HIA: Growing market strength for properties seen during June quarter

Top 10 Australian property news stories The top residential and commercial real estate news of the week - March 13 Property Spotlight is CBRE’s weekly news wrap, featuring the latest commercial and residential real estate stories from around Australia. Whether your interest lies in industrial, retail, office, agricultural or residential property, we’ve got the news that matters, covered. 1. REIQ to potentially separate from REIA Australian Financial Review The Real Estate Institute of Queensland is set to resign from the Real Estate Institute of Australia, according to new speculation. Although newly appointed Chief Executive Antonia Mercorella has denied the split, other members of the organisation have confirmed the separation. REIQ members have expressed concern of the potential split, stating the move would be short sighted and the strength of the national organisation is needed to combat issues that impact the real estate industry in Queensland. 2. Super idea for future home buyers News.com.au Young Australians should be given flexibility to use their superannuation in new ways, including buying their first home, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey have suggested Mr Abbott said this concept had worked well in other countries such as Singapore and “is something that I am very happy to see further debated…there are obviously some issues around it, and let’s fully consider it”. Although Mr Abbott and Mr Hockey have expressed support for this idea, other members of the Liberal Party including Finance Minister Mathias Cormann have voiced concern. Mr Cormann said: “Increasing the amount of money going into real estate by facilitating access to super savings pre-retirement will not improve housing affordability...it would increase demand for housing and, all other things being equal, would actually drive up house prices by more…. the only effective way to tackle housing affordability is by boosting housing supply, not by boosting demand.” 3. Prized CBD assets in the sights of Investa Group Australian Financial Review As part of its exit from Investa Property Group, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing is set to sell stakes in three prime Sydney CBD office assets and a potential future development site in the city's core worth more than $300 million. Investa Commercial Property Fund is in advanced negotiations to acquire shares in 126 Phillip Street, 1 Market Street, 60 Martin Place and the air rights above 33 Bligh Street. 60 Martin Place and 33 Bligh Street are proposed developments, which puts the end value of the portfolio at more than $1 billion. 4. Deborah Thomas’s rollercoaster week with Ardent Australian Financial Review Former Australian Women’s Weekly Editor Deborah Thomas is set to take the helm at Ardent Leisure, after it was announced long-serving Chief Executive Greg Shaw will step down next month. The announcement initially received a negative reaction from investors, with a 17% drop in shares recorded following Ms Thomas’s appointment. Ms Thomas was “very disappointed" with the reaction but said, "I can understand that the market is not thrilled with change. It has come as a shock. I can only say that I think it's a good opportunity to buy ”. Ms Thomas has vowed to restore confidence in the company and shares have already bounced back 7% in early trading on Thursday. 5. Brisbane median house price rises to $600,000 The Urban Developer Strong sales in the prestige property sector has pushed Brisbane’s median housing price to a record high of $600,000. New figures for the 2014 December quarter revealed Brisbane’s high median house price was largely the result of the strengthening $1 million-plus house market. Despite rising house prices, the REIQ advises Brisbane residential real estate still represents exceptional value for money, particularly compared to Sydney and Melbourne prices. 6. Hiap Hoe skyscraper approved The Age Richard Wynne, Victoria's new Planning Minister, has made his first skyscraper approval for Melbourne's CBD. My Whynne gave his tick of approval to a 211-metre project with more than 1000 new dwellings at 380 Lonsdale Street. The approved development consists of two large towers rising 51 levels and 67 levels above the street and is valued at an estimated $240.5 million. The 3162-square-metre site, which currently houses an aging office block and car park was bought in late 2013 by a subsidiary of Singaporean developer Hiap Hoe for $43.8 million. 7. Sydney heritage buildings are hot property Sydney Morning Herald More than $130 million worth of city-based heritage buildings have changed hands in the past few months as investors look to catch development opportunities. The sales come as demand for older offices rises from wealthy local and overseas investors in a low interest rate environment. One of the latest heritage properties to hit the market is 143 York Street, a nine-storey office block, which has the potential to be converted into apartments, a boutique hotel or retained as an office. 143 York Street and other heritage properties boast unique features that appeal to tenants who are increasingly seeking to differentiate their brand from their competitors. 8. Zagame's Paradise Resort sells for over $70m Australian Financial Review Sydney-based Ralan Group has acquired one of the Gold Coast's best performing hotels, the Zagame's Paradise Resort. The more than $70 million sale represented almost double what the vendors paid four years ago. The property occupies an entire city block with a site area of 2.49 hectares and has planning approval for 1500 apartments, with an end value of more than $1 billion. Ralan Group said the Gold Coast represented a compelling opportunity on the eastern seaboard and were supremely confident that it was the right step at the right time. 9. Construction prices in Sydney and Brisbane rise quicker than expected Australian Financial Review Quantity surveying firm Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) says strong residential construction in Sydney and Brisbane is causing construction prices to pick up faster than expected. In its latest International Report, RLB predicts faster growth this calendar year, forecasting Sydney to 4.5% from 4% in its last report and Brisbane to 5.1% from 4.1%. This growth is not steady across the nation however, with lower commodity prices and weaker non-residential building approvals causing the firm to scale back price-growth expectations for Adelaide, Canberra and Perth in both this year and next. 10. Higher prices generated from greater density Urban Developer As consumers develop an increasing taste for high-rise living, apartments in areas of higher density are generating higher values. A recent research study into the average price of an apartment has found that prices are higher in areas of greater density. Greater access to amenities including restaurants, cafes, gymnasiums, health clinics, cinemas, theatres and jobs was one of the main drivers of demand for these types of apartments. SA in housing finance doldrums Peter Gill | 12 March 2015 First home buyers aren't in the market in SA anywhere near the degree they are in other states. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily Housing | South Australia’s housing market remains in the doldrums with January being the eighth successive month of decline in people seeking housing finance, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. The number of South Australians seeking housing finance in January was 5.9 per cent down on the same period last year, compared to a rise in housing finance commitments elsewhere in the country which rose by 0.4 per cent. The lack of confidence in the local housing sector was also demonstrated by data published by Mortgage Choice yesterday which showed that first home buyer participation in the market by South Australians in February was vastly out of kilter (Good condition; proper form: ") with the rest of the country. Participation rates in Victoria and Queensland by first home buyers stood at 17 per cent respectively while Western Australia had the most active market with nearly 20 per cent of buyers being people venturing into the housing market for the first time. By contrast, according to the Mortgage Choice data, only 4.7 per cent of South Australian buyers were first home buyers. The local participation rate was not far removed from the NSW experience (3.9 per cent) where soaring property prices have squeezed first home buyers from the market but the same explanation would not appear to apply in South Australia. The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies (SACES) said the ABS housing finance data showed “South Australia’s total value of housing finance commitments for January 2015 increased by 0.2 per cent (up $2.0 million) over the previous month, valued at approximately $0.88 billion in trend terms”. “Australia wide the value of housing finance commitments nation-wide increased by 0.8 per cent (up $133.0 million) to $17.7 billion. The total value of commitments for South Australia in January 2015 was 1.9 per cent higher than a year earlier, by comparison Australia wide commitments were up 6.9 per cent over the past year.” SACES notes that “housing finance for investment purposes continues to grow significantly faster than for owner occupation. In trend terms, national financing for investment purposes in January 2015 was up 17.5 per cent compared to the corresponding month a year earlier, whereas investment for owner occupation increased by 6.9 per cent or less than half the increase in investment finance”. “Across Australia investor housing finance represented a record high, 41.2 per cent of total housing finance for the month of January 2015, an investment of $12.4 billion. By comparison finance for owner occupier housing increased, albeit slightly, to $17.7 billion or 58.8 per cent of total housing finance. “Investors favour new apartments in Sydney and Melbourne, both cities experiencing strong capital growth in apartment values over the past 18 months, with Sydney apartment values rising 15-20 per cent over the period. “For savers deciding between investing in shares, superannuation or property February’s rate cut provides further incentives for investing in property – improved loan serviceability and prospects for strong capital growth. Investor confidence is likely to grow with the possibility of a further rate cut over the coming year.” ============================ July 30, 2014 The latest New Home Sales report from the Housing Industry Association (HIA) has found new property sale figures increased over both the month of June and the second quarter of 2014. This could be encouraging for those interested in buying land and building their own home, as well as investors looking to construct new residential properties and sell them in the ripe real estate market across Australia. Looking at the data, there was an increase of 1.2 per cent in property sales during the month of June, while the quarter saw an increase of 2 per cent - driven by multi-unit sales, which leapt forward 15.9 per cent during the month of June. "Detached house sales increased by 2.6 per cent in the June 2014 quarter despite falling in the final month. That is a healthy note on which to finish the fiscal year," said HIA Chief Economist Harley Dale in a July 29 statement. "Detached house sales increased in four out of five mainland states in the June quarter, another pleasing aspect to observe. The new home building sector will provide a healthy contribution to broader economic growth in 2014/15." Dr Dale went on to say that the recovery was entering into the third year, with a rising emphasis on medium- and high- density property construction projects. This could be due to the expected population boom heading towards a number of main cities across the nation, with apartments and properties of that type becoming more popular for accommodation in the long term. Specifically, June saw detached house sales increase in Western Australia (2.2 per cent), Queensland (1.8 per cent) and South Australia (1.3 per cent), while the quarter saw growth across Queensland (6.6 per cent), Victoria and Western Australia (4.1 per cent), and New South Wales (0.4 per cent). This level of growth is encouraging, especially for those looking into building their own slice of Australian capital city property in the near future. With the market continuing to strengthen heading into the future, now could be the perfect time to consider making moves into your local property market. Regardless of whether you're looking into owner occupation or investment, there are plenty of options across the nation. Get in contact with a real estate expert to discuss the options available to you and get professional insight into your real estate goals. ============= 4 Strategies for Aligning Marketing and Sales Content Posted on February 27, 2015 by Adrian Figueroa & filed under Strategy . 4 ways to align marketing and sales It’s important to have the right types and formats of marketing content to align with their needs. How can you ensure your leads are getting the right content? There are 4 strategies we use at Marketing for creating sales-aligned marketing content: 1.Sales Buyer Cycle 2.Sales Ideation for Requests 3.Sales Language Persuasion Blocks 4.Strategic Sales Metadata 1. Sales Buyer Cycle The first step to understanding the content I will need is: mapping the buyer cycle stages for a prospect moving through the sales process. This way, I’ll be able to create content that can answer the questions or concerns leads have at different stages of this cycle. For example, a lead at the start of their journey may not even be aware they need a particular solution so will probably not be ready for a product comparison eBook (consideration content). In this case, content that emphasizes the challenges they are having–and how there are solutions–would be more appropriate. By mapping the stages appropriately, your leads will be supported through the journey which makes it easier for you to approach them at the right time about purchasing the product. How to do this: Prior to purchase, we map out content for Awareness, Consideration and Interest. For each stage we think about the particular mindset of the customer and the questions they might have. We then think about how they would go about finding this information and which content types and channels we can use to reach them with answers. You can easily create an intuitive sales buyer cycle, configurable to match any organization’s internal stages (7 stage buyer cycle; some companies use one with only 5 stages). 2. Sales Ideation and Requests Once you know the content types and topics you need to touch on for each stage, it’s time to come up with the content itself. This generally begins with an ideation phase (in fact, you should keep ideation going as an ongoing project). If you’re in marketing and you need to produce content for your sales team, a practical way to do this is by getting your whole sales team involved in ideation–opening up content requests to your sales team, regardless of the size of the team. Collaboration between sales and marketing is key for delivering on the goals of your strategic framework. How to do this: Idea Bank request form can be shared with your entire team (available on both web and mobile), making collaboration a breeze. Using the idea bank request form, our team keeps track of new questions/inquiries from prospects, industry-specific needs that come up and even curated content from third-parties that could be useful for our customers. 3. Sales Persuasion Blocks Moving into the deeper aspects of content creation, an effective strategy can be to sit down with your sales team to fully understand the terminology they are using to speak directly with prospects. You can then help the sales team inject key persuasion points into their own content to effectively communicate with leads in terms that are proven to work in the trenches and aligned with the messaging built into your buyer cycle. How to do this: ensure these languages are built and aligned throughout your content when providing context to your content pieces. 4. Strategic Sales Metadata Along with the key points of persuasion, you can help your sales team use your strategic content by creating “a single source of truth“. By this, we are referring an asset library that can be readily shared. When you add a new asset to your asset library, make sure you associate metadata with it. The metadata helps identify where each piece of content lies within the buyer cycle and which audience the content is directed at. You can also associate keywords to help your team locate key pieces of information. How to do this: Asset Library that is searchable, and taggable. Easily view your content where it sits within your pipeline with our various views, and access the content items with a simple click and feed the beast! ===============