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Sydney penthouse sells for $17 million

The $17m sale of a penthouse in the Loftus Lane development at Sydney's Circular Quay shows harbourfront real estate has entered a new league. The agent was Justin Brown of CBRE.

New South Wales (NSW)

People

Tahnee Barnes: LJ Hooker's Million Dollar Intern

Tahnee Barnes, a former soldier who spent time in Afghanistan and East Timor, has beaten almost 200 candidates to win a three-month internship with Bill Malouf of LJ Hooker Double Bay.

New South Wales (NSW)

Featured Property

A modern Port Macquarie beach house with ocean views is for sale

This home in prestigious Lighthouse Beach with hinterland and ocean views is for sale through Ron Fischer of First National Port Macquarie.

New South Wales (NSW)

Politics

NSW expected to increase charges for foreign investors, help first-home buyers

With recent data showing that one in every 10 buyers in NSW is from overseas, the state government is expected to double the foreign investor surcharge, raising funds to help first-home buyers.

New South Wales (NSW)

The Economy

Have your say on NSW housing affordability

Do you have a suggestion for the New South Wales government about how they might fix the state's housing affordability problems?

National

Politics

Federal government should reconsider changes to investment deductions, says REIA

Changes proposed by the federal government mean that an investor who owns a commercial investment property can claim travel costs for their annual site inspection, but a residential property investor can not.

Queensland (Qld)Brisbane

Featured Property

Large Brisbane riverfront home with pontoon for sale

A large contemporary home in Chelmer with every conceivable luxury and direct access to the Brisbane river is for sale by Hannah Dodds of Queensland Sotheby's International Realty.

New South Wales (NSW)

Politics

NSW to consider stripping councils of DA powers

The NSW government is set to consider allowing development applications over a certain size to be automatically deferred to independent planning panels.

National

The Economy

CoreLogic data preview says property prices fell in May

Property prices in the nation's largest markets declined in May, according to a data preview from CoreLogic.

International

People

Would you like your employer to help you with the rent?

A growing number of US companies are offering housing assistance to their staff, usually in high-rent locations or to encourage shorter commute times.

Pages

News Roundup

http://www.afr.com/p/business/property/stockland_mooted_as_potential_bidder_Y9AyVTMNfmSWwh2Nch88FK

Stockland could make a play for Novion

Credit Suisse believes that Stockland could make a cash and scrip offer for Novion Property Group, blocking the latter's proposed merger with Federation Centres. A combined Novion-Federation Centres would boast a retail property portfolio worth $22 billion, while Stockland owns some $5.7 billion worth of retail assets.

The Australian Financial Review

http://www.afr.com/p/business/companies/leighton_holdings_delivers_project_ZMiljrBzgb6bhslc3sl88M

Leighton Holdings delivers big profit

Australian construction group Leighton Holdings has posted a net profit of $A676.5m for the 2014 calendar year, which is 33 per cent higher than previously. The group expects its net profit for 2015 to be within the range of $450 million and $520 million.

The Australian Financial Review

http://www.mortgagebusiness.com.au/breaking-news/8157-cba-flexes-its-tech-muscles?utm_source=Mortgage%20Business&utm_campaign=Mortgage_Business_Newsletter12_02_2015&utm_medium=email

CBA flexes tech muscle

Australia’s biggest bank emphasised technology and digital platforms are a key point of difference when it announced its half-yearly profit results yesterday.The lender posted a statutory NPAT of $4.5 billion, up 8 per cent, and a cash NPAT of $4.6 billion – also up 8 per cent, in the six months to 31 December 2014.

Mortgage Business

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/dubais-real-estate-moguls-bet-on-another-property-boom/story-fnay3ubk-1227216461238

Another boom for Dubai?

Dubai’s real estate moguls are betting on another property boom. Many property magnates are back building weird, wonderful and some say wildly over-ambitious projects in another go-go era for the city.

The Australian

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/feb/11/tsb-10-year-fixed-rate-mortgage

Mortgage deal to attract first home owners

An English bank is offering a 10-year fixed-rate mortgage aimed at customers who have only 5% of the purchase price to put down as a deposit. The lender said borrowers would be able to lock in to a rate of 5.69% until 2025 at a loan to value of up to 95% of their property’s price. It is the only 10-year fix at that level in the UK.

The Guardian

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/13-real-estate-tips-from-zillow-ceo-spencer-rascoff-2015-2

Real Estate by the book

U.S. real-estate website Zillow has been collecting information about the residential real estate market for a decade, and has taken what it’s learned and put it into a book with advice on buying and selling homes. It's called “Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate” by Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff and chief economist Stan Humphries.

Business Insider Australia

http://www.afr.com/p/business/companies/stockland_first_half_profit_rises_xgI6HcX0ydrA67iItuO6WN

Housing boom a win for Stockland

Australia's biggest diversified property group, Stockland, said its first-half underlying profit rose 8.5 per cent to $290 million from $267 million in the year-earlier period. "Our residential business was a standout performer in the first half, with substantially increased sales across a number of the markets in which we operate," said managing director Mark Steinert.

The Australian Financial Review

http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/housing-boom-tipped-to-get-bubbly-as-mortgage-rates-fall-20150210-13aftd.html

House prices rise

Economists are talking of a Sydney housing bubble as mortgage rates fall to all-time lows and Australian Bureau of Statistics data released yesterday showed house prices in Australia's capital cities continued to rise in the December 2014 quarter. Sydney prices rose another 3.4 per cent, while Brisbane and Melbourne recorded 1.4 per cent and 1.3 per cent growth respectively.

The Sydney Morning Herald