Phil McCarroll writes a piece for the website Your Investment Property wherein he talks about the stern action that awaits real estate agents who are assisting in illegal foreign investment in properties. Responding to the report of the House of Representatives, the Federal Treasury Department has come up with 12 recommendations to regulate foreign investments wisely.

Larry Arth writes a piece for the website How to Buy Real Estate. Here, he categorically points out the best ways to advertise your rental properties. Of course, there are certain areas, says Arth, where demand is so high that houses are picked up the moment they are listed. For all the other areas, it might help to be one up on the competition.

George Raptis writes a short but educational piece for the website Property Update wherein he writes that the phenomenal capital growth rate of Sydney has catapulted the number of “median apartment price of $1 million” suburbs by a fair amount. In contrast, only one suburb outside Sydney- Melbourne’s Balwyn North- has been able to enter the $1 million bracket.

This says a great deal about the rise of the harbor city

One distinction that can be made between Sydney’s suburbs and Balwyn North is the fact that the former predominantly constitutes of townhouses while the latter chiefly constitutes of apartment units.

What can the trend be put down to?

• The Baby Boomer generation is downsizing now that they are coming into the senior-citizen stage of their lives.
•  Investors are seeking to profit from high capital growth and smart rental returns (with low vacancy rates expected).
•  Gentrification and demographic trends are pointing towards the rise of the prestige market.
•  Younger buyers are coming into the fray in a lot more substantial way.

You can read the original article here.

Construction industry has risen from slumber

Sydney’s construction industry and real estate had hit a really tough patch a few years ago. What Sydney has achieved looks doubly brilliant because its prices have shot up from a plateau/trough area. Sydney has registered fine momentum and has also gotten a second wind after meeting with a good deal of price correction in the interval phase.

Urbanisation trend

In this context, I feel the suburbs hitting the $1 million median price for apartments is only a statistic and it had to arrive sooner or later. The urbanisation trend points strongly to the growth of apartments and it may even be that this relatively new house type snatches the ‘favourite’ tag from detached dwellings in days to come.

An article on the website realestateview.com.au suggests how first home buyers (FHBs) are looking beyond home ownership and setting their sights on property investment. Instead of short-term bliss, the FHBs are seeking wealth and security. Looks interesting!

“Timing the market” is an overrated concept, writes Michael Yardney, in an article for the website Property Update. Yardney begins by stating how many of us have already made up our minds that we have missed the property boat this time around and it may not be worth buying properties, now that the prices have peaked.

Interesting!

Pete Wargent writes an interesting column for the website Property Update wherein he focuses on the noise created by the correction in property prices. There are many who are blaming it on the Sydney apartment supply response. This is where Wargent chooses to differ.