News Room

If you have any news for the Real Estate industry - whether you are a professional or a supplier to the industry, please email us: newsroom@eliteagent.com
  • Real Estate News

    730,000 interest-only mortgages a ticking time bomb

    Hundreds of thousands of borrowers on interest-only loans will be hit with higher repayments this year according to new research by comparison site Finder. A Finder analysis of Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) data revealed that 730,000 interest-only (IO) home loans will convert to principal and interest repayments in 2020. Of all the home loans granted in 2015-2016, a worrying 39…

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  • Real Estate News

    Melbourne’s outer fringe offers future growth

    Melbourne residents are chasing value a little farther afield, with council areas on the city’s outer fringe enjoying recent growth. Jason Hellyer of Ray White Victoria said there were seven council shires in Melbourne’s outer fringe which grew by 7.1 per cent when compared to the same period in 2018. At the same time the average median property value across…

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  • Real Estate News

    The global trend in co-living spaces

    A new global metropolitan housing trend is hitting Australia with full force and is set to cause sustained growth in an emerging property sector dominated by young professionals. Recent research from Savills shows that co-living – purpose-built housing that mixes high-quality rental rooms with sophisticated communal lifestyle spaces – is on the up. They note investment into co-living predominately emerging…

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  • Real Estate News

    First National announces SA/NT GEM award winners

    First National Real Estate’s South Australian and Northern Territory estate agents were presented with their General Excellence and Marketing Awards at Adelaide Oval on Friday night. The awards recognised the best performing agents throughout 2019 and top 10 individuals and offices are now in the running for National GEM Awards. To encourage peak performance for all First National agents, those reaching the…

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  • Elite Agent

    Big bank home loan war as ANZ slashes fixed rates to 2.68%

    Australia’s fourth largest lender, ANZ, has slashed its fixed rate home loans by up to 0.86 per cent. The lowest advertised rate from ANZ is now 2.68 per cent on its two-year fixed rate package loan for owner-occupiers paying principal and interest. This is the second equal lowest two-year fixed rate in the RateCity.com.au database. ANZ has cut their two-year…

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  • Real Estate News

    Auctions go from strength to strength

    Auctions go from strength to strength The auction market continues to go from strength to strength with 2,446 properties going to auction in the major capitals this week, resulting in a preliminary clearance rate of 77.7 per cent. According to the CoreLogic data, that was a significant increase on this time last year when 2293…

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  • Elite Agent

    RE/MAX recognises big wins from a year of distinct halves

    Around 400 people gathered to celebrate RE/MAX Australia’s top performers for 2019 last week after a year which Managing Director Michael Davoren described as one of ‘perfect opposition’. “The first half was the toughest six months for some time, with the impacts of royal commissions, elections and so on; then the second half was a total turnaround, which paved the…

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  • Real Estate News

    PropTech platforms Realtair and AuctionNow join forces

    Australian PropTech innovator Realtair will merge with leading independent auction platform, AuctionNow, in a move that will see the formation of Australia’s first genuine end-to-end, integrated digital sales transaction platform.  Realtair CEO and Founder Peter Matthews said the merger with Damien Cooley’s AuctionNow is perfectly timed at the start of this new decade. “At Realtair we have digitised and automated…

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  • Real Estate News

    The Agency kicks off in Canberra

    Peter Micalos is set to take the driver’s seat at The Agency’s new Canberra chapter, which launched this week with a significant project pipeline. Canberra’s growth trajectory – recent CoreLogic data showing dwelling values increased by 2.3 per cent over December and 3.14 per cent in January 2020 – has been on The Agency’s radar since the company’s inception three…

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  • Real Estate News

    The novel coronavirus outbreak and Chinese cross-border real estate buying

    Chinese Consumers at Home To understand the impact of the epidemic on Chinese cross-border real estate buying in overseas markets, it helps to first understand the situation for these buyers at home, in China. In much of the country, people are working at home or taking an enforced holiday until they can return to their…

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  • Real Estate News

    Ray White Vic forecasts growth for 2020

    Ray White Victoria corporate auctioneer Jeremy Tyrrell is optimistic about 2020 and says he’s expecting positive growth for the property market. After the highs and lows of 2019, Mr Tyrrell – who has 20 years of auctioneering and real estate experience under his belt – says the new year has begun with positive momentum. “With the Australian elections over and…

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  • Real Estate News

    Ray White NSW comes together for Unite 2020

    More than 450 Ray White Group members from across New South Wales descended on Sydney’s Ivy Hotel for Unite 2020. Hosted across capital cities by Australasia’s biggest real estate group, the Unite 2020 program provides a new and improved training format for salespeople and property managers. The sessions were designed to help its agents navigate and adapt to current market conditions. Ray White…

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  • Real Estate News

    CEO calls for disclosure of energy efficiency in homes

    First National’s chief executive Ray Ellis is calling on the nation to follow the lead of the ACT as climate change consciousness extends far beyond the capitals to impact regional home buyers and renters.

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  • Real Estate News

    Listing of the week: Pretty in Pink

    The impossibly pastel pink hued Main Beach Bungalow – modelled after the Beverly Hills Hotel – is on the market for the first time since it was redesigned two years ago. The resort style estate, hidden from view behind a pink fence and well established gardens, is located in the heart of the Glitter Strip at 46-48 Peak Ave, Main Beach. The cabana and…

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  • Real Estate News

    First home loan scheme helping millennials: HIA

    Data indicates the Federal Government’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme is already helping millennials achieve their home ownership aspirations while giving a boost to regional areas. According to HIA Chief Executive Industry Policy, Kristin Brookfield, government data shows 34 per cent of First Home Loan Deposit applicants are aged between 25 and 29, while 76 per cent of applicants are…

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  • Real Estate News

    Change on the program for RE/MAX New Zealand in 2020

    RE/MAX New Zealand set ‘Navigating change’ as the theme for its February Rally held at the Grand Millennium, Auckland on Thursday, 13 February. “Change and the challenges associated with it are prominent on the RE/MAX New Zealand outlook for 2020,” said RE/MAX New Zealand Managing Director Michael Davoren. “Along with technology, global developments and changing customer expectations, the September election…

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  • Real Estate News

    realestate.com.au launches autumn advertising campaign ‘Millions More Buyers’

    realestate.com.au has surged to a new record audience high of 9.3 million as its new autumn advertising campaign begins. The ‘Millions More Buyers’ campaign uses modern illustration throughout the brand’s multi-channel approach. Digital, out of home, radio and TV campaigns aim to drive listing activity in the market as the autumn selling season begins strongly. The campaign’s 30-second TV commercial aired nationally for the first…

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  • Real Estate News

    Raine & Horne beefs up corporate team

    Australian franchise Raine & Horne has expanded its corporate team with the addition of a National Head of Network, a Business Development Manager in Queensland and two Customer Solutions & Support specialists.

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  • Commercial Real Estate

    Buyers to benefit from strong conditions at Commercial Auction Event

    As Ray White Commercial Gold Coast readies to host its Commercial Event Auction, director Greg Bell is confident strong buyer interest indicates a strengthening commercial market. On February 20, the commercial auction will see 14 properties go under the hammer, including a range of industrial-warehouse properties, strata-titled office suites, development sites, and retail premises, in addition to a collection of…

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  • Real Estate News

    Demand for residential land picks up

    “Residential land sales have increased by 45.9 per cent from their record low in the March 2019 quarter,” said HIA Economist, Angela Lillicrap. The February 2020 edition of the HIA-CoreLogic Residential Land Report provides updated information on sales activity in 46 housing markets across Australia, including the six state capital cities. “The first half of…

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  • Real Estate News

    The Agency’s new powerhouse female team on the Central Coast

    With four decades of experience between them, The Agency’s new Central Coast team is a force to be reckoned with. Agents Tracy Stein, Bev Barendse and Paula Taylor launched just last week with The Agency and their joint operation reaches from Davistown all the way through to Terrigal. “We are privileged to have agents of Tracy Stein, Bev Barendse and…

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  • Real Estate News

    Downsizers value spare rooms and will leave neighbourhood for new home

    Space remains important to Australian downsizers, with over a half moving to a dwelling with three or more bedrooms and a third moving to an apartment, AHURI research has revealed. The ‘Effective downsizing options for older Australians’ research, undertaken for AHURI by researchers from Curtin University and Swinburne University of Technology, compares households that downsized with those that haven’t to understand…

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  • Real Estate News

    Disability housing provider secures $20 million in investment

    After securing a $44 million cornerstone investment last year, one of Australia’s most innovative disability housing providers, Casa Capace, has secured a further $20 million in investment and has completed its first multi-dwelling houses, with residents moving in next month. Casa Capace is a registered and certified provider with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). With six bedrooms across two…

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  • Real Estate News

    Ouwens Casserly host their Take Off event

    Ouwens Casserly Real Estate recently held their fifth annual Take Off Conference, with a lineup of industry-renowned speakers headlining the event. The OC Take Off Conference is designed to offer the organisation’s agents, staff members and leaders the insight and inspiration to excel into the new calendar year and this year the conference was held at Coopers Brewery for the…

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  • Elite Agent

    Auctions kick up a gear

    Auction activity almost doubled this week as the capital cities kicked up a gear following the traditional Christmas slowdown. CoreLogic reported 1122 homes went to auction at the weekend, effectively doubling last week’s total of 625. Higher volumes also equated to higher clearance rates with a preliminary national rate just shy of 70 per cent.…

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  • Real Estate News

    REA Group delivers resilient performance in challenging market conditions

    REA Group Limited (ASX:REA) today announced its results for the half-year ended 31 December 2019. Group financial highlights from core operations1 include revenue2 of $440.3m and EBITDA3 of $272.1m. The Group’s result was delivered in continued challenging market conditions with declines in new residential listing volumes and new project commencements. National residential listings declined 14%,…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    REA Group unveils new Smartline brand

    REA Group has announced the rebranding of its Smartline mortgage broking business, with realestate.com.au Home Loans also to be integrated under the banner in the coming months. Now known as Smartline – personal mortgage advisers, REA said the rebranded offering is primed to become the primary mortgage broking brand representing the Group in the Australian market. “The new Smartline brand combines the…

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  • Real Estate News

    Ray White Invests $3m in Aussie proptech start-up, NurtureCloud

    Australasia's largest real estate agency, Ray White, has just invested $3m into Sydney-based proptech company NurtureCloud, to both improve its own network's offering as well as being part of exploring international opportunities for the product. The investment in NurtureCloud, founded three years ago by serial internet entrepreneur, Adam Rigby, means that Ray White agents will…

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  • Real Estate News

    Rightsizing: the downsizing trend toward luxury apartment living

    Demand for rightsizing – the downsizing lifestyle trend towards luxury apartment living – is strong in Australia, according to the latest research from Knight Frank. The Knight Frank Rightsizing – Australian Prime Residential Insight 2020 report found buyers are looking for low-maintenance properties, but with house-like proportions and great amenities. In essence, they are looking for luxury apartments with at least three…

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  • Real Estate News

    Victoria and Tasmania come together for Ray White’s Unite 2020

    More than 650 Ray White Group members from across Victoria and Tasmania have descended on the Crown’s Conference and Events Centre for Unite 2020. Hosted across capital cities by Australasia’s biggest real estate group, the Unite 2020 program provided a new and improved training format for salespeople and property managers. The sessions were designed to help agents navigate and adapt to current market…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    Belle Property and Hockingstuart merge

    Belle Property and Hockingstuart have merged to launch an innovative new agency model which sees both brands operate independently, as part of one major real estate network. While the Hockingstuart brand will remain across Victoria, in February, the Belle Property brand will also launch into key Victorian regions including Bayside, Stonnington, Booroondara, Glen Eira, Peninsula,…

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  • Real Estate News

    Rent.com.au to raise $2.9 million for RentPay development

    Rent.com.au has has executed an underwriting agreement with Pinnacle Corporate Finance in a bid to raise $2.9 million for the development of RentPay. The capital raising exercise will comprise a non-renounceable, pro-rata rights issue on the basis of one new share for every five shares held at an issue price of $0.05 per share. The rights issue price of $0.05…

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  • Real Estate News

    Gavin Rubinstein kicking goals at Ray White TRG

    Ray White TRG founder Gavin Rubinstein has become the first agent to reach Chairman’s Elite status in the Ray White Australian residential network this financial year. The accolade is considered the highest level of sales recognition at Ray White based on settled commission and Sydney-based Mr Rubinstein noted it was partly due a positive start to 2020. “Stock is tight,…

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  • Real Estate News

    Tiny houses: not the big answer to housing you might think

    There has been significant growth in small house living, but that doesn’t mean Australia should go in big on them. Don’t let their sizes fool you – the tiny house movement is big. These micro-scaled homes are populating Instagram feeds and even have a Netflix series aptly named Tiny House Nation. Championing a simple-living alternative to habitation – an antidote…

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  • Real Estate News

    2020 REIA National Awards for Excellence finalists announced

    The finalists for the 15th National Awards for Excellence has been announced by The Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA). REIA President Adrian Kelly said the national awards recognise the best of the best in Australian real estate. "This year the REIA National Awards for Excellence will be proudly hosted by the Real Estate Institute of…

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