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Featured Property

Sydney 30m deep water frontage north-facing private sandy beach

'Cooinda' is an architecturally designed waterfront home in Sydney's Avalon on the Northern Beaches, featuring Pittwater views and sandstone and timber accents. For sale through Lachlan Elder of LJ Hooker Mona Vale.

International

Design

Aussie designer David Hicks revives Ginger Rogers' Hollywood home

SCHWARTZWILLIAMS spoke to David Hicks about his project in the Hollywood Hills.

Western Australia (WA)

Markets

Pilbara region showing signs of recovery: REIWA

Sales in Port Hedland rose 18 per cent in the June quarter, while Karratha's median house price increased 7.1 per cent to $300,000, according to new data from Landgate.

New South Wales (NSW)

People

Di Jones gets behind Clown Doctors Annual Ball

The Clown Doctors Annual Ball to raise funds for The Humour Foundation will be held at the Mittagong RSL on Saturday, 2 September.

New South Wales (NSW)

Featured Property

A tranquil private estate with 20 acres of park-like grounds 5 minutes from Byron

To arrange a private inspection of this resort-like escape contact Vicky Innes of Byron Bay Property Sales Byron Bay.

National New South Wales (NSW)Sydney South Australia (SA)Adelaide Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

The Economy

Malvern, Adelaide, popular with buyers, says agent Bonnie Whyte of klemich

Bonnie Whyte of klemich sold a four-bedroom, stone home in Adelaide's Malvern for $2,096,000 at auction on the weekend. Eight parties wanted to buy the home, she told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)Canberra

Government

Canberra's remediated Mr Fluffy blocks attracting good prices

Nearly 1,000 remediated blocks of land will be sold in Canberra, as the government cleans up after the Mr Fluffy asbestos scandal.

International

Sustainability

US bomb shelters sell out, reports LA Times

There has been a run on sales of bomb shelters in the US, in the wake of President Trump's "fire and fury" comments targeted at North Korea.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne Fitzroy

Featured Property

The elegant Victorian: 'Clifton Villa', a double-frontage terrace in Clifton Hill

Victorian elegance meets cutting-edge style at 'Clifton Villa', a double-fronted Melbourne terrace. For sale through James Pilliner and Stewart Kyle of Nelson Alexander Fitzroy.

National

The Economy

Where are Australia's most popular places for first-home buyers?

Though Queensland has the highest percentage of first-home buyers overall, Melbourne's 3029, which includes suburbs Truganina and Hoppers Crossing, is the most popular post code.

Pages

News Roundup

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/16/nyregion/robert-durst-subject-of-hbo-documentary-on-unsolved-killings-is-arrested.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

New York real estate scion arrested

The eccentric and estranged son of one of New York’s most prominent real estate dynasties, Robert Durst, was arrested on a charge of murder at a New Orleans hotel on the weekend. The arrest follows the airing of a six-part HBO documentary about him and the deaths of three people over the course of three decades.

The New York Times

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/property/barangaroo-sydney-harbour-views-to-come-with-50m-price-tag/story-fn9656lz-1227259094883

Barangaroo: Sydney Harbour views to come with $50m price tag

Lend Lease is set to slap a $50 million-plus price tag on penthouses in the Renzo Piano-designed One Sydney Harbour complex at Barangaroo South, making them the most expensive apartments to be marketed in Australia. The group is yet to finalise its internal designs for the three apartment towers, but sources said the company would probably market “more than one” apartment in the complex for more than $50m.

The Australian

http://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/move-to-this-australian-capital-city-if-you-want-a-beautiful-home-and-cash-to-spare/story-e6frflo9-1227258803657

Move to Canberra

It's the Australian city where homeowners have the biggest disposable income. But most people wouldn’t think that moving here would help them have a life. This is Canberra, the capital notorious for being the county’s most boring metropolis.

news.com.au

http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2015/03/crime-commission-targets-foreign-property-buyers/

ACC questions real estate agents

The noose is tightening on foreigners laundering money into Australian property, with the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) questioning real estate agents in expensive Melbourne eastern suburb locations, which are known to be hotspots for overseas buyers.

Macro Business

http://www.yourmortgage.com.au/article/research-finds-more-first-homebuyer-activity-in-queensland-wa-197903.aspx

Research finds more first homebuyer activity in Queensland, WA

New research has revealed dramatically varied levels of first home buyer activity across Australia’s states, where New South Wales emerged to have the smallest percentage of first home buyers entering the market. Mortgage Choice’s new data found NSW’s first home buyers accounted for less than one in every 20 loans written.

Your Mortgage

http://www.afr.com/p/business/property/property_boom_home_owner_dream_in_wIAnZ6MvqHU82AZ2bvlx2J

Property boom a $55M home owner's dream in St Leonards

Nine home owners in St Leonards on Sydney's lower north shore have grouped together to create a development lot that could yield more than 200 apartments and a multi-million dollar pay day. Residents on Holdsworth Avenue and Canberra Street have appointed JLL agents Sam Brewer and Ben Hunter to market their nine homes in one line, spanning a total of more than 5700 square metres. Some estimates suggest that the properties could fetch a combined price of up to $55 million.

The Australian Financial Review

http://www.forbes.com/sites/carlapassino/2015/03/05/german-real-estate-why-investors-are-buying-it-now/

German Real Estate: Why Investors Are Buying It Now

Germany may soon compete with London on the international real estate arena. Ultra-high-net-worth investors are increasingly interested in cities such as Berlin and Munich, which have seen a marked increase in activity in the last year.

Forbes

http://blogs.wsj.com/expat/2015/03/05/top-20-most-affordable-latin-american-cities-for-real-estate-which-is-no-1/

Top 20 Most Affordable Latin American Cities for Real Estate

The survey of 20 top property markets in Central and South America conducted by Live and Invest Overseas over the past three months identifies Cali, Colombia, as the most affordable on a per-square-meter basis. The survey considered the cost of two-bedroom apartments of 75 to 100 square meters in each market.

The Wall Street Journal