More Women Buying Property

Footloose and fancy free female seeks accountant, bank lender and real estate agent – for date with financial security.

That’s right, girl power is ripe in Melbourne’s real estate game, and it’s a trend that doesn’t look like slowing any time soon.

Agents say the days of women waiting for a man to get into the property market are gone. Waiting for blokes, especially those that have their act together, costs money – and smart girls aren’t waiting around to watch opportunity pass them by.

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Housing Affordability Weakens as Investors Swoop in

 

 

 

 

Housing Affordability Weakens as Investors Swoop in

Prospective home buyers dealt some cruel blows over the last couple of years.

For starters, the Reserve Bank lifted interest rates – three times – seriously affecting the amount first home buyers were able to borrow, and pushing some of them out of the market completely. Most bank interest rates today circle 7 to 8 per cent – an increase of about 1 per cent on last year.

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The pros and cons of rental guarantees

 What’s in store for apartment investors when the rental guarantee runs out? Marc Pallisco finds out.

According to most real-estate agents, Melbourne’s apartment market has decelerated from the heady heights of the late 1990s. As such, developers have been forced to devise new methods to maximise existing demand, with the goal for many being to achieve enough pre-construction sales to make the development profitable.

One concept that has gained popularity in recent years is the rental guarantee.

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Shaping the future of Melbourne

Battle lines have been drawn in the sand as planners and protest groups debate our sprawling suburbs. Marc Pallisco reports.

The
contentious Melbourne 2030 planning controls continue to divide the
community. On the one hand, some industry experts warn Melbourne could
become another overextended Los Angeles if we don’t halt the urban
spread. Meanwhile, protest groups in suburb after suburb complain of
higher-density living being foisted upon them. They claim their
neighbourhoods are in danger of losing their character.

Somewhere in between these factions may be the future Melbourne.

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