It is estimated that the residential property market in Australia is worth approx. $10.3 trillion.  With the sector continuing its growth in the March quarter by 1.6%, it is no surprise that Australia’s wealth and prosperity has been assisted by investing in property. Brisbane residential prices over the last 12 months, have increased by 14.3%. Read more

I love watching “The Block” auctions.   I don’t watch the whole series rather just the final show where the drama of the series unfolds, and human reaction is on display at its best (or worst).  The final show is a wonderful litmus test as to how the buying public responds to the homes design/selling method/agent/marketingRead more

Our focus over the last few years has been on lifestyle. Lifestyle relating to where we live, where we spend our leisure time, how we spend our time, technology we use, where and what we eat, where we invest etc.  The list goes on.  According to Bernard Salt, Demographer, "nowhere is the rising wealth better evidenced thanRead more

The official figures are in - despite the challenges posed by high inflation and interest rates, Brisbane’s property market grew 13.1% during 2023 according to the latest CoreLogic data. CoreLogic’s national Home Value Index (HVI) rose 8.1% in 2023, a significant turnaround from the 4.9% drop seen in 2022, but well below the 24.5% surge recordedRead more

Is the Brisbane property market the goose that laid the golden egg? Whilst we might not be seeing a daily golden egg delivered, our market has delivered month on month. Property prices in Brisbane during 2023, both houses and units, have increased.  The CoreLogic home value index shows the Brisbane market increased 11% year onRead more

The clear property picture both from a buying and a rental perspective is that supply shortages have become the strongest market driver.  Lack of or a shortage of supply has ensured a strong property market in 2023. "The housing market behaved quite the opposite way from the market expectations in the midst of high inflationRead more

“The spring selling season is living up to its name once more with a large jump in new listings for September. Nationally, September was the strongest new listings month since April 2022. It was also the strongest September since 2018. “The pick up in new listings is a sign of confidence from vendors that theRead more

Spring has certainly sprung in Brisbane with the first of the Jacaranda trees blooming.  With the pending school holidays, searches for beach holidays has increased tenfold.  A beach stay washes away the stresses and busyness of term 3 for many families. As a family, one of our favourite escapes is to the crisp white sandsRead more

Has the warmer winter weather signalled that the spring selling season has commenced? It is heartening to observe that the momentum in sales activity has increased over the last month.  Listings are slowly on the increase reflecting greater seller confidence.  This is reflected in strong engagement from buyers.  Our property market is more resilient than theRead more

Providing our clients with a high level of service and communication are the fundamentals to our approach and our success.  We value that each client, and each property is unique.  You are not a number rather a client who we partner with to achieve an outstanding result – whether selling, buying, leasing or renting. WeRead more

As part of the Queensland Governments review of the rental property sector they have legislated a number of reforms.  A number were implemented last year.  This year, the changes include only increasing the rent once per year which comes into effect as of the 1st July 2023 and the introduction of the Minimum Housing Standards whichRead more

When it comes to buying and owning property, a common dinner table conversation is who has/had it worse – Baby Boomers or Millennials? Our friends at Empire Legal have very kindly done the analysis comparing the two groups.  For clarity baby boomers are those born between 1946 and 1964 and millennials are those born betweenRead more

The first quarter of 2023 has seen a number of great homes come onto the market.  Buyers have been active and out in force, resulting in a steady rise in sales.  Supply, or lack of, is allowing our sellers to achieve close to their desired outcomes. The main difference in our market today compared to this time lastRead more

Have we reached the bottom of the market?  Has the property pendulum begun its swing upwards? CoreLogic’s research director, Tim Lawless, said the stabilisation in housing values over the month coincides with consistently low advertised supply levels and a rise in auction clearance rates. The national index declined -0.14% over the month, the smallest monthly fallRead more

There has been much written about the forecasted 2023 housing market from a sales and a rental perspective.  Apparently, we will see a "cliff" in late April/early May due to a number of home loans coming off fixed interest rates.  The rental market is at 1% occupancy.  The cumulative result, lower house prices with a numberRead more

As we speed into 2023, we have all set some (or many) goals which we wish to achieve this year.  Have you set any property goals?  If so, what are your 2023 property goals? Yes - there has been a lot of negative press in relation to property and property prices heading for a cliff. Read more

This year we have walked in your shoes - renovating, buying, selling and moving.  We certainly practice what we preach.  Or we are more hands on than you may think! We have all personally dealt with the pain points of property.  Whether it has been renovating and waiting months for trades to show up toRead more

Is now the right time to sell, buy or invest?  What is going to happen to prices in the coming months with more interest rate rises forecasted? Industry expert Michael Yardney believes the Brisbane property market is very resilient.    Brisbane was the strongest property market in 2021 exhibiting astonishing growth, with many locations experiencing 30+% houseRead more

Much has been written about the increase in weekly rents that have been recorded over the past year. According to CoreLogic, in the year to July, Australian median rent values increased 7.5 per cent, which is the strongest annual appreciation in rents since December 2008. However, some of this rental growth was clawing back price reductionsRead more

The State Government has announced changes to existing regulation that sees investors with portfolios split across various states and territories pay land tax on their entire holding not just on property located entirely within Queensland. While the Queensland government has characterised the move as closing a “loophole”, property leaders say this effectively causes property owners with holdings inRead more

We recently attended a very thought-provoking seminar discussing all things housing in the current economic climate. Stephen Koukoulous - Managing Director of Market Economics delved into the facts of housing, consumer spending, property investment, interest rate and house prices. What is protecting the Australian housing market at present is full employment.  The best we haveRead more

For many, property is as "safe as houses" when compared to the share market.  The property market doesn't fall by 5% in a day wiping billions in value.  Generally, the property market hasn't fallen more than 10% over the long term. (CoreLogic). Over the last 12 months, the Brisbane housing market has seen an increase in value byRead more

Whilst we dream of warmer weather and plan our next holiday, many property owners start preparing for the "booming" spring property market.  A common belief is that the spring market will bring property success.  This is not always the reality. In our local market, July, August, and November are traditionally our busiest sales months withRead more

Property is Australia's greatest past time.  It is also in the top 3 industries based on turn over and income generated for governments - federal, state, and local.  When the market changes, everyone has an opinion - is it a Chicken Little moment or an opportunity to position on the property ladder? One wise head we look to forRead more

This time last year, the run up to the Easter holidays was anything but normal. Australia’s property market was in a state of desperate frenzy. Auction clearance rates along the eastern seaboard were at record levels. Every single capital city was being flooded by new listings as vendors jumped at the chance to sell inRead more

Following the Brisbane floods in 2011, the city’s dwelling values sustained a decline from January 2011 to January 2012, which bottomed out at -6.1%. This decline kicked into recovery mode off the back of several cash rate reductions from November 2011. However, it was not until March 2014 that the dwelling market fully recovered theRead more

Tenants struggling in a fiercely competitive rental market are unlikely to get any relief in the coming months when international borders reopen, with new data revealing the number of vacant properties to rent is still at an all-time low. Domain’s latest vacancy rate report showed it is very much a landlord’s market across most of Australia’s capitalRead more

The property crystal ball is continually changing - always a little unclear due to human emotion.  After all homes, aren't like a BHP stock.  They have however experienced the same growth and in some instance outperformed stocks in 2021. The official figures are in - the Brisbane housing market grew 27.4 % compared to HobartRead more

Shhh - our secret - the property market doesn't slow over the Christmas and New Year period.  If anything, it gets busier as we have time to make decisions. A contract entered in late December can see you moving into your new home in late January.  The perfect time as you may be on holidays andRead more

In times of uncertainty, we seek certainty.  One certainty we can control, is where we live.  The old saying that our home is our castle has never been truer. After spending extended periods in our homes over the last two years, many of us have decided that it’s time for a move.  Our present home isRead more

According to a recent article published by Core Logic, "Although growth conditions remain positive, it is becoming increasingly clear the housing market moved past its peak rate of growth in March when nationally dwelling values increased by 2.8%. Since that time, the monthly rate of growth has eased back to 1.5%." CoreLogic’s national home valueRead more

We have and are still experiencing a very strong buyer activity.  Some say the strongest in 20 years even with lockdowns. Domain, the second largest real estate portal, has undertaken extensive research from buyer search behaviour on their platform to determine the trends over the last year and who is most likely to purchase a new home. Read more

So what does hosting the 2032 Olympic Games mean for you, your home and property investment in general?  In a recent article published by the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ), they outline the potential impact of hosting the Olympics. There’s no denying  the buzz of an Olympic Games has positive ongoing effects for the host city. The Journal of Economic Perspectives claims there’s threeRead more

The figures are in - nationally - property values finished the financial year 13.5% higher. As reported by Core Logic - home values rose 1.9% in June nationally.  The growth was led by houses which rose 15.6% over the year, compared to a 6.8% rise in unit values.  This is the highest annual rate of growth seen since 2004.Read more

It is a common misconception that the winter months are the months when property doesn't sell.  This is certainly further from the truth. Some of our largest sales are achieved during the winter months. This year is no different as we have seen a flurry of significant sales in the area in the last weeks ofRead more

One of the factors, and arguably the major one, that is fueling our current growth in the housing market is the tightness of supply of properties for sale.  To add context to how tight the market is currently, lets take the microscope to two postcodes in our local market to see how tightly each suburb is held. Ascot -Read more

I don't think anyone has missed the headlines that the Brisbane property market has seen the greatest increase in house prices in Quarter 1 of this year since the late 1980's.  It seems to be the "hot" topic in the Courier Mail. We agree that we have seen good growth in our local market sinceRead more

As we went into COVID lock down last year, one of the predictions was that we would come out of our homes having made a few life changing decisions.  Potentially one of the decisions was how and where we would like to live and whether where we lived, was right for us. Fast forward to January 2021 andRead more

In today's market do buyers see value and have belief in "blue-chip" suburbs? Apart from position, location and position (yes I know I've repeated myself but it is important when buying), buyers have held great value in those suburbs that are considered bullet proof in any market.  The premium suburbs or traditionally any suburb withRead more

After a turbulent year, will calmer waters prevail for our property market? All indications are that our market will remain positive with solid footings predicted. According to a recently published survey conducted by ME Bank, in December with 1,500 households, 46 per cent of owner-occupiers expect the value of their dwelling to increase during 2021 rather thanRead more