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

Home Office

ID_Land’s latest Brunswick development, Canvas, offers residents a premier home with both breathtaking vista's and convenience.

Designing a building offering a collection of 62 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, the award-winning Rothelowman Architects has placed people at the cornerstone of their design.

Located on the building’s rooftop is a variety of communal spaces providing residential facilities and green spaces, with views of Melbourne’s city skyline and parks.

Brimming with amenity, the project boasts a communal lounge area, kitchen and entertainment dining, providing a refreshing work from home space or a quiet corner for a good book.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=29358 project_image_fid=85958]

The apartments are described as a&nbsp;blank canvas, designed to fulfill resident's needs&nbsp;through clean&nbsp;open-plan living.

Floor-to-ceiling windows provide connectivity to Melbourne, casting light on&nbsp;timber floorboards. The synergy between neutral interiors and the exteriors homage to Brunswick's industrial heritage inspire the ideal of hardwork and creativity a blank slate brings.

Canvas is located in close proximity to the Melbourne CBD, among&nbsp;universities and a short walk from Princes Park.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=29358 project_image_fid=85966]

Situated on the bustling Barkly Street, Canvas provides absolute convenience with private and secure access to an on-grade car park, with no car lifts or parking stackers.

Each apartment also benefits from at least one bike space and on-site bike maintenance facilities are available.

Green living was taken as a requirement with additions such as all communal areas in the complex make use of solar technology and the rooftop garden collects rainwater for greywater harvesting diminishing the building carbon footprint.

Canvas has a&nbsp;walk score of 97/100, located less than a minute from nearby shops and just three minutes&nbsp;walk to the nearest tram stop.

[smartcode_project_cta: project_id=29358]

ID_Land’s latest Brunswick development, Canvas, offers residents a premier home with both breathtaking vista's and convenience

jordan_55689

Rediscover working from home at ID_Land's Canvas in Brunswick

As the return to the office stalls due to ongoing lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne, discerning apartment developers are pivoting their approach to apartment design.

If not already as standard, a number of developers are going hard on the work-from-home office space, whether it&#39;s part of the wider development or within the apartments.

More than one-10th of Melbourne&#39;s office floor space was untenanted in July, the Property Council of Australia&#39;s Office Market Report showed. The St Kilda Rd precinct had Melbourne highest vacancy rate at 16.3 per cent, followed by Southbank by 15.2 per cent.

Chris McCue, managing director at architecture and design firm Carr, says he has seen the&nbsp;demand for a tailored home office space continue right through the pandemic.

&quot;The multitude of workspaces within a single dwelling has definitely risen as we move to more longer-term workplace flexibility and adaptive environments,&quot; McCue said.

The customisable apartments at Riverlee&#39;s mixed-use Melbourne development Seafarers had a recent buyer re-jig&nbsp;the floorplan, taking out the laundry sink which was moved to the ensuite to accomodate a study nook large enough for two people, fitted with cabinetry and shelving.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=27728 project_image_fid=97028]

The developer Riverlee also focused on the home office boom by adding shared facilities in the 123-room development, located in the same Flinders Street building as&nbsp;Australia&#39;s first 1 Hotel.

Residents will have access to a number of meeting rooms and breakout areas, an 800-seat function space, a residents-only library and communal lounge. There&#39;s also onsite building support staff who can assist with printing.

The home office facilities, as well as the access of&nbsp;exclusive privileges when staying at a&nbsp;1 Hotel&nbsp;worldwide, has seen a big uptake in purchases by entrepreneurs and executives.

Seafarers was&nbsp;designed by Fender Katsalidis on the banks of the Yarra River. They were tasked with&nbsp;reimagining&nbsp;the heritage-protected Goods Shed 5, preserving&nbsp;the only intact remnants from the days before containerisation.

McCue said Seafarers&nbsp;faceted exterior does more than create a striking urban presence, it yields uniquely large floorplans.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=27728 project_image_fid=73042]

&quot;From the four-bedroom penthouses to two-bedroom residences, each interior is meticulously planned to maximise natural light, external views and connection to the textures and rhythms of its riverfront setting,&quot; McCue said.

&quot;Luxury can mean so much in terms of spatial and service amenity and is where Seafarers achieves luxury in many ways.

&quot;From a service inclusion and connection to 1 Hotels, to the kitchen joinery and fixtures inclusions, to the inclusion of generous and highly-functional storage.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=27728 project_image_fid=161089]

&quot;There was a lot of consideration around house-like storage amenity, as well as spatial amenity and flow through spaces and connection.

&quot;Our key spatial thinking and beliefs include connected indoor and outdoor living spaces, controlled and extended aspects, extended views that are aligned with internal planning.&quot;

[smartcode_project_cta: project_id=27728]

Chris McCue, managing director at architecture and design firm Carr, says he has seen the demand for a tailored home office space continue right through the pandemic

How apartment customisation and adding a home office is driving off the plan sales

A 2015 apartment complex in Melbourne&#39;s Fairfield has seen keen buyer interest given their provision of study nooks.

The latest offering was snapped up in 22 days, after the marketing advised a dedicated study nook added extra work-from-home flexibility to the smart, modern apartment in the heart of Fairfield.&nbsp;

Melbourne&#39;s CBD has seen one of the slowest return to work rates among the capital cities.

The apartment is about eight kms from the CBD.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=2497 project_image_fid=11225]

Situated on the ground floor, there was an attractive paved and landscaped terrace off the living area in the 70 sqm apartment.

It came with an European laundry, car space and storage cage.

It was sold by Woodards agent Andrew Guarino.

The apartment last sold off the plan in 2014 at $425,850.

It was advertised in late 2017 as a $400 a week rental.

<img alt="" height="655" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/nook.jpg" width="997" />

&quot;Sleek finishes paired with oak floors created an engaging living and dining domain, flooded in natural light,&quot; his marketing advised.

There was a Bosch equipped Caesarstone kitchen.

&quot;Lifestyle and location are first-class with the vibrant cafes, restaurants and shopping of Fairfield Village at your door.

&quot;There is easy access to buses and trains, with the added bonus of Fairfield Boathouse, Yarra Bend Park and bike trails within walking distance,&quot; Guarino advised.

The development application lodged with Darabin Council in 2013 sought 35 apartments comprise 14 one-bedroom and 21 two-bedroom dwellings, and 33 car parking spaces in the basement.

The four storey complex replaced two Edwardian era homes.

The $508,000 sale was at 3/62-64 Station Street 

jchancellor

One bedder with study nook fits the bill in $508,000 Fairfield sale

<html><body>
The need for a work or study area has been the most important desire of homebuyers since the pandemic.

"More flexible working arrangements have driven the change in preferences, with commute times becoming less of a factor," NAB Executive, Home Ownership, Andy Kerr says.

It follows NAB research, which surveyed 330 property professionals, including investors, real estate agents, &amp; developers.

It revealed around nine in 10 (86%) see a study or work area as more important now to homebuyers than it was pre-pandemic.

Other factors to hold greater value include good local shopping, restaurants and amenities (75%), the size of the property (65%), buying a house over an apartment (63%) and access to good public transport (51%).

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6201]

“Lockdowns have reshaped how we live and with many at home for longer periods, the desire for a little more space has grown,” Mr Kerr said.

“This may mean a larger living room for the kids to play, a dedicated study to separate work from home life or a bigger backyard for the new puppy to run around.”

The factor that has shown the greatest decline in importance is the need to be in a metro area, with 57 per cent saying this is now less important. 

Victorians are seen most willing to move away from metro areas on the back of Melbourne’s longer lockdown.

In a similar vein, consideration of a move to regional areas is swelling, with 85 per cent listing this as a more important factor.

Buyers in NSW, home to Australia’s most expensive capital, are seen to be keenest to consider a regional move. 

This shows up in price data as regional NSW outpaces all other regions.

“The idea of a sea change or tree change is exciting to many Australians and a large number of customers have made the move in recent months as hybrid working models become more common,” Mr Kerr said.

“Our data shows more than one in 10 Australians expect to buy a home this year, and more and more will be looking further out than we have seen historically.”
</body></html>

New NAB data details the factors that have become more important to Australian homebuyers since the pandemic.

Work space has been the biggest desire on the homebuyer list since pandemic: NAB

<html><body>
The increase in the ‘small office home office’ (SoHo) worker, fuelled in part by mobile and Wi-Fi technology, has implications for the property market in that more city workers will have the option to live in more affordable lifestyle locations with good access back to the city when required, says John McGrath in a recent Switzer blog.
As technology advances and more businesses introduce flexible working arrangements, the need to go ‘into the office’ is diminishing and that transformation has a bearing on the property market.
Working in SoHo was one of the hottest future trends analysed in the latest annual McGrath Report.
Imagine being able to pay off your home much sooner, spend every afternoon at the beach, take a 10 minute drive to everything, live for less and still earn a big city salary? That’s the lifestyle of a future generation of teleworkers who won’t need to live in expensive cities to earn a living, writes McGrath.
Citing a 2015 report commissioned by nbn™, he says social demographer Bernard Salt described a new Australian dream where work fits around lifestyle. Fast broadband will allow more people to work when and where they like, with workplaces switching focus to what is delivered rather than serving the traditional 9 to 5. 
According to ABS figures, 8.5% of the workforce operates as a sole-person business; and one in 12 employees spend more time working from home than any other location.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority adds that one in two Australians are already considered ‘digital workers’ who use the internet to work away from the office part-time, full-time or outside normal hours.
A typical digital worker is aged 35 to 44, university qualified and lives in a major capital city. They work for medium-sized businesses (20-199 employees) and more than a third telecommute three-plus days per week. But soon enough, more of them will be working remotely on a permanent basis.
As Salt says in the report, “The Australian penchant for lifestyle locations such as seachange and treechange might be enhanced as more people set up businesses or deliver work via the internet from wherever they choose to live.”
Workplaces are increasingly recognising the benefits of digital employees, including the ability to hire the best of the best no matter where they are located; heightened productivity because teleworkers are not subjected to the usual office distractions; and greater staff retention because employees will appreciate this new style of flexibility.
Right now in Sydney, there is a growing trend of senior executives and empty-nesters heading to the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and the North Coast where they can work from home part-time, enjoy a better lifestyle and commute to Sydney with ease.
McGrath believes more young families will join the trend, propelled not only by new and flexible employment opportunities but also by rising property values in major cities, which limits them in terms of home size and discretionary spending after paying the mortgage.
With every Australian expected to have access to the NBN by 2020, the population outside capital cities is expected to swell to 10 million from eight million today in 2030, according to the report, called Towards a Super Connected Australia.
</body></html>

Home Office

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News

Home Office

Editor's Picks

Receive the latest news stories to your inbox

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News