News Archive
02 November 2008
Apartment prices up but still good value
Surprisingly, Sydney was the only Australian city where property values nudged up in the September quarter. Of course, growth rates are going to jump around and the trend points to overall softer, rather than stronger markets. In fact, it was Sydney apartments that increased in value strongly in the three months to September. The tables have turned somewhat. Apartment values in other capitals ha... read news item »
01 November 2008
Granted, it takes time
It's unclear if the Goverment's gift to first-home buyers can lift the market out of the doldrums. As developers and real-estate agents prepare today to be flooded with inquiries from first-home buyers for the third week in a row, they're still anxiously waiting to see whether this will translate into actual contracts. The tripling of the grant for first-home buyers buying new properties and i... read news item »
31 October 2008
No need to fear house price dive, says Reserve
House prices in Australia are not set for precipitous falls, as in the US, nor are household balance sheets suffering too badly, says the Reserve Bank deputy governor, Ric Battellino. He said that despite the sharemarket plunge, annual returns on shares had averaged 8 per cent over the past five years and real incomes had risen 30 per cent - the biggest surge in more than 30 years. But mortgag... read news item »
26 October 2008
Doom and gloom appears premature
Off the back of falling mortgage rates this past month (by about one percentage point, depending on your lender), the property market looks like it has been kicked into action. Interestingly, the number of properties that have hit the Australian market for the first time has increased substantially. Almost 14,000 new properties were listed last week, which is about 2000 more than the previous we... read news item »
25 October 2008
It's a jungle in here
Don't give up on a garden just because you live in an apartment. As the heady scent of jasmine wafts through the air and Sydney is splashed with the brilliant hues of jacaranda, wisteria and bougainvillea, even apartment-dwellers are catching spring gardening fever. Once, people moved from houses into units to escape the tyranny of spending their weekends tending and mowing their lawns. Now an... read news item »
25 October 2008
How to do mirrors
Magical mirrors can make the most of your view, create an optical illusion and double the size of your smallest room. Mirrors are the key to telling decorative lies. Well, more like fibs really. Want to make a room look bigger? To exude an air of sophistication? Or multiply the impact of your favourite pieces? Look no further. French boutique hotels (check out www.plaza-athenee-paris.com - ... read news item »
25 October 2008
Canny buyers in the box seat
There are plenty of bargains around this spring but how do you find them? The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets. That's the advice of the late John D. Rockefeller, the United States' first billionaire. Australia isn't doing it quite so tough as the US but we've had our fair share of gloom in recent weeks. In Sydney property prices have been languishing or, in so... read news item »
23 October 2008
The first step in design
Richard Lock has been selling and installing bamboo as a flooring material for the past nine years. While his business started off providing a niche product for environmentally conscious buyers, in the past 18 months or so it has become mainstream. "People have a greater understanding about how they are affecting the planet but, at the same time, many buy bamboo because of its compet... read news item »
20 October 2008
More cuts in bank interest rates on way
More cuts in lending rates are expected as the big banks switch their focus from the hard-pressed housing market to the wider business sector. National Australia Bank yesterday became the second of the Big Four banks in three days to announce another 0.2 of a percentage point drop in its interest rates following the move by ANZ on Friday. ANZ cut its rates by 0.25%, taking the total of its mos... read news item »
19 October 2008
Solar rebates go sky high
The national solar-panel rebate for Australian homes is so popular that the Federal Government has handed out $150 million - the equivalent of three years' funding - in 16 months. Only four months into this financial year, the bucket of money put aside to subsidise solar panels is empty. However, Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the Government would continue to fund the initiativ... read news item »