Property
Renovated your Home? It may be time to review your sum insured
5 August
A new kitchen, an additional bedroom or a major home upgrade can transform the way you live. Renovations can create more space, improve comfort and add considerable value to your property. However, once the builders have packed up and you are...[Read More]
Housing affordability rises as price downturn continues
5 August
Three decades of home prices outpacing incomes could be over as Australia’s housing market downturn widens. The market recorded the largest single-month decline in home values in almost four years in July, data released by property analysis firm...[Read More]
Shoddy bank record-keeping hits savers as scammers lurk
29 July
Systemic shoddy record-keeping at big banks is risking the savings of Australians trying to benefit from a safe investment strategy. The financial regulator issued the warning around mortgage offset accounts, which are marketed to borrowers as a way...[Read More]
Red tape strangling efforts to tackle housing crisis
29 July
Allowing three-storey townhouses to be built on most residential land is one of the key recommendations of a major report outlining what Australia needs to do to fix its housing crisis. Governments have gotten in the way of new housing supply by...[Read More]
Investors returning after budget blow to housing breaks
22 July
Property investors are regaining a foothold in the housing market after tax changes in the federal budget boosted owner-occupiers. The share of homes bought by investors climbed to 23.2 per cent over the four weeks ending July 18 after sinking to...[Read More]
The best and worst ways to live alongside your neighbours
16 July
A good home is about more than the building, the backyard or the location. The people living around you can have a major influence on how comfortable, secure and enjoyable your neighbourhood feels. When neighbours communicate, show consideration...[Read More]
Zoning scorecard reveals most housing-friendly city
15 July
Millions of new homes could be built in Australia’s capital cities if “restrictive” zoning laws are loosened, a landmark planning analysis claims. An online atlas of nationwide zoning laws has been compiled by YIMBY Melbourne, an organisation...[Read More]
Retrofit rewards to usher in new era of fire-safe homes
15 July
Fire-resistant home upgrades have rocketed to the top of the to-do list for Jem Gay. Summer bushfires that tore through more than 4000 hectares and destroyed 50 buildings in Harcourt in central Victoria were too-close-for-comfort for the residents...[Read More]
Family affair: investor tax changes spawn new tactics
8 July
A 1950s red brick walk-up in southwest Brisbane is a window into how the federal budget is reshaping the property market. Marketed as “the ultimate set-up for multi-generational living”, the three-unit apartment block in Oxley has bucked the...[Read More]
Freefall: home prices notch biggest drop in years
1 July
Home prices have recorded the biggest monthly fall in almost four years as tax changes accelerate Australia’s housing downturn. Sydney’s median home price fell 1.2 per cent to $1,265,608 in June, leading a nationwide decline of 0.4 per cent,...[Read More]
City to take mantle of nation’s most expensive units
1 July
A new capital city is emerging as the most expensive place in the country for units as Sydney’s strongly held prices begin to slip. Brisbane median unit values are forecast to rise by up to nine per cent to $893,000 in 2027, Domain predictions for...[Read More]
Treasurer responds after budget attack by ex-RBA head
1 July
The treasurer has hit back at attacks to budget tax changes from a former Reserve Bank governor after the contentious laws passed parliament. Ex-RBA governor Philip Lowe said changes limiting negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount would...[Read More]
Pledge to fix ‘widow’s tax’ on investment properties
1 July
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has promised to fix laws imposing a so-called “widow’s tax” on investment properties, without providing details on how he will close the loophole. The issue, which relates to investors with jointly owned properties...[Read More]
Home owners told to ‘take a deep breath’ on tax reforms
24 June
Plunging auction clearance rates are not cause for concern, top government ministers are insisting, with one urging anxious home owners to “take a deep breath”. An overhaul of negative gearing and capital gains tax is expected to pass federal...[Read More]
The house price question tying politicians in knots
24 June
Top government and opposition MPs say they want house prices to continue growing – just at a slower rate – after auction clearance rates plunged to their lowest level since April 2020. Nearly 1900 homes went under the hammer in Australia’s...[Read More]