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Melbourne CBD studio apartments start at just $145,000. Property Observer inspects postcode 3000 to find the 10 cheapest studios available in Melbourne.

The list comes<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/new-south-wales/sydney-cbd-s-10-cheapest-studio-apartments-starting-from-%24255000/2012073155743" target="_blank"> in stark contrast to the cheapest studios in Sydney</a> – it seems if you want to invest a CBD studio apartment, Melbourne is the cheaper option by a long way.

Prices in the top 10 range from $159,000 to $200,000. They're often aimed at overseas students looking to rent in Melbourne and can be as small as 19 square metres. That's smaller than an average billboard.

Buyers and investors should take note, though, it may be hard to secure a fully funded loan when buying at the cheapest end of the market.

Apartments under 50 square metres typically require deposits of 20%, compared with the standard 10%. Some buying situations may need upwards of 30%.

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And the same applies to studios off the plan. So if buyers and investors can secure a loan then this is the list to see.

So many of the cheapest apartments come from the same Flinders Street building that we have restricted the number of apartments from number 256-268 Flinders Street, or the list would be almost entirely populated by the same apartment block.

1

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-melbourne-108372381" target="_blank">16/546 Flinders Street</a> 

$145,000

Around the corner from Spencer Street, this apartment rents for $250-$280 a week. Barry Plant agent Niels Geraerts says he’s sold about six apartments in the building over the past few years. He says the lack of common spaces and having just one elevator keeps the body corporate costs down. Total outgoings for the property would come to about $1,500 a year for the approximately 17-square-metre unit. It sold to an investor in the last couple of weeks.

2

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-melbourne-105215032" target="_blank">210/600 Little Bourke Street</a>

$148,000

Unit 210 at 600 Little Bourke Street is a serviced apartment currently run by Hotel Ibis, which has the contract until 2018. The 25-square-metre apartment has a modest guaranteed income of $650 a month, and agent Lilian Yoon from OzAsia Real Estate is unsure of the outgoings for the property, although she says they would be minimal. The unit, which has no cooking facilities, has been on the market for years.

3

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-melbourne-110904915" target="_blank">52/546 Flinders Street</a>

$159,000

This apartment currently leases for $ 975 per month. The room is currently dominated by a double bed, which takes up most of the standing room. Agent Louis Christou from Christou and Co was unable to offer much information on the property, but said it was probably overpriced given the flooded market. He is also selling an apartment in Franklin Street priced at $199,000. He says the owners would be lucky to get $150,000 to $160,000.

4

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-vic-melbourne-110535041" target="_blank">1116B/256-268 Flinders Street</a>

$159,000

An 11th-floor studio apartment opposite Flinders Street station, this place rents for about $300 a week. It’s managed by property management company Baycrown and has approximate outgoings of $2,500 a year. The 19.5-square-metre apartment comes with a kitchenette.

5

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-melbourne-107466418" target="_blank">110B/256-269 Flinders Street</a> 

$162,000

In the same building is apartment 110b is currently leasing for $300 a week. The 19-square-metre apartment has the same outgoings at $2500 a year, and the apartment is fully furnished. Agent Nathan Collyer from Rendina Real Estate Kensington says tenant demand is very high in the building, particularly from students.

6

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-melbourne-110840411" target="_blank">417B/268 Flinders Street</a>

$165,000

This apartment in the same building again is renting for $310 a week. It’s 15 square metres and has outgoings of more than $4000 a year. It includes a kitchenette and a bathroom, and there’s room to walk.

7

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-melbourne-111049731" target="_blank">125/256-268 Flinders Street</a>

$165,000

In 256-268 Flinders Street again, this 30-square-metre unit earns $230 a week. Tenants are restricted to students, so that limits investors somewhat. Barry Plant agent Niels Geraerts says outgoings come to about $2000 a year.

8

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-vic-melbourne-110179229" target="_blank">706/500 Flinders Street</a>

$169,950

This 25-square-metre apartment is listed for $169,950 and has been on the market for six months. Agent Craig McIntosh says the apartment could rent for $285 per week and has outgoings of around $2,000 a year. He says he’s sick of the studio apartment and is trying to get out of it. He says most studio stock on the market is overpriced and unsaleable at that price.

There are more plenty more apartments available in 256-268 Flinders, but in an effort to mix this list up we will skip any more listings from that building.

9

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-vic-melbourne-110505697" target="_blank">817/238 Flinders Street</a>

$182,000

This apartment is managed by Unilodge, but there are no restrictions on tenants. Agent Stephen Shen from Royaland Real Estate says total outgoings for the apartment would be $2,600 a year. It’s currently tenanted and renting for $323 a year.

10

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-vic-melbourne-107161420" target="_blank">506/118 Franklin Street</a>

$190-$200,000

This property, currently run by the Stargate hotel rents for $13,032 per year. It’s about 15 square metres and can be owner-occupied. Total outgoings for the property are about $2,500 a year, says Ace Real Estate agent, Haresh Mutreja. It’s on the fifth floor, comes with a bathroom and a kitchenette but with no stove.

For information on <a href="http://propertyobserver.com.au/ebooks/free-ebook-investing-outside-the-square" target="_blank">out-of-the-box property investments, download our free eBook.</a>
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awalsh-7Ub9EypybQ

Top 10 cheapest studio apartments in the Melbourne CBD, starting from $145,000

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An 1870s Surry Hills residential warehouse – last traded in 2005 – has been listed for November 19 auction.

It was once a stable and coachworks and of recent times has had an interesting group of owners.

It’s been listed by the Domabyl family, who paid $3.2 million in 2005.

Its joins the recent production line of bulky inner-city warehouse conversions that have been offered for sale.

Many appear stuck on the market for lengthy periods of time. Several of the warehouse conversions have asking prices either going stale or being slashed.

They have traditionally been considered hot property, but the industrial conversions appeal to entrepreneurial types who don’t seem to have the same deep pockets as in the past.

<img src="/images/stories/warehouse_0000_bourke%20st.jpg.jpg">

Bresic Whitney listing agent Shannan Whitney expects more than $4 million for the three-bedroom <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-surry+hills-108398881" target="_blank">Little Bourke Street, Surry Hills</a> warehouse (pictured above) that has room for seven cars and includes a photography studio. His pricing is based on a recent nearby $4 million plus sale.

The Little Bourke Street warehouse listing fetched $1.105 million in 1989 when bought by the antique dealer Joan Bowers from Kings Cross identity Catherine O'Malley.

Bowers’ purchase was reportedly backed by Lord Alistair McAlpine whose then wife, Romilly, was in business with Bowers.

Bowers sold to Jennette Miller of Wahroonga for $1 million in 1993 through estate agent Margaret Blok. It next sold to the Domabyl family, who’ve put it on the market this month through Bresic Whitney.

<img src="/images/stories/warehouse_0003_oconnell.jpg.jpg">

Across town in Newtown, the 1920s<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-newtown-107307549" target="_blank"> O'Connell Street warehouse</a> (pictured above) best known for its prior ownership by broadcaster Alan Jones remains listed for sale. The five-bedroom former Champion Textiles warehouse passed in at a May auction on a $3.7 million vendor’s bid. It’s still listed through Michael Harris at Raine and Horne Newtown.

Jones sold it in 2003 for $2.9 million to the current vendors, hotelier and former Newtown rugby league player Steve Bowden. The five-bedroom home came with space for a boxing ring used by boxer Danny Green. It’s also been a studio of the fashion designer Dion Lee.

<img src="/images/stories/warehouse_0005_sloane.jpg.jpg">

Still in Newtown there’s a <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-newtown-108503221" target="_blank">Sloane Street warehouse listing</a> (pictured above). It was last sold in 1996 for $520,000 by ABC 7 o’clock news anchor Richard Morecroft, who converted the property. Film producer Matt Carroll is the current owner, and he’s had it on the market with an asking price of $2.35 million. It’s a  two-level, 218-square-metre space listed through Eric Lundberg from DB Property in Surry Hills. The similar adjoining property with 259 square metres of space went for $2.25 million in 2008.

<img src="/images/stories/warehouse_0006_sloane2.jpg.jpg">

A few doors up is another <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-terrace-nsw-newtown-108499966" target="_blank">Sloane Street property</a> (pictured above) that has been on the market since May. The last reported sale of the unrenovated property was in 1984, when it sold for $115,000. It’s listed through Ian McPhee from Belle Property.

<img src="/images/stories/warehouse_0004_probert.jpg.jpg">

At Camperdown a <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-studio-nsw-camperdown-106859765" target="_blank">Probert Street warehouse</a> (pictured above) with a commercial occupancy has been on the market since late 2007 through three real estate companies. It comes with an asking price of $2.6 million. It last changed hands in 1997 for $645,000. It’s set up as a live-in showroom but can be used as a two-bedroom abode. It’s listed through Joseph Gambino from The Edge Property Agency in Darlinghurst.

<img src="/images/stories/warehouse_0002_mclaughlin.jpg.jpg">

There is a Paddington conversion (pictured above) listed that last sold in February 2010 for $1.341 million and has been on the market since then. Before that the  <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-paddington-107316144" target="_blank">McLaughlan Place property</a> sold for $1.25 million in 2008 when Aboriginal art dealers Hogarth Galleries sold up and moved out. Hogarth originally bought it in 1993 for $265,000. It’s listed through Darren Pearce from Bresic Whitney.

<img src="/images/stories/warehouse_007_abercrombie.jpg">

The owners of a <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-chippendale-108473901" target="_blank">Chippendale unrenovated warehouse </a>(pictured above)  have been trying to lease their property since May this year. The Abercrombie Street property has five bedrooms and just the one bathroom. It’s currently being listed for sale through Adam Bodon from Deans Property in Broadway.

For warehouse conversions in Melbourne, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/port-melbourne-tops-list-of-five-special-residential-warehouse-offerings-in-melbourne/2011110952293" target="_blank">click here</a>.

<h2>Take a look at our latest Sydney listings:</h2>

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[smartcode_project:default project_id=28100]

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7758]
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Seven residential warehouse offerings in Sydney

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Yahoo! Real Estate topped a list of the top real estate websites in America released by Hitwise in its October report.

The report found that 37.48% of all visits to the real estate websites went to the top 10 websites for the month of October 2011.

It found the average visit duration for real estate websites was eight minutes, 55 seconds for October, up one second from the previous month.

 

1. <a href="https://realestate.yahoo.com" target="_blank">Yahoo! Real Estate</a> 

2.<a href="https://www.zillow.com" target="_blank"> Zillow</a> 

3. <a href="https://www.realtor.com" target="_blank">Realtor.com </a>

4. <a href="https://www.trulia.com" target="_blank">Trulia.com</a>

5. <a href="https://www.homes.com" target="_blank">Homes.com </a>

6. <a href="https://realestate.aol.com" target="_blank">AOL Real Estate </a>

7. <a href="https://realestate.msn.com" target="_blank">MSN Real Estate </a>

8. <a href="https://www.rent.com" target="_blank">Rent.com</a> 

9. <a href="https://www.ziprealty.com" target="_blank"> ZipRealty </a>

10. <a href="https://www.mynewplace.com" target="_blank">MyNewPlace</a>

11. <a href="https://www.apartmentguide.com" target="_blank">Apartment Guide </a>

12. <a href="https://www.frontdoor.com" target="_blank">FrontDoor Real Estate </a>

13. <a href="https://www.apartments.com" target="_blank">Apartments.com </a>

14. <a href="https://www.loopnet.com" target="_blank">LoopNet </a>

15. <a href="https://www.remax.com" target="_blank">RE/MAX Real Estate </a>

16. <a href="https://www.weichert.com" target="_blank">Weichert.com</a>

17. <a href="https://www.redfin.com" target="_blank">Redfin </a>

18. <a href="https://www.homefinder.com" target="_blank">HomeFinder </a>

19. <a href="https://www.rentals.com" target="_blank">Rentals.com </a>

20. <a href="https://www.listingbook.com" target="_blank">Listingbook Services</a>

 

<h2>Latest Urban listings on the market right now:</h2>

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[smartcode_project:default project_id=2929]

[smartcode_project:default project_id=3490]

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Top 20 real estate websites in America

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Loans.com.au is now offering loans for self-managed super funds in a bid to capture part of the growing market.
Its SMSF loans offers an interest rate of 4.99% (5.04% comparison rate) – 1% cheaper than the equivalent offered by Westpac.
Upfront fees on properties of less than $1 million include a $600 legal bill, a $150 settlement and a $220 valuation.
The loan is available for residential investment property refinances and purchases up to 80% LVR.
Loans.com.au managing director Marie Mortimer says the SMSF they treat SMSF loans the same as normal residential property loans, with lenders’ mortgage insurance paid by the lender.
“Banks give SMSF loans a different capital weighting because they consider them to be commercial loans,” Mortimer says.
“We don't have a capital weighting on SMSF loans so it’s a normal mortgage deal with the risk spread across our mortgage portfolio rather than a riskier commercial portfolio.''
Government bodies have recently being sounding warnings about growing debt in the SMSF sector.
Both the Reserve Bank and the government have hinted at a <a href="/property-observer">crackdown on the self-managed superannuation sector</a>, with both entities saying they are concerned about the number of property investments being made in the industry.
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Loans.com.au offers first SMSF loan

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Many young potential property buyers are willing to forego a first-home owners grant in favour of buying an investment property as opposed to a home, according to a Mortgage Choice survey.
More than 40% of generation Y respondents to the first time property investors survey said that their planned investment property will be their first ever property purchase.
Most generation Y respondents, born between 1980 and 1994, were motivated to purchase their first investment property by the need to set themselves up financially for the future.
"Gen Ys appear to be financially switched-on and are focusing on property investment,” says Mortgage Choice’s Belinda Williamson.
Almost half of respondents said there is a perception that there is more benefit in investments such as property over the share market.
"This younger generation of investors is looking for financial freedom and they see more profit in bricks and mortar investments," Williamson says.
They are willing to make a number of sacrifices in order to realise their purchase though, with 18% of respondents willing to take on another job to make the purchase, while 41% said they would miss out on a holiday.
"Finding the right property is half the challenge for most investors; the other half is saving the deposit and settling on an investment strategy that will help them to achieve their goals," Williamson says.
"Our survey shows 75% of Gen Y first time investors were choosing to make lifestyle sacrifices to help them achieve their property goals. The top five lifestyle sacrifices included cutting back on general day to day spending, eating out less and limiting take-away food, missing out on a holiday, delaying a vehicle purchase and last but not least, cutting back on alcohol related expenses."
Photo courtesy of <a id="yui_3_7_3_3_1376553138701_895" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pistruiatu/">pistruiatu</a>/ flickr.
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Gen Y willing to skip first-home owners grant to buy an investment property

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Uprooting with ease
There are few people that can genuinely say they feel no stress when moving house. It’s a big deal. These websites and apps take some of the ordeal out of packing up your whole home and shifting. Maybe after trying these you too can be one of those people who feel no stress.
This moving company runs <a href="https://www.movinghouse.com.au/moving_home_checklist" target="_blank">a very handy checklist</a> for things to do when moving house. Ultimately it’s an ad for their services but it’s useful and well layed out.
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moving-list/id316092879?mt=8" target="_blank">Moving List</a> is an app that has prepopulated moving lists. Allows you to check things off as you go and keep track of things.
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moving-van/id357418069?mt=8" target="_blank">Moving Van</a> helps you keep track of what’s in each box. Take photos of everything in the box and it stores and categorises it for you.
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Vacations
Sometimes you need a break from looking at the property market. Everybody does – unless you’re Property Observer. These two sites will help you during holiday periods.
<a href="https://www.airbnb.com/" target="_blank">Airbnb</a> allows users to rent their own home out to holidaying people. You can use the site to find reasonably priced accommodation while you go on holiday, or make a bit of money by renting out your spare room. The American site started off in California but has since spread internationally with a strong presence in Australia. Prices in Australia range from more than $1,500 a night down to just $11 a night. Take your pick.
<a href="https://www.homeaway.com.au/" target="_blank">Home Away</a> the holiday site tied to realestate.com.au has a similar offering. There are 18,944 properties in Australia to choose from and similarly you can list your own property for rental. It’s more geared towards properties run by hotels and resorts but it’s a solid part of any search for holiday accommodation.
<a href="https://www.stayz.com.au/" target="_blank">Stayz</a> is Fairfax’s contribution to holiday rentals. The choice is quite varied in Australia. A search of Phillip Island and surrounds returns more than 200 results ranging from $46 to $900 a night. Listing your own holiday property costs $164 a year + commission for each booking.
<a href="https://houseswapholidays.com.au/" target="_blank">House Swap Holidays</a> is a website that allows users to swap houses for easy holidays. You can browse the listings for free and there are some good offerings up there. Melbourne alone has many options – some better than others.
<a href="https://www.homelink.com.au/" target="_blank">Home Link</a> is a website that’s been around for some time now. They have a huge database of people who are willing to house swap although it seems somewhat marketed towards retirees. A remarkable number of the users specifically preclude children from their homes.
Joining the ranks of house-swap websites is <a href="https://www.homeexchange.com" target="_blank">Home Exchange</a>. They claim the most international listings of any house swap website – 41,000 around the world. At publication the site had 1913 listings for Australia.
<a href="https://adioso.com" target="_blank">Adioso</a> is hands down the best flight search engine we’ve encountered. Run by a bunch of Melbournians this upstart is set to explode. It trawls the websites of every budget airline to find the absolute cheapest flights imaginable and present it in a simple form. It’s a natural language search engine which means you can type in “Sydney to Perth in late March” and it will bring up a list of the cheapest flights to Perth in late March. 
Article continues on next page. Please click below.      
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Websites
If you need to buy property you look online. There are countless listing websites in Australia but here are the main ones.
Realestate.com.au is the largest property website in Australia. It’s where most searches for property begin and end. It’s hard to remember what buying property was like without this website. The choice of properties available here is genuinely astonishing.
One just needs to click the Inspections tab and put in a postcode to be inundated with open homes in your area. At the time of writing Property Observer put our postcode in and found four pages of open homes a walk from our house.
The site lists more than x properties for sale but it’s not just for buying houses. The site facilitates finding an agent to sell or rent your house, it provides access to expert musings on the property related matters, it provides search engines for travel and insurance and provides an easy place to buy off the plan. This is just the tip of the iceberg. The company is growing and plans are afoot to expand their international operations.
Their search refine tools are fantastic and allow you to really narrow down to the property you want. Property Observer particularly likes the eco friendly search refines which allow you to find properties with certain ‘green’ features. Use this alongside the keyword search and you can really find the exact house you’re looking for.
The site lets you shortlist your favourites and mark a property as ‘visited’ to keep track of which homes you have visited. You can organise your property inspection and auction times so you don’t miss anything
Their iPhone app offers the functionality of their website tied in the with smart-phone tools. It makes finding property a breeze. You can contact an agent directly from listing in the app.
When looking at rental properties the website allows you to apply for properties online, using the application website <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/realestate.com.au-australias/id404667893?mt=8" target="_blank">1form.com.au</a>. Gone are the days of printing 16 forms to apply for every house. It’s a real time saver and a great partnership by realesate.com.au.
Fairfax-owned Domain is the second largest real estate website in Australia. There is an overlap for many properties with realestate.com.au but Domain does carry a significant number of unique properties and it should be part of every property search. As discussed in the Alerts section of this guide the website is great at filtering out properties. The website is quite clear with its layout and you can do very specific property searches.  The quickest way to apply the many search criteria is through their radar search, accessible from the front page. The many filters can applied and then viewed as overlays on Google Maps.
The website includes a directory section which lists local businesses in an area. It’s like a stripped down Yellow Pages aimed at current and future property owners. It even includes a section for relocatable homes for the indecisive amongst you.
Being owned by Fairfax the website does have a strong news section including video news.
And of course Domain have their own app. It’s a handy app with all the functionality of the website built in, but not a lot extra. You can quite easily plan your inspection times with their Inspection Planner tool. If you’ve got a Domain.com.au account you can also sync your short listed properties so you never lose track of a property.
Realestateview.com.au is the third biggest property website, though it falls far behind the other two in terms of properties listed. However, it makes up for its lack of numbers with its slick interface. Where the other two main players sometimes seem to place property information wherever it may fall in an mid-2000s MySpace style hodgepodge, Real Estate View lays things in a pleasant and intelligible way. The search criteria aren’t quite as discerning as Domain but they do the job.
There is a great selection of market data available on the site, some of it free, some it costs. The website also runs a competitor to Gumtree’s online classified ads section which is worth a quick look.
Real Estate View also run Rural View which is the rural counterpart to the website with a great selection of hobby farms but a little lacking in the larger stations.
Ultimately Real Estate View a much more pleasant site to use than either realestate.com.au or domain.com.au but it just doesn’t have quite the selection of properties as the other two main players.
They have also recently released a new mobile app. The app comes with the expected features for finding properties for sale but in a predictably smoother way. Where the app excels though is in its presentation of suburb information. There’s a section of the app devoted to market information about areas that is incredibly intuitive and easy to understand. It comes with additional iPad functionality that really make use of the extra screen real estate.
Top 10
Here are the top 10 Australian real estate websites as ranked by Google Ad Planner. Google Ad Planner is a web analytics tool that allows potential advertisers to research what are the biggest sites. These sites are ranked by unique users.
<ol>
<li style="line-height: 17.280000686645508px;">
<a href="https://realestate.com.au/">https://realestate.com.au</a> 
</li>
<li style="line-height: 17.280000686645508px;">
<a href="https://domain.com.au/">https://domain.com.au</a> 
</li>
<li style="line-height: 17.280000686645508px;">
<a href="https://realestateview.com.au/">https://realestateview.com.au</a> 
</li>
<li style="line-height: 17.280000686645508px;">
<a href="https://homehound.com.au/">https://homehound.com.au</a> 
</li>
<li style="line-height: 17.280000686645508px;">
<a href="https://onthehouse.com.au/">https://onthehouse.com.au</a> 
</li>
<li style="line-height: 17.280000686645508px;">
<a href="https://realcommercial.com.au/">https://realcommercial.com.au</a> 
</li>
<li style="line-height: 17.280000686645508px;">
<a href="https://thehomepage.com.au/">https://thehomepage.com.au</a> 
</li>
<li style="line-height: 17.280000686645508px;">
<a href="https://reiwa.com.au/">https://reiwa.com.au</a> 
</li>
<li style="line-height: 17.280000686645508px;"><a href="https://homesales.com.au/">https://homesales.com.au</a></li>
<li>
 <a href="https://rent.com.au/">https://rent.com.au</a>
</li>
</ol>
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Xero
Personal finances can be hard to manage. All those excel spreadsheets and the multitude of bank statements can be an absolute dog if you’re not an accountant. And let’s face it, who wants to be an accountant?
<a href="https://www.xero.com/accounting-software/" target="_blank">Xero</a> is a personal finance app. While there are plenty of offerings around this really is an interesting contender. It imports all your bank transactions, financial data and online accounting and consolidates it into one very visual interface. It automatically keeps track of invoices and upcoming bills to help you stay on top of things. The software lets you photograph receipts and automatically upload them. It even lets you send invoices on the go. There is a guide on the website for configuring it for property professionals.This really is a great way to manage your money. 
Article continues on next page. Please click below.
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Yelp – divide with neighbourhood
<a href="https://www.yelp.com.au" target="_blank">Yelp</a> isn’t the prettiest website around but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great resource. Yelp provides listings for every sort of business imaginable. It’s like the Yellow Pages supercharged. It’s fully of user reviews for every sort of listing. It’s only recently expanded to Australia but it’s gathering momentum quickly. There app is well worth a look as well. If you’re in a new part of Australia and need to find the local hardware shop, technical bookshop or record store this is the go.
<a href="https://truelocal.com.au" target="_blank">True Local</a> is a similar tool that’s been around for a while. Use this site to find a hairdresser before you enter sale negotiations. Again they have an app which is well made. The reviews can be really helpful.
Article continues on next page. Please click below.
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Zillow
The USA was the start of the online real estate revolution and is the basis for a lot of property trends covered in this ebook.
<a href="https://www.Zillow.com" target="_blank">Zillow</a> is the ultimate app if you wish to buy property in the USA. It aggregates all the houses for sale and allows the user to search them in an intuitive display. Filtering results is exceptionally quick and simple. They provide quite an accurate estimate of properties if no data is available in what’s called a Zestimate. The site is the inspiration for many real estate apps available today and continues to drive technological developments in real estate listings. If you want to see what local listing sites will look like in the future, check Zillow. There are no announced <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/packer-plunges-%24330-million-into-american-real-estate-portal-zillow-has-he-found-the-next-rea/2013090564809" target="_blank">plans to move to Australia yet</a>…
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/costargo/id438575593?mt=8" target="_blank">Costargo</a> is the American website CoStar’s foray into the world of apps. It’s an amazing front-end interface that takes a lot of data and makes it easily readable.
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/resources/the-a-to-z-of-property-apps-part-one/2014021867864" target="_blank" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/resources/the-a-to-z-of-property-apps-part-one/2014021867864&amp;sa=U&amp;ei=0ToZU9ikIc3boASt_YKIDA&amp;ved=0CAcQFjAB&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;usg=AFQjCNEIkDNrNoLJspRNPCVLVfAp_yGeUA" data-ctorig="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/resources/the-a-to-z-of-property-apps-part-one/2014021867864">The A to Z of property apps: Part one</a>
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/resources/the-a-to-z-of-property-apps-part-2/2014022367865" target="_blank" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/resources/the-a-to-z-of-property-apps-part-2/2014022367865&amp;sa=U&amp;ei=0ToZU9ikIc3boASt_YKIDA&amp;ved=0CAkQFjAC&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;usg=AFQjCNEY2vpY9iVW4yjHbPd0kv_sFUw5ZA" data-ctorig="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/resources/the-a-to-z-of-property-apps-part-2/2014022367865">The A to Z of property apps: Part two</a>
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/the-a-to-z-of-property-apps-part-three/2014030267866" target="_blank" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/the-a-to-z-of-property-apps-part-three/2014030267866&amp;sa=U&amp;ei=0ToZU9ikIc3boASt_YKIDA&amp;ved=0CAYQFjAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;usg=AFQjCNFLNUjgvNImqRF-mySDcJASOGen7g" data-ctorig="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/the-a-to-z-of-property-apps-part-three/2014030267866">The A to Z of property apps: Part three</a>                        
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The A to Z of property apps: Part four

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The Australian Securities and Investment Commission says some real estate agents are offering kickbacks to financial advisers to advise investors to use an SMSF to purchase the real estate agents' properties.
It says financial advisers may be banned from receiving them under the Future of Financial Advice reforms.
“This is because the commissions or benefits could reasonably be expected to influence the financial product advice given to retail clients,” the agency says.
Meanwhile it has warned real estate agents off advising their clients to invest in property using a self-managed super fund.
“ASIC is concerned that with the increased popularity of SMSFs and property investment, real estate agents may not realise they are providing financial product advice and need an Australian financial services licence when making recommendations or statements of opinion to a person to use an SMSF to invest in property,” it says.
Individuals caught face fines of up to $34,000 or two years imprisonment while companies face fines of up to $170,000.
‘We want to ensure the SMSF sector remains healthy and vibrant so investors can be confident that, if they are receiving advice about investing through an SMSF, their adviser holds an Australian financial services licence and is aware of its obligations’, ASIC Commissioner  Greg Tanzer says.
It wrote to the Real Estate Institute of Australia to clarify regulations with agents.
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ASIC warns real estate agents: stop spruiking SMSFs

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Australian Securities and Investments Commission needs to clamp down on rogue self-managed super fund (SMSF) advisers, according to wealth advisory group Chan &amp; Naylor.
Its director of financial planning, David Hasib, says the relatively new nature of SMSF products means regulation is lagging behind.
“Australia’s financial landscape has grown dramatically in its diversity and complexity over the years, yet education requirements for advisers have lagged,” says Hasib.
“It should not be acceptable to play the role of financial adviser in the general sense – the industry is evolving so quickly that it requires specialised advisers that are up to date and add real long-term value to clients.”
He says a lack of regulation means anyone can be an SMSF adviser and many don’t advise clients of potential pitfalls of SMSFs.
“A quick internet search will reveal the growing numbers of online spruikers, bearing no relevant qualifications at all, who are cashing in on the new SMSF market,” says Hasib.
“The problem is detrimental to those on the receiving end of uninformed advice, as well as the reputation and integrity of an otherwise healthy industry which will find itself tarred with the same brush.”
He recommends minimum qualification levels and increased professional development hours with penalties for those operate without them.
Andrea Slattery, CEO at SPAA, the peak body for SMSF advisers, says trustees should always seek out SPAA members for advice.
"There are so many people getting into the industry who see it as an opportunity and there's a need for trustees to seek out genuine specialists and SPAA members are the only ones who have undergone rigorous training," Slattery says.
Slattery says ASIC and the ATO are increasingly moving towards regulation for SMSF advisers.
"We believe there is a need for people to do more to work towards accreditation and to get recognition. The ATO have already increased their powers and will be increasing their further to regulate the sector."
"Right now there are people that are providing services in Australia that are not specialists and may not be competent with the complex rules around advice advice in SMSF and what we're trying to do is build integrity in the industry and advise trustees to use a specialist adviser."
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Alistair Walsh

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