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" />

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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

International

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The movie-making casino billionaire James Packer has bought a house in Israel, following his friendship with one of Hollywood’s high profile independent film producers Arnon Milchan.
Packer told The Daily Telegraph in early March that he had bought a house in Tel Aviv.
The Australian media diarist Sharri Markson pinpointed it yesterday as in Caesarea, halfway between Haifa and Tel Aviv. But its purchase price and other details have yet to emerge.
It has emerged Packer has also befriended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who lives in the suburb, dining with him several times.
“Spending time with Arnon and Prime Minister Netanyahu has been an amazing eye-opener for me and it reinforces how lucky we all are in Australia,’’ he told The Daily Telegraph columnist John Lehmann in the must read, Lehmann at Large column.
James Packer now divides his time between Israel, the United States, Asia and Australia where his Bondi Beach pad was withdrawn from recent marketing. 
<a href="https://www.realestatecaesarea.com/searchForm.php?l=&amp;ls=&amp;search_PropertyType=&amp;ListingID=&amp;MinPrice=&amp;MaxPrice=&amp;rooms1=&amp;rooms2=&amp;bath1=&amp;bath2=&amp;AgentID=&amp;before=&amp;Access=&amp;Suitability=&amp;HomeAge=" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/caesarea-il-isr" target="_blank">Sotheby's International</a> have listings in the suburb of up to US$12.5 million (A$16.45 million). One of the offerings was the onetime home of the painter Reuven Rubin and his wife Esther designed by the architect Arie Elhanani together with Rubin in 1967.
James Packer is believed to have been introduced to the Netanyahu family through Milchan, who the casino tycoon has described to confidants as his “best friend”. 
Arnon Milchan produced Pretty Woman, Natural Born Killers and L.A. Confidential.
Caesarea has the country's only full-size golf course, which originated after James de Rothschild was reminded by the dunes surrounding Caesarea of Scotland's sandy links golf courses.
On his death, the James de Rothschild Foundation established the course in the late 1950s with American professional golfer Herman Barron, the first Jewish golfer to win a PGA Tour event, helping develop the course.
Wikipedia noted: "Modern Caesarea had a population of 4,500 people, the only Israeli locality managed by a private organization, the Caesarea Development Corporation.
"The town was built by Herod the Great about 25–13 BCE as the port city Caesarea Maritima. It served as an administrative center of Judaea Province of the Roman Empire, and later the capital of the Byzantine Palaestina Prima province during the classic period.
"Following the Muslim conquest in the 7th century, the city had an Arab majority until Crusader renovation, but was again abandoned after the Mamluk conquest.
"It was populated in 1884 by Bosniak immigrants, who settled in a small fishing village.
"In 1940, kibbutz Sdot Yam was established next to the village.
"In February 1948 the village was conquered by a Palmachunit commanded by Yitzhak Rabin, its people already having fled following an attack by the Stern Gang.
"In 1952, a Jewish town of Caesarea was established near the ruins of the old city, which were made into the national park of Caesarea Maritima."
"The Phoenicians discovered it, Herod fell in love with it and dedicated it to the Roman Caesar," the local leading agent website said. 
"Augustus gazed upon it and said, ‘‘hasten slowly‘‘.
"He was followed by Tiberius and Marcus Aurelius, Caesars from the West and Caesars from the East, Arabs and Crusaders, the Seljuk and Turks, Genefal Allen by, Hanna Senesh and Yehuda Amihai... everyone wanted it, settled here and left behind their own mark of love. The antiquities, the sea, the serene bay -nature‘s very own offering of beauty,"<a href="https://www.caesarea-realestate.co.il/eng/art.asp?art_type_id=149" target="_blank"> agent Chana Kristal said on here website.</a> "Caesarea was purchased by Baron Edmond de Rothschild during the 19th century and donated to the Caesarea Edmond Bengamin de Rothschild Foundation upon the establishment of the State of Israel, with the aim of developing Caesarea into a unique and qualitative neighborhood, to become one of the finest residential, tourist and industrial areas in the world," she said.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Billionaire James Packer's Israeli trophy home suburb

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Omaha Beach, one of the leading summer playgrounds for New Zealand's rich and famous, has secured a recent NZ$3 million (A$2.95 million) sale price, a record for the northern end of Omaha.
The concrete block and cedar, three bedroom, two bathroom retreat pad bought by an Auckland family through Bayleys agent Mark Macky.
He told the New Zealand Herald the record price was evidence prices on the seaside spit had bounced back from the global financial crisis.
Omaha Beach is one of the leading playgrounds for New Zealand's rich and famous including Prime Minister John Key, former Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker, and one of New Zealand's wealthiest women, Diane Foreman - a popular area because it is less than an hour from Auckland.
James Wilson of Quotable Value noted the Auckland coastal holiday market showed signs of strengthening but the gains were modest compared to residential areas in Auckland.
The recent NZ$3 million sale price for the '<a href="https://www.newzealand.com/au/feature/new-zealand-bach/" target="_blank">bach</a>' in sand dunes at 39 The Southern Isle at the northern end of Omaha showed it is closing in on the flashier southern end where prices already top NZ$4 million (A$3.93 million), the paper reported.
Fringed by pohotukawa trees, the house was a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.bayleys.co.nz/Listings/Auckland/Rodney/Omaha/1810451" target="_blank">stylish award winning Lindy Leuschke contemporary design</a> built in 2006 offering single level living some 20 paces though the dunes brings you to that spectacular white sandy beach.
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 New Zealand holiday homes shrug off global financial crisis

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More first time buyers in the United States are turning to parents for financial assistance when buying a home, and the ways parents contribute are likely to shift to some degree, according to a <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trend-of-parents-helping-millennial-children-buy-first-home-is-on-the-rise-300054767" target="_blank">survey commissioned by nonbank lender loanDepot LLC</a>.
17% of parents with adult children between the ages of 18 and 35 expect to help their children buy a home in the next five years, compared to 13% in the past five years — an increase of 31%.
First time home buyer activity is already close to an all-time low, but the share of home sales attributable to that group would be even smaller if not for the financial assistance parents have provided to many young adults, said Dave Norris, president and chief operations officer at loanDepot LLC.
75% of millennial-age respondents who said they have received financial support from their parents when buying a home said that assistance made it possible for them to buy a home, he said.
But the ways that parents provide this assistance may be shifting, the results suggested.
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<a href="https://inmannews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/how-parents-are-helping-loandepot.png" target="_blank"><img class="wp-image-152315 size-full" src="https://inmannews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/how-parents-are-helping-loandepot.png" alt="how parents are helping loandepot" width="881" height="322"></a>
Source: loanDepot
65% of parents who helped their kids buy a home in the last five years chipped in by putting money toward a down payment, with almost two in 10 of that group covering nearly 90% of a down payment, according to the survey.
But only half of parents who expect to help their children buy homes in the future anticipate subsidizing a down payment, with less than one in 10 indicating that they expect to contribute 90% or more of a down payment.
The survey suggests that parents who lend a helping hand to their children who buy homes in the years ahead will be more likely to provide assistance by paying off student loan debt or letting their kids live at home so they can save money than they were in the past, according to the survey.
<a href="https://inmannews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/obilgation-to-repay.png" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img class="wp-image-152305 size-full" src="https://inmannews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/obilgation-to-repay.png" alt="obilgation to repay" width="729" height="238"></a>
Source: loanDepot 
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United States first time home buyers turning to parents: loanDepot

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Bellamont Forest near Cootehill, County Cavan, described by Mark Bence-Jones in A Guide to Irish Country Houses as "one of the most perfect examples of a Palladian villa", has been listed for sale.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/bellamont-forest-cootehill-co-cavan/3117572" target="_blank">There is</a> an asking price of €1.35 million on the 18th century palladian villa.
It was Australian John Coote who bought back his ancestral home in 1987 for a reported IR£500,000, then restoring Bellamont before putting it on the market in 2010 with overly ambitious €7.5 million expectations.
Coote died suddenly in 2012, and the house is now for sale on the instructions of receivers for Coote's company, Thameside Holding, this time with its reduced price of €1.35 million.
Designed by Edward Lovett Pearce and built between 1725 and 1730, architectural historian Dr Maurice Craig (Country Life, 1964), wrote Pearce's design was based on Palladio’s Villa Rotonda at Vicenza and Villa Pisani at Montagnana. 
The Irish National Trust, An Taisce, has noted the 290 year old building has been vacant for a number of years and "<a href="https://www.antaisce.org/buildingsatrisk/bellamont-forest-cootehill?page=1" target="_blank">does not appear to be maintained</a>." 
Most of the external fabric remains, but there are obvious signs of deterioration, particularly water penetration. 
"There is no immediate danger of collapse but the condition is such that unless urgent remedial works are carried out the building will sharply deteriorate," the Trust noted. 
<a href="https://search.knightfrank.com/gwr100023" target="_blank">Bellamont Forest</a>, the first Palladian house in Ireland, is set amid one thousand acres of parkland, woods and lakes, including sporting rights in the surrounding forestry.
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It was built for Thomas Coote, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, designed by his nephew, Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, whose other works include the former Houses of Parliament in College Green, now The Bank of Ireland. 
He later became Surveyor General of Ireland, a post which he held until his death in 1733. 
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The house is four bays square, built over two storeys, with a basement. The internal floor area is approximately 1,032 square metres. The house is built of red brick with ashlar facings, and has a Doric limestone portico, with pediments over the windows. 
Title Tattle especially loves the exquisite overhead oval cupola. 
<img src="https://photos-a.propertyimages.ie/media/2/7/5/3117572/31d407a7-06de-49fd-ae4f-dfb2ad3b7a05_l.jpg">
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Bellamont Forest is 110 kms from Dublin and 75 minutes from Dublin International Airport, so listing agent Ganly Walters expect strong international buyer interest.
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The late John Coote, the jetsetting international designer of Classical 18th-century houses, came from a notorious family.
The first to make his mark in Ireland was Sir Charles Coote, a military adventurer who died in battle at Trim, Co Meath, in 1642, leaving estates in four counties to his four sons. His youngest son, Col Thomas Coote, was granted the O’Reilly lands in Co Cavan at the Act of Settlement in 1662. 
He married a Miss Hill from Hillsborough in Co Down and founded the town of Coote Hill (now Cootehill). On his death in 1671, his estate passed to his nephew, also Thomas Coote, who became a Lord Justice of the Kings Bench in Ireland, and was made a Knight of the Bath ‘in testimony of his good and laudable service in suppressing tumultuous and illegal insurrection in the northern parts of Ireland’. He also established Cootehill as a prosperous linen town.
On marrying his third wife, Ann Lovett, in 1697, Coote became the uncle-in-law of Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, a cousin of Vanbrugh, and by far the most important architect working in Ireland in the early 18th century. 
Its name was later changed to Bellamont Forest by Coote’s grandson, Charles, who inherited in 1764 and became the Earl of Bellamont of the 2nd creation in 1767.
The new Lord Bellamont was a complex figure, being variously described as a man of ‘the highest refinement’, but also as a ‘tyrant’, ‘madman’ and ‘a person of disgusting pomposity’. An inveterate womaniser, he sired at least six illegitimate children, all of whom were provided for in his will. He was tried in 1764 for murdering a man during the 'Oakboy' rebellion which he helped to repress brutally. He got off and is immortalised in a camp portrait by Joshua Reynolds in the National Gallery.
On his death in 1800, the estate passed to these descendants who lived on at Bellamont Forest, becoming gradually ever poorer.
In 1874, Edward Smith JP, having amassed a considerable fortune from the coal trade between Liverpool and Newry, bought the Bellamont house and lands for £145,000. Following his death in 1880, the estate passed through various members of his family until 1984, when what <a href="https://www.countrylife.co.uk/news/property-news/luxury-property-in-ireland-for-sale-24455" target="_blank">Country Life</a> described as the ‘troubles’ in the North finally persuaded the last of them to leave. The IRA had used the estate as a training ground.
Three years later, John Coote seized the chance to buy it.
It was listed in 2010 after Coote’s three children all returned to settle in Australia. John Coote, noting the architect spent three years in Italy in the early eighteenth century where he toured the Veneto and Palladio’s villas, thought La Rotunda was his great inspiration.  
There was considerable sadness at John Coote's death given he was one of the great interior designers who buoyed Melbourne's property credentials, especially during the 1980s. 
His Melbourne client list included the Lews, Foxes, Elliotts and Kimberleys. 
His 1987 Corrie Perkin Good Weekend piece was headlined: "John Coote turns new money into old". 
The Australian born, RMIT-trained, Pimlico Road, London interior designer was last in the local headlines during his divorce from Andrea Coote over the settlement of what was dubbed "Coote Castle."
The local paper noted this week that some months after Coote's death, Cavan County Council issued enforcement orders regarding the removal of marble busts from the house. The statues, which occupied alcoves in the entrance hall, depicted generations of old Cootes. 
Their whereabouts are known.
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John Coote's 18th century Bellamont Forest, Cavan Ireland ancestral trophy home relisted

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Savills International has taken time to take a close look at 12 leading world cities, particularly at urbanisation.
They all command world city status and attract, for different reasons, a wide variety of overseas investment while playing host to a wide range of international companies and enterprises.
"US real estate trends often lead the way for other parts of the globe and the repopulation, regeneration and city renaissance experienced in so many US cities over the past 20 years has been echoed in Europe and other ‘old world’ regions, while the urban growth in many ‘new world’ cities has tended to emulate an earlier, mid-20th century auto-oriented and high-rise US model of city-making," the report said.
Click to open in new window:
<a href="/images/2015/03/25/chart-mar-25-one.png" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2015/03/25/chart-mar-25-one.png" alt=""></a>
Source: Savills
The report noted the predominant theme in the West, or rather in the ‘old world’ – the pre 20th century cities of North America, Europe, Australia and Japan – has been the rediscovery of the city.
"Since the 1990s, patterns of depopulation dating from various points in the 20th century have been almost universally reversed in these old cities and businesses of many types have once again created revenues and wealth after previous decades of population decline, and in some cases, urban decay," Savills noted.
"The shift in city economies during the mid-1980s away from manufacturing and toward financial and business services made the location of goods and markets less important and once again put the interactions of people at centre stage.
"This has given cities a new currency: there is value in human interaction and the marketplaces that cities provide.
"Little wonder that London and New York rose from the ashes at this time to dominate the world city scene.
"This economic, geographical and financial phenomenon had big impacts on the real estate industry and these cities remain heavily invested by institutions, funds, private companies and individuals.
"In the 21st century, the emphasis on and need for human interaction on city streets is as great as ever."
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The cities investing in urbanisation around the world: Savills International

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Some 36,342 London properties covering a total of 2.25 square miles are held by hidden companies registered in offshore havens, Transparency International research has shown.
The research – analysing data from the Land Registry and Metropolitan Police Proceeds of Corruption Unit – found that 75% of properties whose owners are under investigation for corruption made use of offshore corporate secrecy to hide their identities.
Transparency International has published a report titled<a href="https://www.transparency.org.uk/our-work/publications/15-publications/1230-corruption-on-your-doorstep" target="_blank"> Corruption on your Doorstep: How corrupt capital is used to buy property in the UK</a>.
It has launched an online campaign about corrupt money entering the UK property market. The report noted estate agents contributed to only 0.05% of all Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) submitted. 
A visual story of this journey and interactive map detailing the number of offshore-owned homes per London borough can be viewed at <a href="https://www.ukunmaskthecorrupt.org/" target="_blank">ukunmaskthecorrupt.org</a>
"There is growing evidence that the UK property market has become a safe haven for corrupt capital stolen from around the world, facilitated by the laws which allow UK property to be owned by secret offshore companies," said Robert Barrington, executive director of Transparency International UK.
“This has a devastating effect on the countries from which the money has been stolen, and it’s hard to see how welcoming in the world’s corrupt elite is beneficial to communities in the UK.  
"It is astonishing that the UK has sleep-walked into this situation, and the government needs to act quickly to make sure that the UK does not become the destination of choice for global corruption. 
"Some relatively simple measures would be a good start, such as the Land Registry requiring transparency over who owns the companies that own so much UK property.”
Key statistics
<ul>
<li>
£180 million plus worth of property in UK have been brought under criminal investigation as the suspected proceeds of corruption since 2004. This is believed to be only the tip of the iceberg of the scale of proceeds of corruption invested in UK property. Over 75% of the properties under criminal investigation use offshore corporate secrecy. 
</li>
<li>The average price of a property under criminal investigation in the UK is £1.5 million. The minimum is £130,000, the maximum is £9 million and the median is £910,000. 48% of properties investigated were valued at over £1 million. 
</li>
<li>
36,342 London properties totalling 2.25 square miles are held by offshore haven companies. Of these, 38% in the British Virgin Islands, 16% in Jersey, 9.5% in Isle of Man, and 9% in Guernsey. 
</li>
<li>Almost one in ten properties in the City of Westminster (9.3%), 7.3% of properties in Kensington &amp; Chelsea, and 4.5% in the City of London are owned by companies registered in an offshore secrecy jurisdiction. Today, TI-UK launched an interactive map of London which reveals the statistics for each borough – <a href="https://www.ukunmaskthecorrupt.org/">ukunmaskthecorrupt.org</a>. 
</li>
<li>In 2011 alone, £3.8bn worth of UK property was bought by British Virgin Islands-registered companies. 
</li>
<li>According to the latest figures, which cover October 2013 to September 2014, estate agents contributed to only 0.05% of all Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) submitted. This figure does not match the risks posed by money launderers to the UK property market.</li>
</ul>
Transparency International makes 10 recommendations for reform, calling for buy in from the UK government, lawyers, and estate agents to ensure that the UK property market is no longer a safe haven for corrupt funds. Action from the British Overseas Territories is also necessary to end this crisis. The key recommendation is that transparency should be established over who owns the companies that own so much property in the UK through making such transparency a Land Registry requirement.
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London estate agents turn blind eye to suspicious, offshore property purchasing

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All eyes are on Hollywood today.
Will Julianne Moore finally get her Oscar? What will she wear? Birdman or Boyhood?
In case you're wondering, our tips: Yes; Tom Ford (unfortunately, it turned out to be Chanel); Birdman.
To celebrate the 2015 Academy Awards, Property Observer nominates five outstanding Hollywood homes.
Stahl House 
 <img src="/images/2015/02/23/800px-Case_Study_House_No._22.JPG" alt="">
Source: Ovs, Wikimedia Commons.
Stahl House, aka Case Study House #22, is one of the most famous homes in the Hollywood Hills. Designed by Pierre Koenig and built in 1959 as part of the Case Study Houses program, the glass and steel modernist house has an "L" shape, and offers panoramic views of Los Angeles from its hillside perch.
The home has also been the set of many commercials and films (though none, to our knowledge, that have been nominated for an Academy Award).
Photograph: Julius Schulman
The Chemosphere
<img src="/images/2015/02/23/John_Lautners_Chemosphere_8189866290.jpg" alt="">
Source: evdropkick, Wikimedia Commons. 
The Chemosphere is not only a famous Hollywood home but a home made famous in Hollywood films.
Lautner's modern works are both a favourite of filmmakers, with Elrod House featuring in Diamonds are Forever, and the Schaffer residence appearing in A Single Man.
The Chemosphere is a one-storey octagon, set on a concrete pole. The feat of engineering and its distinctive look has seen the home often imitated in film - it was the direct inspiration for Sam Rockwell's pad in the Charlie's Angels film.
Hollyhock House
 <img src="/images/2015/02/23/Hollyhock_House.JPG" alt="">
Source: Sfoskett, Wikimedia Commons.
Frank Lloyd Wright's first Los Angeles project was Hollyhock House in East Hollywood. The home, which Wright described as being of a "California Romanza" style, was built for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall.
Completed in 1921, the house is set around a central courtyard, with tilted walls at the exterior. The hollyhock itself is a motif used throughout the house.
3028 Paulcrest Drive, Hollywood Hills
<img src="/images/2015/02/23/mila%20kunis%20house.jpg" alt="">
Actress Mila Kunis sold her contemporary Mediterranean style home late last year for a reported US$3.995 million sum.
The <a href="https://www.estately.com/sold/3028-paulcrest-drive--2" target="_blank">house off Mullholland Drive</a> has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a pool and an eight-seat movie theatre. It features vaulted ceilings with exposed timber beams throughout.
Moorcrest
<img src="/images/phocagallery/2014/07/moorcrest-july-22/moorcrest_0000_1.jpg.jpg" alt="">
The incredible former house of Charlie Chaplin is now owned by musician Joanna Newsom and her husband, Emmy winning comedian and actor Andy Samberg.
The <a href="/news/from-incredibad-to-chaplins-pad-andy-samberg-and-joanna-newsom-buy-legendary-hollywood-home">Beachwood Canyon home</a> was originally built as part of the Krotona Colony, the national headquarters of an esoteric philosophical group called the Theosophical Society.
The home has Moorish, Gothic, Mission-revivalist and Art Nouveau influences. It was designed in the early 20s by Marie Russak Hotchener.
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jrichardson-uRX5hFdKfN

And the Oscar for best house goes to: Five great Hollywood trophy homes

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Investors who are looking for the highest returns will continue to look for development opportunities, and Savills particularly favour outer London and the key regional cities as development opportunities in 2015. Speculative development activity will remain sparse, due to investor and lender caution, but those who are brave enough to undertake it will do well, it said.
Overall Savills expect that 2015 will be another strong year for UK real estate, but investors are going to have to work harder to identify markets and sectors that will deliver high returns.
"The commercial markets in 2015 will still offer opportunities for both risk-averse and risk-embracing investors, though the stronger than expected bounce in capital values in 2014 will diminish," the report said.
In London offices, the low level of availability will continue to deliver strong rental growth.
"We expect to see continuing strong demand from risk-averse international investors," said the report.
"Strong capital value growth was undoubtedly the key theme of 2014, with growth across all sectors stronger than we were forecasting at the beginning of the year.
"We expect to see continuing capital value growth across all prime sectors in 2015, albeit at a slower rate.
"The general election in spring 2015 will definitely have some effect on sentiment, though in the agricultural and commercial sectors we expect the effects to be relatively muted."
In the residential markets the threat of mansion tax, combined with the Mortgage Market Review could lead to a more sustained hiatus in capital value growth in 2015.
Generally Savills expect that the macro- economic story for the UK will remain benign, with base rates remaining unchanged until early 2016, and the combination of low oil prices and recovering incomes giving a boost to the UK consumer.
Savills expect that UK real estate will continue to deliver high returns in comparison to other asset classes.
"This will mean that domestic and international demand for prime and good secondary assets will be strong, though we expect to see more focus on supply and demand fundamentals in 2015, rather than just the potential for yield shift."
Savills top picks across all sectors are for markets with structural or impending undersupply.
Click to open in new window:
<a href="/images/2015/02/18/save%20feb%2018%20one.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2015/02/18/save%20feb%2018%20one.jpg" alt=""></a>
Source: Savills
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Savills suggest UK commercial investment strategies for 2015

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A cliff-top site known as the Ho Tung Garden sold last month for a record for a development site in Hong Kong. 
75 Peak Road sold at HK$5.1 billion (A$840 million), the largest deal in Hong Kong private residential market representing HK$82,258 (A$13,574) per square foot. 
Hong Kong media named the buyer as mainland tycoon Cheung Chung-kiu, chairman of listed Chinese property developer C C Land Holding, through the official buyer was listed as "Season Glitter".
The 1.15 hectare site at Victoria Park was offered through Savills International last month by the granddaughter of British-educated Hong Kong businessman Sir Robert Hotung, who built the complex in 1927. He was one of the first very successful Eurasian businessmen in colonial Hong Kong.
Sir Robert Ho Tung was the first non-European to receive permission from the Hong Kong government to reside in the Peak area. 
Its villa, known by its Cantonese name Hiu Kok Yuen, was controversially demolished in 2013. It had been on the list of 1 444 historic building in Hong Kong.
The main house of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Tung_Gardens" target="_blank">Ho Tung Gardens</a> was designed by a local architectural practice, Palmer and Turner. Before the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Government had used the premises to house one of its military units. During the Japanese invasion in December 1941, the site received several direct hits. The house underwent renovation after the war. 
It was built in the Chinese Renaissance style, with a square tower with a Chinese tiled roof but resembling an Italianate campanile. 
The record deal for Hong Kong was brokered by Raymond Lee, CEO of Savills Greater China, and Patrick Chau, a director of residential development and investment at Savills Greater China.
Hotung's son, Robert, lived on the property between the 1960s and 1990s, and ownership passed onto granddaughter Ho Min-kwan in 2003, who unsuccessfully tried to sell it at a higher price several years ago.
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Ho Tung Garden site sold by Savills Hong Kong

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One in every three wealthy Chinese has property overseas, most of them residential properties, according to the luxury publishing and events group Huran Report.
As the domestic Chinese property market continues to slump, more and more wealthy Chinese investors have shifted their focus to overseas property markets.
Chinese investors invested over US$5.4 billion (A$6.91 billion) in overseas properties in the first half of 2014, and despite tension between China and Japan, Chinese investors flocked to Japan.
Australia as a destination ranked ninth.
<img src="/images/2014/07/04/yellow-ten.jpg" alt="">Canada
<img src="/images/2014/07/04/yellow-nine.jpg" alt="">Australia
<img src="/images/2014/07/04/yellow-eight.jpg" alt="">Britain
<img src="/images/2014/07/04/yellow-seven.jpg" alt="">Singapore
<img src="/images/2014/07/04/yellow-six.jpg" alt="">Malaysia.
<img src="/images/2014/07/04/yellow-five.jpg" alt="">Cyprus
<img src="/images/2014/07/04/yellow-four.jpg" alt="">New Zealand
<img src="/images/2014/07/04/yellow-three.jpg" alt="">US
<img src="/images/2014/07/04/yellow-two.jpg" alt="">South Korea
<img src="/images/2014/07/04/yellow-one.jpg" alt="">Japan
Source: Huran Report.
According to <a href="https://www.hurun.net/en/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Huran Report</a>, Japan became the top investment destination for Chinese property investment in 2014 mostly because of the depreciation of the Japanese Yen and a decade of deflation that squeezed the bubble out of the property market in Japan, the asiaone.com website noted.
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