Keep cooling costs down as temperatures rise
It is no secret that electricity is set to become increasingly expensive for households, and as we enter summer and temperatures rise, the temptation to rely on air-conditioning, and thus use large amounts of energy, is hard to resist. According to the Australian Energy Market Commission in its report ‘Future Possible Retail Electricity Price Movements: 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2013’, over 2009/10 to 2012/13, national residential electricity prices are...Read complete post
Don’t discount smaller spaces, simply consider smarter designs
It is no secret that many Australians have long had a love for substantially sized homes, set on considerable blocks of land, with room for all the family. However, with affordability concerns and a change in preference for inner city living, as well as the physical size of many new developments decreasing, a number of people are being faced with the possibility of living in dwellings of a smaller size. However, those home buyers and investors who may...Read complete post
Residential property market shows early signs of recovery with home loan approvals up in September
The national residential property market received some good news recently, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ release of its Housing Finance data for September 2011. These figures showed a lift in the number of home loans approved across the country over the month, which could potentially indicate a strengthening of the housing market. According to figures released by the ABS, September saw the total number of owner occupied housing commitments...Read complete post
Report identifies possible reforms to achieve housing solutions
There has been no shortage of attention paid to the continued residential housing supply and affordability concerns shared by many Australians over the past year. To this end, the independent body, the Grattan Institute, recently released a report that proposes reforms to potentially address the issues facing the national residential property market, largely focusing on planning at a community level. The Grattan Institute’s new report, Getting the housing...Read complete post
Australia’s best architectural projects
Being in the real estate industry, I often find myself in conversations with people discussing their homes, investment properties, renovations and the like. People like to get an idea about popular renovating trends and the best ways to add value to their properties, and frequently ask me about what I’m seeing with regards to the CENTURY 21 properties that are being purchased and sold. For those who are interested in the most impressive, innovative designs,...Read complete post
SA Government establishes urban development authority to oversee projects
Given the ongoing demand for residential property that Australia will likely face over coming years, it is excellent to see the progress being made in some areas of the country towards achieving not just the construction of new projects, but the redevelopment of otherwise unutilised residential space. Promise for such progress was seen in South Australia recently, where the state’s Premier, Jay Weatherill, announced the establishment of a new urban development...Read complete post
Time for Australian property owners to get serious about energy efficiency
There’s no doubt that energy costs represent a significant expense for Australian households. And with already expensive energy prices looking to rise substantially over the next few years, as well as an impending carbon price, it seems that there is no better (or more prudent) time for property owners to assess the ways that household energy consumption can be reduced. CENTURY 21 Chairman and Owner, Charles Tarbey, recently said that there is a...Read complete post
Lowered inflation paves way for rate cut
Last week saw the Australian Bureau of Statistics release the Consumer Price Index for the September 2011 quarter. In good news for home owners and prospective borrowers, the measure, which serves as the official inflation data referred to by the Reserve Bank of Australia when setting the official cash rate, was unexpectedly low. The September quarter saw the CPI rise by 0.6 per cent, down from the 0.9 per cent rise seen in the June quarter 2011. Over the year to...Read complete post
Housing finance approvals up for August
The Australian Bureau of Statistics last week released data regarding housing finance commitments for the month of August 2011. These are generally considered to be reasonably good indicators of the state of the residential property market as they represent the aim of the population to engage with the housing market, either through the purchase or construction of a dwelling. According to the ABS, the total value of dwellings financed in August rose 1.1 per cent (trend) compared...Read complete post
A review of the spring selling season so far
We’re now just over halfway through the traditionally busy spring selling season which places us well to see how the residential market is faring so far. A guest column by CENTURY 21 Chairman and owner, Charles Tarbey, recently appeared on Property Observer, the independent news website for investors and astute buyers, in which he considered spring sales activity up to this point, and gave his thoughts on what he expected to see in the real estate market for the remainder...Read complete post