The residential transformation of St Kilda Road is set to continue into with more new apartment plans for the sought-after boulevard.

Wing Tai Asia has lodged plans for a major residential tower at 464-466 St Kilda Road, replacing the former VACC House with an 18-storey mixed-use development designed around a retained heritage podium and a sculpted contemporary tower.

The proposal, prepared under Victoria’s Significant Residential Development with Affordable Housing pathway, would deliver 325 apartments and ground-floor retail across the prominent 4,653 sqm boulevard site in Melbourne’s St Kilda Road North Precinct.

The project centres on the adaptive reuse of the site’s heritage-listed VACC Building, an eight-storey office designed by Bernard Evans that has occupied the address for decades. Planning documents state the development would involve “carefully dismantling and conserving off-site the original metal fabric of the podium visible from St Kilda Road,” before reinstating it as the defining frontage of the new scheme.

Above the restored podium, Wing Tai is proposing a curvilinear residential tower. The scheme includes 172 one-bedroom apartments, 63 two-bedroom apartments, 66 three-bedroom apartments, and 24 four-bedroom apartments, alongside two ground-floor food and beverage tenancies fronting St Kilda Road.

The tower has been designed with substantial articulation and variable setbacks to minimise perceived bulk and maintain view corridors along the boulevard. Urbis, which prepared the planning report, said the design “has been significantly articulated through a curvilinear design” with “an interplay with materials, façade expression and depth” to create visual separation and visual interest.

The proposal also includes 254 basement car spaces, landscaped pedestrian links connecting St Kilda Road and Queens Lane, and a biophilic landscape strategy featuring canopy trees, raised planters, cascading greenery and a glass oculus pool overlooking the eastern frontage.

Planning documents confirm the $270.1 million development will contribute 3 per cent of project costs to the Social Housing Growth Fund as part of the application process.

Wing Tai acquired the St Kilda Road property in 2018 alongside Abacus Property Group for $95.38 million, before later consolidating ownership of the site. The property previously served as the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce headquarters for around 60 years.

The transformation of the St Kilda Rd boulevard is already beginning to materialise, with a number of high-profile projects recently completed, launched, or approaching launch as developers continue to back the long-term appeal of the precinct.

Among the most notable recent completions is Louise by Samuel Property Group, just off the strip on Queens Lane, the same pocket Hirsch &amp; Faigen recently launched The Queensbury. Mirvac is too on the same street with The Albertine, which is approaching completion.

Dexus recently secured approval for its slice of St Kilda Road, while Gurner also has approved plans for the precinct.

Joel Robinson

Wing Tai unveils 325-apartment St Kilda Road tower on former VACC House site

Malaysian developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> is the latest to jump into St Leonards booming Transport Oriented Development precinct.

The developer, which has previously delivered Sapphire by the Gardens apartment development in Melbourne, identified the Atchison Street site in 2023. It filed a Scoping Report around 12 months ago, and now has revealed the designs for the new&nbsp;40-storey mixed-use tower.

The State Significant Development Application covers <a href="https://next-portal.urban.com.au/projects/14650/summary">20-22 Atchison Street</a>, a 1,374 sqm site positioned between St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the project would deliver 181 apartments, above a four-storey commercial podium, five basement levels, and new public domain works along Mitchell Street. The apartment mix comprises 35 one-bedroom apartments, 39 one-bedroom-plus-study apartments, 85 two-bedroom apartments, and 22 three-bedroom residences.

The proposal has been lodged as a shop-top housing development under the NSW Government’s TOD planning pathway, which allows increased density around key transport infrastructure. The site sits within the recently rezoned Crows Nest Accelerated TOD Precinct.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b799673d-48e2-46b0-801a-0e33a9330100" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20site.png?VersionId=dPh0UfwfaHpbFL1R7H1cbZNbIW0CHbCC" />

SP Setia acquired the Atchison Street site as part of its continued expansion into the Australian apartment market. In comments made to City &amp; Country (The Edge Malaysia) in 2023, SP Setia President and CEO Datuk Choong Kai Wai described the acquisition as “a strategic move” aligned with the group’s post-pandemic market recovery strategy.

“Our target for this exceptional development is local and overseas buyers, including first-home buyers, downsizers and investors,” Choong said.

The tower has been designed as a slender vertical form rising from a mixed-use podium, with COX Architecture positioning the development as a response to the evolving St Leonards and Crows Nest skyline.

“The purpose of the project is to facilitate the delivery of high-quality housing at a strategically located site and deliver a built tower outcome that is consistent with the desired future character of St Leonards and aligns with the TOD controls,” the design report stated.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b1a85eee-76f7-436c-a6da-73ba827b9b13" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20entry.png?VersionId=dA9jHGPMcm.dDbwk4QfxqWiY5bfh3UVt" />

The podium would incorporate retail uses fronting Atchison Street, commercial tenancies, landscaped communal areas, and pedestrian improvements along Mitchell Street. Vehicle access and loading would be consolidated via Atchison Lane.

Residents would have access to more than 665 sqm of communal indoor and outdoor spaces, while the development proposes 96 parking spaces across five basement levels.

The proposal also includes a commitment for 10 per cent of residential floor space to be allocated toward affordable housing through a monetary contribution.

COX said the tower form responds directly to the emerging high-density character of the precinct while seeking to maximise solar access, cross ventilation, and outlook from apartments.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2163f85c-f63b-4be3-aafa-f8763976cec5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29_5.png?VersionId=WiAmtIKJ6.ZQ41EtYEQ1fol7AeorKBlL" />

“The building is orientated towards north,” the Apartment Design Guide compliance report noted, adding that the tower’s slim form was driven by the constrained inner-urban site dimensions.

The design also incorporates landscaped setbacks and communal open space at podium level, intended to soften the interface with surrounding streets and improve pedestrian amenity.

The project adds to a growing wave of redevelopment proposals reshaping St Leonards and Crows Nest following the opening of the Sydney Metro City line and the NSW Government’s push for higher-density housing around major transport nodes.

Last week Stockland filed plans just down the road. They want to build a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/601-pacific-highway-st-leonards-nsw-2065">52-storey tower on Pacific Highway</a>.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">First look: Stockland plans 52-storey, 538-apartment St Leonards tower&nbsp;</a>

First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> has revealed plans for a new mixed-use tower at 10 Dangar Street, Wickham, advancing a proposal that would reshape the southern gateway to Newcastle’s city centre with one of the city’s tallest residential buildings.

The State Significant Development proposal, now on exhibition, seeks approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bowline-10-dangar-street-wickham-nsw-2293">43-storey tower</a> immediately adjacent to the Newcastle Interchange. The project would deliver around 200 apartments, including 42 affordable housing dwellings, alongside 99 co-living units, a 171-room hotel, retail space, and new public domain integrated through the site.

The scheme marks a significant escalation of plans previously approved for the site. Urban Property Group took over the prominent 2,904 sqm parcel, where excavation and demolition had already commenced under an earlier consent for a 14-storey mixed-use development.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="58a96dd9-407f-4d20-86b4-94e4bfeef74b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20podium.png?VersionId=LGlf08pdFGAZDzvx_CXC4XakHNZRuEE0" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, the tower has been conceived as a landmark transit-oriented development anchored to the Newcastle Interchange precinct. The proposal includes 245 build-to-sell apartments across a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, as well as two penthouses. Fifteen apartments and one operational unit are earmarked for NDIS housing. The co-living component would add a further 99 units, while the podium would accommodate retail uses and hotel facilities.

SJB said the site presents “a valuable opportunity to anchor the precinct by setting the standard for design, active ground planes and character at the key southern gateway.”

The architecture responds directly to the site’s position beside major transport infrastructure and within one of Newcastle’s fastest-evolving urban renewal precincts. The tower form sits above a sculpted podium designed to frame new public spaces, including a through-site pedestrian link connecting Station Street to Hannell Street, landscaped plazas, and activated retail edges.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7bd6ff0-f7db-4ce8-a6dc-ea56e72c6149" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20lanne.png?VersionId=xzf39VADyhj7zBQY2I9fx9vI62u2tuSb" />

The design report describes the project as part of the broader transition of Wickham into “a vibrant, high-quality mixed-use urban precinct” that leverages proximity to the station, open space, and regional connectivity.

A detailed public art strategy has also been prepared for the development. The strategy positions the project as “a transit-oriented development of state significance at the gateway to Newcastle’s city centre” and outlines a series of integrated artworks responding to Newcastle’s industrial and transport heritage.

Creative Road’s curatorial framework for the project, titled Unveil, draws on “stratified surfaces, carved volumes, and light-filled apertures” while referencing Newcastle’s transformation from an industrial city into a contemporary education and technology hub.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="77a882bb-14b1-4d28-99ff-9438e39508c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20site.png?VersionId=cevgo_vN0eKPK78P8YcEu3mKPLkpFqE7" />

The proposal is being advanced through the NSW Housing Delivery Authority pathway after being declared State Significant Development in June 2025. The accompanying scoping report states the development aims to “maximise the site’s proximity to the Newcastle Interchange by delivering transit-oriented development” while increasing housing supply and affordable housing provision within the Newcastle LGA.

Urban Property Group’s plans align with the long-term strategic vision established under the Wickham Master Plan, which identified the interchange precinct as suitable for substantial uplift in height and density. The current proposal would significantly intensify that vision, positioning the tower among the tallest developments proposed for Newcastle.

The site sits immediately north of the Newcastle Interchange, bounded by Dangar Street, Hannell Street, and Charles Street. It is surrounded by a rapidly growing cluster of residential towers and mixed-use projects that have emerged following the completion of the light rail and transport interchange.

First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s latest tower at Wickham interchange

Bottega House has completed settlement of a landmark riverfront site in Macquarie Street, St Lucia, representing its first major Brisbane development.&nbsp;

Positioned on the banks of the Brisbane River, the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/180-macquarie-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">premium site at 180 Macquarie Street</a> features uninterrupted river frontage in one of Brisbane’s most tightly held residential precincts.&nbsp;

The proposed development, currently under assessment with Brisbane City Council, has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a> with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/mim-design">Mim Design</a> and will deliver a boutique collection of premium residences positioned specifically for owner occupiers and downsizers.&nbsp;

The residences are set to redefine luxury apartment living in the area, with a focus on architectural quality, refined finishes, landscape integration and elevated amenities including curated wellness facilities, resort-style pools and recreation spaces rarely seen in the local market.&nbsp;

Exclusive sales for the project will be led by Keenan &amp; Byrne, ahead of an anticipated launch later this year.&nbsp;

Bottega House Managing Director Nick Malloch said the project reflects the group’s ambition to deliver a highly curated residential offering within one of Brisbane’s most tightly held precincts.&nbsp;

“This is an incredibly rare riverfront opportunity and one we have approached with a long-term perspective,” Malloch said.&nbsp;

“Our vision from the outset was to create a boutique collection of residences that feel more like private homes than traditional apartments, with generous proportions, refined finishes and exceptional amenity throughout."

Malloch says there is a&nbsp;lack of premium owner-occupier stock of this quality in the market, particularly for downsizers wanting space, privacy and a true lifestyle offering without compromise.&nbsp;

"Demand is expected to be strong given the scarcity of premium riverfront opportunities of this nature within Brisbane’s inner-west."&nbsp;

Bottega House secures landmark riverfront site in St Lucia 

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The arrival of the first piling rig officially marks the commencement of construction at SIERA’s new beachside apartment development, Exhale, in Northcliffe.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/exhale-surfers-paradise-8-enderley-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Exhale</a>, a glass-encased tower featuring 54 large-scale apartments at 8 Enderley Avenue, is SIERA’s third Gold Coast development. It follows the recently completed PIPIS Bilinga beachfront project, which achieved suburb-record prices, and the soon-to-be-completed Chevron Island development, Tapestry.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359603]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/siera">SIERA</a> Founder and Managing Director Brent Thompson said the arrival of the piling rig represented a significant milestone for the development, which is scheduled for completion in late 2028.

Over the next month, around 260 piles are expected to be installed as work progresses on the basement structure. The building is anticipated to rise above ground level early next year, before unveiling its sculptural glass curtain wall, developed in collaboration with specialist façade engineers.

“The façade was designed to maximise panoramic coastal views while creating a distinctive architectural identity,” Thompson said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=355935]

Designed by BDA Architecture, Exhale will comprise just 54 two- and three-bedroom residences across 26 levels, a level of low-density living rarely delivered in this beachside pocket between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

The project has been conceived as a resident-only building, with no short-stay accommodation permitted. SIERA says the model is intended to appeal to long-term owner-occupiers rather than transient holiday demand.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=361052]

Residences have been designed with large-format layouts and expansive glazing, with most apartments featuring more than 30 metres of glass frontage to maximise natural light and ocean views.

The amenity offering spans two levels and centres on wellness and lifestyle, including a heated magnesium pool, sauna, yoga and Pilates studio, gymnasium, private dining facilities, cinema lounge, and dedicated surfcraft storage.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359607]

More than half of the apartments have already sold. SIERA has also opened a sales gallery for Exhale at its Chevron Island commercial premises, near its Tapestry tower and the site of its second Chevron Island apartment development, which is slated to launch in early 2027.
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[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112661]

SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

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

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

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The federal government is being urged to include retail tenancy leases as part of its broader small business fair contracting review.
Phillip Chapman, managing director of Lease1 - a retail lease advocate - said that prior to the election, the federal Coalition outlined a new small business policy that sought to extend to small businesses similar protection that consumers had enjoyed since 2010 under the new Australian consumer law.
He said it was now up to the new federal government to follow through on this promise and include retail shop leases in the fair contracting review.
“If such legislation is to be introduced, as promised under the review of business-to-business contracting by the new government, it would be wholly biased to exclude the estimated 350,000 plus retail leases held around the country,” he added.
Mr Chapman also called on the new federal Minister for Small Business Bruce Billson to act quickly and decisively to cut red tape that was holding back the retail sector across the country.
“If the new Minister is fair dinkum about red tape reduction, then the introduction of a common form simple disclosure statement across all states and territories will deliver massive savings in valuable time and resources for all parties in the retail sector, " he said.
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kjiminez-eaYKfU7qd2

Federal government urged to look at retail tenancy leases

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A friend shared with me an interesting story about <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/packer-plunges-%24330-million-into-american-real-estate-portal-zillow-has-he-found-the-next-rea/2013090564809" target="_blank">James Packer’s recent purchase</a> of a stake in the U.S. site <a href="https://www.zillow.com/" target="_blank">Zillow</a>.
Most Australians would not be familiar with this site unless they had experience buying property in the US. The site effectively enables home buyers and investment property buyers to see recent sales prices of every property in the same street and suburb. It does this by overlaying price data from their own third party data collection source with Google Earth-like maps of the neighbourhood where the property is located.
The key success of the site in recent years has been mostly attributable to the fact that top-line pricing information and comparison is readily available for free when using the service. The paid subscription version then enables for much more granular data about the property you are interested in buying, as well as neighbouring properties. Prices are updated via database inputs in almost real time, meaning that market values ebbs and flows per suburb, and per city, really can be recorded and monitored as they occur.
With Packer’s purchase of a substantial portion of the Zillow enterprise (about 9.4%) it will be interesting to see how this company progresses. Could there be opportunity for Packer to extend Zillow’s offering to markets beyond the domestic US? If an offering such as Zillow were to be made available in the Australian market, this would change the dynamic of how people purchase residential property here.
There are tools available to would-be home buyers and investors to allow them to access pricing and sales data about residential properties in Australia. The biggest of these is RP Data. RP Data plugs in to many of the ‘free’ data sources that property seekers already use in their searches – for example, median sales trend data per-suburb, as supplied on sites such as Realestate.com.au and Domain.com.au.
However, the ‘free kicks’ that RP Data gives away to such resource sites are really just snippets of the true value that the data can show. Of course, more granular detail on specific properties is made available by RP Data’s paid services. Paid RP Data reports can offer the following intel and detail on properties:
Property ownership history:
Red flags can be raised if a property has consistently been bought and re-sold every six to 12 months, for a long period of time. It could mean there are structural problems; potentially unresolved strata legal issues with property developers, or upcoming approved expenditure in strata complexes that will require huge ‘special levy’ increases to fund them.
Property detail:
This will give the true dimensions of the land plot a property is situated on; which may not always correlate with the dimensions contained in the contract of sale. This is important particularly in high-land-value areas where every single square meter of land ‘lost’ (based on assuming the block is bigger than it actually is) could result in thousands of dollars of lost value for that property.
Valuation:
Though bank and independent valuers are called in to assess value of a property (and often they themselves will use RP Data tools to corroborate their inspection findings); RP Data does offer a true market valuation of a chosen property.
Comparable properties:
Some paid reports allow property buyers to see similar properties in the area and the prices these properties have recently sold for. This helps provide peace of mind to the buyer of the true value of their chosen property in comparison to similar ones, in that same market (suburb, or sometimes street).
There are <a href="https://www.rpdata.com/residential_property_information/residential_property_information" target="_blank">additional services</a> that RP Data reports can provide. Unfortunately, many property buyers are not purchasing the RP Data sales history reports for their shortlisted property, prior to negotiating the final sales price. This means buyers could be overpaying for a property, thinking that their negotiated price was a good deal and in line with true market value, when in reality, the price they paid was still substantially higher than the true value.
Regardless though, my view is that Zillow is a far better model. RP Data, under its paid model, can give some idea of comparable property prices in just that street or in some similar properties in that suburb; to have access to an entire city’s pricing data – so, dozens and dozens of suburbs worth of individual properties – would cost a fortune. Zillow offers top-line, real-time, pricing data for entire cities and towns, not just a few ‘similar’ properties in one suburb, and this data is very valuable.
Why?
Because although it is all good and well to make sure you are not overpaying for your chosen suburb, what if the suburb choice itself in the first place is wrong? This would be similar to saying ‘I want to pick the best seat positions in a cinema’ when you want the best movie experience, when in reality the more important choice is not always just about the seat position, but the cinema type itself (Gold Class/IMAX/VMAX v a standard cinema).
Zillow also plugs in and amalgamates many other useful data sources that local services such as RP Data, do not. This makes your due diligence work time spent more efficient and productive. Included features such as mortgage rate comparison from different lenders, real estate sales and rentals listings from almost every local real estate who is affiliated, as well as the major search sites out there (this would be the equivolent locally of having Domain and RealEstate.com.au plugged in, as well as every local agent operating in every suburb with their own sales listings) provide added value to Zillow’s service.
Additional due diligence data such as local demographic and infrastructure data (so, how many schools, hospitals, and so on, a suburb has; in comparison to neighbouring areas) are also useful to have in one place. In Australia, this due diligence intelligence must be sourced from other sites.
So, whilst Packer no doubt has his own commercial success objectives to meet in acquiring his stake in Zillow, it will be interesting to see where the future of such a service could go, if introduced locally. Providing that Zillow would have the means and investment needed to acquire and fuse the data streams locally to provide such an end-to-end research service, it would most certainly be of benefit to home buyers and investors alike.

<hr>
Cameron McEvoy is a NSW-based property investor and maintains a blog, <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.propertycorrespondent.com.au/">Property Correspondent.</a>
 
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cmcevoy-Go82SmsJA9

With James Packer onboard, can Zillow break RP Data's stranglehold on Australian property data? Cameron McEvoy

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Swimming pools are a point of contention for many property buyers. While in some neighbourhoods they are almost expected, and buyers may pay a premium for them, in others they are an unnecessary electricity and maintenance drain.  
Investors in particular are often warned to steer clear, frequently due to the safety warnings and concerns around tenants with younger children.  
This observer column by David Airey debated the common question <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/does-a-swimming-pool-increase-a-property-s-value-david-airey/2012121258438">'Does a swimming pool increase a property's value</a>?' still left it open to debate.  
In saying that, swimming pools are frequently advertised by real estate agents as a selling point for a property. These three current listings below, for instance, clearly position it as a positive.  
The infinity pool and stone outdoor terrace in this <a target="_blank" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-palm+beach-106268790">Palm Beach residence</a> is advertised as “evoking the immediate feel of an endless summer”.
<img alt="whale_oct_2_one" height="353" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/10/02/whale_oct_2_one.jpg">
This <a target="_blank" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-twin+waters-114136587">Twin Water’s residence</a> is listed as being an entertainer’s delight with its infinity pool with wet edge, timber deck and built in bar and BBQ, “send out the invitations now, you will want to host lots of parties in this house.”
 
<img alt="twin_waters_oct_2_one" height="353" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/10/02/twin_waters_oct_2_one.jpg">
 
Lastly, this <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-jollys+lookout-114196659">Jolly’s Lookout</a> residence, which has previously been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/queensland/jollys-lookout-trophy-home-with-infinity-pool-stunner/2013082964640">featured</a> on Property Observer, is listed as having an “award winning infinity edge pool”and offers “maxiumum wow and maximum lifestyle.”
<img alt="jollys_lookout_oct_2_onbe" height="353" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/10/02/jollys_lookout_oct_2_onbe.jpg">
 
{module Would you invest in a property with a swimming pool? }
 
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Would you invest in a property with a swimming pool?

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With the final approval received on Balé Vue Residences in Manly West, construction on the first of stage is more than 90% complete, however investors who purchase within Stage One may need to provide tenants a temporary rental reduction as construction occurs.
Stage one will be settled and ready to move in by December 2013, while stage three currently has 15 units remaining and will be completed by 2015.
<img alt="maley-west-oct-2-one" height="208" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/10/02/maley-west-oct-2-one.jpg">
Angela Olsen, director of Real Property Management Australia, was approached for <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/smsf.me/viewer?a=v&amp;pid=sites&amp;srcid=c21zZi5tZXxtYW5seXJkX2ludmVzdHxneDoyYjg2Njk2OTBkNDY2NjI" target="_blank">an appraisal in September 2012</a>.  She put the rent at between $370 and $415 per week.
"As lots one to six will be the first constructed it is anticipated that prospective tenants may suffer some noise/disruption from the ongoing construction. With this in mind, it is suggested that a rent free period be offered or that rent be advertised on the lower end of the appraisal in the first instance. These rents will likely increase as the development completes," Olsen's appraisal notes.
A more recent appraisal, from Ray White Manly department manager rentals, Kathie Scott, put the rent at between $480 to $520.
"We feel that you could advertise the units for $520 per week to see what response there is," Scott noted in the appraisal dated 24th May 2013.
This change may be reflective of the market in Queensland and changes made to the project post-2012 appraisal, including the addition of a pool and onsite manager.
Development updates and construction images <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/smsf.me/manlyrd_invest/home/development_updates" target="_blank">are available online</a>.
Within the first two stages, there are two townhouses unsold. There are 35 properties over the three stages, with stage one containing six units, stage two containing seven, and stage three containing 22.
Price ranges and details include:
Stage one – $399,000 - $430,000 (248 – 315 square metres)
Stage Two – $399,000 - $430,000 (174 – 314 square metres)
Stage Three - $429,000 - $465,000 (193 – 287 square metres)
Type A – Used in all Stage one, slightly larger than Type B but mainly just the internal orientation. Three-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom and one lock up garage. Kitchen overlooks living space/lounge and only one upstairs balcony.
 Type B – three-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom and one lock up garage. Upstairs has two balconies.
Type C - Lowset (on one level) – three-bedrooms plus study. Only three of this kind in the complex
The development is surrounded by detached houses, and the quick sales are a sign of growing competition among tenants and buyers for affordable, low maintenance properties in an upscale area, said Acuity Invest managing director, Michael Wilkins. However, the majority of buyers are owner occupiers looking to move east and downsize.
“Balé Vue Residences will deliver high quality, low maintenance homes to a market that is crying out for this type of property,” Wilkins said.
“The Balinese-inspired design really complements the surrounding bayside lifestyle, which is popular among couples who want the lifestyle without having to sacrifice Brisbane CBD proximity.”
The development is located near Port Connect, a $385 million upgrade to the Port of Brisbane Motorway and prestigious schools, and is 20 minutes from Brisbane CBD.
Construction on stage two will be completed by September 2014.
For <a target="_blank" href="https://sites.google.com/a/smsf.me/manlyrd_invest/sales/bale-vue---manly-west">more information on the properties, including site plans, see here</a>.
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Investors in first stage of Manly West development may take rent hit

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The property market is changing all the time. New selling conditions confront – and confuse – buyers on a daily basis. To be successful, purchasers must overcome all kinds of strategic challenges, with those best able to read the tea leaves well placed to win the deal.
Buyers’ agents go all over their stomping grounds, so they have a wider view of the market, without preconceptions or emotional attachment to any particular property. Ideally, they never sell property – only help buy it - so they are independent. And, not being paid by selling agents or developers, they have no conflict of interest.
Property Observer asked a few for tips on buying in a ‘hot’ market.
"In a hot or cold market the key is to be prepared, but in a hot market you don’t have the luxury of time,’’ said Rich Harvey, managing director of Sydney buyers’ advocate Propertybuyer, which he founded in 2001.
"For example, in a hot market you might not have time for multiple inspections, or even to call your wife to arrange to get her over for a quick inspection.
"To buy successfully it’s important to have all your ducks all in a row. You have to know the current condition of the market and do your research extremely well.
"This includes having a solicitor or conveyancer ready to act promptly, with documents prepared, and you have to have had the property thoroughly inspected by various trades experts – such as for plumbing and electrical faults, termites and building permits.
"But the most important thing is to have clear finances in place so you can make an unconditional offer to the vendor. This will greatly improve your chances on the day.’’
In Melbourne, Frank Valentic, managing director of Advantage Property Consulting, based in the Elwood, St Kilda  and Ormond areas, said buyers should stick to a budget but be prepared to push themselves an extra $10,000-$20,000 to ‘’beat the competition’’.
"Buyers should avoid the trap of getting over-emotional in negotiating or bidding by having a family member or professional assist them. They should also make offers prior to auction to get around any emotional issues.
‘’An important tip is to have finance pre-approved in writing and a full 10% deposit ready so as to be able to make unconditional offers.’’
Mr Valentic said buyers’ agents had access to off-market opportunities and ‘distress’ sales creating more opportunities.
"Hopeful buyers should do their due diligence by attending auctions to get a good feel for the market and a feel for what a property is worth. They should stay in touch with local agents in their preferred areas so they are the first to learn of new listings.’’
Over in Perth, Gavin Hegney, executive chairman and founder of the Hegney Property Group, can draw on 30 years’ experience in Western Australia’s property industry. He’s seen three booms, three busts and three market cycles, so he knows his onions.
"My first thought is that buyers shouldn’t be aiming to buy in a ‘hot’ market. However, if they must, it would be best to look for the reasons behind the spike in prices in one sector and try to anticipate where prices will rise nearby - then take advantage.
"For example, why pay more for one type of product in a ‘hot’ suburb when, with a realignment of their thinking, they could buy a different type of property nearby, and reap the rewards later.’’
Mr Hegney said buyers should try to quantify what a property is really worth – not what they are being asked to pay for it. ‘’If people know what a property is worth they should have the confidence to buy in a ‘hot’ market.’’
He said buyers should also be able to anticipate rising prices near pending developments, such as around the Barangaroo South precinct on Sydney harbour. They would then benefit from any ‘hot’ market the big development later generates.
Ben Reid, of Vendor Advocacy Australia, said too many prospective buyers went in ‘green’ and did not have a clear understanding of what they were buying and where to get it.
"You’ve got to do your research,’’ he said. ‘’Too many go into a suburb with no idea of values. It really takes two or three months of actively looking and searching in an area to be educated enough and to get a good idea of market conditions.
"My overall No. 1 tip is to look for the best location, location, location. Also, look for property in consistently performing suburbs, or those close by which will benefit from that proximity, such as Thornbury near Clifton Hill or Bentleigh near Brighton in Melbourne.
"Stay away from property on main roads, near power generation sources or tunnelling, such as around the new East-West Link."
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Tips for buying in a hot market

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Property prices are on the move with RP Data reporting the Melbourne and Sydney house prices moving by around 5% in the September quarter. This movement will bread more activity and many new buyers will begin to enter the market.  
One of the major entrants will be home buyers who are looking to upgrade their family home and they will begin to grapple with a major dilemma, should they keep their old home and rent it out or sell it?  
Many people believe that, because residential property can provide solid capital growth over the long term, you should never sell it under any circumstances.  
It’s true that residential property should be held for as long as possible to maximise compound capital growth and minimise the effect of transaction costs like stamp duty and agents’ fees.  
However, a property portfolio (whether it’s your home, a rental property or both) is only effective if it genuinely serves your lifestyle and financial requirements.  
Major life events can alter these requirements, justifying a change in your property portfolio.  
This is no more evident than in the common practice of upgrading to a larger and more expensive family home, whilst holding onto the previous home and renting it out.  
At face value, this seems like a valid decision. Renting out your old home is logistically easier than selling, and you can put the rental income towards the loan repayments.  
But let’s be honest — there’s probably a bit of sentimentality involved. By holding on to your former home, you’re keeping a foothold in a familiar environment. It’s not goodbye; just au revoir.  
Sentimental attachment is fine, but only if the numbers stack up. After all, the property isn’t your home anymore; it’s an investment.  
When you borrow money to buy a property, the Tax Office recognises two kinds of debt. The first kind is debt you take on to purchase a property that produces income in the form of rent. This debt is known as ‘deductible’ because the Tax Office allows you to claim it as a deduction against your taxable income.  
The second kind is debt you take on to purchase a property that doesn’t produce income, i.e. the family home. This debt is known as ‘non-deductible’ because you can’t claim it against your income.  
If you have debt on an investment property and debt on a family home, it makes sense to minimise the proportion of debt that lies with your home, because it’s non-deductible.  
Let’s do a few sums. Say you want to upgrade from your current family home, which is worth $500,000. You’ve worked hard to pay off your loan and the property is debt-free. You don’t know whether to keep it and rent it out, or sell it and put the proceeds towards your new home.  
Option A: rent, then buy. The rental return on a $500,000 property is around 4%, or $20,000 per year. This income will be included in your taxable income and at a 40% tax rate you will loose $8,000 in tax. If you upgrade to a family home worth $700,000, you’ll have to borrow the whole purchase price. At a 5% interest rate, you’ll pay $35,000 in interest each year — none of it tax deductible.  
Option B: sell, then buy. Since you have no debt on your old home, selling it will give you $500,000 cash in hand to put towards your next home. You only need to borrow $200,000. At a rate of 5%, you’ll pay $10,000 per year in non-deductible interest.  
If you then borrow $500,000 at 5% to buy an investment property, you’ll pay $25,000 per year in deductible interest. Take away the $20,000 in rental income and you’re effectively paying $5,000 in interest. Because it’s deductible, you can claim it against your taxable income. At a marginal tax rate of 40 cents in the dollar, you’ll pay interest of $3,000.  
Option A leaves you $23,000 out of pocket while Option B sets you back $13,000. In short, holding your old home will cost you $10,000 per year.  
It’s hard to argue that this makes good investment sense and if interest rate move north it will tighten the noose around your neck.  
Yes, with Option B you’ll pay an additional $30,000 in agent’s fees and stamp duty. But as you’re saving $10,000 per year in interest, it will take around three years before you recoup this cost.  
The prospect of leaving your old home for good may be hard to face. But if you’re getting a case of the wobbles, doing the maths is the only way to make a decision that’s genuinely in your best interests.  

<hr>
Mark Armstrong is a director of <a href="https://www.ipropertyplan.com.au/">iProperty Plan</a>, which provides independent analysis and tailored advice to investors and home buyers.
 
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Investment or attachment? Why renting out your former home doesn’t always make sense: Mark Armstrong

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With the end of the government's Major Cities Unit, the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) warns that the long term strategic planning for Australia's largest cities may no longer be in place.
PIA CEO, Kirsty Kelly, said that the Major Cities Unit was integral for informing planning policy in the light of current unprecendented growth and change across the 18 biggest cities in the country. 
“The Major Cities Unit has been monitoring established and emerging trends and collaboratingwith stakeholders to develop a national urban policy,” Kelly said.“This approach to a cohesive long term planning strategy for Australia has been seen byplanners as an indispensable tool in preparing cities for the future."
Kelly asked for clarification as to which part of the government would be undertaking the role of the unit.
“In the past couple of years the Australian Government’s interest in the role of cities hasn’tjust ended with steps towards better metropolitan planning,” she said.
The focus had also previously been on understanding the role of the individual cities in areas including workforce participation, productivity, innovation and climate change adaption.
“The Major Cities Unit has also been responsible for producing the State of Australian Citiesreports which are a pulse check on the trends and growth patterns in our major cities," she said.
“State of Australian Cities 2013 found that overseas migration accounts for half of thepopulation growth rate in Australia with population expansion in our major cities outstrippingthe national average."
Kelly noted that most of the challenges that will be seen in the future will be within the cities, particularly as they become more urbanised and require more infrastructure.
The <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure/mcu/soac/files/2013_00_INFRA1782_MCU_SOAC_FULL_WEB_FA.pdf" target="_blank">'State of Australian Cities 2013' report can be seen here in its entirety</a>.
The report has several sections dedicated to housing, an issue it gives prominence.
"Increasing housing prices generate greater wealth for city homeowners and landlords. But they also exacerbate inequities within cities," the report stated.
"Moretti (2012) notes that homeowners in areas with strengthening labour markets, such as the inner suburbs of Australia’s capital cities, gain  from not only access to jobs with higher wages but also increases in property prices."
The report also covers liveability, transport and employment opportunities.
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Future of Australian cities up in the air: PIA

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Future developments and infrastructure plans for a suburb can enhance values, but they can also reduce them.
If there are a large number of apartment projects being sold off-the plan and due to be built or completed in the next few years where you are considering investing, this could severely impact on the value of your investment property.
As WBP Property Group chief executive Greville Pabst says, scarcity creates value. Equally, values could rise in a well-located development once other projects are completed and create the impression of a cohesive suburb, rather than just a collection of marked out residential lots.
Plans for new roads, train and bus stations, a new shopping mall and cafes can enhance the appeal of a suburb and push up values.
However, as can be seen with the release of plans for the East West Link in Melbourne, they can also potentially reduce values if they impact on the qualities that make a suburb desirable, such as being quiet or close to a park.
<hr>
This article is fromProperty Observer's free ebook <a href="/guides/free-ebook-top-10-property-investment-tips">Top 10 Property Investment Tips</a>
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Consider future developments, infrastructure plans for the location and take a long term investment view

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SEIFA data confirms the existence of “two cities” with markedly different economic potentials. It’s not by any means certain though that planning policies to promote social mix would have much effect    
<a style="text-decoration: none; color: #669900;" target="_blank" href="https://chartingtransport.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/melbourne-siefa-isrd1.gif"><img style="max-width: 550px;" height="321" width="470" src="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/files/2013/10/SEIFA-Melbourne-19862.jpg" class="size-full wp-image-31657 "></a>
1986: Relative socio-economic disadvantage and advantage in Melbourne (source: Charting Transport)
<a style="text-decoration: none; color: #669900;" target="_blank" href="https://chartingtransport.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/melbourne-siefa-isrd1.gif"><img style="max-width: 550px;" height="318" width="470" src="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/files/2013/10/SEIFA-Melbourne-2011.jpg" class="size-full wp-image-31601 "></a>
<a style="text-decoration: none; color: #669900;" target="_blank" href="https://chartingtransport.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/melbourne-siefa-isrd1.gif"></a> 2011: Relative socio-economic disadvantage and advantage in Melbourne (source: Charting Transport)
After a long hiatus, Chris Loader at Charting Transport has returned to business with this amazing visualisation of <a target="_blank" href="https://chartingtransport.com/2013/09/29/visualising-the-changing-socio-economic-landscape-of-melbourne/">historical changes in the socioeconomic geography of Melbourne</a> (see exhibit). The maps are specific to Melbourne, but it’s likely there’ve been similar changes in other Australian cities.
The maps are based on the SEIFA Index developed by the ABS. The Index uses Census data to rank areas of Australia by their relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage.
Red means disadvantaged and green means advantaged. I’ve shown 1986 and 2011 for contrast, but if you click on the exhibits they’ll take you to Charting Transport where there’s an animation of the changes at each Census over the 25 year period.
The ABS says the maps are designed to give a snapshot at a single time and historical comparisons <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/22CEDA8038AF7A0DCA257B3B00116E34/%24File/2033.0.55.001%20seifa%202011%20technical%20paper.pdf">shouldn’t be undertaken “flippantly”</a>. So, best to look only at the big picture. Also keep in mind the index measures the collective socio-economic characteristics of the people living in a particular sub area (1).
What first hits you in the face looking at these maps is the sheer scale of relative disadvantage in the north and west in 1986 and the sharpness of the divide along the Yarra. Then there’s the subsequent “decentralisation” of disadvantage from the inner city and inner suburbs to the outer suburbs over the period.
Most of the inner city was red in 1986, stretching out 20-25 kilometres from the CBD to the north and west and to the bay in the south. The inner eastern suburbs were green as were the outer eastern suburbs, although there were stripes of yellow and red along main transport corridors.
By 2011 however, there’s virtually no red within 10 kilometres of the centre in any direction, other than a few tiny areas (which are probably social housing estates). Within this bound, the eastern suburbs are almost uniformly green and much of the northern and western suburbs are gentrifying.
The Index fell over the period in some outer areas, for example the eastern suburbs beyond 15 kilometres radius. This could be due to the growing preference of higher income households for more central locations but it’s likely there are other factors at play too, including an aging population and new town house developments.
There’s also more yellow in the suburbs, much of it emerging from 2001 onwards (this is clearer in the animation by Census at <a href="https://chartingtransport.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/melbourne-siefa-isrd1.gif" target="_blank">Charting Transport)</a>. This might reflect growing inequality over the last 10 to 15 years.
There’s plenty of talk of the emergence of “two Melbournes” – the rich inner city and the relatively poor suburbs, especially the outer ones. The SEIFA Index however indicates that while the geography has changed, there were always two Melbournes (2).
The spatial pattern primarily reflects differences in preferences, amenities and economic resources transmitted via housing prices, but not entirely.
The better-off can out-compete those of more modest means to live close to the limited supply of better amenities and public goods like the CBD or the Bay. The pattern is exacerbated though by constraints on the supply of additional housing within established and outer areas. Increased supply could widen locational options for all by improving affordability.
Almost every planning strategy published in the last 20 years argues that increasing “social mix” is the appropriate way to respond to economic segregation. They reflexively propose that socio-economically mixed neighbourhoods should be actively pursued as policy (although they’re usually grossly deficient on how that might plausibly be achieved).
There’s doubt though about whether such policies can effectively tackle poverty or reduce income inequality. Researchers from the London School of Economics examined the issue (Cheshire et al: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.spatialeconomics.ac.uk/textonly/SERC/publications/download/sercpp002.pdf">Policies for mixed communities: a critical evaluation</a>) and concluded that residential segregation is essentially a consequence not a cause of income inequality (3).
They argue the evidence suggests an individual’s characteristics, economic outcomes and life chances are not sensitive to the neighbourhood they live in. A careful examination of the evidence currently available, they say, does not provide much support for the conclusion that mixed neighbourhoods are an effective way of relieving poverty and reducing social exclusion.
Our message from this review of the evidence is that creating mixed neighbourhoods treats a symptom of inequality, not its cause. The problem is poverty, what makes people poor and what keeps them poor; not the type of neighbourhood in which people live. Trying to create mixed neighbourhoods costs substantial resources that could be used directly to relieve poverty.
In a paper published this month, another group of researchers from the London School of Economics (Gibbons et al: <a target="_blank" href="https://personal.lse.ac.uk/gibbons/Papers/Everybody_Needs_Good_Neighbours_October_2012_Final.pdf">Everybody needs good neighbours: evidence from student outcomes in England</a>) examined 1.3 million English schoolchildren as they moved from grade six to grade nine (<a target="_blank" href="https://spatial-economics.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/everybody-needs-good-neighbours">summary here</a>).
Gibbons et al looked at changes in neighbourhood composition over the period and say they failed to find evidence of significant neighbour-peer effects on students’ scores.
From a policy perspective, the implication is that – on the educational dimension at least – programmes to promote socioeconomic mixing in communities through residential relocation are unlikely to be effective.
They did find some evidence that behavioural outcomes such as anti-social activities are affected by neighbourhood composition, so it seems this is a complex (not to mention emotive!) topic.
I expect that increasing housing supply would have some effect on economic segregation (e.g. see <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/09/10/do-sunbelt-cities-know-how-to-increase-diversity/">Do Sunbelt cities know how to increase diversity?</a>), but the bigger picture is city managers and policy-makers should understand better what drives segregation at the neighbourhood and sub-regional levels; what the costs and benefits are (e.g. see <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/09/11/diversity-in-cities-does-it-have-to-be-uniform/">Diversity in cities: does it have to be uniform?</a>); and the limits of what planning can do. 
<hr>
1). As the designers of the first version of the ICSEA index (intended to help interpret NAPLAN school results – see <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2010/03/05/limitations-of-my-school/">Limitations of My School</a>) discovered, a suburb which on average scores either high or low can nevertheless exhibit a lot of variation within the population.
2). My understanding of the deeper mechanics of SEIFA is limited. It might be that a score of 10 or 90 in 1986 means something very different to a score of 10 or 90 in 2011 e.g. the “distance” from 0 to 100 might have stretched considerably over the period (given rising inequality).
3). Henry Overman from the Spatial Economics Research Centre in London <a target="_blank" href="https://spatial-economics.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/strange-bedfellows-neighbourhood-effects">points to</a> a Marxist analysis (Tom Slater: <a target="_blank" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2427.2013.01215.x/abstract">Your life chances affect where you live: a critique of the ‘cottage industry’ of neighbourhood-effects research</a>) that makes much the same point:  “By examining the structural factors that give rise to differential life chances and the inequalities they produce, and by inverting the neighbourhood effects thesis to: your life chances affect where you live, the problem becomes one of understanding life chances via a theory of capital accumulation and class struggle in cities.”
 
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This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.crikey.com.au" target="_blank">Crikey</a>.
 
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 Tale of two cities; What can be done about Melbourne's socio-economic polarisation?

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Fashion brand Bettina Liano is up for sale, following the appointment last week of administrators for the second time in recent years.
Administrators Richard Albarran, Brent Kijurina and David Ross from Hall Chadwick in Sydney are seeking “urgent expressions of interest” to purchase the business and/or its assets.
They have listed the label’s 24-year history, sale of goods via Myer department stores, strong brand recognition and consumer goodwill as key selling points. Stock and inventory, registered trademarks and the customer database are all part of the sale.
The administrators for the eponymous brand said in a statement they are working with the director regarding a proposal for a formal restructure of the company via a Deed of Company Arrangement.
“The administrators will commence a marketing campaign for the sale of the company’s business as a going concern. The administrators are currently continuing to trade the business as a going concern to maximise the return to creditors,” the statement said.
The first creditors meeting will be held in Hall Chadwick’s Melbourne offices on Friday, October 4 at 11am.
The eponymous label first went into administration in 2011, but recovered following a deal with Sydney-based clothing manufacturing business Apparel Group to design, manufacture and wholesale the brand.
A spokesperson for Apparel Group said yesterday that they were not aware of the latest administration announcement, and that nothing had changed with the agreement with the brand.
Apparel Group was contacted for further comment today, but no reply was received prior to publication.
Through the deal, Liano was to maintain control of her business – both the Bettina Liano label and youth diffusion label T by Bettina Liano – and retain the role of creative director for both brands.
Bettina Liano launched its first store in 1990. Recently it has experienced a turbulent few years that saw the brand close all but one of its Australian retail stores in favour of opening a New York store.
The closures included its original Chapel Street, Melbourne, store, which had operated for 23 years.
<a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/strategy/049928-bettina-liano-escapes-administration-and-stitches-up-a-new-deal-three-companies-that-have-hung-on-to-their-founders">Liano said in February this year</a> that the decision to move overseas was linked to Australia’s expensive retail rents. The designer said she was paying $25,000 a month for rent in Melbourne’s Chapel Street.
“It’s sad, but I’m going to come back and by the end of the year I’m going to reopen stores,” Liano said in February 2013. “I just want to pay good rent; Melbourne is not worth what they are charging at the moment.  
“At the moment in the States it is like repeating how I started in Melbourne, there were empty stores going cheap. In Australia, in the last 12 months, I have been on sale for the last 12 months; it is just so price sensitive.”
At the time Liano said she wanted Bettina Liano to become a global brand with international trends and styles at the core of the seasonal collections.
In addition to the New York store, she intended to open sites in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami.
“I am just looking for volume in the market, I feel that I outgrew Melbourne in particular and I have been banging the drum for 23 years. I feel like I could do with a new audience and I’m confident that what I do is different enough from everyone else to be able to sell it [in the United States],” she said.
Liano said in January this year she had faced a “chronic delay with my suppliers”.
“I didn’t get delivery of a summer season until the first week of January so that just killed me – I don’t know how long you can sell a sweater for,” she said.
Liano said in early 2012 that the 2011 administration was a harrowing experience.
“I lost most of what I worked 25 years for, I lost millions of dollars in equity and I'm trying really hard. I’m not a crook.
“I was solely responsible and no one could help me except for me.
“It was harrowing and it was like walking a tightrope: it was like a 50-foot wave surf movie, when you fly down the face off a wave. I just flew down the face and I didn’t wipe out and now I am paddling back out.”
2013 has been a tough year for Australian fashion brands, with fellow womenswear labels <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/retail/056338-fate-unknown-for-fashion-brand-kirrily-johnston-under-administration">Kirrily Johnston</a> facing administration and <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/buy-or-sell-a-business/056851-phoenix-issue-rises-to-plague-lisa-ho-following-the-brand-s-collapse">Lisa Ho being forced to shut down</a>.
Bettina Liano is known for its denim wear, sharp tailoring and fashion forward looks for women.

<hr>
This article first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au">SmartCompany</a>.
 
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