Victorian Owner’s Names are Back (Pending Government Approval on 17th May 2012)   Last month the Victorian Valuer General made changes (removal of property owner’s names) to the distribution of property sales data in Victoria.  However as a result of the direct action taken by the REIV, the Victorian Government has announced a partial roll-back of the restrictions introduced [...]

  Did you know that Australians have the fifth (yes, fifth) highest income per capita is the world? In US dollars, every Australian (yes, on average) earned $67,000 last year. The four countries above us in income rankings were Luxembourg ($122,000), Qatar ($98,000), Norway ($97,000) and Switzerland ($85,000).

  A private equity firm has paid over $133,000 for the homeloan.com.au andhomeloancalculator.com.au URLs, in yet another sign the market for URLS is continuing to grow even more important and lucrative. Both purchases come after a string of expensive purchases in the past year. Woolworths reportedly bought Hardware.com.au for $33,000, while Zoupon turned into Deals.com.au after a $100,000 transaction. The real estate [...]

  By Robert Gottliebsen Monday, 16 April 2012 In the last three weeks a dramatic event has taken place in the Australian residential apartment market – the mainland Chinese have suddenly increased their “off the plan” buying of inner Sydney, Melbourne and even Brisbane apartments. The Chinese have been the main buyers of Sydney and [...]

Monash University demographer Dr.Bob Birrell recently stated that rapid population growth was fueling escalating prices on the city fringe.”Aspiring home owners are leapfrogging ,they are looking further afield for affordable housing and it’s setting off development booms in some country towns.” Some country residents and councils are worried that the population increase is putting stress [...]

Yarra council is considering a planned apartment block where instead of parking spaces residents will be given Myki cards. The proposal is for 12 apartments and will include a  22 bay bicycle rack,a roof top communal vegetable garden,a car share scheme but no parking spaces for residents. The energy rating will be over 7 star [...]

Described as the holiday home from Heaven,the first private residence has just been comleted on  exclusive Hayman Island in the Whitsundays. Three more  more luxury holiday  homes have contracts underway and are all stated to be in the region of $20 million each image credit Daily Mercury   

Australian Bureau of Statistics show that in the 9 months to March ,the average floor size for a freestanding house was 243.6 sq.m,down from a high of 248 sq.m two years ago. The average new Victorian house was 246.9sq.m. New flats were the smallest in a decade,with the national average 133.7 sq.m and just 126.2sq.m [...]

A former solicitor has been accused in the Melbourne Magistrates Court of visiting gravesites to adopt the names of the dead to create false identities. The alleged gambling addict spent more than$13 million at casinos. Victoria  police prosecution opposed bail on the grounds that 6 properties had been unwittingly sold and at least another 9 [...]

Interest rates down? Houses up? Here we go again…….shares shafted In the GFC,  nearly 3 years ago, after shares dropped 40%, interest rates were cut fast.  Melbourne property median dropped only 5% , but then rose strongly over the financial year 2009/2010. This time round the share drop has been far less but many, including [...]