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Tom Esze takes home the main prize, again: REIWA 2017 Auctioneering Championship

Tom Esze is this year's REIWA Auctioneering Champion. Runner up was David Vitale, and the winner of this year's rookie award was Prash Nayar.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

Politics

Victoria establishes taskforce to fast-track flammable cladding probe

Architect and former premier Ted Baillieu will head up the new Victorian Cladding Taskforce, which has been established to investigate how widely flammable cladding has been used on Victorian high-rise buildings.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

People

Former real estate agent Joseph Ngo pleads guilty to 163 charges

A former agent for LJ Hooker has pleaded guilty to 163 charges associated with transferring money held for clients in trust funds into an account managed by his wife.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

Featured Property

A converted factory apartment in Collingwood's 'Bohemia' is for sale

A converted apartment in Collingwood's former Foy & Gibson factory, close to cafes and trams, is for sale through Sam Goddard and Simon Curtain of Abercromby's Armadale.

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

The Economy

Weekend auctions litmus test of new first-home-buyer benefits

New stamp duty concessions in New South Wales and Victoria added some heat to otherwise wintry auction market conditions on the weekend.

National

Design

What should you do if you are concerned about flammable products in your building?

The Australian Building Codes Board has launched a new web site where you can report concerns about non-conforming building products.

New South Wales (NSW)

People

McGrath goes west with new office in Mudgee

John McGrath expects strongth growth in regional, "semi-rural" areas of NSW.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

Featured Property

A Collingwood terrace with contemporary extension and views of Darling Square and the Melbourne CBD is for sale

A two-storey, Victorian terrace within walking distance of the CBD is for sale through Kathy Malcolm and Antony Woodley of Marshall White Hawthorn.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

The Economy

June 30 caps off record-breaking period for Melbourne auctions: REIV

More Melbourne properties went to auction in the first half of 2017 than in any other six-month period.

National New South Wales (NSW)Sydney

People

Get to know Sana and Mona Ali: how they built a $5m property portfolio in their 20s from nothing

Twins Sana and Mona Ali moved from Pakistan to Australian when they were 15, and built a $5 million property portfolio by focusing on cash flow and buying "nothing flashy".

Pages

News Roundup

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-18/morgan-stanley-fund-to-exit-a-9-billion-of-australian-properties

Morgan Stanley Fund exits Australian real estate

Morgan Stanley’s property unit appointed advisers as it seeks to exit its $9 billion real estate business in Australia. Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing said in a statement it plans to sell its holding in Investa Property Group, Australia’s third-biggest owner of city center offices, and that UBS AG and Morgan Stanley Australia would “explore strategic alternatives.”

Bloomberg

http://www.afr.com/p/folkestone_increases_profit_as_platform_nQlf1ytiA6biuRy4iOS0gI

Folkestone profits soar

Sydney-based fund manager Folkestone has posted a 2014-15 interim net profit of $2 million, which is 23 per cent higher than previously. Headed by property veteran Greg Paramor, the boutique manager boosted funds under management to $870 million, across a range of syndicates and development opportunities.

The Australian Financial Review

http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/comment/preparing-for-the-worst

New scorecard for measuring resilience to disaster

The United Nations’ Office for Disaster Risk Reduction scorecard measures how well prepared a city is for a disaster, including responding to and recovering from it. Developed by engineering and IT giants AECOM and IBM, the scorecard has extensive assessment categories based on the UN’s Ten Essentials for urban resilience.

Architecture & Design

http://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/chinese-househunters-click-on-victorian-real-estate-listings/story-fncq3era-1227224368399

Victoria first choice for Chinese buyers

Property portal myfun.com, owned by REA Group, says Victoria was the most clicked state among Chinese buyers in 2014. The site was designed by REA Group to showcase Australian property to Chinese buyers.

news.com.au

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/property-red-tape-stifles-aborigines-tim-wilson/story-fn9hm1pm-1227224642501

Property red tape stifles Aborigines

The ability of indigenous Australians to reach their full potential is being undermined by legal and regulatory restrictions on their freedom to exercise property rights in Aboriginal communities, says Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson.

The Australian

http://www.theage.com.au/business/online-property-transaction-system-pexa-tipped-to-cut-conveyancing-costs-20150217-13grh0.html

Online property transaction system PEXA tipped to cut conveyancing costs

Property sellers and buyers could find that settlement times drop to one week and conveyancing costs fall 25 per cent under a new online property transaction system. The $100 million Property Exchange Australia e-conveyancing platform began full digital property transfer services in NSW last November and rolled out similar services in Victoria two weeks ago.

The Age

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/17/genworth-mtg-ins-westpac-contract-idUSL4N0VR2AD20150217

Westpac scraps mortgage insurance deal with Genworth

Genworth Mortgage Insurance Australia Ltd, the Australian affiliate of United States Genworth Financial Inc, said on Tuesday Westpac gave the company 90 days' notice that it was ending a sales agreement after a review of its riskier loans, a move that will hit the insurer's 2016 earnings. The cancellation came after the bank reviewed all new residential loans with a loan-to-value ratio of more than 90 percent.

Reuters

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/02/17/11/27/people-struggling-to-survive-as-western-australian-mining-boom-grinds-to-a-halt

WA mining boom grinds to a halt

The once-booming real estate market in Port Hedland has collapsed in the past year, with more than 400 homes available to rent – unheard of at the height of the mining golden years.

9 News