The tale of two parliamentary housing inquiries
What an amazing difference 19 months can make for parliamentary inquiries into housing affordability and ownership.
Property
Walker Corp in $1b residential project
Walker Corporation and liquor group Kemenys have teamed up in a joint venture to develop $1 billion of mixed-use residential developments on three Kemenys-owned sites in Sydney.
New office tower planned in $1b Darling Harbour revamp
The revamp of Darling Harbour will now include a new 44-storey office tower on the waterfront, at Darling Park towers.
Perron Investments buys half stake in Westfield Woden for $335 million
Perron Group has bought a stake in Westfield Woden.
Brookfield Prime Property and ALE Property take out BDO AREIT honours
Office towers, pubs, agriculture and healthcare investments took out line honours in the 22nd BDO Australian real estate investment trust survey.
DEXUS upgrades property assets by $341m
The strength of bricks and mortar assets is forecast to remain strong as investors seek out less volatile sectors, according to the latest Australian Property Institute's (API's) Property Directions Survey.
Private investors, syndicates pounce on small office buildings
The headquarters of Wesfarmers-owned Bunnings Warehouse has sold for $24.7 million as wealthy investors and syndicates move on mid-range assets before the end of the year.
Retail property in hot demand
Retail property is one of the hottest sectors in demand from investors as they seek put higher yielding assets that are benefiting from an improvement in consumer sentiment.
Property sells for lucky number: $4,888,888
Lucky numbers sell. Seven bidders – including five Chinese parties – vied for a 3000 sq m development landholding at 15-17 Herlihys Road before the hammer fell at $4,888,888.
Ardent Leisure raises $126m from sale of d'Albora Marinas
The reopening of the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, called "Open Hearts-Open Doors" on the weekend helped raise $157,225, which will be given to the Red Cross.
Dreamworld to reopen with 'respectful' weekend focusing on families
Dreamworld and WhiteWater World theme parks on the Gold Coast will throw open their doors on Saturday following the tragic accident on October 25.
Shopping centres of the future not far away
Shopping malls will be front and centre for the next two weeks as shoppers head in for the festive season.
Simple, gallery-like fit-out showcases Japanese culture
A slither of Japanese culture has arrived in Toorak Road, South Yarra. Monolab, a Japanese gallery-like store, showcases the work of artisans and manufacturers working in a number of regions throughout Japan.
ANZ hikes interest rates for property investors
ANZ Bank has followed rivals in pushing up variable interest rates for property investors, blaming higher funding costs and its obligations to regulators.
Putting on the Ritz-Carlton: The Star heralds return of luxury hotel
The Sydney skyline is set to be transformed with the development of the new $500 million Ritz-Carlton hotel, including apartments and an updated restaurant strip at Pyrmont, as part of the Star Entertainment group's renovation of the city's main casino as it prepares to take on James Packer's Crown resort at Barangaroo.
DEXUS looks to sustainable industrial buildings to reduce costs
Large industrial tenants are moving away from sourcing their distribution centres through third party logistics companies and are instead investing in automation and sustainable building features, DEXUS executives say.
Bill Lewski and the misplaced $77 million
Melbourne businessman Bill Lewski can't recall where $77 million of investors money paid to him by way of a listing fee for since collapsed Prime Trust ended up, a court has heard.
Pask buying Rowville golf course from LaManna family
Queensland's fourth richest person, BRW Rich Lister Neville Pask, is paying local businessman Vince LaManna a speculated price in excess of $60 million for Rowville's prominent Kingston Links golf course, which is now mooted to become a billion dollar housing estate.
Deals and Deeds
Alexandria $14.5 million
ICC is built and events are on their way
Selling Sydney as a business destination with a major venue under construction has been challenging… but that's about to change.
North Shore office sector taking on its rivals
At the end of busy year, the north shore of Sydney has emerged as one of the fastest growing for office developments as its gives its Parramatta counterpart a run for its money.
NAB makes its move to $1.7b Wynyard Place
In one of the biggest upheavals in its history, the National Australia Bank is moving its Sydney headquarters to the new $1.7 billion Wynyard Place, while also taking up a lease at Parramatta to cement its presence in the western suburbs.
Chinese property heavyweight in billion-dollar buy-up
Chinese property heavyweight Dahua Group has outmuscled local developers to snap up a billion-dollar land pipeline.
Uniting Church's $1 billion development plan
The Uniting Church is poised to sell up to 65 properties worth around $80 million as part of a $1 billion development program.
Developer pays $6m to unite West Melbourne blocks
Beijing-based developer Holder East has snapped up a vacant King Street block before it sold at auction, to add to a development site next door.
In a sellers' market, why are vendors being contract mugs?
Vendors are signing real estate agency agreements that read as if the agents are doing a massive personal favour listing the property. And this when most properties in the hotter markets are close to selling themselves.
Housing markets to remain strong, but the bubble is inflating
Housing markets will retain their buoyancy for at least another year, but concerns of price bubbles loom large, according to the latest Australian Property Institute's Property Directions Survey.
Retailers settling in upstairs spaces as Flinders Lane rents spike
A spike in demand for retail space in Flinders Lane has driven up rents and pushed retailers into upstairs premises where they are competing with IT and professional consulting firms for space.
Tough auction tactic, $20,000 bids, don't deter keen buyer
Tough auction tactics failed to deter a keen buyer chasing a modern shopfront property. A competitor tried to knock them out with $20,000 bids.
Robots to make shopping easier
Robots are the latest retail "disrupter" as they head to a shopping centre near you to offer advice, assistance and some entertainment.
Small Business
15-year-old baker sets up donut cafe despite VCE looming
A Melbourne teen pastry entrepreneur has a hospitality empire in his sights.
I run my business from a surf boat in the Maldives
A cloud-based database management system helps streamline and manage the sales.