<p><span>1926-27 MURALS Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston Street.</span></p>
<p><span>1927 MURAL Menzies Hotel, cnr Bourke and William streets (building demolished in 1969, mural sold privately).</span></p>
<p><span>1928 MURAL Better Than to Squander Life's Gifts Is to Conserve Them and Ensure a Fearless Future T&amp;G Life Building entry foyer, cnr Collins and Russell streets.</span></p>
<p><span>1928 MURAL Peace After Victory State Library of Victoria, first-floor landing near La Trobe Reading Room, cnr, Swanston and La Trobe street.</span></p>
<p><span>1933 MOSAIC I'll Put a Girdle Round the Earth Newspaper House facade, 247 Collins Street.</span></p>
<p><span>1934 FLORENTINE MURALS Florentino Restaurant, now Grossi Florentino, first floor, 80 Bourke Street.</span></p>
<p><span>1935 STAINED GLASS WINDOW Wesley Church, Pioneers window, upper gallery, north wall, 148 Lonsdale Street.</span></p>
<p><span>1935 STAINED GLASS WINDOW Ian Potter Museum foyer, Swanston Street on university campus. (Designed for Wilson Hall, University of Melbourne, which was destroyed by fire in 1951. Window was retrieved from the ruins.)</span></p>
<p><span>1935 MUIRALS Myer Melbourne Mural Hall dining room, sixth floor, 314 Bourke Street.</span></p>
<p><span>1937 STAINED GLASS Orchid Window University of Melbourne Botany School.</span></p>
<p><span>1940 MURAL Australian Symbolic Figures University of Melbourne Achitecture, Building and Planning Library (Orginally on display at Royal Insurance Company, 414-418 Collins Street, but donated to university after building was demolished in 1969.)</span></p>
<p><span>1963 MOSAIC The Eight Aboriginal Tribal Headmen Temple Court foyer, 422 Collins Street.</span></p>
<p><span>1967 MOSAIC Prometheus Monash House foyer, 15 William Street.</span></p>
<p><span>List Source: Fairfax Media</span></p>
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Newspaper House, Collins Street sold to subdividing Singaporean investor

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<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Toowoomba vendors secured a profit in 98% of all houses sales in</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> the year ending March 2015, according to the latest REIQ release.</span></p>
<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">And Cairns has been a standout performer over the past 12 months, with profit-making sales rising from 78% of transactions making a profit to 90%.</span></p>
<p class="Normal">REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella said the data confirmed the REIQ’s position that Queensland was in "the grip of steady, sustainable growth."</p>
<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img src="/images/2015/05/25/woomba_av_days.jpg" alt=""></span></p>
<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">But those areas that are struggling to recover from the resources downturn are still endeavouring to stabilise, she said.</span></p>
<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Brisbane (LGA) median house values have risen by 1.6% over the quarter, and, along with Toowoomba, this was the highest quarterly increase.</span></p>
<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img src="/images/2015/05/25/woomba_an_Sales.jpg" alt=""></span></p>
<p class="Normal"> </p>
<p class="Normal"> </p>
<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img src="/images/2015/05/25/woombasales.jpg" alt=""></span></p>
<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
<p class="Normal">Brisbane (LGA) proportion of profit-making sales increased three percentage points to 96%, compared with a year ago.</p>
<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Toowoomba is the fastest selling region, with days on market at 63 days, and what they call the Garden City continues to hold the lowest vendor discounting rate of 4.7%.</span></p>
<p class="Normal"><img src="/images/2015/05/25/woomba_vendor.png" alt=""></p>
<p class="Normal">Five of the major regions throughout Queensland are experiencing steady improvements in median house values.</p>
<p class="Normal">Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Cairns, all showed rising annual median house values of approximately 1.5 to 1.9% on average each quarter over the past year.</p>
<p class="Normal">Gladstone’s median house values increased by 0.8%, which, although small, is significant because it is the city’s first move into positive territory in five quarters.</p>
<p class="Normal">The rate of decline in Mackay’s median values appears to be slowing, with a drop of just one per cent to its annual median value in the March quarter.</p>
<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Townsville’s median house values rose 0.7%, which reflects the small improvements that that have been seen in other economic indicators. </span></p>
<p class="Normal"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Townsville’s proportion of profit-making sales continues to remain stable at 74% since August last year.</span></p>
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Toowoomba tops Queensland's 2015 property market recovery

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<p><strong style="line-height: 1.3em;">Jobs cut</strong></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">The first Holden workers will be forced to take redundancy packages from the Adelaide plant this week.</span></p>
<p><span>Last month</span><span> Holden called for 270 redundancies, but only 180 volunteers applied for the redundancy packages on offer.</span></p>
<p><span>The voluntary departures are also expected to take effect from today.</span></p>
<p><span>It is expected that further forced redundancies will be announced ahead of the closure of manufacturing operations by the end of 2017.</span></p>
<p>Elizabeth in Adelaide now has by a wide margin the <span>highest</span> capital city unemployment rate in the country at around 33%. </p>
<p><span><strong>Manufacturing malaise</strong></span></p>
<p><span>This forms part of a broader structural change as manufacturing jobs <span>continue to be shed</span> in aggregate.</span></p>
<p><span>This tends to be damaging to economies such as Adelaide which has traditionally had a strong manufacturing base.</span></p>
<p><span>Over the past four years, while Greater Sydney and Melbourne have added a combined total of more than 300,000 new jobs on a net basis, Adelaide has been stuck in reverse gear.</span></p>
<p><span>Cumulatively Adelaide has seen a net contraction in total employment over the same period of 5,660.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span><img src="/images/2015/05/22/Screen%20Shot%202015-05-22%20at%201.51.00%20PM.png" alt="" width="963" height="399" style="line-height: 1.3em;"></p>
<p><span><strong>Adelaide property revival?</strong></span></p>
<p><span>It's been a fairly dejected six years or so for most real estate markets in Adelaide, although the ABS series shows that median prices are now 14 per cent higher than they were at the end of 2008.</span></p>
<p><span>From a residential property market perspective owner-occupiers have been understandably reluctant to extend themselves given elevated levels of unemployment and ongoing uncertainty.</span></p>
<p><span>Despite record low borrowing rates, the number of owner-occupier <span>loans written</span> in South Australia March increased by only one.</span></p>
<p><span>On the other hand, there is some evidence that investors are tentatively seeking out bargains in South Australia, with a dearth of construction activity seeing vacancy rates tighten and a so-termed "landlords' market" returning.</span></p>
<p><span>Indeed, the latest round of <span>Lending Finance data</span> revealed investment loans written in South Australia spiking to a record high after a subdued few years.</span></p>
<p><img src="/images/2015/05/22/Screen%20Shot%202015-05-22%20at%201.58.37%20PM.png" alt="" width="1640" height="699"></p>
<p><span><strong>Cooling measures</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">This investor revival may be short-lived, however, with a raft of new measures being implemented this week by lenders in order to pare back investor lending.</span></p>
<p><span>Certain banks will now require 20 per cent deposits for investment loans, while others will ratchet up their investment lending rates a notch to help scale back the surging growth of their investor mortgage books.</span></p>
<p><span>It seems unlikely at this stage that property markets will be dried up dramatically - after all, the economy wants and needs folk to borrow and spend (just ideally not in such a heavily skewed manner towards one asset class).</span></p>
<p><span>However, the regulator is keen to take the speculative edge off investment lending and we can expect this sector to calm somewhat in due course.</span></p>
<p><em><span> </span></em></p>
<p><em><span>PETE WARGENT </span>is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com" target="_blank">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">blogger</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>His book '<a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>' is out now.</em></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
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Adelaide investor revival may be short-lived: Pete Wargent

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<p>The asking price of the Muckleford, Victoria property with a green-and-yellow W-class tram as its centrepiece, has been reduced to $410,000.</p>
<p>The three-bedroom, one-bathroom home, <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/property/for-sale/house/vic/muckleford/?adid=2011451303" target="_blank">10 A Frame Track, Muckleford</a>, had been initially marketed at $439,000.</p>
<p>Set on 20 acres, 130 kilometres north-west of the CBD, the home has been fashioned around the tram including mud brick sections.</p>
<div id="conditionalAd-300x250-pos-3">
<div id="google_ads_iframe_/6411/WATODAY/domain/realestatenews_13__container__"> The tram has been renovated to include multi-functional bedroom-study-living areas as well as a kitchen and dining area. </div>
</div>
<p>The trams were produced between 1923 and 1956 by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board. </p>
<p>Owner Gary Markoff paid about $1000 to buy the decommissioned vehicle and haul it to the country about 35 years ago.</p>
<p>Cantwell Property, Castlemaine, agent Genevieve Cantwell, is selling the home.</p>
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Tram fare price at Muckleford comes down to $410,000

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<p>We are moving away from 9-5 and Monday to Friday work to a "work when, where and how is appropriate model" according to Morris Miselowski of Business Futurist.</p>
<p>In this new world, he says many of us will have 6 careers and 14 jobs, work into our 80's and have a "work portfolio" rather than a "job".</p>
<p>The work portfolio means we can gain income from a range of activities as well as mix in a more cash flow stable 'salary' job. </p>
<p>I totally agree with the idea of a work portfolio. Technology gives us the freedom to work anywhere, at any time. You no longer have to be tied to a desk working for one business to earn your money. </p>
<p>In fact, you could be working several jobs at once to meet your needs. For instance, you may want to sell on the global market those unique items you make on Etsy, manage your various property investments and superannuation fund, do the odd task for money and also perhaps hold down a 2-3 day a week salary job.  </p>
<p>It's the hay day for entrepreneurs as crowd funding has become the norm and new businesses can be "incubated". This means being nurtured and supported in free office space with access to all the services required to get started on your new business journey. Wow, I wish this was around when I started out! </p>
<p>File sharing systems like Dropbox allow us to access cloud based storage systems again from anywhere at any time and share information easily. </p>
<p>I feel like a bit of an accidental pioneer as without knowing it, I've created a business working in this way. </p>
<p>Even when I had my last "salary job" which was regional marketing manager for a major USA cosmetic brand, I worked from home and in the hours I needed to get my work done. My office was in New York but I lived in Sydney's beachside suburb of North Curl Curl. </p>
<p>Property Bloom offers staff a flexible work environment where they can project manage our developments in their own time. This often means some after hours work but also gives them time out with their family, for sports and also importantly, other income producing activities. One of my project managers also owns a palates studio, another runs installations for outdoor signage in his spare time. My admin assistant has two small children to care for. So all their work for me is done in their own time. </p>
<p>This way of working is flexible and puts less stress on us, so maybe we will continue working into our 80's, although I do hope I'll be at least semi retired by then!  There are health benefits for this flexible working arrangement, keeping our minds active and giving us a sense of contributing.</p>
<p>In all our customs designs for our property developments we are including home offices where tenants have a dedicated work space in case they also want to do enjoy a flexible 'work portfolio'.</p>
<p><em>Jo Chivers is Chief Executive Officer of property development project managers <a href="https://www.propertybloom.com.au/about" target="_blank">Property Bloom</a>.</em></p>
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