The Australian

The Australian

Housing industry's missing persons reports pure fiction

MISSING: Authorities are seeking the public's help in locating 190,000 families who have mysteriously disappeared from Australia. REWARD: $60 billion, for any developer or builder who can find… Read More »

The Australian

Boom Times for the Rich

SYDNEY'S housing market came to life in the first half of 2010 -- or at least some parts of it did. The upper end surged amid the auction frenzy that seems to occur periodically in the mill… Read More »

The Australian

Spin won't solve Mt Isa's problems with pollution

IN a former life, I wrote press releases for developers and real estate agents. Many of my clients tended to be uncomfortable with the truth. Often the reality of the story they were selling was h… Read More »

The Australian

Ugly duckling suburbs offer a chance to feather your nest

A $6 MILLION development application in Newcastle is not the stuff of national headlines. It doesn't rate so highly even for the local newspapers. It caught my eye, though, as an event with mess… Read More »

The Australian

Hold the hate mail from mining capitals and millionaires' row

THREE things happen every year when I publish my No Go Zones report. One: media, which shows scant interest in my many positive reports, goes ballistic over my only negative one. Two: poli… Read More »

The Australian

Sea-change locations need more than the lure of the ocean

THE underperformance of sea-change locations is one of surprise features of the residential market. Many investors assume that Australia's fondness for the beach and the ocean -- and the po… Read More »

The Australian

Dire road links ensure shire's the place where property prices stall

I HAVE long suspected that Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens has scant knowledge of real estate. We would have had fewer interest rate rises if he understood it better. So I was not surp… Read More »

The Australian

Health and learning prove a recipe for solid returns

ONE of the most powerful boosts for property markets is the presence of an expanding university precinct or a growing hospital sector. Any location that has both in its midst can be assured stron… Read More »

The Australian

Resources boom makes Darwin a different kind of capital, as prices defy predictions

MY bucket list has "understand the Darwin property market" right near the top of the business section. After three decades of researching and writing about Australian real estate, I f… Read More »

The Australian

Don't be spooked by the big miners, they're running a scare campaign

BIG business has a new way to negotiate with the government. It's called a scare campaign. Sitting down and talking to people is just so "last year". The best way to get results is to … Read More »

The Australian

Hunter Valley town Scone sets a steady pace for growth

IF you're into horses, there is nowhere better on the Australian landscape than Scone in the Upper Hunter Valley in NSW. I've always liked this attractive part of Australia, although I&… Read More »

The Australian

Woolloongabba to become Brisbane's most talked-about suburb

URBAN renewal has been one of the great successes of Brisbane real estate. The work inspired by the urban renewal task force on the riverside through Teneriffe and New Farm has transformed derelict … Read More »

The Australian

Move a market and a cluster of suburbs are certain to reap a rich harvest

MULTI-billion-dollar projects are so common today that developments worth a few hundred million seldom create much excitement. But sometimes the wider impact of a project can transcend its relativel… Read More »

The Australian

'Affordability crisis' a housing industry fiction

WHEN the Housing Industry Association published the May edition of its quarterly work of fiction, the Housing Affordability Index, media outlets printed the data without hesitation. This instan… Read More »