REAL ESTATE – AUSTRALIA

Crown property assets spin-off on the cards

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Original article by James Thomson, Larry Schlesinger
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 1-May-20

Citi analyst Bryan Raymond contends having Blackstone as a new shareholder increases the likelihood that casino operator Crown Resorts could spin-off its property assets. Crown contemplated the idea in June 2016, but abandoned the idea some months later. It is estimated Crown’s property assets could be worth up to $5.6 billion, while Dean Dransfield from consultants Dransfield Hotels and Resorts says Crown should only sell its accommodation assets.

CORPORATES
CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, CITI AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BLACKSTONE, DRANSFIELD HOTELS AND RESORTS PTY LTD

Sims pushes for competition in e-conveyancing

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 19-Aug-19

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has indicated that it may seek to become more involved in the electronic property settlement market. Revenue from e-conveyancing is estimated to be around $270 million a year, with PEXA seen to be effectively operating as a regulated monopoly. A review commissioned by the National Electronic Conveyancing Council found that enabling a competitive market within the sector may not necessarily be a good thing, although David Wills, the CEO of Sympli contends that consumers will benefit from competition and interoperability.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, PROPERTY EXCHANGE AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL ELECTRONIC CONVEYANCING COUNCIL, SYMPLI, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Housing at its most affordable

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Original article by Mackenzie Scott, Samantha Bailey
The Australian – Page: 2 : 7-Jun-19

The ANZ-CoreLogic Housing Affordability report shows that Sydney and Melbourne are still the least affordable markets in Australia for buying a home. However, the report notes that overall, housing affordability has reached its highest level since December 2016. The downturn in the housing market also means that it is cheaper to buy rather than rent in many suburbs across Australia. The report is based on housing data from December 2018.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

ASX, PEXA square up in settlement market

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 26 : 1-Jun-18

The ASX and Infotrack have announced a joint venture aimed at targeting the electronic property settlement market, which is valued at $A200 million. Sympli Australia is expected to be up and running by the end of 2018, and will compete with existing market participant Property Exchange Australia, whose shareholders include the big four banks and Link Group. The ASX expects to invest $A30 million in Sympli in the first three years of its operation.

CORPORATES
ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, INFOTRACK PTY LTD, PROPERTY EXCHANGE AUSTRALIA, LINK ADMINISTRATION HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LNK, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, MARTIN CURRIE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Realestate.com.au still leads with 4.5m visitors vs 3.2m going to Domain – but 2.2m Australians use both

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Jul-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 28 per cent of Australians aged 14+ (or 5.5 million people) used the website or app of Domain or Realestate.com.au in an average four weeks during the year to March 2016. About 4.5 million visited Realestate.com.au via website or app and 3.2 million visited Domain, while almost 2.2 million (11 per cent) accessed both property sites. The survey also shows that the Realestate.com.au website gets 4.3 million unique visitors in an average four weeks, ahead of almost 3.1 million for Domain. Meanwhile, a combined 1.5 million Australians use the app for either or both, including 1.2 million tapping into Realestate.com.au and 700,000 into Domain on their mobiles or tablets.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, REALESTATE.COM.AU, DOMAIN.COM.AU, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

Housing ‘fascination’ won’t make us rich

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 13-Aug-15

Almost 75 per cent of the increase in the ratio of net wealth to gross domestic product since the late 1980s is due to higher land prices. This is distinct from the value of houses built on that land, according to Reserve Bank of Australia deputy governor Philip Lowe, who claims Australia’s fascination with housing is in reality a fascination with land. He also concludes the obsession with property is not making the nation better off as a whole, with low interest rates implying low returns for savers and low underlying returns on assets.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Commercial space returns up on 2013

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Original article by Robert Harley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 35 : 14-Aug-14

The latest data from the Property Council of Australia and IPD shows that industrial, retail and hotel properties delivered an average return of 9.7 per cent in 2013-14. This is 50 basis points higher than in 2012-13. IPD’s Anthony De Francesco anticipates that returns will top 10 per cent in the 2014 calendar year. However, the All Property Index data also shows that the total return on commercial property eased to 8.9 per cent

CORPORATES
PROPERTY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, IPD, INVESTMENT PROPERTY DATABANK