US property market offers promises and pitfalls (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)  

A Victorian man’s Telstra bill came in at around $54,000 after a 3 week holiday in New Zealand.The  16 page bill was apparently caused by  downloading Google maps,browsing and posting photos on Facebook.A Telstra spokesperson said ” We have has substantially  reduced the bill as a gesture of goodwill and will continue to work with [...]

  A 71-storey tower with 592 apartments and 566 car parking spaces at the site of the Queensbridge Hotel, Southbank has been approved by Victorian Planning Minister Matthew Guy. It’s a $275 million Bates Smart-designed high-rise tower that at 276 metres high will be Melbourne’s second-tallest building – squeezed between Eureka at 297 metres and [...]

  National licensing for real estate agents is now due in 2013, well after the original July 2012 deadline, yet key industry stakeholders are hopeful the delay will yield diploma-level licensing and continuing real estate education requirements.

Are home sellers about to ask agents “Where did you get your licence?” The Age newspaper article by Chris Vedelago recently raised the issue of” Hundreds of Victorian agents exploiting a loophole in interstate law that still allows them get a fast tracked licence in New South Wales-sometimes in just days-and then transfer that licence [...]

A study commissioned by the reverse mortgage industry found that $3billion is now being borrowed by retirees against their family home.The market for reverse mortgages has not quite returned to the heady days before the global financial crisis yet there has been a recent increase of 10%. However, there are strong signs that older Australians [...]

From July 1, 2011 the Victorian Stamp Duty on the principal place of residence will change substantially. The current threshold for stamp duty relief will increase from $440,000 to $750,000.Under the new laws,eligible seniors will receive a total exemption from stamp duty  for homes purchased to a value of $330,000 and a partial exemption between [...]

Buying property abroad may not be at the top of peoples list with the economic downturn of the post two years however property prices have dropped making that house abroad even more appealing. If you are considering investing in another property abroad there are number of guidelines you can follow to help you get the right place for the right price.