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Get to know Clarence White, 2017 Australasian Auctioneering Championship finalist

His first auction was on a rainy day and the only bidder walked away before bidding had even begun, but today Clarence White is a two-time finalist in the Australasian Auctioneering Championships.

New South Wales (NSW)

The Economy

Short-term rentals can deliver three times normal rents: Di Jones

But over the last 12 months, Di Jones has noticed an increase in the number of people who have been 'burnt' using services such as Airbnb and Stayz.

Queensland (Qld)Brisbane

Featured Property

'Abian': Brisbane's finest apartment building

Abian has set the new standard in Brisbane luxury apartment living. Built by renowned developers, Sunland, Abian captures the River City's views of Botanical Gardens, Southbank, City Skyline and Kangaroo Point Cliffs. For sale by Hamish Bowman, Ray White New Farm.

Victoria (Vic.)

Design

A second bathroom can add six figures to the price of your home: REIV

Second bathrooms are adding six figures to sale prices in a number of Melbourne suburbs, according to new data from the REIV.

The Economy

One third of all home loans based on "lies": UBS

A UBS survey of 900 people who took out home loans this year, found that only 67 per cent said their application was "completely factual and accurate".

International

People

Picasso's French Riviera home for sale, with bidding to start at $30 million

Pablo Picasso's French Riviera estate, Mas de Notre Dame de Vie, will be auctioned by Hans Veenhuijsen of Residence 365 on 12 October. Viewing days will be held on 22 and 29 September.

New South Wales (NSW)

Featured Property

Historic 1890s converted stables in country NSW

A traditional New England blue-brick stables in Armidale, originally built for racehorses, has been magnificently converted into a modern residence retaining its 1890s charm.

National

The Economy

First-home buyers are back in the market

Government policies have caused a "dramatic increase" in the involvement of first-home buyers in the market, says Tim Reardon of the HIA.

National

The Economy

"Lower numbers continue to come through open homes" in Sydney: Leanne Pilkington

Though the auction clearance rate was higher this week, the mood around auction activity at the beginning of spring is lukewarm.

International

People

Sir John Key sells Auckland mansion for a record $18 million

Former PM and investment banker, Sir John Key, has sold his lavish Auckland mansion for nearly $18 million (or NZ$20 million) - but is keeping the basketball and tennis court where he and his wife plan to build a new home.

Pages

News Roundup

http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2015/03/australia-one-worst-housing-bubbles-ever/

Does Australia have a nasty housing bubble?

By all accounts, Australia is experiencing what is one of the greatest credit-fuelled real estate bubbles in modern times. On the back of a collapsing mining sector, we can thank the RBA, APRA, ASIC and the political elite in Canberra for creating a flawed household wealth-creation strategy that shares all the hallmarks of a predictable economic disaster.

macrobusiness

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/26/australia-rmbs-idUSL3N0WS08520150326

Australian lenders may seek relief from US rules for mortgage securitisation

Australia's non-bank residential lenders may soon be unable to raise funds in the United States by securitising their mortgage assets unless U.S. regulators give them special relief from tough regulatory requirements - potentially denying them access to the world's major capital market.

Reuters

http://mashable.com/2015/03/27/penis-shaped-house/

Unusually-shaped Sydney house garnering global attention

Influential Australian architect Stan Symonds sure has a way with design. One of his architectural works is on sale in Sydney and it is the whole package. The house has been getting giggles from interested buyers due to the phallic shape of the floor plan. The beautiful curvature of the penis-shaped home has remained the same since it was built in 1958.

Mashable

http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/former-aia-president-shelley-penn-announces-federa

Former AIA President Shelley Penn announces Federal Senate candidacy

Shelley Penn, the Former national president of the Australian Institute of Architects, recently announced that she will contest for one of the six Senate Parliamentary seats available to Victorian candidates at the next Australian Federal election. Penn will run as one of three Victorian Australian Labor Party candidates alongside the incumbent Kim Carr and current Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Stephen Conroy.

Architecture & Design

http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/gerard-minack-says-australia-one-in-three-chance-of-a-recession-20150326-1m7z17.html

Australia 'one in three chance' of a recession

Australia has up to a one in three chance of sliding into recession in the next year, according to high-profile strategist Gerard Minack. The stark warning comes after BT Investment Management gave the economy a 50 per cent chance of recession in the next two years. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs chief economist Tim Toohey also said he continued to predict a one in three chance in the next year.

The Sydney Morning Herald

http://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Norway-Investing-Oil-Wealth-In-Foreign-Real-Estate.html

Norway Investing Oil Wealth In Foreign Real Estate

Amidst the uncertainty, Norway’s nearly $900 billion sovereign wealth fund (the largest in the world) is keen on being a source of stability in an increasingly unstable world — which is why it’s planning on spending the country’s oil revenue on “a lot” of Asian skyscrapers and shopping malls.

oilprice.com

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-25/china-investors-seeking-greener-pastures-eye-aus-property/6341220

Chinese investors seeking greener pastures eye Australia's real estate market

Chinese investors are looking for better returns outside the country in part because they have limited options on the mainland. China's real estate sector — which accounts for between 16 to 25 per cent of the country's GDP — has produced some of the country's richest men, but is still cooling along with the rest of the economy.

ABC News

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/brisbane-real-estate-apartment-buyers-set-for-boon-20150325-1m7eyv.html

Brisbane Apartment buyers set for boon

Inner-city apartment hunters are in for a bonanza, with a huge supply of new developments set to flood the Brisbane market in 2015. But property consultancy Urbis moved to quell the jitters of developers at a business breakfast on Wednesday morning, reassuring agents and investors that demand for inner-city living in the river city has hit record levels.

Brisbane Times