Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.

The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.

The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.

The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.

The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.

MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.

Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.

The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.

<img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" />

MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.

"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.

"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."

The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.

Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.

Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.

"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.

"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."

MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.

"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.

"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."

Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.

"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."

The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.

MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.

Joel Robinson

First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

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Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.

But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.

Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377679]

The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.

It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377675]

Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.

Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.

Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377685]

Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.

"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.

A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.

It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.

At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.

Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377680]

Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.

"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.

The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.

More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152737]

<h3 data-end="3697" data-section-id="q3n5ak" data-start="3672">&nbsp;</h3>
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Nova Rêve arrives as Reve Group bets on Castle Hill's next growth phase

A collection of just 25 large-format apartments and penthouses overlooking Goodwin Park is entering the Coolangatta market, with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/marea-residences-coolangatta-27-27a-dixon-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Maréa Residences</a> combining a low-density, residential-only approach with uninterrupted park and Pacific Ocean outlooks.

Located at 27 Dixon Street, Maréa comprises three and four-bedroom residences alongside a limited number of dual-level penthouses, with the project positioned between Goodwin Park and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/coolangatta-qld-4225">Coolangatta</a>’s coastal precinct.

Construction has commenced, with completion currently estimated for late 2027. Three-bedroom residences are priced from $1.8 million.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374005]

The project has been designed around its northern outlook across the park, with the building’s architecture, landscaping and material palette intended to establish a connection with the neighbouring green space. The residences have been configured to maximise natural light and views across Goodwin Park towards the ocean.

Inside, the material palette incorporates timber, stone and brushed brass, complemented by curved detailing and ambient lighting. Kitchens and bathrooms carry the same natural material approach, while residences also include basement parking, storage and lift access.

Maréa’s penthouses are arranged over two levels and include private pools, adding another layer to the project’s focus on larger-format apartment living. Across the development, residences are configured with three or four bedrooms rather than the broader mix of smaller apartment types commonly found in larger projects.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374010]

Resident amenity is concentrated at rooftop level, where landscaped entertaining terraces and pools take advantage of elevated views across Coolangatta and the Pacific Ocean.

The project has so far been particularly well received by local owner-occupiers and downsizers, according to Urban Activation Property Sales and Marketing Director Matt George, with the residential-only format, construction quality and northern park outlook among the features resonating with purchasers.

“The uninterrupted northern aspect overlooking Goodwin Park has been a key point of difference, with buyers attracted to the sense of serenity and open space the park provides, while still enjoying easy access to the ocean and being within walking distance of the lifestyle and amenities Coolangatta has to offer,” George said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374002]

“The combination of high-quality construction, a residential-only building, park outlook and proximity to the beach has resonated strongly with the local downsizer market.”

The Dixon Street address is within walking distance of Coolangatta Beach and the broader southern Gold Coast coastline, including the surf breaks at Snapper Rocks and Kirra. Coolangatta’s cafés, restaurants and retail are nearby, while Gold Coast Airport is also within close proximity.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150999]

Maréa Residences brings parkside apartments to Coolangatta

Melbourne developer PDG has secured Victorian Government approval for its $1.5 billion Southbank development <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-one-1-queens-bridge-street-southbank-vic-3006">The One</a>, clearing the way for the long-dormant riverfront site opposite Crown to finally be developed.

The Minister for Planning has approved the project at 1-29 Queens Bridge Street, with the Department of Transport and Planning issuing the planning permit following its assessment.

The approval will allow PDG to develop the prominent 5,059 sqm site with a major mixed-use tower comprising premium apartments, including branded residences, a luxury hotel and boutique office space.

PDG acquired the site in late 2024, with its position directly opposite Crown's main entrance and near Melbourne's Arts Precinct making it one of Southbank's most significant remaining development opportunities.

<img alt="PDG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3933013e-6332-4386-b9be-089df05caf17" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%209.29.22%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=sITIgBqDL0N3VNSMwWEmF5UA.uvcsRyu" />

Designed by COX in collaboration with ODO and PDG, the tower's architecture draws on the movement of the Yarra River, with six vertical pleats running the height of the sculpted facade.

The project will also see the heritage-listed Queens Bridge Hotel restored and incorporated into the development&nbsp;with new hospitality and public uses, including a rooftop venue.

A significant component of The One will be its residential amenity.

More than 5,000 sqm of resident facilities will be delivered across a single level, making it one of the largest consolidated residential amenity offerings proposed in an Australian apartment development.

The planning approval also incorporates a major upgrade of Queensbridge Square, which PDG will deliver in partnership with the City of Melbourne.

<img alt="PDG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="73167fcd-1031-4b6f-a408-a064cfe45ed1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%209.29.17%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=Pf1AEWxw6SNmBqR0zQW5lyEze.MtxgFp" />

The existing square will be revitalised as a new civic and pedestrian space along the Yarra River, strengthening the connection between the project, Southbank and the riverfront.

PDG Founder and Managing Director Vince Giuliano said the approval represented a major milestone for a site which has remained largely underutilised for more than 15 years.

“This is the most significant Planning Permit approval Melbourne has seen in recent years,” Giuliano said.

“For more than 15 years, this site has remained underutilised. This approval enables us to deliver a project that will contribute meaningfully to the revitalisation of Southbank, restore and reactivate an important heritage building, and create a new civic and hospitality destination for Melbourne.”

The latest approval follows an earlier planning permit issued by the City of Melbourne covering demolition works across part of the site at 9-29 Queens Bridge Street. Those demolition and early works are already underway.

PDG has also started generating early interest in the residential component from owner-occupiers ahead of a planned public launch in early 2027.

PDG secures approval for $1.5bn Southbank apartment development, The One

Local developer Harridan is seeking to turn its Woolloongabba apartment project into the first stage of a broader transformation of Burke Street, using a new 16-storey mixed-use building to establish a greener pedestrian connection toward the rapidly evolving Boggo Road transport and knowledge precinct.

The South East Queensland developer has filed plans for 154 apartments on the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/4-burke-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">southern side of Burke Street</a>, where its proposal has been designed alongside a wider vision by LatStudios for the street.

That vision positions the southern side of Burke Street for buildings of 15 storeys and above, while envisaging lower-rise development of up to five storeys on the northern side to transition into Woolloongabba's existing character housing. It also proposes wider pedestrian verges, deep planting, new street trees and upgrades to the pedestrian approach to Boggo Road Station.

The Harridan development itself has been designed by Brisbane-based Arqus Design and will comprise 154 apartments across 16 storeys. The mix is weighted heavily toward two-bedroom apartments, with 121 proposed alongside 10 one-bedroom and 23 three-bedroom residences. There will typically be around 14 units per floor.

A lower-ground car park and three podium levels will accommodate 156 resident parking spaces, along with visitor and commercial parking. There will also be 154 resident bicycle spaces and 40 visitor bicycle parks.

&nbsp;

Harridan is a family-owned developer and part of the Holmwood Highgate Group, with more than three decades of development activity across South East Queensland. Its portfolio spans residential, commercial and industrial property, with current residential projects including Riverbank on Byron in Bulimba, Esperance Residences in Carina and The Precinct at Kinross Road in Thornlands.

Wooloongabba has been popular for apartment developers, particularly since the announcement of the 2032 Summer Olympics games in Brisbane.

While there have been a lot of development applications, it has failed to materialize into real supply.&nbsp;

Sarazin has been the major player in the area. They are under construction at Murcia Residences, on the fringe of East Brisbane and Woolloongabba. They have just launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-stanley-residences-woolloongabba-8-trafalgar-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">The Stanley Residences</a>, in Woolloongabba on Trafalagar Street. They also have Nuage coming soon on the nearby <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nuage-woolloongabba-14-wellington-road-woolloongabba-qld-4102">Wellington Road</a>.

First look: Harridan plans Burke Street transformation beside Boggo Road transport hub

Property market

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Perth vendors are needing to discount asking prices by 7.7%, the highest level since 2011, according to Australian Property Monitors.
There was only one capital, Adelaide where vendor discounting eased during October. 
<a href="/images/2015/12/Average_discount.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
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Perth vendors needing to discount asking prices by 7.7%: APM 

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Steve McCann, chief of the international property group Lendlease, has listed his four level Cremorne property.
The harbourfront comes with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, two offices and a library. The property features numerous terraces leading to the boatshed with slipway, plus a 100-year-old sandstone tidal pool.
He bought the then newly completed home from Platino's George Revay. The home, on 859 sqm on the southern shores of Long Bay, was bought in 2009 for $5.6 million, shortly after becoming the group's chief executive. 
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.mcgrath.com.au/buy/house-cremorne-nsw-2090/280604" target="_blank">Piers Van Hamburg of McGrath Neutral Bay</a> has the listing with $6 million plus price guidance. Offers close December 7.
This article was first published in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.
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Lendlease CEO Steve McCann looks to sell in Cremorne

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Ipswich, once the capital growth leader for the Brisbane metropolitan area and a favourite target for property investors from around Australia, is mounting a comeback after three years in the doldrums.
Up until 2013, Ipswich City dominated the growth rankings for Greater Brisbane. In a report early in 2013, I wrote: “Ipswich City is the capital gains star of the Brisbane metropolitan area. The municipality which encompasses the south-western fringe of the Greater Brisbane area has the top five suburbs for long-term capital growth. It has eight of the top 10 - and 15 of the top 25 suburbs.”
At that time, virtually every suburb of Ipswich had a long-term growth rate (average annual growth in median prices over the previous 10 years) above 10% per year. It had attracted home-buyers in large numbers and investors seeking affordable prices and above-average rental yields.
Today, after three down years, the same suburbs have long-term growth averages in the 4-5% range.
But the comeback has started, with the first compelling evidence seen in the latest quarterly figures. Hotspotting analysis of sales volumes shows that Ipswich City has belatedly joined the overall positive trend in the Brisbane market. The LGA now has eight suburbs with clear growth trajectories – double the number in the previous survey three months ago. 
Brisbane’s real estate sector has been behaving quite differently to that in Sydney, where for much the past 2-3 years there has been double-digit price growth right across the metropolitan area.
In Brisbane, there has been growth in individual sectors, but it has not been widespread and the generalised growth figure for the city overall has been moderate at best. 
The Brisbane North precinct was the first to get on a growth path about two years ago and many suburbs in that area recorded double-digit annual growth in median prices.
That market is no longer pumping to the same degree – sales activity has tapered off in most of those suburbs which were previously the market leaders of Greater Brisbane.
Now the southside has taken over. In our survey three months ago, Brisbane South was the market leader, with Logan City alongside. Now Logan City (the affordable urban bridge between Brisbane City and the Gold Coast) is the clear leader, with 18 growth suburbs, followed by Brisbane South with 13.
And starting to mount a challenge, well behind these other sectors in the cycle, is Ipswich City.
There was an inevitability about the Ipswich revival because this precinct ticks all the boxes. It is a perfect fit the “power combination” of factors that drives real estate markets – affordability plus infrastructure plus jobs nodes. 
This area has a good supply of suburbs with median house prices in the $200,000s, ample land for future development, big government spending on infrastructure of all kinds, an ambitious and proactive council, and billions in investment from the private sector. 
Many big businesses with major warehousing needs are based out there because the land is cheap and the transport links are good.
Entities involved in key current projects across Ipswich City include Mirvac, GPT, TNT Express, Devine, Lend Lease, Ramsay Health Care, the State Government, the Ipswich City Council and an array of major Asian companies.
As well as cheap entry prices, the area offers solid rental yields, typically in the 5.5% to 6% range.
Goodna is a fairly typical offering. It’s a modest but well-connected suburb, located on the Ipswich Motorway and the rail line to central Brisbane, close to multiple jobs nodes and not far from the extensive facilities of the Springfield master-planned community. It recorded 120 houses sales in the past year at a median price of $290,000 and median yield a little below 6%. 
As the overall Ipswich City market rises, some suburbs are starting to deliver the kind of price growth that made Ipswich a capital growth star in the past. The suburbs of Ipswich, East Ipswich, Woodend and Yamanto have all had double-digit growth in median prices in the past 12 months, while others have grown between 5% and 10%. 
I suspect it’s poised to return to the status that made it popular among bargain-hunting investors in the past.
 
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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Brisbane's Ipswich mounting a property comeback: Terry Ryder

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The top sale of the week was a five bedroom Point Piper manor overlooking Sydney harbour, according to CoreLogic RP Data.
The property, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-darling+point-121034170" target="_blank">145 Darling Point Road Darling Point</a>, sold for $5,460,000 through Georgia Cleary and Alexandra Churchill of BradfieldCleary Double Bay.
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Top ten sales
145 Darling Point, Darling Point, NSW, 5 bed, 4 bath, 2 car house $5,460,000 BradfieldCleary Double Bay
2/16 Arthur Avenue, Cronulla, NSW, 4 bed, 2 bath, 3 car unit $5,000,000, Cripps &amp; Cripps Property Cronulla
424 Princes Highway, Blakehurst, NSW, 3 bed, 1 bath, 1 car house $4,800,000, McGrath Estate Agents
520 Barkers Road, Hawthorn East, Vic, 5 bed, 4 bath, 4 car house $4,361,000, Vicprop Group, Melbourne
38 Richmond Terrace, Richmond, Vic, 4 bed, 3 bath, 2 car house $4,320,000, Jellis Craig Richmond
23 Hope Street, Pymble, NSW, 6 bed, 5 bath, 2 car house $4,300,000, McGrath Estate Agents
33 Callantina Road, Hawthorn, Vic, 5 bed, 3 bath, 2 car house $4,251,000, Marshall White Hawthorn
2 Cooroora Street, Dicky Beach, Qld, 4 bed, 5 bath, 2 car house $4,250,000, Ray White Caloundra
29 Karranga Avenue, Killara, NSW, 5 bed, 3 bath, 1 car house $3,875,000, Savills Cordeau Marshall Lindfield
7 Maysbury Avenue, Brighton, Vic, 5 bed, 5 bath, 2 car house $3,750,000, Nick Johnstone Brighton
 
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Darling Point manor leads CoreLogic RP Data top ten list

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The ABS released its lending finance figures for the month of September 2015 which showed a seasonally adjusted 9.5% jump in commercial finance, though in trend terms commercial finance has looked somewhat peaky. Total lending finance increased from a seasonally adjusted $70.7 billion in August to a new cyclical high of $75.3 billion, another signal that low interest rates are gradually biting and having a positive impact on credit flows.
<a href="/images/2015/11/16/A1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/16/A1.jpg" alt="">
 
<div>Although there have been instances of stronger monthly results for lending finance - a flood of recapitalisation through the financial crisis saw spikes in June 2007 and January 2008 respectively - the monthly trend result has now hit a fresh high of above $73 billion. Shifting composition
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>With APRA having clamped down on property investment loans, lenders are evidently pushing owner-occupier products harder, with the red line in the chart below denoting another 3% increase in the month to beyond $21 billion. In trend terms owner-occupier lending has surged more than 20% higher over the past year, while major renovations activity ("alterations and additions") trended up to its best result in four years.</div>
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<div>The great surge in owner-occupier loans over the past year has been almost entirely accounted for by New South Wales and to a somewhat lesser extent Victoria. Mirroring figures previously reported by the Reserve Bank, September was a healthy result for commercial finance with a 9.5 per seasonally adjusted jump in the month to $46.1 billion. While the trend result looks peaky, this can be a rather unpredictable series, and in rolling annual terms commercial lending has surged 50 per cent higher over the past half decade to sit at its highest level in some 7.5 years.</div>
 <div>Property investor loans clamp-down</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Loans to purchase investment property are now clearly softening, which overall is a healthy sign for residential real estate markets which had become far too top-heavy with investors, resulting in rising vacancy rates and declining rents in some regions. On a rolling annual basis NSW investment loans tore out a new record of $67.9 billion, but this particular peak is now close to being in following three months of softer results. In June the Premier State had seen an unprecedented $6.6 billion of investor loans written in a single month, but over the last two months of available data the total dollar value of NSW property investment loans has come in at around $5.6 billion (which is nevertheless still a huge volume in historical terms).</div>
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<div><a href="/images/2015/11/16/A1-1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
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<div>
Despite the softening in investment loans, with the volume of NSW owner-occupier lending booming by an astonishing 46.2% over the past year, September was the greatest month on record for total NSW property lending at well over $14 billion at the state level.
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<div>
<div>Now it may be that some of the outlandish $8.55 billion of NSW owner-occupier lending in September was bogus - or at least not genuinely representative of new property market demand - with some existing owners having opted to refinance following the tightening of mortgage rates by some lenders. At the sub-regional level it would be no surprise on this evidence to see surprisingly strong auction and property market results in some of Sydney's inner ring, particularly in the eastern suburbs. However it's clear that the heat has already come right out of the western and outer south-western suburbs, leaving some recent buyers wondering what they've let themselves in for.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Generally speaking APRA's macroprudential measures have been effective in slowing the pace of investor lending right across the board. Next up, I'll take a look at the trends in investor lending across each state and territory.</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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Shifting sands (record NSW lending?) Pete Wargent

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Swimming champion James Magnussen couldn't sell his speculative Ryde investment apartment at its onsite weekend auction.
The auction started and ended on a $740,000 bid when offered by its LJ Hooker Ryde City listing agent Neil Moorjani.
The swimmer had foreseen his real estate investment hobby might become more serious at the end of his time in the pool.
Magnussen Enterprises Pty Ltd paid $623,000 earlier this year for the Gladstone Ave unit.
Set in a <a href="/expert-insights/buying/james-magnussens-ryde-property-flip-auction-test">1960s red-brick walk up block</a>, the three-bedder had been listed with $750,000 hopes.
Auctioneer Greg Smith sought an $800,000 opening bid from the small crowd. It now has an $805,000 asking price.
He suggested that $740,000 would be "cheap buying." Negotiations took the highest post-auction offer to $762,000.
Bought in original condition in the block of six, the Drummoyne based Magnussen, along with a builder mate, renovated the 88 sqm apartment over the past few months while he was in recovery from major surgery on his shoulder.
The ­total refurbishment, including new open kitchen and bathroom, cost about $50,000. 
The property, with district views, could yield a $680 weekly rental tenants, auction investor attendees were advised.
Magnussen spent $935,000 in 2012 on his own Drummoyne flat which was seemingly well bought as it had traded at $910,000 in 2007.
 
This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Swimming champion James Magnussen flip yet to succeed at Ryde property 

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<div>Business entrepreneur Louis Carroll has listed his spectacular estate on the escarpment in Bayview for $8.5 million.</div>
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<div>Carroll has been quiet on the property front in recent years since his record breaking $14.6 million waterfront sale at Newport in 2008.</div>
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<div>Before that was a pricey Killara property play.</div>
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<div>He has spent millions refurbishing and improving his latest ultra private property offering which comes with <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-bayview-121084002" target="_blank">views over Pittwater</a>.</div>
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<div>LJ Hooker Mona Vale agent Ryan Petrie has the 4600 sqm estate listing.</div>
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<div>"The view is arguably the best on the beaches, coupled with complete privacy and the highest quality accomodation," he said.</div>
<div>"It is in a league of its own."</div>
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<div>This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph</div>
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Sydney Bayview mansion listed for $8.5 million 

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The markets of Ninety Mile Beach, Wellington, Loch Sport, Paradise Beach, Golden Beach, The Honeysuckles and Seaspray remain quiet, according to Herron Todd White's November review.
The report suggests there is more interest in established improved properties over vacant land as the Bushfire Management Overlay has added costs to new dwellings.
But they advise there has been progress for some as the Loch Sport sewerage scheme is about 30% completed.
"Initial cost is $800 for a collection tank.
"Future development will attract a connection fees of about $10,000 (in lieu of the cost of an onsite envirosep system).
"This has not influenced vacant land sales which remain in the $40,000 to $60,000 range without water views."
The report suggested that the values of residential properties are similar for all five towns and that values have been static for several years now.
"The price of an average quality dwelling in good condition without views is in the range $170,000 to $220,000, above average is greater than $220,000.
"East Gippsland investor activity in remains low with low interest rates and reasonably good rental returns not seeming to stimulate the market."
It went on to state the best returns are found in the lower brackets, say the $200,000 to $275,000 range, where gross yields are in the 6% to 7% range.
"Yields are lower for higher value ranges where for a $350,000 investment, 5% would be typical.
"Agents are reporting only a few recent enquiries from investors looking to buy."
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Gippsland offering 7% gross yields to property investors: HTW

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<h1 class="title"> </h1>
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released housing finance data for September 2015 earlier this week.
<a href="/images/2015/11/12/Screen%20Shot%202015-11-12%20at%2010.10.17%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/12/Screen%20Shot%202015-11-12%20at%2010.10.17%20AM.png" alt="" width="623" height="488">
 
The broad housing finance trends show that demand from the owner occupier segment of lending is falling while demand from investors fades.  Of course since late December last year we have seen limits come into effect regarding annual investment credit growth as well as, more recently, higher interest rates for all investment borrowers and lower loan to value ratios for many.  
Given these changes it is no real surprise that demand from this market segment is falling; there is less investment borrowing to be had and lower LVRs mean that for many borrowers negative gearing becomes somewhat less attractive. On the other hand, demand from owner occupiers is rising, largely from upgraders and those refinancing while there is little sign that first home buyer demand is rising. 
Much of the recent refinance activity has subsequently translated into eventual housing investment, it will be interesting to see if the current refinance activity is just home owners shopping around for a better mortgage deal or if it will start to flow to investment in other asset classes.
<a href="/images/2015/11/12/Chart-2.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/12/Chart-2.jpg" alt="">
 
Looking more closely at owner occupier lending, the seasonally adjusted data shows that there was $21.0 billion worth of commitments in September 2015.  This represented a monthly increase of 3.0% and a year-on-year rise of 23.1%. The $21.0 billion consisted of $1.8 billion in lending for construction of dwellings, $1.3 billion in lending for purchase of new dwellings, $6.7 billion in lending for refinances and $11.2 billion in lending for purchase of established dwellings. 
Each of the four components of owner occupier housing finance commitments have increased over the month with most having increased year-on-year.  Year-on-year, the changes have been recorded at -1.3% for lending for construction of dwellings, +32.1% for lending for purchase of new dwellings, +30.0% for refinances and +23.0% for purchases of established dwellings. 
Clearly owner occupier demand is rising however, the ABS does note that ADIs are currently making changes to lending classifications which are seeing more investor loans classified as loans to owner occupiers. This will be contributing to a proportion of this rise, how big that proportion is we are unsure.
<a href="/images/2015/11/12/Chart-3.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/12/Chart-3.jpg" alt="">
 
In September 2015 there was a seasonally adjusted $12.3 billion worth of housing finance commitments to investors, this was the lowest value of investor lending since August 2014.  The monthly value of lending to investors has fallen by -12.8% from its peak of $14.1 billion in April 2015.  The $12.3 billion figure consists of $0.6 billion in lending for new construction which is the lowest level in a year and $11.7 billion in lending for established homes which is the lowest level since August of last year.  Lending for new construction tends to be volatile however, it has fallen by -42.2% from its recent peak of $1.1 billion worth of commitments in December 2014.  The less volatile investment lending for established homes has fallen by -11.0% from its peak of $13.1 billion in April 2015.  Again, recent reclassifications of lending by ADIs will be contributing to some of the recent weakness however, a changing investment lending landscape is undoubtedly the most significant contributor.
The latest housing credit data shows that the annual rate of investor credit growth still remains above 10% (10.4%) so it is reasonable to expect that investor housing finance commitments will continue to fall over the coming months. With the rate of value growth slowing, higher interest rates and lower LVRs for many investors, the attractiveness of purchasing an investment property is also easing. 
While investment lending has been cooling down, owner occupier lending has been rising however, much of the rise is due to upgraders and refinances.  We anticipate that this trend is likely to continue although probably not rising by the same magnitude as we’ve seen over recent months. Furthermore we anticipate that less of the refinance activity is going to flow back into housing in the form of investment purchasing.
 
Cameron Kusher is research analyst for CoreLogic RP Data. You can contact him <a href="https://blog.corelogic.com.au/author/cameron-kusher/" target="_blank">here</a>.
 
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ckusher-ujnxiKuFQs

Investor housing demand continues to fall sharply: Cameron Kusher

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The controversial former NRL player Todd Carney has recently settled on an off the plan Sans Souci apartment purchase.
Carney, currently playing for the Super League club Catalan Dragons, signed up to buy the $460,000 off the plan apartment shortly after he quit the Sydney Roosters in 2011 to play for the Cronulla Sharks.
Building delays saw settlement postponed well beyond initial indications, leaving Carney to settle on the deal while playing in France.
The 80 sqm apartment is on the third floor of The Jameson, which was developed by Koundouris Projects, in partnership with Sydney Roosters chairman Nick Politis.
It was bought in early 2012 after Carney had left the Sydney Roosters following a string of off-field club discipline issues. 
The rugby league player is currently in the middle of a legal battle with the Cronulla Sharks following his sacking in June last year. Carney is suing for $3 million for unfair dismissal.
The Jameson was a selection of one, two and three bedroom apartments all with security underground parking and storage with some apartments enjoying Botany Bay water views.
A comparable sale in the Rocky Point Road complex saw a $435,000 off the plan apartment onsold at $520,000 recently which reflected a nice 5.5 per cent annual price growth.
Amid the recent off the plan settlements was the Australian cricket captain Steve Smith who bought in December 2011 for $435,000.
The Koundouris family are better known as owners of the supermarket chain Supabarn, which is currently under offer from Coles subject to ACCC sale approval.
Carney owns an impressive portfolio, now with four known Sydney properties. His portfolio's first acquisition was  in 2007 when he bought a $395,000 Wentworth Point apartment which is a $410 a week rental.
Carney was back in the news this week after using social media late last month suggesting he had married a Brazilian bikini model in Bali.
Carney's manager David Riolo later explained it was a gee up by the pair.
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