
NSW 2020-21 Budget infrastructure spend for Central Coast
The Pacific Highway upgrade through Wyong Town Centre will get $4.3M in the NSW 2020-21 Budget announced on Tuesday, November 17. This funding will go towards finalising detailed designs and to commence early works for the project. Other major projects in the northern suburbs to get funding in the Budget include: $1.5M to continue planning for the $387M duplication of the Central Coast Highway between Bateau Bay and Wamberal; $34M for design, planning approval and constructio


NSW budget: government announces plans to phase out stamp duty
The state government’s plans to phase out stamp duty would save house hunters tens of thousands of dollars in upfront costs and boost market activity, but experts warn it could also put upward pressure on property prices. Buyers in NSW could be given the option to opt out of stamp duty and instead choose a smaller annual property tax, it was unveiled in the budget on Tuesday, with the government announcing it would begin a public consultation process on property tax reform. “


New Queensland hotspots highlight lifestyle, affordability
In a recent report, McGrath Estate Agents found that, while other capital cities struggle to regain their footing after being hit by the pandemic, Brisbane endured, thanks to tighter border controls and fewer virus cases that ultimately protected home values. Once the virus struck, Brisbane’s home values moderated rather than faltered, with median house prices up 4.9 per cent to $557,265 and apartment values rising by 1.8 per cent to $387,420, its strongest growth in three ye

Record exodus out of Melbourne mid-coronavirus pandemic
Melburnians fled the city after the first coronavirus lockdown, seeking refuge in regional Victoria, Queensland and even Sydney in a demographic shift that could weigh on the city's economy for years. New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that in the three months to the end of June, an average of 127 people a day left Melbourne for regional areas such as Bendigo, Shepparton and Wodonga while others left the state entirely. All of those who left Melbourne wou


CoreLogic property value index finds 'remarkable' rise in house prices for October
House prices across Australia have risen overall for the first time since the start of COVID-19. Key points: House prices were up nationally in October It follows five months of national declines during the coronavirus pandemic Melbourne is the only capital city market that did not record a rise in values in October Monthly data from CoreLogic shows that, as a collective average, the housing market experienced a 0.4 per cent rise in October. It follows month-on-month average