According to the managing director of Rismark International, Ben Skilbeck, “While the housing market remains soft, the zero per cent change over the first quarter of 2012 demonstrates that it is consolidating its position following the decline seen in calendar year 2011. This month it was the resource rich states which delivered the strongest gains with Perth, Darwin and Brisbane up 1.4 per cent, 1.1 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively”.

Yields are also showing modest improvements. According to Mr Skilbeck, “rental yields for houses across the combined capital cities have moved from just 3.6 per cent eighteen months ago to 4.1 per cent and gross yields on unit dwellings have improved from a recent low of 4.4 per cent to 4.8 per cent. The most significant rental yield improvements have been recorded in Darwin, Perth and Brisbane where yields have increased by 22 per cent, 21 per cent and 18 per cent respectively from their recent lows.”

Extract from RP Data website

16 February 2012

Move On Realty Helps Local Vendors
by Marketing to Chinese Buyers

Redcliffe, Queensland – Move On Realty is one of the first real estate agencies on the Redcliffe Peninsula to begin advertising it’s clients properties on China’s number one real estate web portal, Juwai.com.

Stacey Platts, Licensee of Move On Realty, said Chinese buyers are the fastest growing demographic of home buyers in Australia. She expects the move to lead to more potential buyers with more serious enquiries and better results for their clients.

Vendors need to reach serious buyers. The Australian economy remains mixed, but the economy in China is very strong and many wealthy Chinese are looking for property investments in this area of Australia.

Last year, buyers from China bought about $1 billion of Australian real estate, including in this area. That was about 150% more than two years before, making buyers from China the fastest growing group of buyers in all of Australia, according to data collected by Juwai.com.

At Move On Realty, we are always among the first to adopt the best available tools to help vendors obtain the best possible price. Juwai.com is the number one real estate portal dedicated to helping sell property in Australia and other countries to buyers from China. Over 50,000 agents already have their listings on Juwai.com.

Chinese buyers seek property in Australia for three primary reasons:

• for their children to live in while studying abroad,
• as a way of diversifying their investments
• as a route to eventual immigration.

According to Bank of China and the Hurun Report, nearly half of China’s super-rich are considering emigration out of China. At the same time, 85% of China’s wealthy are exploring educating their children overseas in Australia and other countries. Today, there are approximately 160,000 Chinese students studying across Australia.

About Juwai.com

Juwai is mandarin for “home overseas”. Juwai.com is visited by thousands of property seekers each day from over 281 cities throughout China, along with Taiwan and Singapore. By number of property listings and editorial content, Juwai.com is the No. 1 site for Chinese buyers of real estate in Australia.

This article was reported in the Redcliffe & Bayside Herald Property Guide this week…

A mild improvement in house prices is forecast for the Brisbane region by next year as signs point to a recovery in the market, according to a new report.

The report, Residential Property Prospects, 2011 to 2014 by national business researchers BIS Shrapnel, states the Brisbane median house price for June 2011 stands at $440,000, a decline of 4 per cent from the previous year and arguably the weakest of the state capitals.

But senior manager Angie Zigomanis, who compiled the study, is predicting a recovery.

“The next round of investment in new resource projects is expected to commence in 2011, economic conditions are also forecast to improve, and the ensuing employment and income growth will create a greater level of purchaser confidence,” Mr Zigomanis said.

First-home buyers are also predicted to return to the market.

“If higher interest rates mean they can’t afford their first choice of dwelling initially, then they will purchase a more affordable type of dwelling and/or in a more affordable neighbourhood,” he says.

This sentiment is echoed by the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Queensland’s Development and Construction Industry Report, which says “the worst is behind us” and there is reason to be “cautiously optimistic” of improvement before the end of 2011.

Ray White Queensland joint chief executive officer Peter Camphin said the market has hit the bottom and can only go up.

“There is a lack of confidence and bad sentiment going round the market at the moment,” he said.

However, Mr Camphin said first home buyers would always guarantee a turnover of property.

Before the 1st August – anyone looking to buy their principal place of residence, either to upgrade or downsize, or just get a new home – BUY NOW. You may not like them, but even a “Subject to Sale” Contract dated before the 1st August could save around $8,000 on an average house and may enable you to sell your current house a little quicker or help obtain finance approval.

If you want to look at the new rates click on the link below:

http://www.budget.qld.gov.au/current-budget/tax-reform/transfer-duty-rates-building-boost.pdf