It is no surprise that Spring/Summer is always the time whereby real estate sales really start to ‘heat up' – it must be something about the glorious sunshine that leaves people more inspired and motivated. However, this summer, as the temperate starts to ramp up in Brisbane, we are also seeing an increased amount of interest from interstate buyers giving the local Brisbane market a further push as we move towards the first days of Summer.

One person who understands the movements of the Brisbane market all too well is Principal of HS Brisbane Property, Hannah Schuhmann. 

“It appears that since spring has hit, many of the interstate buyers have turning their interest to Brisbane… this is simply because our property provides a truly great offering when it comes to value for your investment and future growth potential, and the Melbourne and Sydney investors are taking note” says Hannah.

Due to this movement, local agents and many industry experts are expecting the coming months to be a solid buying season for Brisbane.

“Buying activity is building up and we are starting to witness a more competitive market here in Brisbane, especially when it comes to CBD apartments in established buildings,” says Hannah.

The typical interstate purchaser applies an aggressive strategy, often flying in over the weekend to inspect a few properties, make a purchase directly and head home.  Though local buyers may feel some extra pressure from the competition when it comes to purchases, the result is likely to be stronger growth for our market and that is music to the ears of Brisbane owners.

When it comes to maximising growth potential on a CBD investment, Schuhmann says that established apartments are where the strength really lies. As they are well positioned and the rate per square metre is cheap compared to new projects. 

“Concentrate on apartment complexes in the CBD that have a solid track record, in sought after locations like the “Golden Business triangle” around Mary Street and present low vacancy rates within the building.  These kinds of apartments are sought after and offer a much larger appeal to tenants and will continue to be in demand by buyers and investors due to their high long term growth prospects.

For everything you need to know when it comes to the local property market here in Brisbane, contact Hannah on 0419 782 133.

The results are in from the latest National Australia Bank (NAB) Residential Property Survey and there are some interesting statistics for property investors.

Again the residential property price growth across Australia has continued to surpass expectations throughout 2015. 

While some have argued that due to the current growth the market is experiencing, the scope for future growth could be limited in areas such as Sydney, experts are not expecting a sharp correction in prices as we move into 2016.

NAB Economics are now expecting the average dwelling price growth to sit at 9.9% nationally for 2015.  This is much  higher than was initially expected earlier in the year so very good news for investors all round.

An area we do believe is at risk of experiencing potentially more modest growth in the future is Sydney and to an extent Melbourne.  As you can see from the above graph, the significant growth they have experienced, over the past 48 months especially, is causing many would be property purchasers and investors to look to other cities as they find themselves priced out of the market in NSW/VIC.

The Property Observer reported the following finding from the report:

In an environment where income growth continues to be modest, alongside lower population growth, the rates of house price growth seen in Sydney and Melbourne are unlikely to continue, suggesting more modest price gains in 2016.

What does this mean for our local Brisbane market?  In essence,  it is positive as it means we are likely to continue to see an influx of interstate buyers looking to our city for their next investment and inturn, this ongoing demand will likely drive prices in the direction every local investor wants to see them go… and that is up.

Are you interested in reading the full survey report?  You can download now from the NAB’s business portal at  http://business.nab.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Residential-Property-Survey-Q3-2015-Overview.pdf 

Talk to us in detail about your plans for 2016!  Email Hannah today at  sales@hsbrisbanproperty.com.au or call us on 3254 0888.

Earlier this week on, Tuesday the 3^rd November the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 2.0 per cent. According to Glenn Stevens, Governor for Monetary Policy Decision, this information suggests that moderate expansion in the Australian economy continues. This statement is a far cry from recent news reports, which have suggested the very opposite. So begs the question: “Should we believe everything we read?”

When you were younger, do you remember your parents drilling into you 'don’t believe everything you read.' They would say, just because the media tells you something, does not necessarily make it so. Well it seems they were onto something. 

Back in our parents’ day the media culprits consisted of television, radio and newspaper and to an extent, was much more regulated compared to today. Flash forward to 2015 and we have also got the internet to contend with. From social media to blogs, email and online articles – it is an entire new ball game. 

For example, in recent years we have seen the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) dish out one interest cut after another. These constant low rates have created a lot of media coverage - a mix of positive and negative headlines, and harsh scepticism surrounding our economy. 

With news reports stating that the constant RBA rate cuts mean the Australian economy is getting worse it can be worrying. But is this really the case though?  Are the articles news or just noise? What is real and what is not? When the lines get blurred, it can potentially do more harm than good. The challenge for investors is to decipher news from noise; identifying ‘real’ information from just ‘media hype’.

For an investor, it comes down to knowledge and making informed decisions. 

This is one of the key drivers for us when it comes to our weekly Market News. When we first started putting together our weekly e-update all those years ago we knew it had to be three things: authentic, informative and locally focused.  So when it comes to the Brisbane Real Estate market, we bring you the most up to date news on trends and changes happening in our local market each week.

As we look toward the future, it seems that the latest RBA decision has only reinforced that 2016 looks to be a positive year for Australian investors. Meaning now is the perfect time to find that perfect property. For more information on current opportunities in the Brisbane CBD, contact Hannah on 0419 782 133.

November last year Brisbane rejoiced with the official announcement that the Queen’s Wharf development was in the pipeline. The city has always been a major tourism spot but, now, thanks to the new development plans, it is about to hit an all new high in more ways than one. Thankfully the effect will be threefold; not only boosting tourism but also injecting new life into Brisbane’s economy and the real estate industry alike.

The redevelopment area is state-owned land, generally located between the Brisbane River and George Street and between Alice and Queen Streets.

The real question on everyone investor’s lips… what can we expect from this exciting expansion?

To help shed some light, here are just three of the main positive effects we can expect to see come from these two major new developments here in Brisbane:

More city jobs equals more city tenants

The Queen’s Wharf development alone is tipped to inject 3,000 new jobs during development and another 8,000 employment opportunities upon project completion. This is thousands of people that will want to live closer to work. Consequently as development construction unfolds, we can also expect to see an intense upswing of new city tenants looking for places to live in the city, fantastic news for investors those looking to purchase new investments in the CBD.

Increased desirability means greater demand

Incidentally, the surge of excitement surrounding the sophisticated Queen’s Wharf development is set to create a newfound confidence in Brisbane, and its real estate market. The more desirable Brisbane CBD becomes, the stronger the influx of buyer interest – both new and existing.

A rise in CBD tenants equates to higher prices

As buyers and property demand increases in the CBD, the prices for established apartments are likely to ‘take a step up’, as new off-the-plan developments become more expensive to build and thus cost more to buy. This turn of events will certainly bring a smile to those investors who currently have established property in the Brisbane CBD.

Hannah Schuhmann, Principal of HS Brisbane Property, says it is a really exciting time ahead for Brisbane and encourages investors to start shopping around now for opportunities.

“There is so much happening in Brisbane at the moment, our city is fast-becoming an investors’ playground. Buyers need to start doing their homework so they can take advantage of fruitful opportunities as they present themselves”, says Hannah.

She suggests that if any buyer or investor has ever considered buying an apartment here in the Brisbane CBD, the time is now.

“The Queens Wharf and Brisbane Skytower Developments are really set to change the face of Brisbane as we know it.  As work ramps up on these developments we are expecting a huge influx of buyers and tenants.

“For buyers it will be a case of first in, best dressed - you do not want to look back with regret in years to come, wishing you had bought a property pre Queens Wharf.”

To make the most of this exciting opportunity contact Hannah on 0419 782 133 and schedule an informal meeting.  

Not long ago Australia was a nation of homeowners – where living the dream consisted of owning your own piece of land. This is not so much the case anymore. New statistics show that times are changing and that nowadays the option to rent is becoming increasingly more popular.

Last Friday 16 October the latest update on housing occupancy was released and the figures revealed a lot about the current state of the real estate market here in Australia – with the results proving very promising news for investors in this country.

Let us take the number of renters for example, the report showed that this number has risen to 31.4 per cent, a definitive growth from the late nineties when it was only 28 per cent. What is also interesting about the new report, is that it shows that the proportion of Australians who own a property outright is 32.5 per cent - only a smidge higher than its rental counterpart. Rewind back to 1990 again though and this figure was about 40 per cent – that is a significant drop.

However, while the housing occupancy percentages have shown an obvious swing, the real change that we have witnessed comes from the number of properties that Australian landlords are snapping up. According to latest reports, there has been a notable increase in the number of landlords who own multiple properties.

In fact, according to the Bureau of Statistics, 1.5 million households now own properties they do not live in. Furthermore, 39 per cent of those on high incomes own a second, third or even fourth property.

The Bureau of Statistics report further states that approximately 300,000 landlords do not actually live in their own homes. So while they rent their properties out, they then actually rent somewhere else themselves.

The option for investors to rent out properties themselves is becoming increasingly popular says Hannah Schuhmann, Principal of HS Brisbane Property. She says that at HSBP they see it time and time again and that ultimately the decision is driven by lifestyle.

“Many high-income investors choose lifestyle and convenience, which is why we often see them make the decision to lease out their own properties and then rent a city apartment that offers them all the bells and whistles”, says Hannah.

“For many astute investors, living in Brisbane’s CBD means they are close to work and many of the best restaurants and facilities.”

Whether you are looking to buy or rent in Brisbane, when it comes to high-end CBD apartments we have several exclusive buildings listed for sale. For more information to the HSBP team on 0419 782 133.