State Of The Nation Compiled By Kevin Lee of Smart Property Adviser

www.smartpropertyadviser.com.au E: kevin@smartpropertyadviser.com.au T: (02) 9980 1311 M: 0416 083 995

Disclaimer: This document is a compilation of recent articles published in the media. The media sources are quoted beneath their respective article capture. Smart Property Adviser does not claim to be the author of any articles included within this document.

Doubt Cast Over Jardin Australand Parkville Project But Evo Buyers Caught In East-West Link Plans

The release of detailed designs for stage one of the Melbourne East West Link – the six kilometre roadway and tunnel which will link the Eastern Freeway to CityLink - has cast

doubt over Australand and Citta Group’s Jardin Parkville apartment development where 23 out of 91 apartments were sold off-the-plan last month. 17 July 2013. More. The Value Of Good Design In this more competitive and potentially lower growth environment, how will residential property investors and developers prosper? All of the usual rules about location, proper due diligence, efficient procurement and risk mitigation hold true, however one aspect of residential property that has often been neglected in previous decades, and which will become increasingly important in the coming decade is ‘good design’. 17 July 2013. More. Rental Data Shows Rise And Fall In Qld Markets

The rise and fall of markets across Queensland are graphically depicted by the latest rental data from the state's Residential Tenancies Authority. The decline in markets like Gladstone and Mackay is confirmed by the

figures (based on new rental bonds lodged in the June Quarter), while the rise of others like the Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton is equally evident. 17 July 2013. More.

Overlooked Sydney Suburb To Boom

An overlooked suburb in Sydney’s west has been tipped as one of the best hotspots in the state with reported growth estimates of eight per cent per annum over the next five years, while much of the nation stagnates. Located 40 kilometres west of the CBD, Glenwood is in the Blacktown local area directly east of Parklea

Markets, one of the area’s biggest attractions. 17 July 2013. More. Melbourne's 4.4% Unit Rental Yield The Lowest Of The Capital Cities: RP Data

Unit rental yields across Australia's capital cities range from 4.4% in Melbourne to 6.2% in Darwin, according to RP Data. The median gross rental yield landlords are securing for units in Melbourne, according to RP Data. The median gross rental yield across Australia's eight capital cities was 4.9% for the quarter ending June 30, 2013. 16 July 2013. More.

Geelong Prices Holding Up Despite Those Unemployment Fears The median house price in Greater Geelong has recorded a slight increase of 0.6% to $392,500 in June, according to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria. It is 1.9% higher than a year ago. The largest increase in house price was in Bannockburn, which increased by 5.5%t to $382,500, followed by Barwon Heads, increasing by 3.4% to $755,000 and Geelong West, increasing by 3.3% to $427,500. 16 July 2013. More. Low Rates Mean Mortgage-Free 10yrs Earlier!

Low interest rates and a saving mentality mean many Australians will be mortgage-free 10 years earlier. Financial comparison website RateCity.com.au has conducted a study following reports that most borrowers with a variable rate home loan are keeping their repayments at the levels of November 2011, before

interest rates began to fall. 13 July 2013. More. Parkside, South Australia The Most Searched For Suburb

The South Australian suburb Parkside is again the most searched for suburb around the nation, having held the position for the past six months, according to realestate.com.au. South Australia dominates as the state most searched for, accounting for 50% of the top 10

most in demand suburbs. 17 July 2013. More. Break Down Barriers To Build Homes

The Australian dream of a suburban house is fast changing due to a lack of supply in Sydney. The housing shortage is keeping young adults at ho me longer and pushing more people into rental housing.

Governments can try to intervene in the market but it is ultimately

best for governments to keep out of the way. 16 July 2013. More. Rents To Stall For 18 Months

Rents will struggle to rise across the capitals for the remainder of the year and will stall completely in 2014, according to new figures from SQM Research. According to managing director of SQM Research Louis Christopher, recent rental vacancy statistics are pointing to rents across the capitals not rising for the next 18 months. 17 July 2013. More. Mortgagees Struggle, Car Finance Up: How Aussies Are Faring At The 2013 Halfway Point The majority of Australians (82%) feel that they’re in a ‘steady’ financial situation, while 43.6% say they’re managing to put savings away, according to the June St.George-Melbourne Institute

Household Financial Conditions Report. 15 July 2013. More.

Issue # 048 July 19th, 2013

State Of The Nation Continued…

E: kevin@smartpropertyadviser.com.au T: (02) 9980 1311 M: 0416 083 995 Disclaimer: This document is a compilation of recent articles published in the media. The media sources are quoted beneath their respective article

capture. Smart Property Adviser does not claim to be the author of any articles included within this document.

If you would like to voice your opinion on any article you have read in the State Of The Nation Newsletters or elsewhere that has concerned you, please send the article and your opinion on it to us and we will include it in a future issue of the State Of The Nation. Send your opinion to kevin@smartpropertyadviser.com.au

Record Number Of Suburbs Cheaper To Buy Than To Rent

The number of suburbs where it is cheaper to buy a property than pay rent has more than tripled in the past year. There are now 692 suburbs in Australia where it is more affordable to buy compared with 179 at the same time last

year - the combination of low borrowing costs, prices below peaks and high rents. 12 July 2013. More. Aussie Banks Vulnerable To Housing Collapse Australia’s banks are dangerously vulnerable to any potential housing collapse, according to the latest Moody’s Analytics housing market research. “The continued strong expansion in real estate loans—at least relative to other lending segments—has raised some eyebrows,” reads the report, which adds that the Australian banking sector has the highest exposure to residential mortgages in the world. 16 July 2013. More.

Shane Kavanagh Admits He Owns Two Units Despite Living Rent-Free On The Government

A MAN who the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is trying to evict from a waterfront cottage - where he has lived rent free since 1995 - owns two units

on the northern beaches. Shane Kavanagh, who last week became the face of the campaign to stop NPWS evicting him and another man from cottages at Barrenjoey Head as part of proposed development for the area, admitted yesterday he had not been living in the cottage full-time and owns two units which he described as "our super". 15 July 2013. More. Petrol Prices Are Affecting Property

Transport historically played a key role in the Perth property market and people buying properties for investment purposes should be aware of this long term trend. The reality is that Western Australians are the hardest hit by rising fuel prices as our State has the highest ratio of motor vehicles to population in Australia at a rate of 829 vehicles per 1,000 residents. 15 July 2013. More. Ipswich Key To Queensland's Building Sector Recovery

The historic city of Ipswich might hold the key to a recovery in the Queensland building sector new figures from the state statistician reveal. The new data also shows how dramatically

the size a residential lot Queenslanders are building on has changed as the population continues to grow. According to the Department of Treasury and Trade, there were more lots approved for development in Ipswich than any other local

government area in the state last year. 17 July 2013. More.

Lending For New Homes In Australia Rises Slightly New home lending in Australia edged higher in May 2013, according to the latest housing finance figures released by the Australia Bureau of Statistics. The number of loans for the construction and purchase of new owner occupied homes edged up by 0.6% to a level that is 18.1% higher than a year earlier. The seasonally adjusted number of housing finance commitments for both new and established owner occupied housing increased by 1% in New South Wales, 2.6% in Victoria, 3.9% in Queensland. 15 July 2013. More.

Outperformers Identified In SA Three Adelaide suburbs have been picked as outperformers due to their sustained performance above the curve on median price growth. Taperoo, Semaphore and Munno Para have been revealed as high performing suburbs for both homeowners and investors by Turner Real Estate in Adelaide. 16 July 2013. More.

8 Tips From One Investor To Another Every successful property investor has their own strategies and routines that have helped them achieve that success. I recently had lunch with one of my most successful clients, Justin. Over lunch I asked him for a list of ‘tips’ that he might give investors who were struggling or looking for some advice. I just needed to share what he said to me with as many investors as possible. 12 July 2013. More.

Controversy Corner

Market Still Flat Mid-Session Australian stocks remain flat amid strong production reports from miners as investors look to the US market. At 10.50am, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 5.7 points, or 0.01 per cent, at 4991.7 while the broader All Ordinaries index was up 6.6 points, or 0.1 per cent, at 4975.2. CommSec economist Savanth Sebastian said he believed investors were being cautious ahead of US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony to Congress on Thursday (Australian time). 17 July 2013. More.

Some Parting Advice

“The key is to purchase attractive yet affordable properties in our capital cities and regional centres where 80 per cent of the

population can afford to rent that property. This way you have less chance of your property being vacant for long periods.”

Until Next Time… Kevin Lee

www.smartpropertyadviser.com.au