<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/consolidated-properties">Consolidated Properties Group</a> (CPG) is approaching the launch of its latest Brisbane riverfront development, Castile, on the dress circle Skyring Terrace in Newstead.

VIP buyers are now being engaged, with a full public sales launch coming later this year.

Positioned as the final opportunity to secure a new absolute riverfront residence on the East bank of Newstead, Teneriffe or New Farm, Castile at 47 Skyring Terrace has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/woods-bagot">Woods Bagot</a> as a timeless addition to the Brisbane skyline.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150489 project_image_fid=371113]

The name Castile draws on themes of permanence, sophistication and legacy, reflecting a broader vision centred on enduring architecture and timelessness in the rarest of riverfront positions.&nbsp;

CPG Chairman and CEO Don O’Rorke said the project had been envisioned as a future Brisbane icon.&nbsp;

“With 47 metres of direct river frontage and never to be built out views, 47 Skyring Terrace is the definitive address on the Brisbane River,” O’Rorke said.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150489 project_image_fid=371114]

“Rather than following trend-based apartment design, Castile draws inspiration from Brisbane’s great heritage buildings, reinterpreting classical architecture into a contemporary riverfront landmark designed to stand proudly for the next 100 years,” he said.&nbsp;

The approved development will comprise 227 apartments across a 25-storey tower alongside a boutique six-storey riverfront building of just 12 residences.&nbsp;

Construction is scheduled to commence in September 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150489]

Joel Robinson

CPG unveils Castile Newstead ahead of upcoming sales launch

Australia’s online shopping habits have shifted dramatically over the last decade. As eCommerce volumes surged, so too did the frustrations that came with traditional parcel delivery: missed deliveries, long Post Office queues, parcel theft and the challenge of being home during business hours.

Australia Post’s Parcel Lockers emerged as one of the more practical responses to that changing consumer behaviour.

What started as a relatively niche delivery option has evolved into a nationwide network of more than 1,400 self-service Parcel Lockers positioned at train stations, shopping centres, supermarkets and Post Offices across the country. The system allows Australians to send, collect and return parcels 24 hours a day, fundamentally changing how many people interact with deliveries.

The appeal is relatively straightforward: flexibility.

Instead of waiting at home for a delivery driver or rushing to a Post Office before closing time, users can direct eligible parcels to a Parcel Locker location of their choice. Once the parcel arrives, Australia Post sends a notification with a collection code or QR access through the AusPost app, allowing customers to retrieve their package at any time within the collection window.

For apartment residents in particular, the system has become increasingly valuable.

Higher-density living has created logistical challenges around deliveries, especially in buildings without concierge services or secure parcel rooms. Missed deliveries are common, while parcel theft has become an increasing concern as online shopping volumes continue to rise.

Australia Post itself has repeatedly highlighted the growing issue of “porch pirates” during peak shopping periods, encouraging customers to use Parcel Lockers as a safer alternative to unattended home deliveries.

That security aspect is one of the key reasons the Australia Post Parcel Locker network has grown so rapidly.

Parcel Lockers are positioned as secure, monitored collection points that reduce the risk of theft while also improving delivery efficiency for Australia Post. Instead of multiple redelivery attempts, parcels can be consolidated into a single secure destination.

The Parcel Lockers themselves are free to use through a MyPost account and support a range of parcel sizes up to 16 kilograms and dimensions of approximately 35 x 44 x 61 centimetres.

Beyond receiving parcels, the system has increasingly become integrated into the broader eCommerce ecosystem.

Customers can now use Parcel Lockers to return online purchases, while retailers have embraced the model as a way to improve delivery success rates and reduce friction in the shopping process. Australia Post has actively expanded partnerships with major retailers and promoted Parcel Lockers as part of a broader out-of-home strategy.

The timing of that expansion aligns with broader changes in Australian shopping behaviour.

The acceleration of online retail during and after the pandemic placed enormous pressure on delivery infrastructure. Parcel volumes reached record highs, particularly during Black Friday and Christmas periods, with Australia Post delivering more than 100 million parcels during peak festive seasons.

That growth forced logistics providers to rethink the “last mile” of delivery, widely regarded as the most expensive and operationally difficult stage of the process.

Parcel Locker systems have increasingly been viewed as part of the long-term solution.

The concept itself is not unique to Australia. Parcel Locker networks have become common globally, particularly across Europe and Asia, where dense urban environments and apartment living create similar logistical challenges. But Australia’s geography and suburban sprawl made adoption slower initially.

Now, however, the convenience factor is driving mainstream usage.

For commuters, Parcel Lockers near train stations allow parcels to be collected on the way home from work. For apartment dwellers, they remove the uncertainty around access and missed deliveries.

The rise of the AusPost app has also streamlined the experience, centralising notifications, tracking and Parcel Locker access into a single platform. Australia Post has increasingly pushed customers toward app-based delivery management, partly as a way to combat phishing scams and fake delivery notifications, which have become more sophisticated in recent years.

The Parcel Locker model is also beginning to influence property development itself.

Parcel management has become a growing consideration in apartment building design, particularly as online shopping becomes embedded in everyday life. Many new residential developments are now incorporating dedicated parcel rooms or Parcel Locker systems into foyers and communal spaces.

For developers, parcel management is increasingly viewed as part of the broader resident amenity offering, alongside gyms, wellness spaces and communal work areas.

That reflects a wider evolution in how residential buildings are designed.

Apartment buyers are placing greater emphasis on convenience, security and operational functionality, particularly in higher-density urban environments. Parcel delivery, once considered a minor operational detail, has become an increasingly important part of that equation.

Australia Post’s Parcel Locker network sits at the centre of that behavioural shift.

What began as a simple alternative delivery option has evolved into a key piece of infrastructure supporting Australia’s growing eCommerce economy and changing urban lifestyles.

And as online shopping continues to expand, the role of Parcel Lockers is likely to become even more embedded in how Australians live, shop and receive goods.

How Australia Post Parcel Lockers changed parcel delivery convenience in Australia

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;

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

Reality Tv

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The new season of Channel 7's reality renovation program, House Rules, returns to our screens next month. And host Johanna Griggs tells Property Observer that the contestants might have it harder this time than they ever have before.
The show, like some of the other competitive reality television programs currently on television, has tended to stack the competing teams with plenty of renovation professionals, whether plumbers, carpenters or cabinet-makers. But in the upcoming season, Griggs says, there is only one tradie among the competitors.
"They're absolute novices," she says. "They're the least experienced renovators that we ever had."
The results of the casting move, Griggs says, weren't always pretty.
"The first reveal, I said, 'oh dear'. The finishes weren't up to standard, and I was a little worried."
As in previous seasons, the contestants hail from all over Australia. House Rules sees the teams renovate each other's homes according to a set of "house rules", with the winning team having their mortgage paid off.
Among the novice competitors are father and daughter duo Steve and Tiana, from Western Sydney. The other teams will be renovating Steve's current house, which Tiana was raised in. Steve, the oldest competitor in this series, raised Tiana in the three bedroom 1960s brick.
The only team with professional trades skills are Bronik and Corinne, from Victoria. Bronik, a carpenter, lives with his girlfriend, Corinne, in the living room of the 1960s weatherboard.  The couple can't afford to renovate the home, which has only one habitable room.
There are no "baddies" among the contestants this season, according to Griggs.
"They're so lovely," she says.
"It's so hard getting the six homes done, and the six gardens, so there's no luxury of casting anyone who's nasty."
Last season, Tasmanian couple Brook and Grant were largely portrayed as villains. This season, the Tasmanian representatives are Cassie and Matt. Cassie says "the pressure is on" after Tasmanian couples were the first to be eliminated in previous seasons.
They live in a 1960s brick home in Hobart. Cassie works as a pharmacist while Matt is a swimming instructor training to be a P.E. teacher.
Ryan, of Adelaide, lives with his girlfriend and teammate Marlee. He purchased the house four years ago alone, and works two jobs to pay for what the couple calls "the ugliest house in Australia". Marlee works as a travel agent, and sees the competition as way to relieve Ryan's workload.
From Western Australia are married couple Karina and Brian, who have three children. Their house in Geraldton, north of Perth, sits on five acres, with ocean and mountain views. Although they bought it with the intention to renovate, they can't afford to make changes to the 1970s Spanish-style villa. At 42 and 44, they are the oldest team in the season.
While Brian does have some professional trades experience as a qualified timber framer, not all the contestants have an easy time at the beginning of the season, with Griggs saying some don't realise to do things like account for flooring when taking measurements for a room.
"With the first reveal, I was quite in shock at the standard, and maybe that's heartening," she said.
But the teams "improve dramatically"over the course of the season, she says. One of the hardest homes this season, she tells Property Observer, is in the first week, with contestants competing with mould and only one livable room. But Griggs says the house, presumably Corinne and Bronik's, has more than just shock value.
"You've got to remember that the man who owns it is the first man in his family who's ever owned his own home. So he's the most proud human being to own that place, and that's what makes it special."
Another house, she says, is obviously the product of an owner-builder "who just decided to rewrite the laws of building". With structural problems, Griggs calls the house "a basket case from start to finish".
While other renovation shows pitch themselves to a luxury market, Griggs says House Rules is more emotional, and relatable.
"The biggest point of difference is that its their own home," says Griggs.
"They're going to have to live in it."
The season premiere of the new season of House Rules airs on Channel 7 on Tuesday, 5 May.
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House Rules promises the toughest season yet

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Then unremitting diet of big-budget "reality" programs might be good for the economics of our three cash-strapped, revenue-challenged main TV networks, but it is not impressing viewers, who have deserted free-to-air TV prime-time viewing at a rate of one in 10 since the official ratings race started in February.
And there is likely more bad news ahead for the free-to-air networks, which have doubled down on reality shows for the year, with the coming of streaming services like Netflix.
According to analysis of Oztam ratings data for the ratings year so far by Fusion Strategy in Sydney, peak live main channel audiences are down 11.51% so far in 2015. And Fusion’s Steve Allen blames the three networks, which he says are “hammering away at each other with reality ... [and that] will diminish audiences further”.
And he will be proven right when Seven’s House Rules starts after Easter, and Nine starts its knock-off, Reno Rumble. It’s an expensive spoiler from Nine, which shows that the network has run out of ideas for new programs.
Oztam data shows that while both Seven and Nine have lost ground for their current headline reality shows (My Kitchen Rules and The Block), Ten’s audience is up dramatically -- but that is more to do with the fact that a year ago Ten started the year with its weakest audience figures in a decade or more. So far this season, MKR has lost 12.6% of its audience this year compared to 2014, with a 14.4% drop in the 16-to-54 demographics. The Block's audience has fallen 33% compared to 2014 and more than 38% in 16-to-54 viewers.
In a note to clients on Friday, Allen wrote:
“A large proportion, but not all the viewers, are happy with Reality TV … we estimate it is about 65%. The rest do not like or enjoy this genre ... [It’s] pretty clearly a reasonable number of viewers are tiring of Reality … yet this is the pattern the Networks have chosen and committed to for pretty much the whole year. Thus we think the outlook for audiences … just as SVOD [subscription video on demand] launches, as another competitive attack … is a little bleak and problematic."
Over the past couple of years the networks have used reality shows to cut programming costs in a very simple way -- by extending the nightly episodes from an hour or 75 minutes to 90 minutes. That means audiences are held longer to a winning format (in Nine’s case though it has amplified the fall in viewer numbers of The Block), enabling the networks to reap more revenue from charging high ad rates for the extra half hour -- more than they could for a new program. That in turn allows the network to cut half an hour of programming costs four or five nights a week, or one sitcom or two hour-long dramas -- and save upwards of $300,000 to $1 million in production and scheduling costs. The cost of the extra half hour for the reality program is marginal -- the vision would have been shot anyway (the shooting ratio for these programs is quite high).
The danger for the networks is that as the year goes on viewers will stop watching the new programs because they are bored, or have seen them before. And as we saw with Australia’s Got Talent on Seven a couple of years ago, and then on Nine, and Big Brother on Ten and Nine, once viewers get bored with a format, they stay away, costing the network huge amounts of wasted production costs and lost ad revenues.
The driver for this approach is the absence of any growth in TV ad revenues in the past five years -- in 2014 ad revenue for the three networks was less than it was in 2009, despite the rise in costs for big-ticket productions and the huge new broadcasting contracts for the AFL (Seven and Foxtel) and the NRL (Nine and Foxtel). Nine and Seven are now gearing up for the new AFL contract, so they will need to save every dollar of costs they can. Ten will talk the talk on how it wants a part of a new broadcasting contract, but unless the tooth fairy appears to drop a couple of hundred million dollars down its balance sheet, it won’t be a player. It has to convince TV advertisers and viewers it will return in 2016.
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po-LsXgBTHBmX

Viewers switch off The Block as networks face harsh reality

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The co-founders of an early education facility dedicated to the care of children with disabilities have received an $80,000 investment from two of the investors on Channel Ten's Shark Tank, a show inviting news businesses to pitch in front of a panel of investors.  
Rebecca Glover decided to start her own business dedicated to the holistic care of children with disabilities in 2013 when she realised there was nowhere to send her own daughter, Ruby, who lives with a disability.
“The early years with Ruby were very turbulent and she was in constant pain. My other daughter was three when things became difficult. So once I got to the point where Ruby was more settled, I knew I would need respite for myself or I just wouldn’t be able to keep going,” Glover told Women’s Agenda.
“So I thought, who will look after her? And there was no one. I realised there was a huge gap in the market because she couldn’t go to a normal daycare and in-home care would put me $300 out of pocket every day.”
Glover said this motivated her to start a business of her own. The business, a home-run childcare service, is called Hummingbirds Early Intervention and Education Service. 
“I could see something needed to change so I started investigating different models I could use to start my own childcare service. I started to see where the need was in the community and it was clear that there was a huge amount of need for a new service like this,” Glover said.
“So I realised that same need must be everywhere. I decided I would start a childcare centre in my home at first and see where it went from there.”
 Then, in mid-2014, Glover connected with a parent who was bringing her child to Glover’s home childcare centre, Leah James.
“I had been running Hummingbirds for just over a year from my home and Leah was bringing her son each day, so we got talking about how she could help out with the business. We then joined forces and started work on a bigger plan to get a proper external centre and reachmore families, which is exactly what we’re trying to do now,” Glover said.
And this week, Glover and James have received the investment they need to do just that. The $80,000 investment from Steve Baxter and John McGrath, awarded following their pitch on Shark Tank, will help them establish their first childcare centre.
Glover said the mentoring they had received as a result of the show, on top of the large investment, has been particularly helpful.
“It’s so much bigger than just the money – the mentors we have found in Steve and John are priceless. The knowledge they can bring to our business will be unbelievably helpful. Leah and I have thepassion and the drive and we know what we’re doing, but their expertise will be such a great input and that, to me, is more important than the money,” she said. 
“We showed them that this is a real life problem and we painted a picture of what is actually happening for parents in our communities. We gave them a glimpse into this world and showed them that something has to change, and so they believed in us and saw this could be aviable business and a good investment for them.”
 Investor Steve Baxter echoed this sentiment.
“Not only does Hummingbirds strike a chord with me because of the simply incredible service it offers, it’s also a very smart business investment because it is essentially filling a large gap in the market. Rebecca and Leah have the heart, the passion, the wits and the business smarts, all brilliant traits in a business partner,” he said. 
Glover hopes to see the business grow to include multiple childcare centres in Brisbane and across Australia.
“It’s not just about childcare, it’s more than that. It’s about helping families who need help, and allowing their children to flourish and become whoever they want to be,” Glover said.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.womensagenda.com.au/" target="_blank">Women's Agenda</a>.
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Why some of Channel 10's 'Sharks' are investing in childcare

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John McGrath invested $40,000 in a childcare centre for children living with disabilities or special needs on Channel 10's Shark Tank this week.
The McGrath estate agents founder secured a 12.5% stake of Hummingbirds, as did tech entrepreneur Steve Baxter when the pair decided to split the offered 25% stake.
The two "Sharks" chose to invest after hearing the story of Rebecca Glover and Leah James, businesswomen and mothers of children with disabilities.
Their business, Hummingbirds, offers care, early intervention and support for young children of all abilities, including those with motor development delays. They founded the business after finding traditional childcare facilities unsuitable for their own children, who live with disabilities.
Currently, they offer just four places for children, but said on the show there was a waiting list of 35. Hummingbirds' care is offered at $120 per day, with government assistance and Medicare rebates reducing the out of pocket cost to about $35 per day.
Glover and James are hoping to expand the business to accommodate 21 children, with two carers carers available at all times for each room of seven children.
As they presented their business model on Shark Tank, the potential investors queried the businesswomen about their plans to upscale the business, wondering whether they were willing to take on the extra commitment of expanding Hummingbirds. The entrepreneurs assured the panel that they one day hoped to become a national business.
James said to the panel: "We're driven with heart and passion but we're smart women. We're very capable of this. But we have so many desperate, desperate mothers and fathers out there."
Their pitch was enough to convince Baxter, founder of SE Net, who has no experience in childcare. He later wrote in BRW: 
"If you told me a year ago that I would be investing in the childcare industry, I'd have laughed you out the door. However, when Leah James and Rebecca Glover entered the Shark Tank, they came not just with a moving personal story about what they've done to ensure a better future for their children, and other children effected by disabilities. They came with a sharp, well-thought and viable business proposition ... As I said in Shark Tank, Hummingbirds was a deal too important not to be done."
McGrath, who was visibly moved by the pair's story, said he had a friend who worked in the childcare industry.
McGrath's $40,000 investment isn't his first on the show – he has also committed money to Salsa Rudo Hot Sauces, paying $80,000 for a 45% stake in the business. And while not investing in teenager Daniel Baise's interactive computer screen GTouch, he did, with Baxter, help support the teenager's trip to a trade show in Las Vegas.
McGrath famously did very poorly in his HSC results before moving into the real estate business as a letting agent. At 20, he moved to real estate sales and later founded his own agency. McGrath Estate Agents now has 62 offices along Australia's east coast and sold over $12 billion in residential property in the last year.
McGrath has also been a director on the board of REA Group since 2001.
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John McGrath puts down $40,000 for childcare centre on Shark Tank

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Shark Tank, which premiered on Channel Ten on Sunday, hosted by Sarah Harris, took a look at a property website among its mentoring considerations during the opening episode which was watched by 616,000 viewers.
Shark Tank features five successful Australian business people, all hunting for the next big idea to turn into a profitable co-venture, including John McGrath from McGrath Estate Agents (pictured above, far right).
The self-made multi-millionaires judge the business concepts pitched by the owner and then decide whether to invest some of their own money to help market and mentor each. The pitchee must convince a shark that their idea is original and the product worth pursuing.
Shark Tank's panel of prospective purchasing entrepreneurs Janine Allis (Boost Juice), Steve Baxter (internet pioneer), Andrew Banks (Talent2), and Naomi Simson (Red Balloon).
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The Sharks – worth collectively more than $1 billion - debate, argue over and judge the products and concepts brought to them.  
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The website is <a href="https://www.rentresume.com.au" target="_blank">rentresume.com.au</a> which was founded in June 2011 by Darren Smith out of the frustration and repetition involved when applying for a rental property.
"I thought there must be an way to make the process a lot easier, rewarding, smoother &amp; safer for all concerned," his website says. The series launch on Sunday February 8 saw Toowoomba resident Darren Smith frustrated - having ambitiously wanted $2.5 million for a 40% stake in the subscription service for tenant rental histories.
There were <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/sharktankau/status/564358698311491585" target="_blank">presentation issues during the pitch</a>.
“I’ve seen some worse ideas but not many,” John McGrath said.
<img src="/images/2015/02/06/screenshot-feb-6-oner.jpg" alt="">
Photo: A shot from the opening episode of Shark Tank. Source: Channel Ten.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Shark Tank millionaires consider Australian property website

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A $4.2 million refurbishment is planned for the forthcoming The Block Octagonal series.
The development application proposes seven whole-floor apartments, each with three bedrooms.
It is not known how many contestant couples there will be, with rumours of a competition between the alumni of rival Block and House Rules television shows going head to head.
 
<img src="/images/2014/10/24/block%20octagonal%20oct%2024%20three.jpg" alt="">
The rooftop of the former Hotel Saville.
At ground level, the Brenchley Architect plans propose a café for 80 patrons.
Stonnington Council has yet to approve the conversion of the recently closed hotel.
The eight level, 34-room octagonal-shaped Hotel Saville in South Yarra was purchased last year by Watercress Pty Ltd, the production company of Channel 9’s The Block for $6.25 million.
The property has close access to popular attractions and amenities such as the Prahran Market, Chapel Street, Fawkner Park, the Botanical Gardens and Albert Park Lake. St Kilda Road and public transport are all nearby, with The Alfred Hospital is just down the road. 
<img src="/images/2014/10/24/block%20octagonal%20oct%2024%20two.jpg" alt="">
The Hotel Saville, the site of a forthcoming series of The Block.
Property Observer is aware that in the 1990s, some of its rooms were briefly rented to the Alfred Hospital.
In 2002 the hotel was in the news after it was alleged Reservoir man Shane Chartres-Abbott violently raped a client in a hotel suite, with part of her tongue missing.
The gigolo Chartres-Abbott was arrested shortly after the attack with the victim's blood on his pants and her phone in his bag. With the forensic evidence, medical reports, the victim's testimony and witness statements, Chartres-Abbott presented a bizarre, headline-grabbing defence that he was a 200-year-old vampire.
Chartres-Abbott was subsequently executed outside his Reservoir home in 2003 as he left for the County Court during the rape trial. 
The 3.5 star Hotel Saville of South Yarra, with restaurant, had been trading under various names since its opened in the early 1970s.
With 360 degree views, the property is located at<a href="https://rca.colliers.com.au/property-land+development-vic-south+yarra-501125927" target="_blank"> 1-5 Commercial Road</a>, near busy Punt Road.
<img src="/images/2014/10/24/block%20octagonal%20oct%2024%20one.jpg" alt="">
A notice at the entry of the Hotel Saville.
Watercress's next series of The Block which is currently being advertised to start next month is on Darling Street, South Yarra.
Their Brenchley Architects plans were lodged for a $2.4 million development application for the <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-unitblock-vic-south+yarra-116269171" target="_blank">South Yarra</a> property. Titled The Block Triple Threat, the show's 10th series follows the 2014 The Block Glasshouse series in Prahran.
The current 12-unit block at 27 Darling Street, South Yarra, (pictured below) will be four luxury triple-storey townhouses.
<img src="/images/2014/10/24/block%20octagonal%20oct%2024%20five.jpg" alt="">
Watercress paid $5.7 million for the Darling Street site.
 
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The Block Octagonal will have seven luxury South Yarra apartments

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BCS Strata Management has been named the owner corporation manager for the six Prahran apartments best known as The Block Glasshouse.
The Block's production team also appointed BSC Strata Management to manage its previous two ventures, South Melbourne's the Block Sky High building and Albert Park's the Block Fans v Faves development in the former Dux theatre.
General Manager of Business Development John Georgas said: "For the past 40 years we've enhanced community living. We can't wait to work with the new owners of one of Melbourne's most-watched and talked about properties.
The apartment block has a total of 3,500 square metres of floor space, with a carpark, lock-up storage and indoor common entrance area and lift access.
The Albert Park Block development had a substantial common area, with an indoor pool, lounge with televisions and lifts.
"We're looking forward to providing our services to a building which is sure to go down in history as a Melbourne icon," said Georgas.
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BCS to manage The Block Glasshouse

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The latest series of The Block Glasshouse tried to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
And the reduced pool of savvy potential buyers - and bidders - didn't buy into all the associated hype as the final three auction results limped over their reserves.
With a $1.6 million average sale price - reflecting around $6900 a square metre - it actually almost succeeded, though the viewing public was deprived if they only desired uplifting show business hoopla.
It was thwarted in the end by its b-grade High Street, Prahran location. For Sydneysiders it would be like flogging prestige apartments on Parramatta Road, Annandale, which has very nice houses away from its busy thoroughfare, though without the trams. Certainly Prahran and some of its Chapel Street is a cosmopolitan suburb, but not quite everywhere yet in the immediate neighbourhood.
The most profitable selling market would have been student style - or Gen Y workers - rather than vast luxe given its proximity to Swinburne University with the 6 route tram out front and the railway very close via the Percy Street garage exit.
So the deep-pocketed baby boomer buyers that are the traditional recent Block apartment auction attendee either understandably didn't turn up or showed suitable reserve and mostly kept their hands in their pockets given the mediocre Prahran location. Couldn't imagine the baby boomers heading a few doors along to Misty’s Diner, a genuine American diner right next door to a <a href="https://www.theworkscarwash.com.au/theworks/" target="_blank">hand car wash</a> at what one blogger recently described as <a href="https://filluponbread.net/2014/06/26/mistys-diner/" target="_blank">the bleaker end of Prahran High Street</a>.
The local gay population didn't appear to embrace much of the Glasshouse either.
Also property success is often premised on population trends so those big three bedroom apartments were perhaps oversized for the very obvious Prahran composition of households without children. It sits at around 70% compared to the 50% Melbourne average. Ditto the lone person households category in the last census sat at around 40% of Prahran households compared with the Melbourne 23% average. There were just the 99 households in Prahran with five or more occupants.
Also RP Data puts the median Prahran apartment price at <a href="/news">around $510,000</a>, and going backwards a bit after its recent peak, presumably because of the enormous increase in newly constructed stock. Prahran houses have a $900,000 median. Just across High Street is for instance, ART, a block of 50 apartments that has incorporated supposed hip art into its eastern facade ands its foyer after a Facebook page where people could vote for their favourite. <a href="https://www.artprahran.com.au" target="_blank">Designed by ROTHELOMWMAN for developer Crema</a>, ART included 26 one-bedroom apartments, 23 two-bedders and the three-bedroom, two-bathroom penthouse. 
The one-bedroom apartments range from 51 square metres to 76 square metres; the two-bedroom apartments from 69 square metres to 87 square metres; and the penthouse was marketed as 160 square metres. Back in 2011 the off the plan prices for all but the penthouse ranged from $346,000 to $719,000, so from $6700 a square metre to $9400 a square metre. The penthouse fetched $1.16 million on its June settlement, so around $7250 a square metre. The former petrol station-turned residential development was offloaded by the Deague family at $5.5 million after they scrapped plans to build a hotel as part of its "art" series chain. 
The much desired $2 million plus hopes for the Glasshouse proved elusive. One Melbourne buyers' agent has egg on their face for suggesting the $2 million likelihood even on auction eve when the feedback ought have been obvious.
"This is reality … the property market is the one thing we can't control," bemoaned decor consultant Shelley Craft during the Channel 9 telecast.
“Something happened ….that’s not easily explained by me or frankly by anyone else,” producer Julian Cress told easily convinced, naive newspaper reporting attendees, adding they used the same valuer in each and every series.
The full results:
<ol>
<li>Simon and Shannon, 2/125 High Street: $1.9 million ($335,000 over adjusted reserve)</li>
<li>Chris and Jenna, 2/121-127 High Street: $1.81 million ($310,000 over reserve)</li>
<li>Maxine and Karstan, 3/121-127 High Street: $1.71 million ($40,000 over reserve)</li>
<li>Michael and Carlene, 1/125 High Street: $1.39 million ($10,000 over reserve)</li>
<li>Deanne and Darren, 6/121 High Street: $1.38 million ($10,000 over reserve)</li>
</ol>
The further into the auction finale - and the more Scottie slumped into his couch - viewers got to see just how hit and miss property renovation success can be when buyer demand doesn't go deep enough for the ill-suited, over supply.
They were lucky all five apartments of The Block Glasshouse were sold under the hammer at their Prahran onsite auction, as the extended last offering brought flooding back memories of the Richmond auction disaster in 2011 when just one of the four Block cottages sold under the hammer.
But with metres of floor space over five floors, the Prahran building was almost double the size of the historic Dux House warehouse renovation at 47 O'Grady Street, Albert Park which the Watercress production company bought from billionaire businessman Lloyd Williams last year for $5.9 million. It was perfect for their flush buyer mix. 
<a href="/news/substance-over-style-as-chantelle-and-steve-win-the-block-2014-fans-v-faves">The Block Fans v Faves results</a> which secured a $9.6 million total in April were as follows:
<ol>
<li>Steve and Chantelle, 1/47 O’Grady: $2.47 million ($636,000 above the adjusted reserve)</li>
<li>Alisa and Lysandra, 3/47 O’Grady: $2.375 million ($616,000 above the adjusted reserve)</li>
<li>Kyal and Kara, 2/47 O’Grady: $2.44 million ($567,250 above the adjusted reserve)</li>
<li>Brad and Dale, 4/47 O’Grady: $2.31 million ($507,250 above the adjusted reserve)</li>
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It was a similar success at The Block Sky High too at 142 Park Street, South Melbourne parkland which secured five sales totalling $7.6 million, with Watercress having retained the sixth apartment, after paying $6.71 million for the four-star bizMOTEL, which closed its doors in late 2012.
 
<ol>
<li>Apartment 5 Trixie &amp; Johnno – $1.605 million - $205,000 over reserve</li>
<li>Apartment 4 Madi &amp; Jarrod – $1.601 million - $291,000 over reserve</li>
<li>Apartment 3 Bec &amp; George – $1.507 million - $242,000 over reserve</li>
<li>Apartment 2 Matt &amp; Kym – $1.455 million - $250,000 over reserve</li>
<li>Apartment 1 Alisa &amp; Lysandra – $1.435 million - $295,000 over reserve.  
</li>
</ol>
So the High Street Glasshouse office block now has six split-level, atrium apartments above two retail/restaurants premises after the production company, Watercress spent $8.25 million on the 1980s office building. The $2.5 million Brenchley Architects infill works schedule was mostly internal, and then the constantant couples spent their renovation funds.
The $8.2 million auction proceeds covered the initial outlay with Watercress retaining the sixth apartment plus two street front retail premises. And then there is all the ad revenue for Channel 9.
The winning Glasshouse apartment at 4/125 High Street, renovated by brothers Simon and Shannon Vos, had a southerly aspect overlooking busy, noisy High Street, so it was the hipster fit out that seemed to work in its favour.
The 249 square metre apartment was the second largest of the five on offer.
It's priced reflected the top $7630 a square metre.
Chris and Jenna with their runner-up offering had 277 square metres of floor space, making it the biggest apartment in The Block. But with just skylights and an internal terrace along with the rooftop terrace. It's price was $6530 a square metre.
Max and Karstan had the apartment at 3/121-127 High Street Prahran, with a sunny north-westerly aspect. The couple also have an extra little, almost useless room. The sale worked at to be $7125 a square metre as their apartment was 236 square metres of floor space.
Michael and Carlene's apartment at 1/125 High Street has 236 square metres of floor space, and a southerly aspect. It was the poorest price at $5890 a square metre.
Deanne and Darren's apartment, 6/121 High Street, was the smallest on The Block, with just 186 square metres of floor space.
But it, however, had the most desirable aspect, facing northward and delivering city views. Its sale price reflected $7,419 a square metre, the second placed by square metreage.
Each apartment will also have 70 square metres of private storage and two car spaces.
Viewers saw it was a very close shave exceeding the reserve for the threesome of the contestant couples.
And there were two terrific over-reserve results on High Street in the ninth series of the Channel 9 series. 
It appeared the order of sale again impacted the result as it did in past series where investors, rather than home buyers, were at the fore, but this time it favoured those who went up in the auction order.
The first series of The Block in Bondi Beach back in 2003 came after the $1.95 million four block acquisition through the Channel 9 company. 
Such has been the success of the reality television renovation stress series that nowadays that doesn't even come close to the current day renovation costs. 
The next series at Darling Street, South Yarra might work out ok, though it is cheap serviced apartment heartland. Then onwards to the <a href="/expert-insights/investing/the-block-south-yarra-octagonal-hotel-saville-mystery">still unconfirmed Octagonal</a> which will be anyone's guess as to how it goes!
*Jonathan Chancellor, the Property Observer editor at large, has been closely following The Block since its 2003 Bondi Beach debut series.
Property reality television shows can inspire and create controversy and drama, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some lessons to learn. Here’s our latest free eBook with tips, tricks and information we’ve gained from <a href="/images/stories/marketing/ebooks/PO-ebook-RealityTV.pdf?utm_source=Property+Observer+List&amp;utm_campaign=e7c94f84fa-16_September_2014&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_a523fbfccb-e7c94f84fa-" target="_blank">property game shows</a> through the years. 
 
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Not enough bidding baby boomer buyers to boost B-grade location in The Block Glasshouse 2014 auction results

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SPOILER ALERT 
No winner reveal within - so mild spoiler alert from Property Observer - but Sunday night's The Block Glasshouse finale will nicely illustrate just how hit and miss property renovation success can be.
All five apartments of The Block Glasshouse were sold under the hammer earlier today at their Prahran onsite auction, Property Observer understands.
<a href="/expert-insights/building/smashing-win-for-simon-and-shannon-in-the-block-glasshouse-auctions-results">Brothers Simon and Shannon took out the $100,000 prize at the auctions of The Block Glasshouse.</a>
But viewers will see it was a very close shave exceeding the reserve for some of the contestant couples.
While there is no official confirmation ahead of the Sunday night broadcast, the five results bettered Melbourne's overall 73% auction success rate which was recorded this weekend amid the 820 auctions reported to the REIV. 
And there were terrific over-reserve results on High Street in the ninth series of the Channel 9 series. 
But I note one of the weakest sales finished just 6% up on its opening bid before the hammer came down.
"It is extremely good buying at this level," the auctioneer vainly suggested.
Another took over 30 minutes to secure the sale for little over reserve.
It appeared the order of sale again impacted the result as it did in past series where investors, rather than home buyers, were at the fore.
The auction saw Darren and Deanne, Michael and Carlene, Max and Karstan, Chris and Jenna and Simon and Shannon compete to get the highest price over their respective reserves.
The winning couple will receive $100,000 in addition to the huge profit they made over reserve.
Reserves were determined officially prior to the renovations, and the in the game that followed each couple also got the chance to discount these reserves when completing the building’s final “secret” apartment which may be retained by the show's production company.
Maxine and Karstan received a $30,000 cut to their reserve price, as did Deanne and Darren. Michael and Carlene’s reserve was discounted by $20,000, while Simon and Shannon received a $10,000 discount.
Chris and Jenna did not get placed in the top three at either stage of the challenge, and so missed out.
I thought the judge Darren Palmer gave a very good summation of the factors that were likely to influence the result - a balancing act of southerly versus internal versus northerly aspect, weighing up square meterage, views and amenity, <a href="/expert-insights/buying/darren-palmer-says-max-and-karstan-might-triumph-on-the-block-glasshouse">he noted in his LJ Hooker blog</a>.
But that was before the buyers, the agents, the buyers agents, and the auctioneers did their stuff. 
The much desired $2 million plus proved elusive.
*Jonathan Chancellor, the Property Observer editor at large, has been closely following The Block since its 2003 Bondi Beach debut series <a href="/expert-insights/buying/not-enough-bidding-baby-boomer-buyers-to-boost-b-grade-location-in-the-block-glasshouse-2014-auction-results">with f</a><a href="/expert-insights/buying/not-enough-bidding-baby-boomer-buyers-to-boost-b-grade-location-in-the-block-glasshouse-2014-auction-results">ull analysis of the results</a> to follow the Sunday night broadcast.
Property reality television shows can inspire and create controversy and drama, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some lessons to learn. Here’s our latest free eBook with tips, tricks and information we’ve gained from <a href="/images/stories/marketing/ebooks/PO-ebook-RealityTV.pdf?utm_source=Property+Observer+List&amp;utm_campaign=e7c94f84fa-16_September_2014&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_a523fbfccb-e7c94f84fa-" target="_blank">property game shows</a> through the years. 
 
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The Block 2014 auction results in not quite five gold stars at the Glasshouse Prahran: SPOILER ALERT 

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Last night's episode of Location Location Location Australia showed buyer's agents Veronica Morgan and Bryce Holdaway helping out two relocating couples.
Though one couple was upsizing and the other downsizing, they were both forced to negotiate the tricky realities of moving far from home.
Veronica was working with retirees Sue and Barney. After living in Port Macquarie for 16 years, they wanted to relocate to Wagga Wagga, where their son and his young family lived.
The couple, who have been married for 47 years, raised their own family in Wagga Wagga before moving northward to the beach.
For their return to Wagga, they wanted a three bedroom house with a double garage and a shed, which was close to the grandkids.
Their move, which they think might be their final one, had to be done on a tight budget of $350,000.
With limited stock on market in Wagga, Veronica was tasked with finding them the perfect final home among very few options.
She started by taking the couple to their preferred area of <a href="/news">Turvey Park</a>, in the heart of Wagga and only minutes from their son Ben. The three bedroom house, on the market for $329,000, had three bedrooms, a shed and a backyard.
The recently renovated home was a lot smaller than what Sue and Barney were used to, and the couple believed it would take a lot of hard work to make it worthwhile. It was immediately struck from the list despite its great location and the search continued.
The second house they inspected was in <a href="/news">Kooringal</a>, south of Turvey Park but only four kilometres from their son's home. The bigger house, with three bedrooms, only had a single car garage and the shed was on the small size.
While Sue loved the brick bungalow with an open plan kitchen, Barney was pretty skeptical. At $339,000, the house fell under their budget - but only just.
The third home they inspected was in <a href="/news">Bourkelands</a>, four kilometres from Central Wagga. The former site of a military base, developers have recently taken a liking to the area, with new builds popping up.
The house, which also had a $339,000, had a double garage, an open plan kitchen and living room layout. The master bedroom came with a walk in robe and ensuite, which also appealed.
With somewhat shabby bathrooms, the house (pictured below) would require a little bit of work. It <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-bourkelands-116920539" target="_blank">remains on the market</a>, with its asking price now at $332,500. 
<img src="/images/2014/09/24/1.jpg" alt="">
After visiting three homes, none of which ticked all the boxes and all a step down from their dream home in Port Macquarie, the true reality of downsizing began to set in.
Sue and Barney showed just how difficult it is to downsize, especially from a home you love. Though they both wanted to be closer to their family, they weren't quite ready to make the final purchase of their life - especially if it meant settling for a home they weren't happy in.
In the end, although they couldn't find the perfect home, Sue and Barney decided they needed to be in Wagga. So they sold their Port Macquarie home and set out to rent a house in Wagga while waiting for the right home to come onto the market.
This article continues on the next page. Please click below.
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 Bryce teamed up with Melbourne couple Ben and Amelia, who had the opposite move in mind.
They were planning to migrate northward, to the Gold Coast. After watching prices skyrocket in Melbourne, they decided they wanted more warmth and luxury for their dollar.
The upgraders, who want a family home they can grow into, had a budget of $1 million. They've been searching for a home in the Gold Coast for some time, but were finding the interstate property inspections a little impractical.
Enter Bryce. He was tasked with finding them a four bedroom home with a minimum of two bathrooms, a pool and canal views. Ben and Amelia wanted something close to the beach, with plenty of entertaining space.
Bryce was optimistic about their prospects, especially on their budget. The property market's downturn means that homes are more affordable than before, and it's a buyers' market.
According to Bryce, good capital growth potential can again be found in the Gold Coast, with high price growth in the southern states spurring on upgraders just like Ben and Amelia.
Their hunt began in <a href="/news">Broadbeach Waters</a>, at a home situated right on the canal. The four bedroom, four bathroom house had a pool and a six car garage. Unfortunately, it required some renovations - but with a price of $800,000, there was plenty of money leftover in the couple's budget for that.
It seemed, however, that Ben and Amelia had other things in mind. They weren't interested in extensive renovations, and wanted at least two living areas.
So house number one was a bust, and they moved along to house number two: a <a href="/news">Mermaid Waters</a> house with two open plan living areas. The contemporary tiled house had four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a spot to tie up the boat.
There was also an outdoor entertaining space by the pool. On the market for $995,000, it was within their budget, and made a good first impression.
But Ben and Amelia, it turned out, wanted a home with a better indoor-outdoor flow. So house number two was also out.
The <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-broadbeach+waters-116288195" target="_blank">third home they inspected</a> was one on main road, which caused some concern. But its huge contemporary interior space and layout, pictured below, won them over. The home, on a wide plot, also included a pool and spa facing the canal, with its own jetty.
<img src="/images/2014/09/24/2.jpg" alt="">
While the home's bedrooms weren't amazing, the outdoor entertaining area was enough to win them over.
The house had a $1 million asking price, but it turned out that the vendors had accepted a $950,000 offer previously, and finance had fallen through.
They inspected a final house, a single storey home with two large living areas and four bedrooms in Broadbeach. The house, which the couple wasn't keen on, had an asking price of $950,000.
The price gave Amelia and Ben a point of comparison, and solidified their preference for the third home.
Knowing that the vendors had accepted a $950,000 offer, Bryce proposed a $930,000 to $950,000 price for the home. Amelia and Ben decided to put in a $920,000 bid, and were happy to play the waiting game.
However, so was the vendor, who rejected the bid. Amelia and Ben pushed up their offer to $945,000 - which, after a few days of waiting, was accepted by the vendor.
By knowing the previous offers put in on the house, Amelia and Ben were able to gauge the vendor's needs, securing the home for $55,000 under the asking price.
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