Property Focus

Internet drives building boom

CAROLYN CUMMINS There is as much as $1 billion of new deals and public offerings in the industrial property sector ahead, say agents and bankers.

Merger deals back on the table

CAROLYN CUMMINS With the highly anticipated indicative offer for Commonwealth Property Office Fund now on the table from DEXUS Property and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, market talk is this will open the floodgates for a new round of mergers and acquisitions.

Office vacancies rise

CAROLYN CUMMINS The rise in office leasing vacancies in Sydney is expected to continue for at least another few months, after which conditions should start to improve in tandem with the outlook for the economy, say agents.

Sydney chasing big brands

CAROLYN CUMMINS Retail is under pressure from a number of directions - internet sales, weak consumer spending and high savings and the influx of overseas brands - but the longer term outlook may not be as bad, analysts in the sector say.

Hot Property

Tough judgment needed on thriving residential market

Winston Sammut Up until a year or so ago, many commentators were concerned about Australia's stagnant housing market, which was regarded as one of many factors contributing to the sluggish Australian economy. The housing market has since staged such a recovery that many pundits are speaking about a housing bubble just waiting to explode. In some places, house prices are now well above their levels of a year ago.

Wild West mood enhances Mexican food

Stephen Crafti Stephen Crafti moseys on into a new restaurant with an authentic disposition.

Delays hit Emporium as names sign up

SIMON JOHANSON Melbourne's premier retail development has 90 per cent of its tenant income secured despite city's subdued leasing environment.

Comments 14

Hotel's reluctant buyer to pay $500,000

CHRIS VEDELAGO Five-year dispute over botched sale of Albert Park's Beach Hotel ends in new legal precedent.

Property

8 Chifley showcases 'sky village' concept

CAROLYN CUMMINS The opening of the Sydney skyscraper at 8 Chifley Square, jointly owned by Mirvac and Singapore-based Keppel REIT, will showcase the latest in office design and workplace activity, according to the tenants.

Couple loses Albert Park mansion a second time

Cameron Houston, Chris Vedelago Corporate raider Darren Olney-Fraser and his wife Fiona run into trouble again.

Property

Boat berth bonanza

CAROLYN CUMMINS The marina and boating industry is looking to the business and finance community for growth, as more self-managed super funds seek alternative income streams.

Property

More development needed in Parramatta

CAROLYN CUMMINS The planned $2 billion redevelopment of Parramatta Square and the sale of prominent office towers is indicative of the rise in activity in the second central business district in metropolitan Sydney.

Hot Property

NSW needs simple code- based planning system

Chris Johnson The NSW government has backed down on its proposed push towards Code Accessible and Complying Code approaches to determining planning proposals.

Retail

Pitt Street rents up with best

CAROLYN CUMMINS A stroll through Sydney's Pitt Street Mall would hardly be the same as a promenade down the Champs Elysees in Paris, but for a shopkeeper, it's more expensive.

From clicks to bricks and mortar

CAROLYN CUMMINS Internet shopping heavyweight Amazon has joined the move by online businesses to lease office space in capital city centres at a time when landlords are having to deal with rising vacancies from more traditional CBD tenants in the financial and legal sectors.

Confidence return sparks buying mood

SIMON JOHANSON Private money is gearing up to buy property as low interest rates stimulate investors and business confidence improves, experts say.

Executive pay key focus in AGM season

CAROLYN CUMMINS Some real estate investment trusts sitting on one strike from last year after shareholders rejected high salaries.

Buyers beware 'options' on paddocks

SIMON JOHANSON Development industry warns property investors and home buyers to be wary of purchasing 'options' in proposed future housing estates.

Suburban land hits market

SIMON JOHANSON Two large suburban sites are expected to attract interest from local developers as offshore buyers continue to dominate CBD locations.

Time's up for a confounding site

CHRIS VEDELAGO It's the prime CBD retail centre that shoppers forgot.

Youth hub's wide appeal down to clever design

Stephen Crafti Community input has made for a centre with top facilities.

Property

Sydney buyers remain riveted by auctions

Nicole Lindsay The NRL grand final and a harbour full of boats were no distraction for home buyers.

Bullish bids help home prices add 10 per cent

Chris Tolhurst Experts say buyers are 'overshooting' the market and paying above fair market value.

Bumper weekend for hotels

CAROLYN CUMMINS The arrival of more than 40 warships, 16 tall ships, 60 aircraft and 8000 sailors, not to mention Prince Harry and diehard interstate fans of the Manly Sea Eagles or the Sydney Roosters, and Sydney will be a busy place this weekend.

Deals

Hectic time for REITs

CAROLYN CUMMINS The real estate investment trust sector is bracing for a busy few months in terms of sales and new leasing deals in the lead-up to the annual reporting season and through to the end of the calendar year.

Asian firms upgrade to prime CBD sites

CAROLYN CUMMINS A new round of tenants from China and other Asian cities are moving into Sydney's central business district, helping to alleviate some of the leasing pressure on landlords, according to Jones Lang LaSalle.

Confidence boost for office space

CAROLYN CUMMINS Investors have returned to the Sydney office market with a tailwind, reflecting a turnaround in business confidence, due to the ending of uncertainty from the federal election and the lower cost of borrowings.

Hot Property

Think 'green smoothie' but don't forget to mix it up

Jenine Cranston For the past few years, the overriding focus for office tenants has been cost containment. However, this has meant different things to different organisations - particularly when it comes to sustainability.