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Tasmania (Tas.)

Design

The best Tasmanian architecture

The Tasmanian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects has revealed its top 2017 projects.

International

People

Rebel Wilson buys 'paparazzi-proof' New York apartment

Rebel Wilson has bought a two-bedroom apartment in the 443 Greenwich Street building in TriBeCa, and will count Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lawrence among her neighbours.

National

Design

Keep your home warm this winter - and give the environment a break

Before you switch on the heater this winter, consider other ways to keep your home warm.

Queensland (Qld)Gold Coast

Featured Property

See the sixty-sixth-floor, whole-level apartment in Surfers Paradise for sale

This whole-floor apartment on level 66 of the Peppers Soul building is for sale by Rob Patis of Mantra Group Realty with an asking price of $5,980,000.

New South Wales (NSW)Sydney

People

John McManus recognised as LJ Hooker's top NSW/ACT salesperson

At LJ Hooker's annual awards event on the weekend, John McManus snapped up the prize for leading selling business owner in NSW and the ACT, ending Bill Malouf's 16 years in the top spot.

Victoria (Vic.)

Design

Victoria's best architecture on display at 2017 Victorian Architecture Awards

The 2017 Victorian Architecture Awards winners were announced last week, revealing a focus in the state on designing healthy and highly liveable buildings.

National

Design

GBCA appoints Frasers Property CEO, Rod Fehring as new chair

Rod Fehring says developers must embrace building practices that deliver healthy buildings.

Queensland (Qld)Brisbane

Featured Property

Reclaimed brick brings character and charm to this Norman Park executive family home

This four-bedroom executive family home in Brisbane's Norman Park, designed by Craig Webster of Monster Ideas, is for sale by auction through Simon Dean of Place Bulimba.

Western Australia (WA)

People

Tom Esze takes home the main prize, again: REIWA 2017 Auctioneering Championship

Tom Esze is this year's REIWA Auctioneering Champion. Runner up was David Vitale, and the winner of this year's rookie award was Prash Nayar.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

Politics

Victoria establishes taskforce to fast-track flammable cladding probe

Architect and former premier Ted Baillieu will head up the new Victorian Cladding Taskforce, which has been established to investigate how widely flammable cladding has been used on Victorian high-rise buildings.

Pages

News Roundup

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/67032939/mortgage-debt-tops-200-billion

NZ mortgage debt tops $200 billion

Kiwis' mortgage debt has officially climbed past $200 billion, a mountain of borrowing which has doubled in the space of 10 years.

Stuff.co.nz

http://www.couriermail.com.au/realestate/youve-found-the-home-of-your-dreams-but-theres-no-price-tag-how-do-you-work-out-what-to-offer/story-fnihpmzi-1227257161613

You’ve found the home of your dreams, but there’s no price tag, how do you work out what to offer?

Not every seller wants to show their hand and in Queensland agents are not allowed to give price guides for properties going to auction. So how do you figure out just how much it is worth?

Courier Mail

http://www.afr.com/p/superannuation_savings_used_for_GQf6R5lLca2wuML7rjDxsN

Superannuation savings used for house purchases works in Singapore

In Singapore, an individual's super contributions are distributed between three separate accounts: an ordinary account that can be used to buy property and cover education costs; a medisave account that can be used to meet hospital and medical expenses; and a special account that is dedicated to expenses incurred in old age.

The Australian Financial Review

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/06/australia-resources-impact-idUSL4N0W03QO20150306

Layoffs and empty streets as Australia's boom towns go bust

"For Lease" signs are everywhere in West Perth, the headquarters of many mining, oil and gas companies. The real estate market has also been hit in the coal country of Queensland.

Reuters

http://www.geekwire.com/2015/beyond-video-games-how-virtual-reality-is-transforming-real-estate/

How virtual reality is transforming real estate

Real estate developers and leasing agents are turning to virtual reality to let prospective buyers experience a space even when a building is still under construction, or has yet to break ground.

Geek Wire

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincarlyle/2015/03/05/the-20-richest-real-estate-tycoons-on-the-2015-forbes-billionaires-list/

Real Estate Tycoons On The 2015 Forbes Billionaires List

Of the 20 richest property moguls in the world, more than half (12) hail from Asian-Pacific nations. Seven are from Singapore, three from China, and one each from Singapore and Taiwan. Four of the wealthiest 20 property billionaires are American, three are from the U.K., and one is from the United Arab Emirates.

Forbes

http://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/were-interest-rates-not-cut-because-of-the-property-market/story-fndban6l-1227249202996

Were interest rates not cut because of the property market?

On the ground, real estate agents in Sydney and Melbourne saw a frenzied market in February but said it wasn’t just because of the record low rates.

news.com.au

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/greathomesanddestinations/in-hidden-real-estate-market-in-london-secret-agents-know-their-turf.html?_r=0

London's secret real estate market

There are more homes and apartments for sale in London than meet the eye in a sort of “secret” market. “Some people are reluctant to let their peers, professional or social, know they are looking for a property, and they don’t want the world to know about their wealth — or lack of it. Operating off market means they do not leave a digital footprint with images in agents’ windows and on property portals.”

The New York Times