Property
Top 5 ways to add value to your home (and Top 5 ways to over-capitalise)
13 February
When it comes to increasing your home’s value, smart investments can yield significant returns, whether you’re preparing to sell or simply enhancing your living space. However, not every renovation or improvement guarantees a positive return....[Read More]
House prices expected to rise amid supply challenge
12 February
Most real estate professionals expect a continuing climb in house prices ahead of anticipated interest rate cuts and a federal election where home ownership will remain a policy priority. Queensland is expected to continue its rise in 2025, buoyed...[Read More]
Essential intervention to provide worker housing boost
12 February
Australia’s most expensive housing market could be on the front line of plans to increase build-to-rent developments as a state intervenes to provide much-needed homes for priced-out essential workers. Tax breaks to boost private construction of...[Read More]
Home approvals bounce can’t keep a lid on prices
12 February
A surge in new apartments has helped home approvals rebound but the government’s ambitious housing supply target remains well out of reach. Dwelling approvals rose 0.7 per cent in December after a 3.4 per cent drop the month prior, the Australian...[Read More]
Aussies opt for regional living, pushing up home prices
12 February
Homebuyers are choosing a regional lifestyle over city life, as property values across Australia’s regions remain resilient in the face of declining prices in capital cities. House prices in about three-quarters of regional Australian suburbs...[Read More]
Guiding adult children to contribute at home – fostering responsibility and independence
6 February
Many parents face the question of when their adult children living at home should start paying board and contributing to household expenses and chores as they transition into adulthood. The question of when and how much to charge, as well as the...[Read More]
Big bank clips rates as RBA mulls next move
5 February
NAB has become the first big bank to reduce fixed-interest mortgage rates in 2025, as expectations of an impending Reserve Bank rate cut remain high, despite surprisingly strong retail spending. Rate tracking by comparison site Canstar shows NAB...[Read More]
Curtain call: basic energy upgrades may save households
5 February
Australian households could knock more than $1500 off their energy bills with some basic home upgrades – and almost twice as much by investing in renewable energy technology. But the potential savings identified in a study – which add up to more...[Read More]
Interest rate cut hopes rise on soft inflation print
29 January
Interest rate relief could be around the corner after underlying inflation came in below expectations. Core inflation fell to 3.2 per cent in the year to December, opening the door for the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut the cash rate at its next...[Read More]
Disability services reforms target homelessness
29 January
Australians with disabilities experiencing homelessness will be prioritised as the government commits to disability reforms, months after a scathing royal commission into the sector. The Disability Strategy, which acts as a framework for policy...[Read More]
Strong jobs growth data deflates February rate cut hope
22 January
Australia’s jobs market continues to show “remarkable” resilience with stronger than expected employment growth tempering hopes of a February rate cut. About 56,000 jobs were added to the economy in December, the Australian Bureau of...[Read More]
Skills crisis, slowing starts hammer big housing target
22 January
A deepening skills shortage and plunging housing starts threaten the nation’s ambitious target of 1.2 million new homes by 2029. Housing construction data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday is expected to reflect the worst year...[Read More]
Property investing: comparing residential with commercial real estate
16 January
In the realm of property investment, prospective investors often grapple with comparing residential vs commercial real estate. Both offer viable investment opportunities, but they also come with their own unique advantages and drawbacks. Hence, the...[Read More]
Consumer spending plunge brightens hopes of rate cut
15 January
Australians pulled back sharply on purchasing household goods after bringing forward spending during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Consumer spending fell 1.8 per cent in December after a rise in November, with financially stretched households...[Read More]
Australia has ‘well and truly passed’ rental boom peak
15 January
The period of runaway rental prices looks to be over after rents grew at the slowest rate for the December quarter in six years. Renters have struggled to keep up with surging housing costs since the COVID-19 pandemic but increasing rental stock and...[Read More]