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If you cant find your dream home on the market or if you want to create a home thats uniquely yours, you might consider building a house. Buyers who decided to build new homes were more likely to say that selecting the floor plan, having everything in the home be brand-new and customizing their home features were among their top reasons.* Before deciding if new construction is for you, youll want to learn about the different types of new-home construction and familiarize yourself with the process, from the initial land search all the way to selecting finishing touches.

Typically, when someone says theyre planning to build their own home, they are referring to a fully custom build where they have a say in almost everything (short of items restricted by local laws and zoning regulations). But, in the realm of new construction, there are three different approaches buyers can take:

Spec homes. With a spec home (short for speculative home), a home builder designs and constructs a single-family home without having one individual buyer in mind. Instead, they plan on selling the house to a buyer once its finished. Depending on how early in the process you are able to go under contract, you may be able to select some of the homes final touches, like flooring, kitchen appliances and paint color. Sometimes these homes are listed for sale as pre-construction.

Australia is one of the richest countries in the world. In fact, it’s the tenth largest eCommerce market by revenue, according to research by Management Consultancy firm, A.T Kearney.

As such, breaking into Australian eCommerce is an exciting global expansion opportunity for online sellers who are looking to grow their business and reach new audiences.

But, before exploring a totally new country and eCommerce market on the other side of the world, it’s imperative that you have a well-thought-out plan in place.

Economic constraints and changing lifestyles have changed the buying and renting habits of households. According to the latest census data, homeowners with a mortgage made up the largest share of household occupancy in Australia. Just under 30 percent of Australian households own their property outright. Meanwhile, the share of households that are renters has increased overall to almost 30 percent of private housing. Rental costs have increased over the last decade, intensifying the problem of housing affordability further.

Increasing value of property across the country

Excluding periods of economic uncertainty, the annual growth in residential house prices in the country has remained strong. The median house value in major Australian cities has continued to reach new heights, with Sydney and Melbourne leading in terms of residential property price growth. House values are significantly higher in larger cities, with the median value of residential houses across Australia ranging from almost a million Australian dollars in Sydney, to less than half of that in Perth. In the last quarter of 2020, improvements in housing market indicators such as new lending commitments and auction clearance rates supported the rise in property prices.

The big four banks dominate the mortgage lending market in Australia, with almost a quarter of the lending value attributed to Commonwealth Bank alone. The value of mortgage debt outstanding in Australia peaked at almost 1.9 trillion Australian dollars in 2020, indicating a strong demand for purchasing homes from both owner-occupiers and investors.

If you are wondering how to rent houses or apartments in Australia, the first thing you will have to become familiar with is Australia’s 100 point check. This is a personal identification system adopted by the Australian Government and utilized by many landlords before renting out a place to tenants.

Different pieces of ID that an individual can produce (such as a driver’s license, passport, previous tenancy agreement, utility account, etc.) are worth a certain number of points. Essentially, you need to satisfy a minimum of 100 points for a rental application to be considered.

How Much is Rent in Australia?

Following the first quarter of 2019, the average rent in Australia was 436 AUD (304 USD) per week. The minimum house rent you will need to live in Australia’s most affordable capital city (Perth) is 385 AUD (269 USD) per week. The following is an overview of Australia’s rent prices per week across its main cities.

Wow, 2021 was a wild year! With so much happening across the country and costs on the rise, you might be wondering how it’ll impact real estate in 2022.

Will we see more skyrocketing home values? How will the real estate market shake out in our current economic climate? Whether you’re selling, buying or staying put, here are the 2022 real estate trends to watch!

Real Estate Trend #1: Slim Pickings for Home Buyers

Okay, this is probably the hardest real estate trend to swallow—so brace yourself: Inventory is incredibly low! Inventory (aka the total number of unsold houses) was down just over 16% in November 2021 compared to the previous year. 1

If the rate of Australian home price rises is bringing a tear to your eye, you are unlikely to find much sympathy from South Koreans trying to buy in their countrys capital.

Key points:

• Seoul apartment prices rose 22 per cent in 2020
• It takes the average Korean household 14 years of income to buy a Seoul apartment
• A land speculation scandal involving senior government officials has outraged Seoul residents

Seouls property market is on a tear. Apartment prices in the metropolis of nearly 10 million people rose by an extraordinary 22 per cent in 2020, outstripping all other cities in Asia.

It is not only a problem for those trying to get a foot on the proverbial property ladder. It is also causing major problems for the government, and is a risk for the countrys future prosperity.

As the stock market plummets, hospitals get closer to capacity and Bondi residents concede maybe they shouldnt be hanging down the beach, Australias housing market is set to undergo some changes of its own.

But how bad is it going to be? DMARGE spoke to Edward Brown, director at Australias leading real estate provider Belle Property to get his take. While Edward doesnt want to be in denial about it going down he also said we shouldnt get ahead of ourselves predicting an immediate catastrophe.

Put simply: this is unchartered waters.

At Ray White, Australian real estate is our passion and for more than a century, our clients have come to rely on Ray White agents for their property knowledge and commitment to the job.

Whether you are looking to buy a house, sell a commercial property, purchase a piece of land, or even rent an apartment, the team at Ray White has you covered. We sell approximately one out of every ten properties across Australia and New Zealand, and were perfectly-placed to help you achieve your real estate goals.

Ray White is Australias property expert and when it comes to real estate, you can count on our agents skill, expertise and professionalism to get you the best possible result.

In September 2021, a new migration law 4825/2021 came into force in Greece, which for the first time introduced the legal concept of a digital nomad. According to the law, Greece grants a national visa for 12 months to citizens who work independently or to employees who work remotely with employers and clients outside Greece. With the Digital Nomad Visa, it is possible to obtain a temporary residence permit for Greece.

Germany’s most photographic hotels ranked

There are plenty of rankings out there that highlight the world’s most luxe hotels, but they tend to focus on vacation hotspots in the likes of Dubai and Singapore. Europe’s comparatively business-centric destinations tend to be overlooked.

French citizenship: how to get

In this article we will tell you how foreigners may obtain citizenship in France, who can apply for the countrys passport and how to avoid being refused the desired document.

When you’re shortlisting potential agents to help sell your property, you need to know how much real estate agents charge, specifically their fees and commission. The fees and commission you pay are the largest single cost associated with a property sale, so it makes sense to know what you are being charged and how this will impact your finances.

It’s worth knowing that agent commissions are not regulated in Australia, and are ‘set’ by the market. This means that the rates or commission a real estate agent charges varies, with some commission rates including advertising and marketing costs in their commission structure, and others breaking these costs up and charging you a separate fee for them.

Commissions by state

Average real estate agent commissions

Real estate agent commission percentages in Australia vary from 1.6% to 4% of the total sale price, depending on location and the amount of competition between agents in an area. The simple rule of supply and demand dictates that postcodes with lots of local agents drives competition for your listing. To get your business they are forced to lower their rates. The reverse applies in rural areas, where fewer agents means there is less competition for listings, which typically results in higher commissions.