Real Estate

As the Reserve Bank weighs up the first cash rate rise of 2023, Compare Club's brokers suggest the average Aussie mortgage holder could reduce their interest repayments by an average $354 a month and could cut an average of $90,296 from total loan repayments - potentially shaving 3 years and 9 months off the loan. Whether or not the cash rate goes up again, around 800,000 Aussies will be coming off low fixed rate loans this year.

Are declining property values the nail in the coffin for Australia's property boom? Hardly. The recent price fall is the first stage of a skydive: controlled and with safeguards in place. The initial drop is fast and exhilarating. Property values have fallen 8.6% since the start of the RBA's rate hikes in May. But things won't last. Without structural shakeups, the Australian property market will deploy its parachute and slow its fall until it hits the ground. Softly.

New research has highlighted the disparity between property investor genders with 27% of women indicating they own investment property. The 2022 PIPA Annual Investor Sentiment Survey asked survey respondents for their gender for the first time in its eight-year history.  The co-authors of the 2022 Australian personal finance and investment business book of the year, The Female Investor: Creating Wealth, Security & Freedom Through Property, Nicola McDougall and Kate Hill, said lower rates was another financial headwind women faced.

Meet the ‘mum and dad investor: an ordinary couple with a couple of children and pets, they own a couple of cars and live in the suburbs, their kids play sport on the weekend and they gather with family and friends during special occasions. Mum and dad are middle-aged and looking to invest some money so that they can guarantee themselves a good quality of life.

The persistence of global inflationary trends, a recessionary economy, and deterioration of global indicators saw investors opting to suspend buying until the fallout from synchronised global rate hikes becomes clearer.

When a project is tendered out to a construction company, contractors will provide a price breakdown and an indication of how quickly they’ll be able to get the job done. Once contracts are signed and works start, they often face obstacles resulting in delays. Nine out of ten contractors say they see frequent construction delays, according to Nplan research reports. 72% of projects wind up running late, and affected projects see their total duration overrun by an average of 38%, driving up costs by an average of 24%. Some delays are inevitable but there’s a risk of construction professionals becoming complacent about delays, and failing to take action to ensure productivity on their worksites.

Fifth Wall—the global venture capital firm focused on technology for the real estate industry—including those which decarbonize the sector, has announced its expansion into Asia-Pacific (APAC) with the notable appointment of industry veteran Yvonne Voon as a Partner covering Asia Pacific (APAC) and opening of the firm’s Singapore office, its first in the region.

2022 marked the end of a year fraught with massive supply chain disruptions, wild weather, cautious consumers and burnt out builders. Fortunately, the homebuilding community stayed strong and have seen an increase in their salaries as a result of their ability to plan ahead.

As we head into summer renovation season, here is a comprehensive set of tips to keep an efficient home, save on utility bills, and increase the aesthetic feel inside and outside. If you’re motivated for a high-performing home, you need both airtightness and thermal insulation in sync. Opting for airtightness without insulation will be a terrible disaster and you run the risk of condensation build up. If you focus purely on that gorgeous, continuous insulation layer without an appropriate airtightness layer your home is sure to stay drafty.

New research shows that due to convenience, customers worldwide intend to switch to embedded insurance sources in the future (+36%) at the cost of traditional insurers (-14%). However, despite their desire for embedded protection offerings, 67% of homeowners, landlords and renters were not offered insurance during their application process.