The Real Estate Conversation

Contact

7 Stunning Australian church conversions

For cathedral ceilings, original stained glass windows and plenty of old-world charm, you can't really go past a church conversion. We take a peek at some of the most spectacular church conversions in Australia - 'take me to church' indeed.

Victoria (Vic.)

Politics

Major social housing project gets green light in Victoria

The Andrews Labor Government has green-lighted a major social housing project, that is set to deliver 100 new social housing homes to support the most vulnerable members of the community.

Queensland (Qld)

Featured Property

Fall in love with 'Botanica Whitsundays'

This lavish oceanfront residence has won awards and accolades as a destination wedding and events venue for up to 100 guests. For sale by Carol Carter of Queensland Sotheby’s International Realty - Gold Coast.

National

The Economy

Housing finance numbers confirm market feedback, says REIA

Housing finance figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the number of loans for housing has continued to decline over the last eight months, according to the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA).

Queensland (Qld)Brisbane

The Economy

Savvy homeowners cash in on high capital growth suburbs in Brisbane

Savvy property owners have made huge cash gains after investing in a number of Brisbane suburbs which have recorded high capital growth, new research from Place Advisory reveals.

National

People

Here’s why you didn’t get the job, according to a real estate recruiter

Ever wondered why you didn't get the job? Virginia Brookes from Resolver Recruitment reveals why you may have missed out on that job offer.

New South Wales (NSW)

Featured Property

Hunter Valley charm: solid stone cottage with guest house

Located in the heart of Pokolbin, this home includes its own unique wine tasting space, a separate guest house and spa retreat, within walking distance of Hunter Valley wineries. For sale by Peter Dehnert of McElwaine Property East Maitland.

Victoria (Vic.)

The Economy

Victoria home to most affordable suburbs in nation, says report

The state of Victoria is home to some of the most affordable suburbs around the country, a recent report by CoreLogic has found.

Victoria (Vic.)

Politics

VIC state government announce $10m to upgrade Bendigo public housing

Public housing tenants in Bendigo will benefit from $10 million in improvements to public housing estates, thanks to an Andrews Labor Government boost to regional public housing.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

Design

‘Future Cities’ symposium to unveil shortlisted designs for $2b Southbank by Beulah

Six teams comprising the world’s leading architecture firms will present their ideas for the Southbank by Beulah development at the ‘Future Cities’ symposium later this month.

Pages

News Roundup

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/index.html?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&mode=premium&dest=http%3A//www.theaustralian.com.au/business/dataroom/mcgrath-ipo-priced-at-between-180-and-225/story-fnjw8txa-1227590656704&memtype=anonymous

McGrath IPO priced at between $1.80 and $2.25

McGrath Estate Agents is selling shares in its float at between $1.80 and $2.25 each, creating a real estate chain with a market value of between $254 million and $295.7m. The pricing equates to between 12 and 14 times its forecasted net profit.

The Australian

http://www.afr.com/real-estate/rental-yields-hit-house-price-growth-20151101-gkob7l

Rental yields hit house price growth

House prices grew more slowly in October as higher borrowing costs and record-low yields stemmed investors' enthusiasm. The combined capital growth of 10.1 per cent from a year earlier was down on September's 11 per cent and reflected a slower pace of gain in both Sydney and Melbourne, CoreLogic RP Data figures for October show.

The Australian Financial Review

http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/banks-put-on-notice-by-younger-aussies/story-e6frfku9-1227590699470

Banks beware

Banks beware - one in four of your customers is prepared to switch to your competitors to get a better deal. The figure grows to 40 per cent among Australians aged between 20 and 34, according to a survey commissioned by the Customer Owned Banking Association released on Monday.

news.com.au

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/realestate/staging-your-home-for-sale.html?ref=realestate

Staging your home for sale

“Once it’s on the market, it’s really no longer your home,” said Donna Dazzo, the president of Designed to Appeal, a staging company. “You have to envision it as a product.” A staged home could fetch a substantially higher price than one that is loaded with personal effects. Remove as much clutter as possible.

The New York Times

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2015/11/3/media-and-digital/banking-mass-digital-migration

Banking on mass digital migration

REA Group’s takeover of iProperty Group offers the property portal a chance to relive its stellar success in Australia all over again in South East Asia. The deal, which values the target at $751 million, comes at a time when online still represents only between 2 per cent and 15 per cent of the total real estate advertising spend in iProperty’s markets.

Business Spectator

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/29964289/perth-house-prices-hit-by-record-fall/

Perth house prices hit by record fall

Real Estate Institute of WA figures show Perth’s median house price fell from $545,000 in June to $522,133 last month — almost $2000 a week. The fall is the biggest quarterly drop on REIWA’s 21 years of median house price records, beating discounts after the 2006 property boom.

The West Australian

https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/sydney-now-on-global-housing-bubble-risk-list-074406072.html

Sydney placed on global housing bubble risk list

Sydney property prices are "significantly overvalued" and at risk of being in a bubble, according to UBS' Global Real Estate Bubble Index. The U.K. capital is now the second-least affordable of the 15 urban centers studied by UBS, trailing only Hong Kong, the report said.

Yahoo News

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/investigations/the-house-of-salim-mehajer-rising-from-the-ashes/story-fny1e5sj-1227588924507

The house of Salim Mehajer: rising from the ashes

While his father’s interests had been relatively modest — a handful of walk-up apartment blocks, individual homes and one key apartment complex on Lidcombe’s prominent John Street — now the son has in the pipeline four major complexes, spanning several city blocks and housing more than 600 apartments.

The Australian