Holiday home buyers who have long gravitated to Queenstown’s alpine setting are increasingly looking for low-maintenance apartments that allow them to lock up and leave, while still generating income when they’re away.

For Wendy, who had spent years visiting the Queenstown and Arrowtown region, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/safari-group">Safari Group</a>’s Mountain Oak Apartments provided the opportunity to formalise what had previously been a recurring holiday pattern.

“We always had Queenstown in the back of our minds to buy something there as a holiday home,” she says. “We love the Queenstown and Arrowtown area.”

<img alt="From slopes to markets: Mountain Oak connects residents to the best of Queenstown" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_auto/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/658d4f_48c3ec1ae5df4a2cab7d23c07c7f51b3~mv2.jpg?VersionId=27K8oQ4ExDN8Yu70VHDa9Olq59XU36m3" />

Time spent visiting her sister-in-law, who owns in Arrowtown, along with regular stays at Millbrook Resort, had already shaped a strong personal connection to the region.&nbsp;

Rather than approaching the purchase purely as an investment play, Wendy’s starting point was lifestyle.

“We were more thinking about ourselves and where we could stay, and then the rental aspect was second.”

Mountain Oak Apartments, located within the masterplanned Remarkables Park precinct in Frankton, aligned with that thinking. The ability to secure the apartment with a deposit and settle on completion made the timing work.

“The fact that we could put a deposit down with the balance on completion was a bonus for us,” she explains.

<img alt="Safari Group’s Mountain Oak Apartments brings new investment potential to Queenstown" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_auto/https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/313_Livingv2_WEB.jpg?VersionId=nV229fM0ZeYpoxOrX372HyGjfwY_LR8c" />

Wendy selected a two-bedroom, two-bathroom penthouse, a configuration that supports both private use and guest flexibility.

“The two-bedroom, two-bathroom configuration appealed from both a rental viewpoint and for the ability to have friends stay while we are there,” she says.

Across the development, two-bedroom apartments range from 64sqm to 78sqm, with two-bedroom plus flexi options from 71sqm to 75sqm, each with an allocated car park. The flexi layouts introduce an additional space suited to work or hobbies, reflecting demand from buyers who split their time between leisure and remote work.

Apartments include underfloor heating in bathrooms, heat pumps to living areas, and joinery positioned to maximise natural light and mountain outlooks. The Remarkables Park precinct is known for its extended winter sunshine hours, water frontage and open views toward The Remarkables.&nbsp;

Units come in light and dark interior colour schemes.

<img alt="Mountain Oak Apartments draws holiday home buyers to Queenstown" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fd685a22-3b95-43a1-87cb-48fdd42bb4ba" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/658d4f_f9f89107c2704ebbbe5a6b36da508cb3~mv2.jpg?VersionId=MigFIEm6b.mrANANwxSmwHvC4RdJUuyR" />

While lifestyle was the primary driver, the fundamentals of the Queenstown market added reassurance.&nbsp;

“Proximity to the airport and tourism being the main attraction all year round,” Wendy says, when asked what stood out from an investment perspective.

Mountain Oak sits just eight kilometres from Queenstown’s CBD and around a two-minute drive from Queenstown Airport.&nbsp;

For Wendy, that airport proximity carries practical value.

“The airport proximity is a bonus, we think that being so close will be an attraction for the convenience side.”

Residents are also a short drive from Coronet Peak, Jack’s Point Golf Course, New World Supermarket, Five Mile Shopping Centre, and the dining, medical, gym, cinema and library amenities within the town centre, as well as the seasonal Remarkables Market.

Importantly, the purchase does not lock owners into a single use. Mountain Oak offers the flexibility to opt for short-term visitor accommodation or longer-term residential rental management, with 365-day visitor accommodation consent in place. Owners can utilise Safari Group’s 24/7 on-site management service or appoint their own provider, and do not need to decide on a strategy immediately.

“It was a bonus that we can rent it out as well as use it for ourselves,” she says.

Additional buying options, including furniture packages and storage units available for purchase within the building, further support a lock-and-leave model suited to interstate and overseas owners.

<img alt="Safari Group’s Mountain Oak Apartments brings new investment potential to Queenstown" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_auto/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Ext_Cam15_Sunny.jpg?VersionId=SJAROUM_1s.Tr5ciMk4EEj5oAt_Vewmv" />

Mountain Oak Apartments comprises 141 residences, ranging from one-bedroom configurations through to larger apartments and penthouses. One-bedroom apartments are currently priced from NZ$639,000, with three-bedroom options from NZ$1,299,000.

With 365-day visitor accommodation consent, the development is structured to respond to Queenstown’s established four-season tourism economy, spanning winter ski traffic and summer hiking, cycling, golf and lake-based activity.

Although Wendy acknowledges the strength of rental demand, her approach remains long term.

“We’re not planning to sell it anytime soon, so we are keen to hang on to it, but the passive income will be a bonus.”

Confidence in the developer also influenced her decision. Before proceeding, Wendy sought feedback within the local building community.

“We asked around and Safari Group had a good reputation,” she says.

Safari Group has delivered more than 2,000 hotel units and residential apartments across over 18 developments nationwide, with more than 25 years’ experience in the sector.

With completion anticipated by mid-2027, Mountain Oak is attracting a cross-section of buyers, from yield-focused investors to lifestyle purchasers seeking a foothold in one of New Zealand’s most tightly held alpine markets.

For Wendy, it represents both a future holiday base and a long-term asset within Queenstown’s year-round tourism economy.

Joel Robinson

How Mountain Oak Apartments draws holiday home buyers to Queenstown

Eduard Litver's Capitel Group is seeking to redevelop Chatswood's Mandarin Centre in the heart of the burgeoning suburb.

Capitel Group, in a joint venture with Metis Group, has filed a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) to demolish the Mandarin Centre and construct a 32-storey tower designed by Skidmore, Owings &amp; Merrill (SOM) with 325 apartments.

The 3,524 sqm site at 61A-65 Albert Avenue will also home extensive retail amenity, both at street-level and across a four-level podium.

<img alt="First look: Metis and Capitel unveil $1.2bn+ plan to redevelop Chatswood’s Mandarin Centre" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="905976ea-08cd-409f-8a4c-33a3fb8bf351" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/1771923441002.png?VersionId=f_xI2ejpxQvEm4fPqGji01RY9_AWVY6O" />

In its early stage Design Report submitted to the NSW Government's Housing Delivery Authority, SOM describes the ambition for the project as one that “aims to revitalise and reactivate an important corner of the Chatswood CBD.”

The architects note that the existing shopping centre “has a lack of vertical connection between its five levels of retail and a cumbersome pedestrian access from the street to the second-level transit connection,” framing the redevelopment as an opportunity to reconfigure circulation and better integrate with surrounding transport infrastructure.

The design adopts a single tower configuration, shaped through early testing to respond to neighbouring buildings and key public spaces.

Retail activation is concentrated at ground and lower podium levels, with a focus on food and beverage, lifestyle and wellness tenancies. The intent is to create a more permeable ground plane and improve connections between Albert Avenue, Victor Street and the Chatswood transport interchange, located within walking distance of the site.

<img alt="First look: Metis and Capitel unveil $1.2bn+ plan to redevelop Chatswood’s Mandarin Centre" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b1e0c8cb-ee9b-41c1-97ac-0455c043b9e7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/1771923442914.png?VersionId=y.Kbo.9bzLIbOabeygYts8Uf9imI.Dqh" />

The site occupies a prominent position on the southern edge of the Chatswood CBD core, bounded by Albert Avenue and Victor Street. It sits near the rail and metro interchange and within close proximity to Chatswood Chase, Westfield Chatswood, Chatswood Oval and a range of commercial office towers and residential buildings.

Chatswood has been one, and continues to be, of the most popular suburbs for developers in recent years. The most recent tower to launch is Hyecorp's Celine on Archer Street, which followed The Anderson by Changfa and Huirong.

Soon to launch is Coronation's Archer &amp; Albert nearby the new proposal.

Chatswood boom continues with Capitel and Metis’s $1.2 billion Mandarin Centre redevelopment

Apartment development applications continue to tally up in Rose Bay following the NSW Gov's 2025 update to the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy.

&nbsp;

Some $200 million worth of developments were filed in the space of four weeks at the back end of last year, with the likes of Fyve, HSN, Luxcon and Fortis all seeking to creating new apartment buildings.

The latest plans are for an amalgamated 3,105 sqm site across Conway Avenue, Fernleigh Avenue, and Carlisle Street. Developer Mathieson Property is planning <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/dian-2-6-conway-avenue-rose-bay-nsw-2029">Dian</a>, 70 apartments across a new eight-storey building, perched on a ridgeline within walking distance of Rose Bay Town Centre.

The State Significant Development Application (SSDA), includes one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations. Over 15 per cent will be dedicated as affordable, as per the NSW Government's push for affordable housing. The 17 apartments will be managed by a community housing provider for 15 years following completion of the building.

<img alt="First Look: Mathieson Property unveils eight-storey infill housing proposal ‘Dian’ in Rose Bay" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f99c21d9-e69d-4a23-ae35-3244cfa0b4ae" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Rose%20Bay%20site_0.png?VersionId=67KSZfecJ3fvn1ewo9xxKrneRT.Nsjwd" />

MHNDU has designed the building around three central cores, with lower-level apartments arranged to maximise corner balconies and cross-ventilation. Upper levels are configured with dual north–south aspects to capture harbour views and solar access.

Private open space is a key feature of the scheme, with generous balconies and terraces throughout. Five ground-floor apartments would include private pools, while one upper-level residence will feature a rooftop terrace and pool. A communal room and adjoining landscaped outdoor terraces provide shared open space for residents.

<img alt="First Look: Mathieson Property unveils eight-storey infill housing proposal ‘Dian’ in Rose Bay" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="dd2e275f-c270-4eb1-9a02-2b573b8eb540" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Rose%20Bay%20front_0.png?VersionId=Us5jNEG6iLFLLMfQSzVBVdILYobBj.g9" />

The site sits around 365 metres walking distance of Rose Bay Town Centre and around 312 metres from regular bus services on New South Head Road, meeting the accessible area criteria under the Housing SEPP.

In early 2025, the NSW Government implemented significant changes to its Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy, altering planning controls to allow greater density for new apartment projects within an 800-metre walking distance of stations and town centres in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/woollahra-nsw-2025">Woollahra</a>&nbsp;Local Government Area, overriding existing local controls. Buildings are now permitted to rise up to six storeys within 400 metres of a station or centre, or eight storeys where affordable housing is incorporated, and up to four storeys within the 401 to 800 metre radius, which can increase to six storeys with affordable housing.

Mathieson Property unveils Dian Rose Bay apartment development

Lower North Shore developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hyecorp-property-group">Hyecorp</a> is preparing to launch <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/celine-chatswood-37-archer-street-chatswood-nsw-2067">Celine</a>, its new apartment development in Chatswood.

Set within a blue ribbon location on Archer Street, Celine will rise on a quiet, tree-lined enclave on the edge of the South Chatswood Heritage Conservation Area, a short walk from the connectivity which Chatswood is famous for.

Celine will deliver 122 one, two, three, and four-bedroom residences, designed to accommodate a broad range of buyers, from owner-occupiers to investors.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149594 project_image_fid=362610]

Designed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fuse-architecture-0">Fuse Architects</a>, the 29-storey tower has been shaped to respond to its Archer Street setting, with a defined podium and slender upper levels.&nbsp;

The building incorporates a two-storey residential lobby at the corner, double-height retail fronting Bertram Street, food and beverage tenancies along a through-site link, and two levels of commercial office space.&nbsp;

A landscaped pedestrian connection between Archer and Bertram streets will provide a publicly accessible link through the site, extending activity at ground level beyond the building footprint.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149594 project_image_fid=362606]

Inside, Hyecorp is emphasising scale and flexibility. Most residences will incorporate multipurpose rooms, allowing buyers to configure additional living, study or guest space within their floorplan.&nbsp;

Kitchens have been designed with proportions more commonly associated with standalone homes, complemented by Gaggenau and Miele appliances, integrated refrigeration, Miele laundry appliances, Taj Mahal stone and bronze tapware.&nbsp;

Buyers will also have the option to tailor aspects of their home through the developer’s “Live Your Way” personalisation service.

Resident amenity will include an outdoor pool, gym and sauna, as well as barbecue and lounge areas designed for shared use. Upper levels are oriented to capture eastern outlooks towards the Sydney CBD and surrounding greenery.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149594 project_image_fid=362633]

The location places future residents within 800 metres of Chatswood Interchange, providing access to metro and rail services, and within walking distance of Westfield, Chatswood Chase and the Chatswood Concourse. Parks including Chatswood Park and Beauchamp Park are nearby, along with a cluster of schools and private hospitals.

Celine continues Hyecorp’s focus on the Lower North Shore. The Australian, family-owned developer has been operating locally for more than 30 years, with recent projects including Audrey in St Leonards, now nearing completion, and Juliet in Roseville. With registrations expected to open soon, Celine represents the group’s latest addition to the Chatswood apartment market.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=149594]

Hyecorp unveils Celine, a striking new apartment tower in the heart of Chatswood

International development company <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/spg-land">SPG Land</a> has kicked off construction of the $1.5 billion <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/paradiso-place-surfers-paradise-103-ferny-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Paradiso Place</a>, one of the highest value developments to get underway on the Gold Coast in more than a decade.

Located on a 1.15ha site stretching from Surfers Paradise Boulevard to Ferny Avenue, Paradiso Place, when completed, will deliver 845 residences across three residential towers. &nbsp;

Paradiso Place has been several years in planning by SPG, which has now pushed the green light on construction to meet pent-up demand from investors and owner occupiers.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=106566 project_image_fid=185858]

The move follows minor amendments to the original design to cater to buyer demand, including the provision of more premium residential amenity, including private dining, lounge and events spaces for residents to entertain guests.

The three towers, comprising 41, 40 and 44 levels, will bring to the market 845 apartments with each tower boasting its own podium level interconnected skybridge to create a unique elevated ‘beachside village’ for residents.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=106566 project_image_fid=362500]

The <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a>-designed development will bring a broad range of residences to the market, most offering ocean views and all enjoying five-star hotel amenities with world-class facilities and the convenience ground level retail precinct.

&nbsp;

Construction of Paradiso Place has been made possible by SPG’s newly established SPG Built division partnered with experienced project management group Eastview Australia, a company that has supported the development of a raft of major projects on the Gold Coast over the past two decades.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=106566 project_image_fid=362499]

“It’s a very exciting time for Paradiso Place as we start construction,” said SPG Land Chairman David Wang.

“We have spent our energy refreshing design and assembling the best team and waiting for what we believe is the right time to start construction on one of the most exciting mixed-use developments to proceed on the Gold Coast since Oracle in Broadbeach and Circle on Cavill in Surfers Paradise. &nbsp;

“The local and interstate downsizer market is getting stronger, and we see Paradiso Place as the right project for our times right now. Our company has the capacity to deliver large-scale projects, and we are thrilled to be bringing this vision to reality.”

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=106566 project_image_fid=185861]

SPG Invest, a company founded in Australia in 1998 with a focus on high-end real estate and premium hospitality assets, has delivered 56 projects in the Asia-Pacific region over the past twenty-five years, including The Peninsula Hotel Shanghai and the Global 188 twin-tower project in Suzhou and Cambridge Residences at Robina.

Paradiso Place will deliver a range of new apartments with two-, three- and four-bedroom layouts, as well as a collection of sub-penthouse and penthouse apartments across three levels. Prices start from $950,000.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=106566 project_image_fid=185852]

“We have a very strong vision for Paradiso Place – we are creating a unique beachside residential community where contemporary design &amp; architecture and luxury materials combine with five star residents’ amenities and the convenience of a premium retail precinct on the ground floor”, said SPG Land CEO Dr Ying Rao&nbsp;

“We are confident that the community will recognise that this is more than just another development. Paradiso Place will bring a much-needed retail precinct and lifestyle hub to northern Surfers Paradise with premium retail, lifestyle and food and beverage options,” Said Dr Rao&nbsp;

“The retail precinct is critical to enhancing the lifestyle amenity for residents and guests, so SPG will retain control of this precinct to curate a premium retail offering that will support this thriving new community.

“SPG will also retain short-term holiday letting to control premium and luxury outcomes in line with our vision.”

Construction of Stage 1 Paradiso Place is expected to be completed by end of 2029.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=106566]

Construction commences on $1.5 billion Paradiso Place development in Surfers Paradise

Property Investing

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It’s a great time to be a landlord in Australia. With rare exceptions, vacancies are ultra low, rents are rising and there’s massive momentum behind prices.

A nationwide property boom is under way (with the big city inner-ring unit markets the exception) and the curious thing is that investors haven’t been joining the party. 

The growth we saw in most markets in 2020 was driven by owner-occupiers, with first-home buyers leading the charge and other home buyers, especially lifestyle-seekers, prominent as well.

Investors were sitting on the fence, worried firstly about the September Cliff which failed to materialise and now apparently concerned about a potential March Cliff.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=600]

They’ve been waiting to see what would happen, before making decisions. And here’s what has happened while they’ve been fence-sitting – the new data from Domain shows that all capital cities had house price growth ranging from solid to strong in 2020, as did most of regional Australia. There was particularly notable uplift in the December Quarter.

This confirms earlier data from CoreLogic and both confirm the anecdotal evidence from the coal-face of markets which shows properties receiving multiple offers and selling for more than the asking prices, often before being formally listed.

Other research shows that rents have been rising in many parts of Australia, on the back of vacancy rates so low that it constitutes a national rental crisis.

So the hesitant investors have missed the first phase of the national property boom.

If they’d bought a year ago in many parts of Australia, their properties would now be worth 10%, 15% or 20% more than they paid.

For those who bought in sexy lifestyle locations like Byron Bay and the upmarket areas of the Sunshine Coast, a $1 million investment a year ago would now be worth around $1.3 million.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=84861]

If you’d bought a $400,000 property in Bendigo 12 months ago, it would likely now be worth around $460,000 (based on the median price data).

So it’s time for investors to stop procrastinating and get busy. And the latest ABS data on loans indicates that, at last, investors are starting to get involved.

This, in fact, is typical investor behaviour. Investors don’t lead property cycles, they react to them. They stampede into the market when they hear there’s a boom happening.

So I expect a big surge of activity from investors in 2021. There are too many good reasons to become buyers of well-located real estate and make it available to a hungry rental market.

The uplift in investor buyers will add further energy to the momentum already happening in markets across the nation.

It will make a national property boom that much more certain.

Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au

ryder@hotspotting.com.au

twitter.com/hotspotting
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The hesitant investors have missed the first phase of the national property boom.



terryryder

It’s time for real estate investors to stop procrastinating and get busy: Hotspotting's Terry Ryder

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Some holiday home buyers are overlooking five key strategies which can turn their costly lifestyle investment into a money-making asset.

Australians invariably get caught up in the holiday romance of buying a ‘weekender’ and some will act on impulse while on vacation.

Often investors reason that by renting to holidaymakers when they aren’t using it, the asset’s maintenance and holding costs will be covered, but that’s rarely the case. Instead, holiday home buyers must seek maximum rental income and depreciation benefits to make the investment viable.

Most are buying emotionally and discover that higher-than-normal vacancies make their investment returns marginal at best. But smart investors know there are moves which can turn the numbers around.

Home property managers have five key rent boosters that also deliver great depreciation benefits.

There are a few things that boost your home’s appeal with holiday makers which not only maximise rental income, but also deliver excellent tax depreciation benefits. This means, come the end of the financial year, you’ll have more upside in your tax return thanks to your holiday home. 
 

1. Climate control

<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/shutterstock_612232358.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="385" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/shutterstock_612232358.jpg?itok=Kj3zRE-n" width="580"></a>

Ensuring your holiday home is airconditioned is essential for attracting holiday makers. Vacationers will spend plenty of time relaxing at your short-stay, and they’ll want their comfort levels to be spot on.

Guaranteeing your home has split system air-conditioning and insulation not only helps improve the holiday experience for renters, but delivers tax benefits too.

The deductions available when you install a new split system represent 20 per cent of the cost of the asset within the first full year of claim. So, spending $3500 on a split system will equate to $700 worth of deductions in year one. 
 

2. Pet appeal

Holiday homes that are pet friendly command a premium, as pet owners look to take their ‘fur-babies’ on holiday which saves on the cost and stress of kennelling. But improvements which help create pet-friendly rentals also provide depreciation benefits.

Think boundary fencing, hardwood floors, pet proof landscaping. Even items such as an external doghouse can be depreciated. 
 

3. Outdoor entertaining

Holidays are built for family barbeques and lounging in a shady spot. The addition of a roofed outdoor relaxation and entertainment area will drive holiday makers to your home. They are also filled with depreciation opportunities such as ceiling fans, built in barbeques and benchtops.

For example, a relatively modest spend of around $4000 would both elevate your property’s rental earning potential, and deliver over $1000 in tax deductions in the first year after installation:

<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2021-01-19_at_4.31.29_pm.png" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="192" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2021-01-19_at_4.31.29_pm.png?itok=gu0O4Lb4" width="580"></a>

4. Pools

<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/shutterstock_254911351.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/shutterstock_254911351.jpg?itok=3rHjgwIo" width="580"></a>

Even when near a beachside holiday spot, there’s no denying the appeal of a pool when holidaying.

If you’ve been fortunate to buy a home with a pool, don’t forget to claim depreciation benefits on the fencing and filtration system. 
 

5. Wifi and entertainment

Providing unlimited Wifi has become pretty much mandatory for holiday homes.

Access to streaming services, scrolling through websites on local hotspots or checking in on updated weather alerts and surf conditions make web access a must. Simple elements such as supplying a television can improve your tax deductions.

For example, televisions have an eight-year effective life, so under the diminishing value method, a $2000 TV will provide $500 in deductions in the first full year of claim.

While depreciation rules for computer equipment are currently found within the commercial sections of the tax legislation, it’s likely that computer equipment will become a residential plant and equipment item in time. Either way, routers and range extenders will always attract deductions.
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Anyone who has impulse bought a holiday home over Christmas must get serious about making it profitable

max.kwok_55688

Five ways to turn holiday home investment duds into diamonds

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EXPERT INSIGHT

The data on rents published by Domain illustrates that this is a great time to be a landlord – in most locations across Australia. You might have a different view if you own an investment property in the inner-city areas of our biggest cities, but elsewhere we have a landlord’s market like never before.

Vacancy rates below 1% have become the norm in Australia. That’s a remarkable situation and it deserves repeating: vacancies under 1% are the norm.

Five of our capital cities – Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Darwin – have vacancy rates under 1%. Brisbane is only marginally higher. And many of our regional centres have vacancies closer to zero than to 1%.

You would be hard-pressed to find a significant regional city or town with a vacancy rate above 2%. I’ve been researching and writing about Australian real estate for almost 40 years and I’ve never seen a rental market situation like this.

Research entities confirm that many locations have the tightest rental markets ever recorded. Every day I’m having conversations with real estate professionals across the nation. And when the topic is the rental market, the story is always the same: when a dwelling becomes available for rental there are queues of people - 30, 40 or 50 applicants – competing for the property.

It’s common for prospective tenants to make offers well above the asking rent and/or to offer to pay six or 12 months in advance to beat the competition. That is why the Domain figures show rents rising sharply in locations across Australia, especially outside the big cities – despite pandemic-related restrictions from state governments.

Multiple regional centres in NSW, Queensland and Victoria have had rents growing10% or more, sometimes 15-20%, in the past year. Among the capital cities, there have been double- digit rises in Perth and Darwin – and significant increases also in Adelaide, Canberra and Brisbane. In Sydney, houses are up 5% although apartments have dropped.

There are many reasons why there is a dire shortage of rentals in most locations:

<ul>
<li> We haven’t been building sufficient new dwellings for the past three years or so.</li>
	<li> Vacancies are primarily an outcome of investor activity and investors have been sitting on the sidelines lately – owner-occupiers have been driving markets.</li>
	<li> The Exodus to Affordable Lifestyle, with large numbers of Australians leaving the big cities and moving to the fringes and to the regions, has further diminished the supply of rental properties.</li>
</ul>
This is a national crisis but it receives very little attention from media and even less from politicians. The various federal and state governments have been so busy dealing with the pandemic, they haven’t noticed the chronic shortage of properties and the dramatic impact of that on rentals.

One shudders to think what the situation would be if Labor had won the last Federal Election and scrapped negative gearing. Right now, we need the opposite kind of action – we need governments to provide direct incentives to Australians to become property investors and add to the rental pool. In the meantime, rents will keep going up. Propertyology’s head of research Simon Pressley is forecasting record increases and I think he’s right.

Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au 

ryder@hotspotting.com.au
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It's a great time to be an Australian landlord: Hotspotting's Terry Ryder

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The ABS released its Overseas Arrivals &amp; Departures figures for September 2015 which confirmed that net permanent and long-term migration continued to slow to +282,400 on a rolling annual basis, which is now the lowest level since July 2007.
<a href="/images/2015/11/10/Arr1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/10/Arr1.jpg" alt="">
 
With New Zealanders and Europeans having increasingly opted to pursue more appealing or lucrative career and lifestyle choices elsewhere, net immigration into Australia is now overwhelmingly being driven by Asian migrants.
<a href="/images/2015/11/10/Arr6.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/10/Arr6.jpg" alt="">
 
<div>Indeed while migration from New Zealand continues to slow and British settler numbers are tracking at their lowest level in decades, settlers from China and India have steadily increased in number to their highest level on record.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Later this week the ABS will release the latest Labour Force figures, which will show employment growth of close to +2% for the past year comfortably outpacing the rate of population growth of around +1.4%. Meanwhile tourism has become of the fastest growing sectors of the domestic economy. A recent Deloitte Access Economics report noted an existing shortage of 38,000 workers with a projected further 123,000 workers required by the end of the decade, leading inevitably to industry calls for a relaxation of visa rules.</div>
Part 2 - Record visitors
<div>The flip side to the slowing of Australia's economy - and in turn net permanent and long-term immigration - is that the lower dollar has encouraged a record 7.25 million visitors to our shores over the past year, a monster increase of well over 450,000. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>What is more the rolling annual number of short term departures is now in decline for the first time since a temporary blip through the financial crisis, as the weaker dollar encourages more Aussies to holiday at home. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>This is one of the many ways in which a weaker currency serves to boost an ailing domestic economy.</div>
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<div><a href="/images/2015/11/10/Arr2.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2015/11/10/Arr2.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>Indeed anyone looking for evidence of how the weaker currency can help to rebalance the economy need look no further than the below chart, which shows the ratio of short-term departures to arrivals shifting into a long, sweeping downtrend.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2015/11/10/Arr7.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2015/11/10/Arr7.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div>
Part 3 - China explosion Gosh! The number of visitors from China continues to explode at a breakneck pace being up by an outlandish 27% from September 2014, with more than 1.3 million visitors arriving from China and its provinces over the 12 months to September 2015. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>While the rise and rise of the Chinese middle class and tourism - with its associated surge in spending power - is very much a global trend, Australia has evidently been extremely successful to date in capturing its share.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2015/11/10/Arr3-1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2015/11/10/Arr3-1.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div>In fact it was announced during the past month that Britain will slash the price of its two year visa for Chinese visitors from £325 to just £85 in a slightly desperate attempt to capture more of this lucrative market.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In a related trend, the lower dollar has also encouraged record education arrivals with a huge surge since 2014 taking rolling annual arrivals to beyond 453,000.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2015/11/10/Arr4.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2015/11/10/Arr4.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
This is another trend which is very much skewed towards students of Asian origin and particularly Chinese students, with 2016 set to be the biggest year on record for higher education visas. The student visas boom is very much a capital cities phenomenon, which is one of a multitude of reasons that Australia's capital cities are set to capture an even greater share of population growth over the next decade. With recent changes to rules and regulations in New Zealand having reportedly curbed Chinese interest in the Kiwi property market, the above demographic shifts have potentially significant implications for Australian real estate over the remainder of the decade. Anecdotally there has been a renewed rush of interest in Australian property from would-be Chinese investors. A significant share of new arrivals come to Australia for education but stay for the long term on other substantive visas - it's one the reasons that Chinese investors are so active in targeting Australian property markets.
</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>.
</div>
</div>
</div>
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Australia capturing Chinese middle class attention: Pete Wargent

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The newest property offering from fractional property platform BrickX has been snapped up by investors in one hour, the company said.
The property, a townhouse in Sydney's Surry Hills, was opened to pre-orders at $95 a 'brick', a term that BrickX uses to explain investors' share in a property. The fintech company divides every property it buys into 10,000 'bricks' and sells those 'bricks' to investors.
BrickX CEO Anthony Millet expected the latest offering to be as popular as its previous property in Sydney's Darlinghurst, launched a few weeks back. The one-bedroom apartment in Darlinghurst was fully reserved at the pre-order phase, BrickX said.
“We’re pleased to offer investors access to yet another inner-Sydney property at an affordable entry price,” Millet said.
“Surry Hills is an enviable location and this townhouse is an easy walk to vibrant cafes, shops and the CBD.” 
The two-bedroom, one bathroom townhouse on Commonwealth Street with a secure car space boasts an open plan design with a paved courtyard.
The company, which has CoreLogic's Tim Lawless on its advisory panel, was recently rated 'Superior' by SQM Research, which gave it four out of five stars based on its usability and depth of property information.
"CoreLogic figures show unit prices in Surry Hills have increased by 54 per cent in the past five years,” Lawless said.
"Surry Hills has a strong rental market and is particularly attractive to young professionals who flock to the area to enjoy the fantastic restaurants and cafes coupled with a short walk to work for the majority who work nearby or in the CBD."
The property is scheduled to settle on the BrickX platform on May 30. At settlement all pre-ordered ‘Bricks’ will transact and will appear in an investor’s portfolio.
BrickX properties are each put into an individual trust and split into 10,000 units or 'bricks'. Investors may then earn capital returns and monthly net rental income in proportion to the number of Bricks owned. The company enables members to choose when to invest and when to exit their investments by offering their Bricks for sale on the platform.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/05/18/BrickX2.jpg" alt="">
BrickX already has properties in popular locations: Darlinghurst, Bondi Beach, Enmore, Mosman, Annandale and Double Bay in Sydney, and Prahran and Port Melbourne, in Melbourne. 
The combined value of all properties exceeds $9.5 million, its website says. 
Its investor count has risen to 5,000 since its launch eight months back. 
For more information on the new property, <a href="https://www.brickx.com/" target="_blank">click here</a>. 
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BrickX offers $95 'brick' for townhouse in Sydney's Surry Hills 

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BrickX Trusts have been rated favourably by SQM Research, which gave the fractional property investing platform a ‘Superior’ rating — four out of five stars.
The rating comes close to the launch of another property by BrickX, in Sydney’s Surry Hills. 
Anthony Millet, CEO of BRICKX, the manager of the Trusts, said the rating reflected the thought that has gone into creating the product. 
“To be awarded a Superior rating at the first review is a testament to the thought that has gone into creating the BRICKX product,” Millet said. 
“This favourable rating should allow financial advisers who have proactively reached out to us, to now recommend the BrickX Platform and BrickX Trusts to their clients where appropriate.” 
SQM identified the following strengths after its research:
<ul>
<li>The depth and quality of senior management appears to be very strong </li>
<li>The liquidity mechanism for Bricks appears to be a proven way to access liquidity </li>
<li>SQM Research believes that the simplicity of the fee structure is a positive </li>
<li>The acquisition and disposal fee is in line with peers </li>
<li>Initial valuation movements are positive, and the locations appear to have been well chosen </li>
<li>The compliance committee is majority independent </li>
<li>SQM Research has viewed the Platform and was impressed by its usability and depth of property information, which can be used to inform investor decisions.</li>
</ul>
BrickX’s innovative investing platform allows division of a property into 10,000 units or “Bricks”. Investors may then earn capital returns and monthly net rental income in proportion to the number of ‘Bricks’ owned. 
The company enables members to choose when to invest and when to exit their investments by offering their ‘Bricks’ for sale on its platform.
With properties already in Darlinghurst, Bondi Beach, Enmore, Mosman, Annandale and Double Bay in Sydney, along with Prahran and Port Melbourne, in Melbourne, investors can easily access a variety of property investments from less than $100. 
BrickX’s recent acquisition is a two-bedroom townhouse in Surry Hills and it will offer the initial ‘Brick’ at $95 to investors. The pre-order phase will be open from May 19 with settlement scheduled for May 30.
 
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SQM Research says BrickX stable property investing platform, gives 4 stars

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<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2017/02/16/Screen%20Shot%202017-02-16%20at%209.57.32%20AM.png" alt="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
Australia’s leading property investment event, the Property Buyer Expo, debuts in Victoria next week with industry gurus sharing where property markets are heading plus their insights and shortcuts to best take advantage of current market conditions.
Property Observer has complimentary tickets to give away. 
Visit <a href="https://www.propertybuyerexpo.com.au" target="_blank">www.propertybuyerexpo.com.au</a> using the code POVIP via 'purchase tickets' to secure your spot.
Some of the hot panel topics and presenters across the three days include:
<ul>
<li>Toorak on a shoestring! How you can buy your first investment property from just $2,500 without borrowing by using fractional property investment - Arthur Namoudis, DomaCom</li>
<li>Parents (and grandparents) can be key to helping young Victorians break into the housing market – and it may not cost them anything! - Chris Gray, Your Empire</li>
<li>Snare your perfect property before it goes to auction - Frank Valentic, Advantage Property Consulting</li>
<li>Look beyond your own backyard! Insights into current and future market opportunities in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and beyond…Then a deep dive into Melbourne’s market – not only which suburbs the brilliant RiskWise tool suggests carry the highest and lowest risk, but right down to the detail of what type of property in these suburbs carries the least risks and potentially highest returns – Doron Peleg, RiskWise Property Review</li>
</ul>
Australian property experts on hand also include Nerida Conisbee, chief economist at REA Group; Effie Zahos, editor of Money Magazine; Margaret Lomas, managing director of Destiny Financial Solutions; and Ben Kingsley, chief executive officer of Empower Wealth.
Kylie Mayer, organiser of the Property Buyer Expo, says being such a dynamic industry, it’s important that we remain at the forefront of the issues and opportunities facing property buyers, hence our unrivalled line up of industry-leading speakers and extensive list of exhibitors to give attendees tools, tips and insights to help them build wealth through property.
“With so many leaders, decision-makers and influencers under one roof, the Property Buyer Expo is a must-attend event for those wanting to either break into the market, increase the value of their home or build extra wealth through property investment,” she said.
The extensive exhibitor list includes specialists in residential communities, townhouses, off-the-plan developments, house and land packages, as well as builders, conveyancers, home loan providers, accountants, real estate agents, financial planners, insurers, tax depreciation, concierge services, buyers’ agents, industry associations and government departments.
For further information about the event and to book tickets, priced at $20 per day or $50 for all three days, visit <a href="https://www.propertybuyerexpo.com.au" target="_blank">www.propertybuyerexpo.com.au</a>.
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Property Observer Ticket Giveaway - Melbourne Property Buyer Expo February 2017 

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GUEST OBSERVER
The December NAB business survey showed business confidence remaining reasonable at +6 and businessconditions improving significantly to a strong reading of +11.
The bounce in conditions reflected strength in trading, profits and new orders.
Business continues to remain more confident than are consumers, but the rebound in business conditions adds to confidence that the September quarter downturn in GDP reversed in the December quarter.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/02/01/image006.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2017/02/01/image006.png" alt="">
Source: Westpac, NAB, AMP Capital
Meanwhile, private credit rose a stronger than expected +0.7 percent in December or 5.6 percent year on year. 
The bounce in credit growth from +0.5 percent mom in November was driven by stronger lending to businesses, which is potentially a good sign. 
While housing credit growth was unchanged at 0.5 percent/mom or 6.3 percent/yoy in December, what is concerning is a continued deceleration in owner occupier housing credit (to +0.4 percent/mom) relative to investor credit (which rose +0.8 percent/mom). Over the last three months investor housing credit rose at an annual rate of 9 percent and is now rapidly approaching APRA’s 10 percent threshold.
It is increasingly clear that the dampening impact of APRA’s 2015 macro prudential tightening has worn off to a significant degree. With household income growth in the economy running well below 10% yoy andthe Sydney and Melbourne property markets continuing to run too hot in the face of ultra-low interest rates there remains a case for APRA to further lower the 10 percent growth threshold for property investor credit.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/02/01/image009.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2017/02/01/image009.png" alt="">
 
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://plus.google.com/110172465327488162875?rel=author" target="_blank">SHANE OLIVER</a> is head of investment strategy and economics and chief economist at <a href="https://www.ampcapital.com.au/home" target="_blank">AMP Capital</a> and is responsible for AMP Capital's diversified investment funds.
 
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Continuing bounce in lending to property investors: Shane Oliver

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Which is the better asset class to invest: shares or property?
Off-the-plan marketer Place Advisory pit the share market against Brisbane’s property market, an annual exercise, using the benchmark All Ords Index and sales data for apartments in Inner Brisbane.
Traditionally, shares and property have been strongly correlated and several overall trends have been established: Both asset classes seem to move in cycles together with property responding slightly slower than the All Ords Index to any changes in the wider market. This is likely due to information reporting and the illiquidity of apartments in comparison to shares.
The share market is generally more volatile than the property market – experiencing higher highs and lower lows. The 30-year period has seen the property market outperform the share market – just.
Inner Brisbane apartments have recognised annual median price growth of 6.3% per annum, compared to the All Ords annual return of 5.6%.
Place Advisory used All Ords for the report as it is the best indicator of the health of the share market in the longer term. This is primarily due to the fact that it is the oldest index, and tracks the performance of the 500 largest companies by market capitalisation.
The ASX 500 registered its first annual decrease in 2015 since 2011. As of December 31, the index stood at 5,345 points – down 0.8% on the recorded value 12 months earlier.
The Brisbane property market did not fare much better in terms of price growth. The median apartment price for the six months to December 2015 was $440,000, just $1,000 higher than the corresponding period of 2014.
The share market is generally more volatile than the property market, reacting with a greater level of severity to market fluctuations. In 2008 for example, the values of both asset classes took a hit. However, Brisbane’s median apartment price contracted by 1.5% over that year, whereas the index value of the ASX 500 tumbled by 44%. The trend reversed the following year. Median apartment values in Brisbane rose by 6%, but the ASX 500 value increase by 36%.
"If you’re looking for stability and long term growth, you should consider property as an investment vehicle. There is less volatility in the property market, which means that your hard earned money will generally be more secure in property," says Lachlan Walker, director of Place Advisory and Place Projects in Brisbane. 
"As an investor seeking capital growth, timing is critical- neither shares nor property are completely fool proof."
And as for any investment, research is imperative. 
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