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Featured Property

A $16m French-style chateau on Wallis Lake is for sale

'Chateau Le Marais' is a 257-acre property on the Mid-North Coast of NSW, that has its own sandy 1.5km of beachfront, private jetty, and helicopter pad. The property is for sale through Mark Clarke of Ray White Angell & Clarke Group.

New South Wales (NSW)Sydney

Construction

Loftus Lane development sells out in two hours

Demand for quality Sydney CBD apartments is strong, with all 106 apartments in AMP Capital's Loftus Lane Circular Quay development selling through CBRE within two hours on the weekend.

People

Get to Know Fiona Young, architect of high-rise schools

Fiona Young, Sydney Studio Director for Hayball, spoke to SCHWARTZWILLIAMS about her work designing innovative education spaces.

National

The Economy

Aussies expect mortgage rates will keep rising

Despite most economists predicting the Reserve Bank board will leave rates on hold at today's board meeting, many Australians expect mortgage rates will rise this year, and are considering switching to fixed rate loans.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

Featured Property

Historic Hawthorn East estate 'Talana' for sale

The grand, historic manor 'Talana' sits on a 4,198sqm block in Hawthorn East and is for sale through agents Glen Coutinho and Annabelle Feng of RT Edgar Boroondara.

National

The Economy

Revised auction clearance rate one of the lowest this year

But Gil King, the CEO of the REIV, told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS that last week auction volumes and sales in Victoria were ahead of those for the same period last year.

National

Politics

Capital gains withholding tax too low for foreign residents says REIA

The threshold for foreign-resident capital gains tax withholding has been reduced to an unnecessarily low level, subjecting agents and conveyancers to additional red tape and costs for no good reason, says Malcolm Gunning of the REIA.

International

People

Obamas buy their Washington rental

Barack and Michelle Obama have paid US$8.1 million (just over AU$10 million) for the Kalorama, Washington, home they have been living in since January.

Victoria (Vic.)

Featured Property

A Mount Eliza home with private beach access is for sale

Designed by architects Macnaughtan & Lumley, this contemporary home is for sale by Marc Jacob and Janine Lum of Unique Estates Australia.

New South Wales (NSW)

Politics

NSW moves a "great first step" to improve affordability: REINSW

John Cunningham, president of the REINSW, says the state government's moves to help first-home buyers are welcome "first steps" to address housing affordability pressures in NSW.

Pages

News Roundup

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/rea-attacks-fairfax-model-for-real-estate-site/story-e6frg996-1227220641375

Media rivals tussle over real estate portals

News Corp's REA Group, owner of realestate.com.au, has criticised Fairfax Media, owner of Domain, over the launch of a new online real estate business owned by Domain and real estate agents.

The Australian

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/32935-australian-hedge-fund-bets-1-billon-on-zillow-trulia

Big money in real estate portals

One of Australia’s largest hedge funds, Caledonia Funds, is betting big on the future of online real estate in the U.S., to the tune of more than $1 billion. Caledonia Funds disclosed that it currently owns nearly 20% of Zillow and more than 27% of Trulia.

Housing Wire

http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/02/13/australia-china-banking-idINL4N0VN2GV20150213

Chinese-owned bank coming to Oz soon

A Sydney-based investment management company is planning to set up the first privately-owned Chinese bank in Australia, catering to the rising numbers of wealthy Chinese people living and investing in the country, a senior executive said on Friday.

Reuters

http://www.mortgagebusiness.com.au/breaking-news/8170-major-bank-announces-new-ceo?utm_source=MB&utm_campaign=MBNewsflash16_02_2015&utm_medium=email

New ANZ boss

ANZ today announced that Mark Whelan will succeed Philip Chronican as CEO Australia reporting to Chief Executive Officer Mike Smith with Mr Chronican intending to pursue a non-executive career following a distinguished 32-year career in banking.

Mortgage Business

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2015-02/12/content_19561001.htm

Chinese investors shifting focus

A Knight Frank study shows Chinese investors have been moving from core office and residential developments into leisure and industrial assets when they seek opportunities in overseas realty markets. In 2014, Australia recorded the strongest growth in inbound real estate investment from China, with a rise of more than 60 percent year-on-year.

China Daily

http://www.afr.com/p/mirvac_on_track_as_first_half_profit_olWNfyCTD7BQ1TH8EbvWOP

Mirvac benefiting from residential boom

Mirvac Group has posted a 2014-15 interim operating profit of $A231.2m, which is 15.5 per cent higher than previously. CEO Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz says the group benefited from the strong residential property market in Sydney.

The Australian Financial Review

http://www.wsj.com/articles/australias-byron-bay-has-beaches-grazing-animalsand-rising-real-estate-values-1423762537

Byron Bay's hot real estate

A growing group of home buyers wooed to Byron Bay. While many homeowners buy property as vacation homes, real-estate agents say more people are moving here full time because of Byron Bay’s geographical setup.

The Wall Street Journal

http://www.afr.com/p/bankstown_enjoys_next_wave_of_growth_FkpGo0XInBPocOnDjmNhMN

Bankstown enjoys next wave of growth

Bankstown in Sydney's west is set to catch up with the rest of the city's strong real estate market, as two properties worth more than $90 million hit the market in the coming weeks. Bankstown experienced one of the highest increases in residential land values– 29 per cent – across the Sydney metro region in 2013-14.

The Australian Financial Review