Charles Vargas

 Australia’s population grew by 1.8 per cent in the 12 months to September 2024, adding 484,000 people to the national headcount, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). That puts our population at 27.3 million, with overseas migration once again leading the charge—albeit at a slower pace than earlier […]

 Australians who sell residential properties are achieving record profits, according to the latest Pain & Gain Report from CoreLogic. The median profit achieved by Australian vendors was $306,000 in the December quarter of 2024. That’s the highest nominal gain recorded since the data-set began in the mid-1990s. But behind the headline figure lies a

 New research has confirmed one of the greatest scandals in Australian real estate – the reality that taxes and charges from the three levels of governments comprise between 40% and 50% of the cost of creating new homes. At a time when Australia is experiencing its greatest ever housing crisis – marked by shortages

 One of the many ways media misinforms Australian consumers is their misunderstanding of the difference between building approvals and actual construction of new dwellings. Right now, at a time when we have major dwelling shortages and construction costs are so incredibly high, there is a very important distinction between the number of dwelling approvals

 When Cyclone Alfred was bearing down on southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, the impact on the property market was probably not high on the list of considerations for citizens of these areas.   But in the aftermath of this major weather event, there will be some thought given to how home values

 One of the many ways media misinforms Australian consumers is their misunderstanding of the difference between building approvals and actual construction of new dwellings. Right now, at a time when we have major dwelling shortages and construction costs are so incredibly high, there is a very important distinction between the number of dwelling approvals

 The Great Australian Dream still exists, it’s just that – for many – it now means owning an apartment, not a house with a white picket fence. As property prices continue to grow, the dream of owning a freestanding house has morphed into the dream of owning an apartment – for more and more

 Brisbane was one of the nation’s boom markets in 2024 and likely to do even better this year.   The price data shows that Brisbane delivered a strong performance last year, both with house prices and in particular unit prices – but was third in the capital city growth rankings behind Adelaide and Perth.

 Some investors are attracted to the cheap house prices and very high rental yields in resources sector towns but recent events in two of the nation’s iconic locations demonstrate why this can be a strategy fraught with peril.   Hotspotting methodology dictates that a diverse economy is a core factor in any location we

 I sometimes despair for Australians trying to make sense of real estate markets, when the standard of analysis and commentary in news media is so poor.   Knee-jerk responses to short-term data sets from economists, journalists and often from the big-name research houses create a mass of confusing, conflicting and contradictory commentary.   The