Australians are set to spend big following the end of lengthy lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne, with up to $58 billion predicted in Christmas sales. A new report out from the Australian Retail Association (ARA) and research firm Roy Morgan suggests spending will be in-line with last year, but still up 11.3% on pre-pandemic levels.
Christmas can be a tough time to be managing your finances around your mortgage while juggling countless gifts and holiday planning. Christmas spending in Australia in 2020 was the biggest on record, with shoppers nationwide splurging over $55 billion throughout the Christmas trade period, a 9% increase on the previous year. As we head into
Demand for medium-density solutions, such as townhouses – which can also be known as “townhomes” – is increasing as house and land prices in growth corridors become increasingly out of reach for many first-time buyers due to housing affordability issues. This is according to Real Property Management (RPM) Australia’s Greenfield Market Report for the third quarter of 2021, which
There are clear legacies emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest McGrath Report 2022 explores how sociologists and researchers expect our workplaces, our homes and communities to change as we come out the other side of a once in a 100-year crisis. The report explores: How has the central point of our urban life has changed and
The Housing Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 has recently been passed in the Queensland parliament and the REIQ welcomes the improvement from the initial reforms proposed by the ALP. For almost two years, rental reforms have been a hot topic in Queensland with the State Government’s initial proposals sparking a negative response from the real estate industry. Although
Australia is heading into a warmer future, a picture reinforced by the latest report from the world’s leading climate scientists, and the impacts will flow through to housing. According to a regional fact sheet included in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released earlier this month, Australian land areas have warmed by about 1.4
Many believed that recurring lockdowns and working from home restrictions would lead to a baby boom, but it’s not in sight – yet. It seems natural that periodically locking down couples at home and closing public entertainment and recreation facilities would lead to more babies being born, but according to the stats, our birth rate
The 20th edition of ME’s Household Financial Comfort Report has revealed that, in June 2021, Australian households experienced record-high levels of financial comfort, despite the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to cause disruptions to lives and businesses nationwide. According to the report, which measures how comfortable people feel in their financial situations, household financial comfort climbed three per cent from
It’s been more than two years since the final report from the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry (“Royal Commission”) was handed down, sparking a series of reforms and regulations that are ongoing to this day. According to the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), the reforms will provide
Brisbane house prices could more than double by the time the 2032 Olympic Games roll around, taking median home values above $1.4 million, an economist predicts. PRD chief economist Diaswati Mardiasmo said this growth rate would be consistent with the market’s past performance during the G20 summit in 2014 in Brisbane, when dwelling prices surged 112.7 per
