Perth’s new apartment market recorded its strongest quarter of sales since Q4 2021, with 412 apartments sold in Q1 2026 and a record quarterly sold value of $537 million, according to Urbis’ latest Apartment Essentials results.

Urbis said the March quarter result reflects strong, highly product‑specific demand across both ends of the market, from more attainable projects delivering at scale, through to premium stock being absorbed by equity‑rich downsizers.&nbsp;

David Cresp, Partner at Urbis, said the key story in Perth is not demand, it is the market’s ability to convert demand into delivered housing.&nbsp;

“This is the strongest sales quarter since Q4 2021, and it reinforces that demand in Perth is real and it’s local,” David Cresp said. “But the task now is delivery, turning that demand into projects that can actually be built and completed.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=110291 project_image_fid=302785]

<h2>Affordable product leads, premium demand remains resilient</h2>

Sales in Q1 were led by more affordable projects, with The Boulevard (SKS Group) recording 115 sales in the quarter, the presentation noting this is only the second time a single project has surpassed 100 quarterly sales. The project was able to offer more affordable housing product right next to a train station.&nbsp;

Palmyra West (Finbar) also delivered strong results with 28 sales in Q1, following 84 sales in Q4, with an average price of under $800,000, underscoring depth of demand for well‑located, attainable new stock.&nbsp;

At the premium end, Urbis said downsizer demand is continuing, with the results highlighting Romeo (Applecross, Finbar) recording 75 sales and reaching almost 50% sold in one quarter.

Jual (Shenton Park, Celsius Property) also posted a strong quarter with 28 sales, reaching 39% sold in one quarter.

Urbis noted that Perth apartment demand is not speculative, not investor‑led, and not uniform, describing it as localised, often equity‑driven and highly product‑specific, a pattern reflected in the polarisation between strong “attainable” performers and premium downsizer product.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=148957 project_image_fid=364102]

<h2>Prices underpinned by costs, and the delivery risk is growing</h2>

Urbis said pricing pressure is cost not demand‑driven: construction costs and delivery risk are now a central constraint, with the results noting build costs remain elevated and volatile, and that energy, fuel and labour uncertainty weigh on feasibility.

David Cresp said a growing challenge for private Build‑to‑Sell developers is simply securing a builder in the current environment.

“Developers are really feeling the pressure from a building market that was operating at capacity and securing a builder is challenging,” David Cresp said, adding that even where a builder can be secured, “trying to get to the price that makes the development financially viable is incredibly challenging in the current market.”&nbsp;

Urbis’ broader WA commentary also notes that industry remains at or above capacity with lot and housing creation, and that many builders are limiting new sales to manage stretched workforces and fixed‑price contract pressures, conditions that flow directly into apartment feasibility and delivery timing.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108869 project_image_fid=317905]

<h2>Supply: improving later, but still constrained, and Perth lags eastern benchmarks</h2>

While near‑term supply remains constrained, Urbis’ forecast shows completions lifting “Supply is forecast to be back above 1,500 apartments per annum for the first time since 2019”, with 1,775 completions forecast for 2026, and volumes remaining above that level over the following years.&nbsp;

Looking further ahead, completions are forecast to reach 2,500 in 2028, with the report noting 32% of that total is social/affordable, reflecting the role of government‑supported delivery in rebuilding the pipeline.&nbsp;

However, Urbis said Perth remains behind comparable markets on pipeline scale. In a national comparison of projects under construction, the report shows under construction Perth Build‑to‑Sell (BTS) at 3,446 apartments versus the Gold Coast at 7,922. Mr Cresp said “The challenge for Perth is how to we grow the delivery pipeline”.

Urbis’ conclusion is that Perth’s market is increasingly defined by product discipline and delivery certainty, with the research identifying “delivery certainty is key” and calling out builder risk and procurement models as core success factors, alongside “timing and staging”.&nbsp;

Joel Robinson

Perth apartment sales hit strongest pace since late 2021 as builder capacity tightens

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sammut-developments">Sammut Group</a> has secured development approval for its latest Brisbane apartment project, marking the Sydney developer’s next step in expanding its Queensland pipeline following the success of its debut Gold Coast development, Coast.

The approved project at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/44-glen-road-toowong-qld-4066">44 Glen Road, </a><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/toowong-qld-4066">Toowong</a> will deliver a 15-storey riverfront apartment building with 42 residences, significantly increasing the scale of the site’s previous approval for a smaller luxury scheme. Designed by Bureau^proberts, the development will comprise a mix of predominantly four-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments positioned to maximise Brisbane River and city views.

Sammut Director Julian Sammut said the group had been actively searching Brisbane for several years before identifying Toowong as the right fit.

“Brisbane was the right step for Sammut,” Sammut said.

“With the success of Coast we thought we should definitely look to do more in Queensland alone. We then pushed up to look at Brisbane. We've been looking for I'd say two to three years actually and it was hard to find the right location.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.14%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=dYAVIL7qdcGA8ojvkslSrLjczXFejSSx" />

Sammut said suburbs including New Farm and Teneriffe were considered before the group ultimately focused on Toowong due to its strong downsizer demographic and limited supply of developable riverfront land.

The site was acquired off-market after what Sammut described as a lengthy negotiation and planning process, with the developer pursuing an uplift to the original approval.

“We are DA approved now which is very exciting,” Sammut said.

“We've had our change approval come through and we've obviously doubled the height, 15 storeys plus rooftop. We've got 42 amazing apartments that are going to be coming to market soon.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" 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/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.26%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=ohkRkY0dIZlqdfME2EZePsCQavRiBadE" />

Bureau^proberts said the design responds to Toowong’s evolving urban character, balancing contemporary apartment living with the area’s established residential identity.

“A place where traditional Queensland living has taken place for centuries; Toowong is seeing a shift of contemporary influence, commercial and retail hubs mixed with well-considered residential offerings – all the while maintaining its character and charm,” the architect noted in planning documents submitted to Brisbane City Council.

The architecture practice said the project’s form was shaped by its riverfront setting, flood considerations, neighbouring building scales, and view corridors.

“They said the mix of four and two-bedroom apartments capture the ‘fundamental qualities of Queenslander living,’ translated into the context of a contemporary subtropical building.”

The development sits just off Coronation Drive within walking distance of Toowong’s retail precinct and the upgraded Regatta ferry terminal, while also benefiting from proximity to the incoming green bridge connection to West End. Sammut said the accessibility and amenity offering were central to the site’s appeal.

The approval adds to growing residential activity along the Toowong riverfront, joining nearby projects including Consolidated Properties’ Monarch Residences and Spyre Group’s ARC Residences.

Sammut secures approval for debut Brisbane apartment development in Toowong

Developer Lanevick is heading back into Sydney’s apartment market after focusing more heavily on the luxury townhouse and terrace sector in recent years.

Lanevick, founded and directed by Steve Maroun, is expecting to receive approval in the coming months for a new apartment development in Gladesville, with the aim to launch it to the market later this year.

The 51-apartment project, designed by Studio Johnston, will comprise a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments positioned toward the Hunters Hill downsizer market.

“Traditionally it’s been difficult for people in that market to downsize because there just hasn’t been the right product available,” Maroun said.

“We’re targeting buyers who might have 30 to 40 per cent of their house value sitting in the bank after downsizing.

“They still want good spacious entertaining areas, they still want quality design, but they also want flexibility and the ability to enjoy life a bit more after working hard for a long time.”

The project sits near Boronia Park and within close proximity to the Parramatta River foreshore, an area Maroun says offers more of a Hunters Hill lifestyle than a traditional apartment precinct.

“From a lifestyle perspective, it’s really more Hunters Hill than Gladesville,” Maroun said. “You’re close to the foreshore, close to parklands, and still connected back into the village precinct.”

From level four and above, apartments will capture water views&nbsp;toward Sydney Harbour. Communal amenity will include rooftop entertaining areas, wellness spaces, and a gym tailored toward owner-occupier buyers.

“We’ve really designed these apartments around that buyer coming from the Hunters Hill LGA and what they’re actually looking for in their next chapter.”

The proposed development has also been designed to respond to the changing character of the broader Gladesville town centre, where a growing number of mixed-use and residential proposals are expected to emerge over the coming years.

“Gladesville presented a rare opportunity to deliver a genuinely design-led residential project within an evolving lifestyle precinct, just moments from the growing Gladesville town centre, and we’ve approached the project with a strong focus on architecture, liveability and long-term community value,” Maroun said.

Maroun said Lanevick saw a first-mover advantage within the precinct as planning controls continue to evolve to accommodate greater housing density.

“We think there’s a real opportunity there that hasn’t really been serviced properly yet,” he said.

“There’s going to be a broader evolution of the whole Gladesville village precinct over time, particularly with more activation and mixed-use outcomes.”

The Venus Street proposal will include a commercial and retail component at ground level designed to contribute to that evolving streetscape activation.

“A big part of the thinking was how do you activate that area properly and create more vibrancy and amenity, which is what Hunters Hill has been looking for,” Maroun said.

Lanevick’s focus since 2020 has largely been on smaller-scale luxury townhouse and terrace developments. The developer recently completed Royale Randwick, also designed by Studio Johnston, where prices reached $3.65 million. The project was featured in the UDIA NSW 2026 Professional Development Prospectus and was also named a finalist for Development of the Year.

&nbsp;

Lanevick to cater for Hunters Hill downsizers with new Gladesville apartment development

Property developer One Living, backed by former Macquarie banker turned investment manager Chris Green’s investment firm, has unveiled plans to bring more institutional capital into housing to help address the national supply crisis.

The New York-based investor has focused his firm, GreenPoint Partners, on addressing the supply shortage hitting middle market housing in Australia.

It is backing the new One Living business to develop more than 1000 units along the eastern seaboard. The new firm is starting with a development on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with around 140 apartments planned. They are eyeing off more sites across the city.

With cost pressures rising in the industry, One Living’s model is to be a vertically integrated developer-builder, so it can respond directly to the housing gap by removing the cost inefficiencies embedded in traditional residential delivery.

“We are building a platform designed to operate at scale and starting in a market where there’s a clear need for quality, attainable housing,” One Living joint managing director Joseph Scuderi said.

“It’s that missing middle – it’s that attainable end of housing… that’s what most Australians invest into and what Australians can actually afford.”

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="798dfa93-4941-4db6-a696-31e9dc18e81c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.31.50%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=mKBqi5C_DmeiXS.AtJkcR8LQIxqCqmFi" />

GreenPoint Partners brings years of experience assembling and scaling real estate operating businesses across major markets. And Green sees a big opportunity in Australia.

“For its size, sophistication and importance to the community, Australia’s living sector has remained largely under-institutionalised, which represents significant opportunity,” Green said. “GreenPoint identified that gap, assembled the right team, and is backing One Living to build a platform that is aligned to market needs.”

Green said being a builder-developer would give the company the capacity and flexibility it required to deliver reasonably-priced homes.

“We want it to be at that attainable level; not super high end luxury but at that attainable level,” he said.

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74a5344a-4b26-4d4a-ada3-056b1220be77" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.32.15%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=vY8hXHO4reBMdO8ZXMWCNtGZJofUPQ3j" />

&nbsp;

One Living will undertake a component of affordable housing in its schemes, which it will own and operate, and it could also run build-to-rent on some sites.

Green praised local policy settings.

“The NSW government is being very supportive, strategic and pragmatic in terms of how do we generate more supply of housing,” he said. “We think it’s actually positive for development and the bit that’s been lacking at that attainable level is that it’s lots of relatively small private developers, whereas we want to create an institutional platform.”

One Living is also&nbsp;looking at high-density projects and could take on more institutional funding in the future.

“The way we will be able to achieve economies of scale is through size,” Green added.

One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition

It's been several years since there's been an opportunity to buy a brand new townhome in Melbourne's coastal suburb of Mordialloc. Even apartment developments in recent times have been few and far between in the area.

Local developer LDS Property identified the gap in new housing, securing a site on White Street, directly opposite&nbsp;Woodlands Golf Club Mordialloc. They've recently launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/wm-residences-mordialloc-102-white-street-mordialloc-vic-3195">WM Residences</a>, just 13 townhouses which they have already started building.

Projects by Buxton Director Heath Thompson, who is selling WM Residences, says the townhouses x that perfect middle ground be

"Mordialloc residents have had limited options to downsize within the suburb, often forcing them to look elsewhere despite long-standing ties to the area," Thompson says.

"With very little comparable new supply coming to market, projects like WM Residences are well placed, particularly as buyers look to capitalise on current conditions amid constrained supply."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6109]

The development, designed by regarded architecture firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ewert-leaf">Ewert Leaf</a>,&nbsp;adopts a deliberately restrained architectural approach, focusing on simplicity, durability and liveability rather than overt design gestures.

The boutique scale is central to the offering. With only 13 three-bedroom residences, each home is configured to prioritise functional layouts and everyday use, supported by private terraces and secure two-car garages.

Ewert Leaf’s design response leans into a calm, neutral material palette. Interiors are defined by oak flooring, white walls and soft finishes, creating a consistent and understated backdrop. The approach avoids trend-driven detailing in favour of longevity, with an emphasis on natural light and spatial clarity.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6110]

Beyond aesthetics, the homes are designed to meet contemporary performance expectations. Each residence targets a minimum 6-star energy rating, incorporating double glazing, comprehensive insulation and all-electric Bosch appliances.

The project’s location supports a walkable coastal lifestyle, sitting within close proximity to Mordialloc’s foreshore, Main Street retail strip and the train station. Local cafés and dining venues, including Suburbia Deli and Hendriks Café, are within a short walk, reinforcing the area’s established neighbourhood character.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6116]

While <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/mordialloc-vic-3195">Mordialloc</a> is often defined by its beach and pier, the project taps into other areas of day to day living, offering easy access to local food, casual dining and transport, rather than positioning itself purely as a lifestyle retreat.

WM Residences reflects a continued trend across Melbourne’s coastal suburbs towards smaller-scale, design-led townhouse developments, particularly on infill sites where proximity to amenity is already established.

With construction commenced prior to its market entry, the project aligns with a growing preference among buyers for developments with visible progress and defined delivery timeframes.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134646]

WM Residences fills gap in Mordialloc townhouse market

China

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Over the past year a record 953,200 tourists came to Australia from China, up 19.6% over the year.
Tourists from China and Hong Kong rose to a record 1,165,600 over the past year.
Australia's number one tourist group remains New Zealand who totalled 1,286,900 visitors over the past year, but that was up just 4.9%.
The figures come as a Sydney estate agency mooted a summer rental stunt that would see 20 Chinese millionaires "trying" Sydney mansions before buying them. 
The Chinese property and lifestyle concierge Monika Tu claimed she will place these Chinese nationals from five Shanghai high-net worth families into palatial homes around Sydney at the start of the Chinese New Year celebrations in early February 2016.
They will stay initially for between one month and six months. 
She suggested with each having at least $10 million to spare, the group will bring more than $200 million into Australia to spend on property and other investments. 
"These high-net worth Chinese individuals are looking for a real life experience of what life would be like in Australia. They want to be introduced to schools for their children... even put their children into some kind of holiday school program as an initial try-out," Ms Tu told the Australian Financial Review. 
"They also want to find investment advisers and find out how to set up a business here."
These are not your average Chinese rich people, Ms Tu added. 
"Our new neighbours are not simply relocating just for our beaches," Ms Tu suggested.
"Many Chinese parents are becoming more open-minded and believe their own system [is] possibly corrupt and at times dehumanising, hence many of them look to the West for answers."
The plans are to house the 20 within walking distance in expensive Sydney suburbs such as Bellevue Hill in the east and Palm Beach on the northern beaches.
Some have expressed interest in the more affordable northern Sydney suburb of Frenchs Forest. 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Chinese to try-before-buy prestige home packages to escape dehumanising homeland

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Offshore investors dominated commercial property sales activity in Australia in Q3, snapping up over half of the $8.6 billion in property traded during the period according to new CBRE data.
CBRE’s sales analysis takes into account sales of retail, industrial and office property valued at over $5 million.
It shows that offshore buyers accounted for 56% of total sales, by value, during the quarter under research - marking the highest proportion recorded in the ten years of CBRE records.
CBRE’s Australia head of research, Stephen McNabb said the high level of overseas purchasing activity had pushed total sales in the quarter 8.5% higher than the corresponding quarter last year. 
The current level of transaction activity may eventually reach or even eclipse the record $29.6 billion in annual sales recorded during 2014.
“The major source of new capital has been China, with Australia attracting close to 25% of the US$6.5 billion in Chinese investment capital released into global real estate markets in the first half of this year.” said Mr McNabb.
CBRE executive managing director in capital markets, Mark Granter said the surge of Chinese capital had been initially driven by private investors and developers but was now being also propelled by major institutional investors.
Singapore’s Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust was very active during the period of investment, having snapped up a portfolio of 26 logistics properties from GIC in a deal valued at $1.01 billion. 
Another major Australian acquisition in Q3 included the $2.5 billion purchase of the Investa portfolio by China Investment Corporation. 
Mr McNabb noted that net investment position of offshore investors continued to grow and now totalled $24 billion since 2006.
However, he also brought attention to the fact that a number of the larger offshore transactions in Q3 – such as that of the GIC portfolio – involved sales by existing offshore owners.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Foreign investment in Australian commercial property reaches new highs‏

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New dwelling prices are rising again in China, just about..
<a href="/images/2015/09/21/3tr-chinapm-small.gif" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/09/21/3tr-chinapm-small.gif" alt="">
 
<div>The Chinese economy - and industrial production in particular - has clearly been slowing, with "official" GDP growth set to fall below 7 per cent.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>There is some sign of an upturn in credit growth. </div>
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<div><a href="/images/2015/09/21/3bl-chinacr-small.gif" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
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<div><img src="/images/2015/09/21/3bl-chinacr-small.gif" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">blogger</a>. 
His latest book is <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>.
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pwargent-M4siyDbqQY

New dwelling prices rising in China: Pete Wargent

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GUEST OBSERVER
China’s next Five-Year Plan is due to be formally approved by the National People’s Congress in March 2016.
One of the areas of focus is the role of China’s State-Owned Enterprises, generally viewed with suspicion by the West and also seen within China as bloated and in need of a clean-up.
The Five-Year Plans have become a flexible political tool in the hands of central leaders seeking to shape the behaviour and priorities of diverse ministries and local governments.
China’s Cabinet recently released the latest document in what will be a cascading series of plans and guidelines feeding into China’s policy settings between now and 2020.
The State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) Guidelines are part of tackling China’s larger economic reform challenge. This requires shifting the overall macroeconomic growth model from domestic investment (mostly infrastructure) and a focus on exports, to one of growth led by domestic consumption and an expanded services sector.
The guidelines are the latest stage of an SOE reform process underway since the 1990s, as the Chinese state-controlled economy has made way for a rapidly growing private economy sector.
<h2>The current state of SOEs in China</h2>
The words typically used to describe the SOE sector in China are “inefficient”, “bloated”, and “bulky”.
The sector has been slimmed down a lot over the past decades, but still comprises 110 conglomerates. SOEs accounting for around 60% of total revenue are overseen by the central government’s State Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. And between 25,000 – 150,000 SOEs (depending on which definition of <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-30/china-s-state-owned-companies-may-face-reform">“</a>state-ownership<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-30/china-s-state-owned-companies-may-face-reform">”</a> is used) are controlled and managed by provincial, municipal and lower levels of government.
The larger SOEs maintain monopolies over key sectors of the economy (energy, mining, infrastructure) and smaller SOEs are characterised by low productivity and high debt levels. A lot of the problems and inefficiencies stem from the fact that the interests controlling SOE behaviour are not necessarily aligned with those of the wider economy or society.
<h2>Time for a clean out</h2>
Authorities have been consolidating and “cleaning up” SOEs for better resource allocation for a while now. China’s two major bullet train makers completed consolidation in the first half of 2015, while China Railway Corporation recently announced an asset-reorganisation with one of its subsidiaries.
Central authorities indicated earlier this year that Beijing would like mergers and acquisitions to result in a figure of around 40 conglomerates under the SASAC.
The real challenge will be in getting the Provinces to cooperate in cross-border mergers of provincial and municipal SOE assets. The ambitious Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional integration <a href="">blueprint</a> provides an important testing ground for getting different localities to cooperate, share and consolidate economic and social planning and resources.
<h2>Commercial vs ‘social’</h2>
Schools, universities, medical goods and service providers, and operators of public utilities (water, sanitation, energy, transport and communications) together form a huge and important part of the Chinese economy. It is important that they be run efficiently, but also important that they fulfil the social purposes for which they exist.
Providing equitable access to essential public goods and services means these firms cannot be expected to run on purely commercial considerations. And so the SOE guidelines indicate that SOEs will be categorised as either “commercial” or “public goods and services”, and dealt with accordingly. Commercial SOEs will be encouraged to become leaner, more efficient, and more market-oriented, while “social” SOEs will be encouraged to focus more on the quality of service provision.
<h2>Diversifying SOE ownership</h2>
A key part of making SOEs more efficient and more market-oriented is to allow private investors to purchase ownership stakes.
SOEs will be encouraged to bring in “various investors” through share-rights swaps, issuing new shares and/or convertible bonds and other means. Institutional investors in particular, including foreign ones, will be allowed/encouraged to buy stakes in SOEs, and SOEs will be allowed to experiment with employee share ownership schemes.
Oil and gas, electricity, railways and telecommunications have been identified as suitable for “limited” private investment: indeed, key energy companies Sinopec and National Petroleum Corp have already begun selling off parts of their operations.
While the Singapore Temasek model of state investment has been <a href="">cited</a>, strategic SOEs in China will never fit that model, but will remain under strict state (ie. Party) control.
Improved independent decision-making at board level will be encouraged by requiring the boards of all SOEs to have a majority of non-executive (external) directors. More professional managers will be employed, and a more flexible and market-based compensation system for SOE officers will link pay to company performance.
<h2>Obstacles to reform</h2>
The key obstacle to SOE reform will be overcoming “pushback” from entrenched interests at local, provincial and national government levels. Overcoming this obstacle is made particularly difficult because of the emphasis on leadership of, and control by, the Chinese Communist Party.
Reforming the Party, particularly to reduce corruption, is also an important part of the Five-Year Plan, but loosening the Party’s grip on control is nowhere in sight. The extent to which the politics of the 13th Five Year Plan remain compatible with its economic reform goals therefore remains to be seen.
Alice de Jonge is senior lecturer, International Law; Asian Business Law, Monash University and author for The Conversation. She can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alice-de-jonge-118840" target="_blank">here</a>.
 
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China’s grip still tight on state-owned enterprises

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Think about these five facts: 
1. China is now Australia’s biggest trading partner. 
2. Bloomberg says our links to China have quadrupled in five years. 
3. Last year, Aussies sent 36 percent of our exports to China. 
4. That’s more than any country in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
5. China invested, reports the FIRB, $12.5 billion in Australian real estate last year. 
When I read all this, the first thing that pops into my head is, “Thank goodness for China.”
If there were no China, Australia would have missed out on the boom of the last decade, which has been one of the greatest wealth-generators in our history.
It was bigger than just resources, but during the boom the mining companies alone invested four times more money in Australia than the US transferred to Europe in the entire post-war Marshall Plan. 
In the property sector, many of the new buildings that have gone up in suburbs all over the country since the year 2000 simply wouldn’t have been built without China. Developers, the RBA and the government’s recent Parliamentary inquiry all agree that off-the-plan sales to Chinese buyers have been the key to unlocking new housing supply.
After feeling good for a few moments, a question then occurs to me. It’s this: “What happens now?”
What does the recent plunge in China’s stock market means for Australian real estate?
There are two ways to answer that. 
The first is with the short-term answer. Over the past month, Chinese demand for international property has remained normal. No high peaks. No deep plunges.  
At Juwai.com, we’ve seen it in the numbers of people coming to our website to make inquiries to agents. We’ve seen it in the deals that agents report they are making. And, we’ve seen it in our call center, where our team responds by phone, social media and email to buyer questions. 
Some people expected international property buying to rocket upwards as Chinese rushed to escape their gyrating stock market. But there’s been no change. 
The second way to answer the question is by looking at the long term. 
Over the long term, the turmoil in China’s equities market have given Chinese one less reason to invest in equities and one more to invest in international real estate, which just goes from strength to strength.
Australia’s currency has plummeted, giving Chinese consumers a 15% to 20% boost in their real estate buying power. (Of course, it’s been less fun for those who bought their Australian investment five years ago and since seen it’s value in Chinese yuan drop.)
The government is, in fact, encouraging Chinese families and companies to invest in places like Australia. 
China’s low savings account interest rates mean that overseas investment can be a better bet for generating returns for the country’s huge savings reserves. 
So over the short run, Chinese buying has been stable and in future years it will only grow.
 
Andrew Taylor is the founder and chief executive officer of sales and marketing at <a href="https://www.juwai.com/" target="_blank">Juwai.com</a>, the number-one Chinese real estate portal for property in Australia and around the world. Find out more about him <a href="https://list.juwai.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. 
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What China’s stock market meltdown means for Australian real estate: Juwai's Andrew Taylor

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A 7,530 sqm Mooroolbark site has sold to a Chinese investor for $9.050 million with a weighted average lease expiry of around 5.31 years.
14 Manchester Road, Mooroolbark, features a retail/commercial building of 2,759 sqm currently yielding a net income of around $712,778 p.a.
DTZ agent, Patrick O’Callaghan said there was significant competition for the property, with two offshore parties bidding against each other until the very end.
The building is fully leased, and includes tenants Good Life Health Clubs, G8 Education, licensees for Biggin Scott, Telstra and Pump Café. 
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Mooroolbark retail complex sells for $9.05 million

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We now live in an international world. Policy decisions made in one country can reverberate thousands of miles away.
Something that happened in Beijing in early June is still sending out shockwaves. It could lead to more than $98.5 billion of new investment in Australia’s property sector.
This momentous event was the Chinese government’s soft announcement of a new pilot program, named QDII2, to enable people to more easily move money out of China.
Most Australians have become accustomed to thinking of China as jealously guarding its borders, to prevent its citizens from investing overseas.
But, in fact, China’s government has a very public desire to increase its citizens’ and corporations’ international investments. 
China also wants its yuan to rank right up there as a global currency, along with the US dollar, Japanese yen and British pounds sterling.
QDII2 starts with six cities, whose total population is more than 50 million. After testing the concept, the government hopes to roll it out to the whole country of 1.3 billion.
The total amount of wealth that would then been be freed, as reported in the Financial Times, to invest in international assets would be AU$8.5 trillion. Our conservative estimate is that about $98.5 billion of that will find its way into Australian real estate.
This is good news for the lucky country. Australia is just starting to reap some of the major benefits from Chinese investment. This latest change will multiply those benefits.
One benefit is, frankly, a higher level of architectural quality. It’s no surprise that a Chinese developer will build Australia’s first buildings by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Dame Zaha Hadid.
Another benefit is the large number of new apartments coming into the market. New construction has soared since Chinese buyers entered the market.
Chinese are often willing to buy off the plan, so they give developers the pre-sales they need to start construction on projects that they otherwise couldn’t build.
The Property Council of Australia estimates that each Chinese purchase enables the construction of four additional new homes for Australians.
With increased Chinese international investment, Australia should continue to benefit. But, it is conceivable that the country lose its place as a favored destination for Chinese buyers.
There is intense international competition for Chinese investment. Conditions in other destination countries may become more attractive. 
Or, Australia could lose its appeal, either due to market conditions or bad policy decisions.
Australia’s economy needs foreign investment. QDII2 presents a huge new opportunity to attract that money. Let’s see what Australia does about it.
 
Andrew Taylor is the founder and chief executive officer of sales and marketing at <a href="https://www.juwai.com/" target="_blank">Juwai.com</a>, the number-one Chinese real estate portal for property in Australia and around the world. Find out more about him <a href="https://list.juwai.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.
 
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Why today's Chinese property investment is just the beginning: Andrew Taylor

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There was a time when the announcement of a $6 billion mine creating 7,300 jobs would have set investors’ pulses racing and their fingers dialing.
If your heart is pounding at the prospect of a property boom around the China Stone coal mine in central Queensland, you haven’t been keeping up with modern trends.
The way mining companies operate these days, it’s possible to have thousands of highly-paid personnel working on a resources project without creating any local real estate demand to speak of.
Last week there was an announcement about the mine planned by Chinese mining company Macmines in the Galilee Basin region near Emerald. It was more of a confirmation than an announcement because, despite many newspapers treating it as new information, the project has been known a long time.
Construction cost $6.7 billion, 3,900 construction jobs, 3,400 operational jobs, $6 billion in royalties to government – it’s all been reported before.
China Stone is one of six mega-mines planned for the Galilee Basin, the others being Carmichael, Alpha, Kevin’s Corner, China First and Galilee South. They add up to $40 billion in investment, tens of thousands of jobs and lots of court time dealing with environmental opposition.
There was a time when this would have meant a property boom in the immediate area, with mining personnel paying huge rents for local houses.
But towns like Moranbah and Chinchilla in Queensland, and Port Hedland and Newman in Western Australia, became victims of their own success. The resources industry rebelled against rents topping $2,000 per week and tin-shed houses fetching over $1 million.
This created the concept that is now the scourge of many rural communities: the FIFO workforce and construction of temporary accommodation camps.
A mega-billion mine with thousands of employees doesn’t add up to a property boom any more. In many recent cases, it has destroyed real estate markets. 
Developers have piled in, building lots of new homes in expectation of rich rewards, while the big miners have flown their workers in and out, putting them up in special camps outside the towns that expected to benefit from the influx of workers and money.
Massive vacancies have resulted in the towns of the Surat Basin and the Bowen Basin in Queensland. If developers haven’t done their research, it will happen again in the Galilee Basin.
There are scarcely any benefits to local towns from major mining projects now. Locals don’t even get to apply for jobs in the big mines on their doorsteps, because the workers are recruited elsewhere and flown in.
In the case of the multiple mega mines of the Galilee Basin, there will be economic benefits for nearby regional centres with airports, such as Emerald, if and when one of the mega projects starts construction. 
Emerald has been hit by the current downturn in the coal industry, with vacancies around 7% (previously as high as 10%), houses typically taking 5-6 months to sell and discounting close to 20%. The median house price dropped 16% in the past 12 months and is now well below the level of five years ago.
If one of these mines proceeds, there will be a considerable uplift in air and road traffic through Emerald and inevitably some boost to its economy.
Consequently, the property numbers will improve.
But the days when Emerald and nearby coal towns like Moranbah and Dysart boomed, with astronomical prices and rents, are over - until the system changes.
In the current climate, these coal mines represent fools gold for developers and investors.
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>
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Emerald hit by coal downturn, property prices may improve: Terry Ryder

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GUEST OBSERVER
The recent collapse in the Chinese share market was preceded by a boom – a boom that was, in turn, fuelled by relaxed restrictions on margin lending, and a growth in the shadow banking sector<a href="https://www.economist.com/node/21601872/">.</a> Both served as inducements for Chinese retail investors to borrow in order to invest in a rising stock market.
The central bank urged people to buy local stocks, cut interest rates, and reduced the required reserve ratio for banks to free up more funds for lending. What could go wrong!
Since late 2013, Chinese authorities have pursued a policy of further opening up the capital markets. The aim has been to “internationalise” the local currency, the yuan (renminbi or “people’s money”), and to link the local stock exchanges to international markets. A major milestone was reached when the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect (also known as the “Through Train”) was launched in November 2014. This scheme now allows Hong Kong investors to trade on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and provides a channel for mainland capital into the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx) - further increasing the internationalisation of Chinese outbound investment.
The Chinese share markets (China has two national bourses, one in Shanghai and one in Shenzhen) are dominated by retail investment, and its 90 million retail investors have fuelled much of the growth.
Given the youth of the Chinese markets (born in 1990), Chinese retail investors are, by definition, inexperienced and prone, like any adolescent, to bouts of exuberance. Along with the <a href="https://www.kpmg.com/cn/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/China-Capital-Markets-FTSE-201106.pdf" target="_blank">stock market boom</a>, even more rapid rises in the value of the two exchanges have been driven by government measures aimed at encouraging money out of the over-heated property markets and into corporate equity<a href="https://www.dailyreckoning.com.au/chinas-stock-market-valuation-grew-by-6-5-trillion-in-just-12-months-cw/2015/06/09/">.</a>
The property bubble which has hit many Chinese cities has been worrying the authorities since at least 2010, and efforts have been made to crack down on property speculation and investment-driven demand. Home purchase restrictions where first put into place in 2010, and in March 2013 Beijing called for stricter enforcement of a 20% capital gains tax on home sale profits. It also asked cities with fast property price increases to raise the down payment requiremen<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.cnbc.com/id/100516350">t</a> and mortgage rate on second homes.
Damping down the property market is one part of China’s longer-term strategy to move away from its old model of high and increasing levels of investment, especially in industrial activity and urban infrastructure. The new model is based on lower investment, more subdued (more sustainable) growth and higher domestic consumption more in line with shifting national priorities towards improving the quality of air, water and living standards for more Chinese people.
By June last year analysts were warning that investor confidence in the domestic Chinese A-share market (A-shares are denominated in renminbi, B-shares in foreign currency) had been “weak for quite some time”. So when the Chinese banking authorities cracked down on margin lending in June, and the banks began to call in their margin loans, already fragile investor confidence collapsed quickly - and the market fell with it. Those falls continued this week, despite moves by Chinese authorities to restore confidence.
The Chinese authorities have reacted instinctively – the same way that authoritarian regimes everywhere react. They sought to rectify. Rectification in this case has been very restrained by Chinese standards, but even restrained intervention has meant the introduction of a slew of measures aimed at halting the free fall and stabilising the market. These have included temporary halts on trading on over half of all China-listed stocks, a six-month ban on major shareholders selling listed stocks, postponement of approved new listings (IPOs - initial public offerings) and suspension of new IPO approvals.
The Ministry of Public Security began investigations into <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1838247/chinese-police-find-signs-illegal-share-trading">“</a>malicious short selling” and some “suspicious foreign banks” (even the global market index provider MSCI was blame<a href="https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1838214/msci-joins-list-reasons-china-market-crash">d</a> for the market crash).
The authorities also ordered major brokerages to increase their investments and further cut interest rates. The People’s Bank of China even announced it would provide liquidity support to the China Security Finance Corporation, which oversees the margin financing of brokers.
<h2>Irrational exuberance</h2>
As Robert Shiller explained in 2000, well before the global financial crisis, all markets experience periods of irrational exuberance. Nor should it surprise anyone that a market as young and uneducated as the Chinese market should be more volatile that most.
The real question now is what effect recent stock market volatility will have on the “real” Chinese economy. The first point here is that the Chinese stock index is not closely linked with the macro economy and is not an indicator for economic trends. Second, most financing does not come from the stock market, but from bank loans. Of <a href="https://cityoflondon.gov.uk/business/economic-research-and-information/research-publications/Documents/Research-2015/Chinas_capital_markets.pdf" target="_blank">total social financing</a> in 2014, only 2.6% came from the stock market, while bank loans accounted for 59%.
As the Chinese share markets stabilise around a new lower level, if the money lost from the market goes into real consumption, that could potentially even be good for the economy.
If money lost from the markets simply vaporises in the form of bad loans, gambling losses and corrupt payments, then that will be a significant loss, but one which an economy the size of China’s can bear. The net result, as often occurs with such events, will probably be a transfer of wealth from ordinary Chinese to the wealthy, including many major shareholders who have cashed out.
Ambitious plans for full yuan convertibility under the capital account will probably be delayed as the Chinese authorities become more cautious in their approach. In the longer term, the Chinese authorities, at the very least, will need to establish clearer measures for risk evaluation and responsibility, and begin to educate retail investors. 
Alice de Jonge is senior lecturer, International Law; Asian Business Law at Monash University and an author for The Conversation. She can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alice-de-jonge-118840" target="_blank">here</a>.
 
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China’s market lesson will be one of wealth transfer

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The sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation (CIC) has secured Investa Property Group's portfolio of nine office towers.
It came after a knockout bid of more than $2.45 billion.
The Australian Financial Review described it as the biggest direct real estate transaction in Australian history.
It attracted more than 20 bids, nearly half of those came from Asia, including from China's biggest privately owned business, Fosun International Ltd. 
Bankers running the sale, Morgan Stanley and UBS AG secured bids from the United States and South Africa.
CIC and its partner LaSalle Investment Management, had been tipped as the consortium to win the battle for Investa.
China’s largest state investment fund bought 10 shopping centres in France and Belgium this month for about €1.3 billion, one of its biggest acquisitions in Europe along with affiliate AEW Europe.
Following the announcement of CIC’s acquisition of the Investa property portfolio, Colliers International have complied the charts below on Chinese investment in Australian commercial property.
<a href="/images/2015/07/28/Screen%20Shot%202015-07-28%20at%2010.51.09%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/07/28/Screen%20Shot%202015-07-28%20at%2010.51.09%20AM.png" alt="" width="753" height="478">
 
<a href="/images/2015/07/28/Screen%20Shot%202015-07-28%20at%2010.51.14%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
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