Bourke Street mall rents trump Pitt Street mall as most expensive for first time in more than a decade: CBRE

Sydney super-prime retail market has failed to recover after slumping last year. By Larry Schlesinger

Queensland not featured on SQM most discounted list as Macleay Island property sells at last

SQM Research's top 10 discount list, usually dominated by Queensland, has properties from SA, NSW, WA and Tasmania. By Alistair Walsh

Westpac, ME Bank and HSBC cut fixed rates: a three-year fixed-rate guide

Here are the fixed-rate mortgage offerings available from Australia's major lenders. By Larry Schlesinger

West Perth office market tightening as mining boom drills into established stock

Savills Research’s Spotlight on West Perth found that office vacancy rate there is 4.4% – down from 5.4% in January 2012. By Andrea Dixon

US film producer Robert Cohen still to sell Balinese villa for $3 million 

Villa Minangkabau is set on 24,790 square metres of the Pantai Jasi coast near Candi Dasa and looks out to Mount Rinjani on Lombok. By Andrea Dixon


Industry news

The construction arm of St Hilliers has been placed into voluntary administration due to funding issues relating to the Ararat prison project.

Auction tipping

Melbourne auction tippingMelbourne auction tipping Mark Armstrong
Guess what this Fitzroy North house will sell for at its weekend auction.
Sydney auction tippingSydney auction tipping Mark Armstrong
Guess what this Surry Hills property will sell for when it goes to auction this weekend.

Commercial

Commercial hammer pricesCommercial hammer prices Larry Schlesinger
Property Observer reviews the latest commercial leasing deals by the numbers, including the amount a development site in South Melbourne’s famous Dorcas Street sold for.

Leisure

Gaia health retreat in NSW has world-class facilities, is serious about health, and yet not draconian in imposing its vision unilaterally on guests.

Residential

NSW properties appeared on the top 10 sales list four times, and Victoria was represented five times.

Victoria

The ultra-modern house in St Kilda West has been listed for $1,500 a week rent.
The rate of construction of Melbourne apartment projects is expected to slow due to projects taking longer to transition from marketing to construction.

Overseas

Cotchford Farm, the childhood home of Christopher Robin Milne and setting for the Winnie the Pooh stories, has been listed for sale through Savills.

Tax

Stamp duty remains a barrier to everyone in the housing market, young and old, as its result is that people are reluctant to move.
With such a sort fall in housing supply upon us and with housing now less affordable than ever, the stamp duty debate is much discussed but never resolved.
Stamp duty must be reviewedStamp duty must be reviewed Peter Chittenden
Stamp duty is no longer the best way to raise revenue form an already heavily taxed property sector and struggling home owners.
The government intends to withdraw the 50% capital gains discount for non-residents, a change that will hurt our property markets

Title Tattle

Kennebunkport, the Western Australian beachfront retreat of the property developer Warren Anderson, has been listed with revised $5.2 million-plus hopes.
Alcatel’s ex-South Asia Pacific boss Ron Spithill sells in Cammeray, media ad buyer Jill Waddy lists in Point Piper, Bell Potter's Alastair Provan lists in Neutral Bay, and there's word Gerald Delany's back as Kay & Burton chairman.

Trophy homes

The architect of the 1955 Kintore Street home isn’t known, but it shows the opulence and optimism of the Palm Springs Internationalist style.
The proposed sale of the former Palm Beach home of Tony Morris, ex-principal of GP Noble, and his wife, Vanessa Morris-Jackson, has stalled.

New South Wales

Stephen Brown only owns 1/1,000th of the property – with wife Corrine holding the remaining 999/1,000 equity.

Mortgages

Just two lenders – both credit unions – have passed on the full RBA 50-basis-point May 1 interest rate cut to borrowers.

Victoria

A Melbourne man has has won his legal proceedings to reverse the sheriff’s extraordinary $1,000 sale of his six-bedroom Braybrook home.
Grocon has announced plans for works to the former malt store and also to the bluestone brewery buildings on Bouverie Street.
A timeline of events leading to the recent court case surrounding the $1,000 sale of a Braybrook home valued at $630,000

News

Larry Schlesinger Work has stopped on 30 building projects worth $300 million across Australia following the collapse of the construction arm of St Hilliers.
Larry Schlesinger Charter Hall has paid $96 million to acquire the remaining 50% interest in 225 St Georges Terrace, a 19-level A-grade office building in the Perth CBD.
Alistair Walsh Sunland Group Limited has agreed to spend $30 million on a 33.4-hectare block of land in outer-Melbourne suburb Point Cook.
Alistair Walsh Over the last year 47 localities on the Sunshine Coast lost value, 77 remained static and none increased in value.
Larry Schlesinger Consumer confidence increased by 0.8% in May, which Westpac chief economist Bill Evans says is disappointing.
Larry Schlesinger Asia-Pacific capital values grew by 8%, making it the second most attractive region for investors during the quarter.
Jonathan Chancellor CSR estimated total housing starts in Australia will fall to about 140,000 in the year to March 2013, down from the 148,300 in 2012.
Larry Schlesinger New property portal CommercialAsia.com includes 1,000 Australian commercial properties.
Larry Schlesinger Shopping centre owner and landlord Westfield has reported “modest growth” in speciality retail sales in its Australian shopping centres for the first three months of the year.
Larry Schlesinger However, Ken Henry also cautions an increase in offshore investment would result in a rise in the Australian dollar.
Larry Schlesinger Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson has rejected criticisms that the government’s spending cuts and taxation policies announced in the budget are undermining the efforts of the RBA
Larry Schlesinger Continued weak housing, construction and mortgage conditions were factors in the bank cutting the cash rate by 50 basis points in May.
Larry Schlesinger John McGrath will extend his real estate business into the Queensland capital city, with four new offices set to open over the next 12 months.
Larry Schlesinger Demand for fixed-rate mortgages soared to a four-year high in March as customers took advantage of an extremely competitive market and low fixed rates on offer.
Jonathan Chancellor Fair Work Ombudsman inspectors will audit 125 Queensland real estate businesses over the next three months to check that they have lodged written agreements for their staff with the Queensland Property Industry Registry.

Observers

More high-rise development is the key to repairing Australia’s property market: Harry Triguboff New Developments
Harry Triguboff People who buy the apartments prefer taller buildings because they allow more light and afford views and are cheaper to run than lower ones.
Be wary of DA-approved sites on the market New Developments
Jo Chivers Most DA-approved sites I come across are on the market for one reason. They don’t work.
Rate cut and currency changes could have mixed results for top-end property Residential
Mal James The Reserve Bank gave us all a bit of a surprise with its recent rate cut of 50 basis points. But the impact of the rate cuts at the top end could be mixed.
Marketing costs don’t reflect a property’s value, and Queensland’s form 27c is a joke Queensland
Michael Matusik Form 27c's application does not reflect the current market conditions or how real estate business is really done.
Signs of life in Australia's housing market could provide fresh stimulus to the economy: Gottliebsen Economy
Robert Gottliebsen There is no doubt that building dwellings is an important part of non-mining Australia.
While governments provide rhetoric and reports, thousands are waiting for real housing solutions Residential
Catherine Cashmore The state and federal governments commission discussion papers and reports on housing affordability, but nothing gets done to help those doing it tough.
The gap narrows as east almost meets west (and Queensland) in housing prices and costs: Christopher Joye Residential
Christopher Joye Just as housing costs across the south east started to slow down, a striking boom was gathering momentum in the mining states.
Borrowing money to invest in commercial property must be done sensibly Commercial
Chris Lang Sensible borrowing can then greatly enhance the overall results you achieve with commercial property investment.
What baby boomers' retirement will mean for the Sydney property market: BIS Shrapnel's Martin Bregozzo Residential
Martin Bregozzo Baby boomers are the demographic that changed the rules to suit their needs, and retirement will be no different. Boomers have no intention of moving to the sticks - so how can Gen X and Y buy a home in the city?
Negative gearing should apply to new properties only Negative gearing
Neil Smoli The best way to balance the concerns over inflates prices with the need to support investors is to make negative gearing applicable only to new property investments.
The rising trend of renting out part of your home as an investment Landlords
Cameron McEvoy More home owners are renting out part of their homes to tenants, but what are the implications?
You get what you pay for in property managers who work cheap Landlords
Leah Calnan Cheap is never a good long-term solution in property management, just like in any other service industry.

Rethinking Australian bank business models: Christopher Joye Christopher Joye
By compelling banks to rely on short-term retail deposits rather than wholesale funding, regulators are shifting risk onto taxpayers.
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