The Rental Express Blog

• How To Find a Pet-Friendly Place to Live

• 18 May 12
• Overcoming the landlord’s fears that the property will be destroyed if they rent to a pet-owning tenant can be difficult. read more

• Homebuyers dropping out of market

• 16 May 12
• POTENTIAL homebuyers are dropping out of the housing market, scared off by the prospect of interest rate rises and economic uncertainty. read more

• Investors have eyes on QLD property market

• 14 May 12
• Investors are turning their interest back to the Queensland property market according to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ). read more

• Building approvals continue to decline

• 10 May 12
• ECONOMISTS expect Australia’s housing sector to remain soft for a while longer after new data showed building approvals continue to decline. read more

• Why the slow melt in house prices will go on

• 01 May 12
• It’s been a busy week, with Australia’s three main housing data providers – Australian Property Monitors (APM), the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), and RP Data-Rismark - each providing their capital city house price indices results for December 2011. read more

• Will the resources sector continue to ‘boom’?

• 14 Apr 12
• Well, the experts certainly think so. If you have any interest in the resources sector, arguably the best source for information is the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE). Their most recent forecast for the 2011/12 financial year is a 15% increase in the value of Australian energy minerals and metals over the previous year, bringing the total value to over $200 billion which is a record for export earnings. read more

• The Generation Y guide to buying a home

• 13 Apr 12
• THEY are often accused of wanting it all now, so how can members of Generation Y save a deposit for their first home? read more

• Top investor hotspots revealed

• 17 Mar 12
• Certain suburbs in Sydney and Perth will attract the eyes of investors, helping property prices to rise in these areas, according to a leading real estate group. read more

• 154 capital city suburbs with a median house value under $300,000

• 13 Feb 12
• There are plenty of affordable housing options across Australia’s capital cities; in fact there are 154 suburbs where the median value of a house is less than $300,000. read more

• Stylish bathrooms on the rise as chic trends replace boring basics

• 11 Feb 12
• The bathroom is no longer just a functional place but an area to kick back and relax after a hard day, says Bathrooms Are Us owner Randall Morrison. read more

• Property values slump but rents rise

• 10 Feb 12
• The report found, capital city home values dropped 4 per cent over the 10 months to October. read more

• Australia's most affordable inner-city suburbs

• 07 Feb 12
• WANT to buy a cheap inner-city property but don't know where to start? There are dozens of affordable suburbs within 10km of major cities that remain off the real estate radar. read more

• Revealed: The places where houses won't sell

• 31 Jan 12
• HOMES in some parts of Australia are taking twice as long to sell as they did a year ago, with many remaining on the market for months on end. read more

• Homes in the Zone: School Catchment Areas are Important for ManyHome Buyers

• 28 Jan 12
• Five months ago we read how views, an extra bathroom or a garden are not as important for homebuyers as being close to public transport. It now seems there is another important factor; proximity to good schools. read more

• Report shows how a good garden can add thousands to your home'svalue

• 26 Jan 12
• The blooming backyard has been dubbed a money spinner for vendors after the 2011 Husqvarna Global Garden Report revealed that a well-manicured garden can rake in thousands of dollars. read more

• Capital city home prices fall 4 per cent

• 25 Jan 12
• AUSTRALIA’S capital city home prices have declined four per cent in the year to October, led by a heavy slump in Brisbane, according to a private report. read more

• New home sales grow 5.5 per cent - HIA

• 24 Jan 12
• SALES of new homes in Australia posted a modest increase amidst lower interest rates and a competitive skilled trade market, a peak residential body says. read more

• Negative equity a growing problem

• 20 Jan 12
• HIGH-RISK homebuyers and lenders are facing the prospect of negative equity in their homes after recent property price falls around the country. read more

• House prices 25% overvalued: The Economist

• 19 Jan 12
• In a dire warning for Australia and other developed countries, The Economist says global house price indicators suggest property was still overvalued. read more

• Heart vs head: which one do you use when buying a property

• 13 Jan 12
• Buying property falls into two categories: homes you want to buy to live in, and properties you want to invest in. read more

• Real estate market in retreat

• 11 Jan 12
• Australia’s residential property market is headed for its worst year since the global financial crisis as growing economic uncertainty deters buyers. read more

• $1 billion in distressed property on the block

• 10 Jan 12
• Banks are tightening the screws on development sites that have breached borrowing covenants, pushing more into receivership with “at least” $1 billion worth of distressed property currently for sale. read more

• Queensland hotspots revealed

• 05 Jan 12
• The Gap, in Brisbane’s west, recorded the largest drop in house sales – down 57 per cent. read more

• Australian property auction rates lag as buyers hold back

• 23 Dec 11
• AUCTION results in capital cities continued their lacklustre run over the weekend. read more

• Spanish building armada to invade Australia

• 22 Dec 11
• A LEADING Australian construction expert has foreshadowed that Spanish companies will soon play a bigger role in Australia’s infrastructure sector. read more

• Australia's most expensive suburbs, according to RP Data research

• 12 Dec 11
• SYDNEY’S Point Piper is Australia’s most expensive suburb with a median property price of $8.25 million, more than double its nearest rival. read more

• RBA takes negative line on multiple rate cuts

• 11 Dec 11
• THE Reserve Bank believes it has room for at most one more rate cut, not the four being priced in by financial markets. And it isn't at all certain spending cuts of the kind expected in the upcoming mid-year budget review will enable it to cut further. read more

• Loan arrears grow in slowdown

• 10 Dec 11
• KEY parts of the dominant services sector are being hit by the slowdown in consumer spending, with new evidence emerging of a widening gulf caused by the two-speed economy. read more

• No point in property negativity

• 09 Dec 11
• THE following words are not going to be pleasant reading for the 1.7 million Aussie landlords who own negatively-geared investment properties. read more

• Savers cling to great Australian dream

• 08 Dec 11
• FIRST-HOME buyers might be taking a break but first-home savers are stepping-up their activity with a large jump in the number of people signing up for the Government’s First Home Saver Accounts. read more

• Low dwelling approvals are bad news for housing supply

• 07 Dec 11
• After a brief surge in August, the number of dwellings approved for construction in September fell by 13.6% (August approvals were up by a revised 10.7%) – a result that was primarily influenced by a large fall across the ‘non-house’ category which is comprised of mostly apartments and semi-attached dwellings such as terrace homes and townhouses. read more

• Building approvals hit a wall

• 06 Dec 11
• The recovery in building approvals hit a wall in September with the monthly total tumbling by the most since November 2002. But the gloomy September reading carried one ray of hope. read more

• The rich are getting richer through real estate

• 05 Dec 11
• New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that Australia’s richest households are expanding their wealth three times faster than the poorest groups. read more

• Real estate more attractive to SMSFs

• 04 Dec 11
• VOLATILE sharemarkets and recent tax changes may be starting to accelerate investment in real estate from cashed-up self-managed super funds, industry observers say. read more

• HOUSING STRESS: PM struggles to find a rental property

• 03 Dec 11
• PRIME Minister Julia Gillard is experiencing Australia’s housing crisis first hand in her search for an alternative home while the Lodge is being renovated. read more

• Housing costs show the largest quarterly rise in the September CPI

• 02 Dec 11
• Its worthwhile having a closer peek at the ‘new look’ CPI figures just released by the ABS- particularly, how have the components of the housing category contributed to price rises. read more

• Property glut leaves prices languishing in capital cities

• 01 Dec 11
• A PROPERTY selling binge in capital cities has driven house prices south for a fifth consecutive quarter. read more

• Your home valued - was it science or art?

• 30 Nov 11
• AS a 17-year-old rookie estate agent, I was always impressed by how my elder colleagues could confidently tell a vendor how much their home might sell for. read more

• Old Australians 'to lose their homes'

• 29 Nov 11
• OLDER Australians will be stripped of their security if the federal government pushes ahead with an “undisguised grab” of their homes as part of its aged care reforms, says a pensioners group. read more

• Family home proves the best investment over past 24 years

• 28 Nov 11
• IT’S official - your home is the best investment you are likely to have made. In the constant debate over shares versus property, bricks and mortar have won out. read more

• Vacancy rates remain at record lows

• 27 Nov 11
• The current slump in buyer confidence has helped keep the national vacancy rate at record low levels in September, SQM Research has found. read more

• One in ten Australian households face housing stress: report

• 26 Nov 11
• One in 10 Australian households is in housing stress and at risk of financial hardship and poverty, a new report says. read more

• Make sure finances are right before buying off the plan

• 25 Nov 11
• Buyers need to be cautious when purchasing property based solely on the blueprints and before construction has taken place, says Loan Clinic mortgage broker Tanya du Preez. read more

• Great photos vital when selling your home

• 24 Nov 11
• There was maybe a single external shot in the office window, or perhaps we’d blow the budget with a tiny black and white pic in the local paper. How things have changed. read more

• Buying before selling could prove costly

• 23 Nov 11
• If you are lucky enough to own your existing home outright that is, no mortgage you should not suffer sleepless nights. With very few expenses, you can create income to cover costs for your new home by renting out your current dwelling. Or perhaps you have funds available to purchase without selling again then the risk is minimal. read more

• Good, bad and ugly property debt

• 22 Nov 11
• REAL estate debt can be dangerous and debilitating, but for thousands of investors it has also been their ticket to financial freedom. read more

• Housing was in doldrums before rate cut

• 21 Nov 11
• HOUSING loan approvals edged up in September, but not enough to challenge the view that demand for housing was in the doldrums, ahead of the rate cut earlier this month. read more

• Mortgages on up, but less being borrowed

• 20 Nov 11
• DEMAND for mortgages was climbing ahead of the Reserve Bank’s move last week to lower interest rates, according to official figures. read more

• Renovators at risk of overspending

• 19 Nov 11
• A RUSH to renovate by property owners who don’t want to sell into the flat real estate market is threatening to create a new set of financial problems. read more

• Why you need a different approach to an investment property

• 18 Nov 11
• NO other investment evokes such unnecessary emotion and misguided perceptions as residential property. read more

• Our health at stake as commuters pay the price for a dream home

• 17 Nov 11
• A LONG commute to work is a growing trade-off for the dream of home ownership. read more

• More Australian home owners switch to renting

• 16 Nov 11
• AN alarming number of home owners are ditching the white picket fence and opting to rent under financial strain. read more

• Why do economists get their property predictions so wrong?

• 16 Nov 11
• If our economists are armed with all the research available in today’s information age why can’t they agree on where are our property markets are heading? A better question would be why do so many get it wrong? read more

• The ups and downs of the multi-speed economy

• 15 Nov 11
• We’ve commented quite a few times recently on how the low volume of homes being transacted across the country is creating tough conditions across the real estate sector. read more

• Why Apartments Will Outperform Houses

• 15 Nov 11
• Sure the baby boomers and many of their Gen X offspring have found it hard to sacrifice sprawling McMansions in favour of smaller accommodation, but will Gen Y be more inclined to embrace higher density living? read more

• Is property still a good investment?

• 13 Nov 11
• Some investors are worried that property prices have remained flat for some time now, indicating that they rose too high too quickly, and that they must now drop. While others are concerned that they have been priced out of the market and it’s too late to get in. read more

• The true cost of NIMBYism

• 12 Nov 11
• A home is the biggest purchase most Australians will make in their lifetime and yet most of us know very little about the forces that determine what types of homes are available to live in and what we must pay for them. read more

• Buyers zoom in on good photos

• 12 Nov 11
• Good quality photography is becoming the secret to success when putting your house on the market. read more

• When home loan honeymoons turn sour

• 08 Nov 11
• INTRODUCTORY rate home loans with attractive honeymoon periods may look tempting to new borrowers, but amid heavy competition there are other products that could save you thousands of dollars. read more

• Renovate, relocate or detonate

• 07 Nov 11
• There’s no point putting the polish on a property in a poor location. No matter how much you spend on a renovation, it won’t compensate for a bad position, poor aspect or a neighbourhood from hell. read more

• Uncertainty clouds start of spring auction season

• 05 Nov 11
• The Westpac-Melbourne Institute quarterly house price expectation index fell to 9 in October, from a reading of 15.3 in the three months to July - it lowest level since May 2009, a doubts about the strength of the housing market linger. read more

• Units almost as expensive as houses

• 04 Nov 11
• The rental market for units has outperformed that of houses during the year to September, according to Australian Property Monitors (APM). read more

• Rise in housing lending small but welcome

• 03 Nov 11
• The figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed the number of loans to home-buyers rose 1.2 per cent, while the value rose by 0.6 per cent. read more

• Vendors, buyers must acknowledge lower valuations

• 02 Nov 11
• Agents must ensure vendors and buyers are aware that an increasing number of property valuations are coming in lower than expected, a Brisbane-based agent has said. read more

• The interest rate cut of 0.25 per cent could "renew faith" in struggling property market

• 02 Nov 11
• Today's interest rate drop could fuel a first home buyer surge early next year and pump the lifeblood back into the anaemic industry, REIQ CEO Dan Molloy says. read more

• Houses no longer best investment

• 29 Oct 11
• RESIDENTIAL property has been Australia's highest-returning asset class over the past 24 years - eclipsing shares - but over the next decade it will be outperformed by commercial property, according to research by ANZ. read more

• Many homeowners over-committed

• 29 Oct 11
• TOO many new homeowners are over-committing themselves with enormous mortgages just to get a foot in the property door, says affordable housing group Adelaide Benevolent Society. read more

• Sydney, Perth house prices to rise by 20 per cent

• 27 Oct 11
• ECONOMISTS are predicting a double-edge sword for Sydney’s property market, forecasting the median price to boom from $644,000 to $770,000 in the next three years - on the back of the housing crisis. read more

• Court order and auction proves winning combination

• 26 Oct 11
• MORE than 200 people and 48 registered bidders turned up hoping to snare the property bargain of the century yesterday when a rundown Queenslander went under the hammer with no reserve. read more

• Brisbane's outer suburbs offer better rent returns than inner-cityareas, REIQ data shows

• 26 Oct 11
• BRISBANE’S outer suburbs are smashing the fancier inner-city areas in rental returns, according to figures from the REIQ. read more

• 6000 vie for jobs at Coast hardware store

• 25 Oct 11
• SIX thousand people applied to fill 180 jobs at a Gold Coast hardware store in a dire demonstration of how bad the city’s unemployment situation is. read more

• Study by Grattan Institute shows buyers are more concerned withconvenience and access than house features

• 24 Oct 11
• OWNING a home on a block in the suburbs has long been touted as the “Great Australian Dream”. read more

• How to pick a property hot spot

• 24 Oct 11
• PROPERTY prices have slipped and the market is ripe for bargain hunters, but picking real estate hotspots is no less a challenge. So what is the key to getting in early before an area takes off? read more

• 700 apply for 100 Coast Woolies jobs

• 23 Oct 11
• MORE than 700 desperate job seekers applied for the 100 jobs at a new $10.6 million Woolworths at a Carrara shopping complex. read more

• European financial crisis to blame for lending clamp-down

• 22 Oct 11
• THE discounting war engulfing the mortgage market is likely to end as Europe’s debt crisis raises the banks’ funding costs, industry experts say. read more

• Tenant Robert W Burns recreated the Sistine Chapel in his home -except with Russell Brand in it

• 22 Oct 11
• A RETIRED British decorator has transformed his home by covering its interior in renaissance-style murals to emulate the Sistine Chapel after being inspired by a book about the Vatican. read more

• A crash in property prices? Don't bet on it

• 21 Oct 11
• Could this be a real estate salesman’s fantasy come true? If financial armageddon is what you crave, there’s plenty to feed your habit right now; a rout on global sharemarkets, commodity prices crashing, the dollar under attack and panic on debt markets read more

• Little positive about negative gearing

• 21 Oct 11
• NEGATIVE gearing was already on the nose when ”Kochie” delivered his verdict. read more

• Financial grants available for first home buyers

• 20 Oct 11
• GOOD news first home buyers - the Government is still offering a boost for your hip pocket. read more

• Paid shopping centre parking to start this month

• 20 Oct 11
• Shopping giant Westfield has confirmed paid parking will start at its Chermside shopping centre later this month, although the parking fee for shoppers remains a secret. read more

• Boost in sales at Southport Central

• 19 Oct 11
• THE latest research shows a slump in highrise apartment sales on the Gold Coast but at least one receiver-controlled project has experienced a doubling of contracts this quarter thanks to the State Government’s homebuyer boost. read more

• Andrew Winter helps you decide whether to move or expand

• 18 Oct 11
• Are you feeling the squeeze at home? Real estate consumer champion ANDREW WINTER offers points to consider when deciding whether to move house or extend. read more

• A few home truths on people and houses

• 18 Oct 11
• STOP population growth, and solve the housing crisis. That’s the simple mantra of the ”small Australia” brigade. But what at first sounds like a straightforward proposition turns out to be based on bogus logic. Population size certainly plays a role in determining our housing needs. But it is by no means the only factor - let alone the decisive one. read more

• Mortgage stress hits roof

• 17 Oct 11
• The high Australian dollar is partly to blame for delinquencies, especially in heavily tourism-based areas. read more

• Body corp fees hit sales of Coast units

• 15 Oct 11
• SURGING body corporate fees have combined with price volatility in the wake of receiverships to continue the Gold Coast’s ”miserable” run of highrise unit sales this year. read more

• Highrise may go ahead if Chinatown does - Gold Coast

• 14 Oct 11
• A PROPOSED highrise building that has been on ice for the past five years may be resurrected on the back of news that a Chinatown-type precinct is to be developed in Southport. read more

• Fixed-rate loan deals

• 14 Oct 11
• GLOOM on global money markets is for once benefiting borrowers. read more

• House prices continue to fall - NAB

• 14 Oct 11
• HOUSE prices fell for a second consecutive quarter and are expected to continue to decline as housing affordability becomes more of a factor for buyers. read more

• Pressure grows on property market

• 13 Oct 11
• THE cracks in Australia’s real estate market are spreading rapidly as the economic slowdown takes an increasingly heavy toll, according to new research. read more

• Start young for property profits

• 13 Oct 11
• Property investors are best holding for at least two growth cycles to maximise profits in their assets, says a leading investment group read more

• Gold Coast rentals in oversupply

• 12 Oct 11
• NEW figures have revealed the rental property vacancy rate on the Gold Coast is among the worst in Queensland due to high unemployment and downturns in the city’s key industries. read more

• Minimise Rental Advertising

• 09 Oct 11
• If you are a landlord with a vacant property, you want to know that your advertising dollar is being spent where tenants are likely to be searching for accommodation. Research conducted Australasia-wide shows that 91% of enquiry comes from two sources. read more

• 'Stand And Wait' Not Good Market Strategy

• 08 Oct 11
• When media reports start talking about static or falling home prices, many home buyers think that it’s a good idea to watch the market and wait for it to reach the bottom. They feel that if they postpone their purchase long enough, they are likely to see prices fall further and snap up a ‘real bargain’. read more

• Investing or Speculating?

• 07 Oct 11
• Many unsuspecting would-be investors fall foul of high risk speculative schemes every day. Investing means putting money where there is a high probability of getting a good return and improving on the original amount invested and a low probability of losing your initial invested sum. read more

• Landlords Ask For Recommendations

• 05 Oct 11
• If you are a landlord and you are feeling vaguely dissatisfied with the service you are getting from your property manager, it may be that they are looking after the property well enough, but falling short when it comes to giving advice. read more

• Renovations Should Be Seamless

• 04 Oct 11
• If you are thinking of renovating to sell, there are some rules to help you make rather than waste money. read more

• What does the recent improvement in consumer confidence mean forthe Australian housing market?

• 02 Oct 11
• The relationship between consumer confidence and housing market activity is a topic that we often comment on in relation to the housing market. read more

• Household income growth stalls over the 2009/10 financial year

• 01 Oct 11
• The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released their bi-annual Household Income and Income Distribution data for the 2009/10 financial year this week. read more

• Falling house prices debunk housing shortage myth

• 30 Sep 11
• FEDERAL politicians busily mounting inquiries into various issues including coal-seam gas and the media might want to consider a royal commission into the alleged housing shortage. read more

• ‘Many reasons’ Australia attracts overseas investors

• 29 Sep 11
• There are numerous reasons why investors choose to purchase real estate in Australia, one expert has commented. read more

• Tips to keep a tenant sweet

• 27 Sep 11
• Property investors are receiving higher rents but, in a rare twist, vacancy rates are rising in most capital cities. It's a case of landlords recovering higher costs rather than pocketing profits, say real estate experts, who believe investors should do what they can to keep good tenants. read more

• Investors ready to pounce on opportunities

• 27 Sep 11
• Ready, steady, go! That’s the general message we got from our recent online survey of residential property investors. The survey confirmed the typical optimistic nature of investors, with most believing that the present market presents great buying opportunities - and in many cases, unrepeatable purchase prices. read more

• House prices set to climb despite rates

• 16 Jun 08
• HOUSE prices are tipped to rise next financial year as Australia's fastest population growth in two decades outweighs the effect of higher interest rates. read more

Property Owners

• Why Choose Rental Express
• Manage My Property
• Rental Appraisal
• Client Reviews
• Property Management Guarantee
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Log into our Owners Online Portal
• Contact Your Property Manager
• Property Investor News