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<a target="_blank" title="Brisbane clocks in at bottom of market" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/brisbane-clocks-in-near-bottom-of-market/2011060350400"><img src="/images/stories/five.gif"></a> 
Brisbane's time on <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/brisbane-clocks-in-near-bottom-of-market/2011060350400/Page-9" title="Brisbane clocks in at bottom of market" target="_blank">Property Observer's property clock</a>. Experts say the residential market is at the bottom of its cycle, and they see a good opportunities for investors going into the next upswing.
 
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/aussie-home-buyers-deeply-in-debt-but-paying-it-off-fast/2011060950452" title="Aussies deeper in debt, but paying it off quickly" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/fortyfive.gif"></a>
The percentage of Australian home oweners who <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/aussie-home-buyers-deeply-in-debt-but-paying-it-off-fast/2011060950452" title="Aussies overpay their mortgages" target="_blank">overpaid their mortgages</a> last year.
 
<a target="_blank" title="Chicago Willis Tower" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/international/chicago-s-willis-tower-on-the-market/2011060650422"><img src="/images/stories/oneoheight.gif"></a>
The number of storeys in <a target="_blank" title="Chicago's Willis Tower" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/international/chicago-s-willis-tower-on-the-market/2011060650422">Chicago's Willis Tower</a>, which is 18% empty and looking for a buyer or investor.
 
<a target="_blank" title="America: buyer beware" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/america-buyer-beware/2011060550325"><img src="/images/stories/sevenhundredthousand.gif"></a>
The<a target="_blank" title="America: buyer beware" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/america-buyer-beware/2011060550325"> number of foreclosures </a>during the first quarter of 2011 in the United States.
 
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/commercial/sydney-s-pitt-street-third-most-expensive-in-the-world-for-retail/2011060150362" title="Sydney's Pitt Street retail rents" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/three.gif"></a>
Sydney's Pitt Street's ranking in a CBRE list of the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/commercial/sydney-s-pitt-street-third-most-expensive-in-the-world-for-retail/2011060150362" title="Pitt Street third most expensive for retail" target="_blank">most expensive retail rents in the world</a>.
 
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/aussie-commercial-investors-like-their-chances/2011060750424" title="Aussie real-estate executives like their chances" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/fortyeight.gif"></a>
The percentage of Australian real-estate executives who are <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/aussie-commercial-investors-like-their-chances/2011060750424" title="Aussie real-estate execs like their chances" target="_blank">optimistic about their portfolios</a>.
 
<a target="_blank" title="Interest rates hold steady" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/interest-rates-hold-steady-at-4.75/2011060750429"><img src="/images/stories/fourpointsevenfive.gif"></a>
The current interest rate, after the <a target="_blank" title="Rates hold steady" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/interest-rates-hold-steady-at-4.75/2011060750429">RBA decided not to lift rates </a>this month.
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cknowlton-QnEa6ntUYP

The 7 must-know numbers of the week

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<a target="_self" title="AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick buys in South Yarra" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/afl-chairman-mike-fitzpatrick-spends-close-to-%249-million-in-south-yarra/2011062750616"><img src="/images/stories/9.jpg"></a>
The amount AFL chairman <a target="_self" title="AFL chairman buys in South Yarra" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/afl-chairman-mike-fitzpatrick-spends-close-to-%249-million-in-south-yarra/2011062750616">Mike Fitzpatrick and his wife, Helen, spent on their South Yarra hous</a>e in the Domain precinct this week. The sale price was undisclosed but is believed to be close to $9 million.
 
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<img src="/images/stories/485ha.jpg"> 
The combined number of hectares of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/rural-and-regional/tassie-dairy-farms-draw-mainland-green-investment/2011062650611" target="_blank">two Tasmanian dairy farms</a> snapped up by the Sustainable Agricultural Fund this week. The mainland investment fund was attracted to the farms because of Tassie's clean environment.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Rents robust, housing slides slightly" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/rents-robust-but-house-prices-slide/2011063050658"><img src="/images/stories/point3.jpg"></a>
 
Australia's capital <a target="_blank" title="Rents robust but housing prices slide" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/rents-robust-but-house-prices-slide/2011063050658">city growth for the month of May</a>, according to RP Data. House prices in every capital city except Sydney declined.
 
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<a target="_self" title="Nicole Kidman's property given reprieve" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/nicole-kidman-s-highlands-retreat-given-reprieve-%E2%80%93-for-now-%E2%80%93-as-coal-company-shifts-exploratory-holes/2011062850631"><img src="/images/stories/2num.jpg"></a>
 
The number of exploratory bore holes Cockatoo Coal has <a target="_blank" title="Kidman's property gets reprieve" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/nicole-kidman-s-highlands-retreat-given-reprieve-%E2%80%93-for-now-%E2%80%93-as-coal-company-shifts-exploratory-holes/2011062850631">admitted to repositioning</a> following <a target="_blank" title="Coal mine fears for Nicole Kidman" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/coal-mine-anxiety-for-nicole-kidman-s-sutton-forest-property/2011062150555">media scrutiny</a> of the news that two of its 120 bore holes in the Southern Highlands would be on the perimeter of Nicole Kidman's Sutton Forest property. The company now says it has repositioned the two holes that were originally supposed to be on Kidman's perimeter, but will not say when it decided to move the holes or how many other holes have been repositioned. 
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Vineyard sales bring grape expectations" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/vineyard-sales-bring-grape-expectations-from-asian-investors/2011062750626"><img src="/images/stories/5m.jpg"></a>
 
The price hopes for the <a target="_blank" title="Vineyard sales bring grape expectations" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/vineyard-sales-bring-grape-expectations-from-asian-investors/2011062750626">Pettavel Vineyard</a>, in Warrun Ponds, Victoria. Pettavel is one of two wineries in the region being sold by receivers.
 
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/brisbane-market-saturated-with-apartments/2011062950651"><img src="/images/stories/26.jpg"></a>
 
The number of months it would take to sell <a target="_blank" title="Brisbane market saturated" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/brisbane-market-saturated-with-apartments/2011062950651">Brisbane's current stock </a>of units at current clearance rates, according to the latest Midwood Investment report.
 
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/time-s-up-for-unlicensed-mortgage-brokers/2011063050660"><img src="/images/stories/1in5.jpg"></a>
The number of mortgage brokers who have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/time-s-up-for-unlicensed-mortgage-brokers/2011063050660">left the industry</a> in response to new ASIC regulations that require all mortgage brokers to hold licences.
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/brisbane-serviced-apartments-fill-up-while-coast-empties-out/2011071150767"><img src="/images/stories/83.jpg"></a>
<div>The occupancy ratio of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/brisbane-serviced-apartments-fill-up-while-coast-empties-out/2011071150767">serviced apartments in Brisbane</a> during the March quarter of 2011, according to ABS figures. This is in contrast to the lacklustre residential market, which continues to languish with flat or falling prices and low buyer interest.</div>
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<div><a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/the-block-sticks-with-made-in-melbourne-formula/2011071150759"><img src="/images/stories/3025.jpg"></a></div>
<div>The amount Channel 9 spent on <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/the-block-sticks-with-made-in-melbourne-formula/2011071150759">four unrenovated terraces in the Melbourne suburb of South Melbourne for next year's season of </a><a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/the-block-sticks-with-made-in-melbourne-formula/2011071150759">The Block</a>. The current series of the renovation reality show is set in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond and has proved a ratings winner. Previous seasons have been based in Sydney.</div>
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/sir-richard-bransons-noosa-getaway-for-hire-%E2%80%93-for-%2417000-a-night/2011071150769"><img src="/images/stories/17.jpg"></a>
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<div>The amount per night it will <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/sir-richard-bransons-noosa-getaway-for-hire-%E2%80%93-for-%2417000-a-night/2011071150769">cost a party of 22 guests to stay in Sir Richard Branson's Makepeace Island</a> off the Sunshine Coast. </div>
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/upper-hunter-mining-town-retail-gem-suffers-15-price-slide/2011071250778"><img src="/images/stories/15per.jpg"></a>
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<div>The price slide for the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/upper-hunter-mining-town-retail-gem-suffers-15-price-slide/2011071250778">Campbell's Corner retail premises in the Upper Hunter mining town of Muswellbrook</a>. The town council bought the building for $3.2 million, and it last sold in 2005 for $3.8 million. </div>
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/consumers-reluctant-to-pay-for-mortgage-broking-services/2011071250771"><img src="/images/stories/61.jpg"></a>
</div>
<div>The percentage of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/consumers-reluctant-to-pay-for-mortgage-broking-services/2011071250771">consumers who said they would not be willing to pay a fee to use the services of a mortgage broker</a>, according to a survey of 1,050 people by Mortgage Choice. Brokers have traditionally not charged consumers for their services, being paid commissions by lenders instead.</div>
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<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer"><img src="/images/stories/43.jpg"></a>
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<div>The <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer">decline in the volume of land sales between the March 2010 quarter and the March 2011 quarter</a>, according to HIA-RP Data. The volume of land sales hit a historic low in the March 2011 quarter.</div>
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<img src="/images/stories/2800.jpg">
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<div>The size of the <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer">former Borders site in Chapel Street, in the inner-Melbourne suburb of South Yarra, now being considered by clothing retailer Topshop</a>. It is understood that Topshop is also considering taking over the former Borders site in the Melbourne shopping centre of Chadstone.</div>
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<a target="_blank" title="Alexandria top suburb for investors" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/alexandria-ranks-as-top-investment-suburb-survey/2011072550899"><img src="/images/stories/7percent.jpg"></a>
The annual growth of house prices in <a target="_blank" title="Alexandira" href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer">Alexandria</a>, NSW, according to RP Data. Alexandria was <a target="_blank" title="Alexandria number one suburb for investors" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/alexandria-ranks-as-top-investment-suburb-survey/2011072550899">named the number-one suburb for investors</a> by Your Investment Property Magazine.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Adelaide's smallest block" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/adelaide-s-smallest-block-sells-for-%24205000/2011072550907"><img src="/images/stories/90sqm.jpg"></a>
 
The size of <a target="_blank" title="Adelaide's smallest block sells" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/adelaide-s-smallest-block-sells-for-%24205000/2011072550907">Adelaide's smallest inner-city block</a>, which sold last week for $205,000.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Woollomooloo wharf sale" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/woolloomooloo-wharf-restaurant-offerings-comes-with-%2425-million-hopes/2011072750928"><img src="/images/stories/25m.jpg"></a>
 
The prices hopes for the premises of<a target="_blank" title="Woolloomooloo wharf restaurants for sale" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/woolloomooloo-wharf-restaurant-offerings-comes-with-%2425-million-hopes/2011072750928"> three high-prolife restaurants on the iconic Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo</a> being sold on behalf of property investment syndicate Quantum Group. The four lots are the premises of Manta, Kingsleys Steakhouse and Otto Ristorante, and expressions of interest close August 25.
 
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 <a target="_blank" title="Sale of $14 million apartments indicate tide has turned in Noosa" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/sale-of-%2414-million-apartments-as-tide-turns-for-better-in-noosa/2011072650927"><img src="/images/stories/14m.jpg"></a>
 
The sale price for<a target="_blank" title="Sale of $14 million in Noosa" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/sale-of-%2414-million-apartments-as-tide-turns-for-better-in-noosa/2011072650927"> two beachfront three-bedroom Noosa apartments out of a triplex that sold recently</a>. The sale could mark a resurgence in the Queensland region's luxury market, which has been struggling of late.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Charter Hall battle" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/proxy-votes-in-charter-hall-office-reit-battle-line-up-to-reject-takeover-proposal/2011072750930"><img src="/images/stories/68.jpg"></a>
The percentage of unit holders who <a target="_blank" title="Charter Hall battle" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/proxy-votes-in-charter-hall-office-reit-battle-line-up-to-reject-takeover-proposal/2011072750930">voted against a proposal by Orange Capital to dump Charter Hall</a> as the responsible entity for the Charter Hall Office A-REIT. Mark Wist, senior asset consultant at Atchison Consultants, says the vote could be seen as a “barometer for sentiment in the A-REIT space” indicating little appetite for change.
 
<hr>
 
<a target="_self" title="Melbourne office sales" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/melbourne-office-sales-to-reach-%242-billion-in-2011-colliers/2011072750932"><img src="/images/stories/2bill.jpg"></a>
The <a target="_blank" title="Melbourne office sales to reach $2 billion" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/melbourne-office-sales-to-reach-%242-billion-in-2011-colliers/2011072750932">sales volume expected for Melbourne offices in 2011</a>, according to Colliers. “The reasons for Melbourne being the hottest office market in Australia will not change overnight. The fundamentals of our economy are very healthy and the medium-term forecast for office rental growth in the CBD is very strong,” says Nick Rathgeber, director of institutional investment services at Colliers.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Higher than expected inflation" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/higher-than-expected-inflation-figures-could-trigger-rates-rise/2011072750934"><img src="/images/stories/0point9.jpg"></a>
 
The <a target="_blank" title="Inflation rate higher than expected" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/higher-than-expected-inflation-figures-could-trigger-rates-rise/2011072750934">inflation rate for the June quarter</a>, according to the ABS. This is higher than what economists had predicted, and <a target="_blank" title="Australia has an inflation problem" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/trends/economy/australia-has-an-inflation-problem-and-higher-interest-rates-are-the-only-way-to-fix-it/2011072850943">most</a> now think the <a target="_blank" title="Rates likely to go up next week: RBA" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/trends/economy/rates-likely-to-go-up-next-week-anz/2011072850954">RBA will raise rates</a> in the near future. 
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<a target="_blank" title="Cemetery plot for $200k raises grave fears for Melbourne's affordability" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/cemetery-offering-for-%24200000-grave-concerns-over-melbourne-affordability/2011080150979"><img src="/images/stories/155k.jpg"></a>
The price for an 1866 <a target="_blank" title="Cemetery plot for sale" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/cemetery-offering-for-%24200000-grave-concerns-over-melbourne-affordability/2011080150979">burial vault in Melbourne General Cemetery</a>. The price was initially gazetted at $200,000 by the Department of Health but has since been reviewed. The plot raises grave concerns about Melbourne affordability.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Fears for Freo retail" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/fears-for-freo-retail-as-myer-considers-skipping-town/2011080250992"><img src="/images/stories/40years.jpg"></a>  
The amount of time Myer has been in East Freemantle, but now that its lease is almost up <a target="_blank" title="Fears for Freo retail" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/fears-for-freo-retail-as-myer-considers-skipping-town/2011080250992">the retail giant is considering skipping town</a>. Councillors are making a last-ditch appeal to ask Myer, which occupies only two floors of its four-storey building, to reconsider and remain in the town to help its ailing retail market.
 
<hr>
<img src="/images/stories/25k.jpg"> The number of <a target="_blank" title="The Block opens draw thousands" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/thousands-flock-to-the-block-opens/2011080150976">people who went to the open for inspection</a><a target="_blank" title="The Block opens draw thousands" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/thousands-flock-to-the-block-opens/2011080150976">s</a> for the four cottages featured on the Channel 9 reality show The Block the first weekend they were open.
 
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<img src="/images/stories/10000new.jpg"> 
<img src="/images/stories/plus.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/7000.jpg">
The amount of money first-home buyers who purchase new homes in Queensland can expect to receive in <a target="_blank" title="Government grants" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/government-property-grants-by-the-numbers-state-by-state/2011080150974">government grants</a>. 
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Cold Chisel Jimmy Barnes sells" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/jimmy-barnes-lists-highlands-weekender-on-eve-of-cold-chisel-tour/2011080251008"><img src="/images/stories/2point5m.jpg"></a>
 
The price Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes <a target="_blank" title="Jimmy Barnes Cold Chisel to sell" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/jimmy-barnes-lists-highlands-weekender-on-eve-of-cold-chisel-tour/2011080251008">hopes to achieve for his Berrima weekender</a>, which he has put on the market ahead of Cold Chisel's upcoming national tour.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Leonardo DiCaprio" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/new-south-wales/leonardo-dicaprio-struggles-to-find-sydney-s-west-egg-for-gatsby-filming/2011080451026"><img src="/images/stories/30k.jpg"></a> The amount of money actor <a target="_blank" title="Leonardo DiCaprio" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/new-south-wales/leonardo-dicaprio-struggles-to-find-sydney-s-west-egg-for-gatsby-filming/2011080451026">Leonardo DiCaprio is looking to spend per week </a>on a rental property in Sydney while he films the Baz Luhrman-directed Great Gatsby. DiCaprio will play the title role and is reportedly looking for a harbourside property with a sports court.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Discount mortgages gain ground" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/discount-mortgages-gain-ground-as-one-big-switch-passes-10000/2011080351011"><img src="/images/stories/10000new.jpg"></a>
 
The number of  <a target="_blank" title="Discount mortgages gain ground" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/discount-mortgages-gain-ground-as-one-big-switch-passes-10000/2011080351011">people who had signed up to the One Big Switch campaign</a> to look for cheaper mortgages in the first two days. The campaign initially had hopes of signing up 1,000 borrowers.
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<a target="_blank" title="East meets West with $8 million sale" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/east-meets-west-with-sale-of-%248-million-northern-beaches-heaven/2011081051101"><img src="/images/stories/8m.jpg"></a>
The amount Wombat fashion chain founder <a target="_blank" title="East meets West in $8 million sale" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/east-meets-west-with-sale-of-%248-million-northern-beaches-heaven/2011081051101">Clair Jennifer secured for her 2.2-hectare resort-style property Heaven</a>, in Ingleside, NSW.
 
<hr>
 
<a target="_blank" title="Carbon tax" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/more-than-half-of-potential-home-buyers-put-off-by-spectre-of-carbon-tax/2011080851067"><img src="/images/stories/57per.jpg"></a>
The percentage of potential home buyers who say the proposed carbon tax is<a target="_blank" title="Carbon tax" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/more-than-half-of-potential-home-buyers-put-off-by-spectre-of-carbon-tax/2011080851067"> dicouraging them from purchasing</a> property in the next year, according to an online poll by mortgage broker Loan Market.
 
<hr>
<a target="_blank" title="Mining magnate buys Perth's second-most expensive house" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/mining-magnate-buys-perth-s-second-most-expensive-house/2011080751060"><img src="/images/stories/39m.jpg"></a>
 
The amount mining magnate Steve Wyatt <a target="_blank" title="Perth second most expensive house sold" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/mining-magnate-buys-perth-s-second-most-expensive-house/2011080751060">spent on the former Dalkeith mansion built for 1980s entrepreneur Alan Bond</a>. It is Perth's second-most expensive sale, with the $57.5 million sale of Angela Bennett's riverfront mansion to Wyatt's business associate Chris Ellison the most expensive.
 
<hr>
<a target="_blank" title="Rents increase in Sydney" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/inner-sydney-rents-up-%2440-a-week-over-the-past-year/2011080951084"><img src="/images/stories/8.jpg"></a>
 
The annual<a target="_blank" title="Sydney rent increase" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/inner-sydney-rents-up-%2440-a-week-over-the-past-year/2011080951084"> average increase in rents in Sydney's inner ring</a>, according to RP Data. Rents went up by 7.3% across Sydney during the year.
 
<hr>
<a target="_self" title="Commercial sales increase" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/melbourne-leads-commercial-boom-as-foreign-investors-step-in/2011081051102"><img src="/images/stories/127per.jpg"></a>
 
The percentage<a target="_blank" title="Commercial sales" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/melbourne-leads-commercial-boom-as-foreign-investors-step-in/2011081051102"> increase in commercial sales during the June quarter</a>, according to Real Capital Analytics. Offshore buyers provided 42% of the capital, and more than half of these funds flowed to Melbourne.
 
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<a target="_self" title="Hotspot: Broome" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/hotspots-broome-market-turning-around/2011080951098"><img src="/images/stories/6per.jpg"></a>
 
The increase in house prices in the <a target="_blank" title="Hotspot: Broome" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/hotspots-broome-market-turning-around/2011080951098">WA suburb of Broome</a> during the June quarter, defying the WA trend of falling house prices. In the March quarter Broome prices were down 9.1%, so the June figures could indicate that the market is turning around. 
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Brighton bathing box" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/pre-sprint-test-for-brightons-bathing-box-market/2011081151120"><img src="/images/stories/190k.jpg"></a>
 
The price hopes for a <a target="_blank" title="Brighton bathing box" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/pre-sprint-test-for-brightons-bathing-box-market/2011081151120">Brighton bathing box that is set for September 3 auction</a>. A new box fetched a record $260,000 earlier this year. 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/take-two-auction-frenzy-as-only-one-offering-left-on-the-block/2011082351266" title="Investors mop up The Block" target="_self"><img src="/images/stories/922.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial;"></a>
The price a Melbourne investor paid for <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/take-two-auction-frenzy-as-only-one-offering-left-on-the-block/2011082351266" title="Investors mop up The Block" target="_blank">Rod and Tania's cottage from the Channel 9 reality renovation show The Block</a>.  Another Melbourne investor bought the final property, Josh and Jenna's double-fronted offering, for $1 million. Neither buyer had attended Saturday night's Block auction, where both properties failed to sell.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Garry Lyon fails to sell" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/garry-lyon-fails-to-sell-hawthorn-home-at-weekend-auction/2011082151234"><img src="/images/stories/3point5.jpg"></a>
The vendor's bid when AFL star <a target="_blank" title="Garry Lyon fails to sell" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/garry-lyon-fails-to-sell-hawthorn-home-at-weekend-auction/2011082151234">Garry Lyon's house was passed in</a> at auction last weekend. Lyon paid $2.74 million for the Hawthorn home in 2005.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Former owner jumps at Friendly Inn" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/former-owner-jumps-at-opportunity-to-buy-back-friendly-inn/2011082251247"><img src="/images/stories/201.jpg"></a>
The price former owner <a target="_blank" title="Peter Thompson buys Friendly Inn" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/former-owner-jumps-at-opportunity-to-buy-back-friendly-inn/2011082251247">Peter Thompson paid for the Friendly Inn</a>, in Kangaaroo Valley. The pub had been in receivership since 2011, and last sold for $3.67 million in 2005.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Wategos Bay listing" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/wategos-beach-listing-to-test-byron-bay-price-rebound/2011082351265"><img src="/images/stories/7point5.jpg"></a>
 
The price hopes of a <a target="_blank" title="Wategos Beach" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/wategos-beach-listing-to-test-byron-bay-price-rebound/2011082351265">two-bedroom cottage in Wategos Beach</a>. The house itself is not pictured in its marketing campaign, which is based on the location alone. The sale could test the recent price rebound in Byron Bay.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Former spruiker's directorship ban upheld" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/former-property-spruiker-s-five-year-directorship-ban-upheld/2011082351264"><img src="/images/stories/5.jpg"></a>
The amout of time former <a target="_blank" title="Former property spruiker banned" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/former-property-spruiker-s-five-year-directorship-ban-upheld/2011082351264">property spruiker Dudley Quinlivan is forbidden from becoming a company director</a>. Quinlivan had appealed the ban to the High Court, which found against him. Quinlivan was long regarded as at the vanguard of selling overpriced southeast Queensland properties to mum and dad investors.
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<a target="_self" title="Auction volumes down" href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer"><img src="/images/stories/24.jpg"></a>
 
The <a target="_blank" title="Auction volumes down" href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer">percentage of homes sold in June that were taken to auction</a>, according to RP Data. In June 2010 that figure about 30% of homes were taken to auction.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="New home building in the doldrums" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/new-home-building-slumps-in-june-quarter/2011082451276"><img src="/images/stories/47.jpg"></a>
 
The <a target="_blank" title="New home building in doldrums" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/new-home-building-slumps-in-june-quarter/2011082451276">fall in the value of residential construction undertaken during the June quarter</a>, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/sa-vineyards-up-for-sale-as-downturn-puts-the-squeeze-on-wineries/2011071850831" title="SA vineyards up for sale" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/953.jpg"></a>
The combined size of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/sa-vineyards-up-for-sale-as-downturn-puts-the-squeeze-on-wineries/2011071850831" title="SA wineries up for sale" target="_blank">six South Australian vineyards being offloaded by Cheviot Kirribilly Vineyard Property Group</a>. The organisation says deteriorating market conditions has forced it to sell the assets. “In crude terms grape growers must now ‘find a route to market’ for their products,” Chevriot says in its ASX note.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/bank-of-melbourne-entices-customers-with-1-mortgage-rate-discount/2011071850842" title="Bank of Melbourne offers 1% discount" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/1percent.jpg"></a>
 
The <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/bank-of-melbourne-entices-customers-with-1-mortgage-rate-discount/2011071850842" title="Bank of Melbourne offers 1% discount" target="_blank">discount on the standard variable mortgage rate being offered by new Westpac offshoot Bank of Melbourne</a> for new customers who sign up for multiple products. “We will reward customers for the depth, breadth and quality of their banking relationship with Bank of Melbourne,” says chief executive Scott Tanner.
 
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<img src="/images/stories/77.jpg"> 
The <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/brisbane-hotel-sector-recovering-as-occupancy-hits-77/2011071850836" title="Brisbane hotel sector recovering" target="_blank">occupancy rate for Brisbane hotels</a>, which are undergoing a recovery driven largely by coporate travel. Occupancy rates in January, just after the floods, was 60% in the Queensland capital, and takings per room per night have increased from $163 to more than $200. Hotels and resorts on the Gold Coast, however, are not enjoying the same recovery, as the tourism industry is still waning.
 
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<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" title="Robust rental growth forecast: RP Data" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/8226.jpg"></a>
The number of new home loan commitments by first-home buyers for the month of May 2011. <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" title="Robust rental growth predicted: RP Data" target="_blank">RP Data predicts </a>that the slowdown in first-home buyers entering the market will lead to robust rental growth and falling rental vacancies. 
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/august-20-auction-set-for-first-of-the-block-s-cottages/2011071950856" title="August 20 auction set for The Block cottages" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/800k.jpg"></a>
 
The price hopes for the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/august-20-auction-set-for-first-of-the-block-s-cottages/2011071950856" title="August 20 auction set for The Block cottages" target="_blank">first of the four cottages featured in the Channel 9 hit The Block to be marketed on the internet</a>. It is estimated that the house cost about $1 million to buy and renovate, but Channel 9 is happy to make its money from big-name advertisers, rather than flipping property for profit. All four cottages will be auctioned on August 20. 
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/sydney-prime-offices-to-yield-20-returns-for-investors-cbre/2011072150869" title="Sydney prime office tipped to net 20% yields" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/20percent.jpg"></a>
 
The total returns on <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/sydney-prime-offices-to-yield-20-returns-for-investors-cbre/2011072150869" title="Sydney prime office space tipped to net investors 20% yields" target="_blank">Sydney prime office space by 2012</a>, as forecast by CB Richard Ellis. The company says as fewer incentives are offered to tenants in this market and the capitalisation rate compresses, building valuations will go up, and with them, rental yields.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/bankruptcy-drama-for-theatre-entrepreneur-michael-edgley/2011071950844" title="Bankruptcy drama for Michael Edgley" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/7m.jpg"></a>
 
The amount theatre impressaio <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/bankruptcy-drama-for-theatre-entrepreneur-michael-edgley/2011071950844" title="Bankruptcy drama for Michael Edgley" target="_blank">Michael Edgley, who has filed for bankruptcy, owes his creditors</a>. Edgley, who brought acts like Moscow Circus and Cirque du Soleil to Australia, took out a $4.5 million loan for a Lower Beechmont property in 2007. Receivers sold the property earlier this year for $2.35 million.
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<a target="_blank" title="UK's most expensive property" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/uk-s-most-expensive-home-rumoured-to-have-sold-for-%C2%A3140-million/2011081451149"><img src="/images/stories/140m.jpg"></a>
The rumoured price of the <a target="_blank" title="UK's most expensive property" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/uk-s-most-expensive-home-rumoured-to-have-sold-for-%C2%A3140-million/2011081451149">UK's most expensive property, which sold to a Russian oligarch</a>. The Oxfordshire property at Remenham on the Thames River at Henley was once the home of King George II's son Frederick, Prince of Wales.
 
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<a target="_blank" title="Paradise Waters auction" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/paradise-waters-auction-could-put-wind-in-luxury-market-sales/2011081551156"><img src="/images/stories/6725.jpg"></a>
 
The price of a property in <a target="_blank" title="Paradise Waters sale" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/paradise-waters-auction-could-put-wind-in-luxury-market-sales/2011081551156">Paradise Waters, on the Gold Coast, that sold </a>earlier this week. It might be a sign that the luxury market on the Gold Coast is turning around, after years of stagnant growth.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/former-equititrust-boss-mark-mcivor-lists-popov-designed-gold-coast-home/2011081651176" title="Mark McIvor Equititrust" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/50m.jpg"></a>
The Nerang River frontage of the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/former-equititrust-boss-mark-mcivor-lists-popov-designed-gold-coast-home/2011081651176" title="Mark McIvor lists" target="_blank">Alex Popov-designed house recently listed by former Equititrust boss Mark McIvor</a>. His Gold Coast home on Cronin island sits on a 1,736-square-metre block. McIvor resigned from besieged Equititrust, which he founded, in June 2011.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/prime-minister-julia-gillard-seeks-new-sydney-office-digs/2011081751191" title="Julia Gillad" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/96.jpg"></a>
 
The number of car spaces in the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/prime-minister-julia-gillard-seeks-new-sydney-office-digs/2011081751191" title="Julia Gillard office" target="_blank">Bligh Street, Sydney premises the federal government is considering moving its offices into</a>. The six-star green building's bike racks and showers, combined with the paucity of car spaces, are expected to encourage workers to ride or take public transport to work.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/couples-save-for-just-over-four-years-for-first-home-deposit/2011081751192" title="First home buyers" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/4point1.jpg"></a>
 
The amout of time, on average, it takes a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/couples-save-for-just-over-four-years-for-first-home-deposit/2011081751192" title="First home buyers" target="_blank">couple to save for a deposit for their first home</a>.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/absentee-investor-alert-nigerian-scammers-sell-%24410000-house-they-didnt-own/2011081751195" title="Nigerian property scam" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/410k.jpg"></a>
 
The amount of money <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/absentee-investor-alert-nigerian-scammers-sell-%24410000-house-they-didnt-own/2011081751195" title="Nigerian house scam" target="_blank">Nigerian scammers whisked away to a Chinese bank account</a> after selling a house they did not own to an unsuspecting buyer.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/vera-wang-buys-in-beverly-hills/2011081851214" title="Vera Wang" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/92.jpg"></a>
 
The amount of money (in USD) that fashion designer <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/vera-wang-buys-in-beverly-hills/2011081851214" title="Vera Wang" target="_self">Vera Wang spent on a glass-walled house in Beverly Hills</a>.
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/falls-creek-snow-bargains-for-the-brave-beautiful-and-blinkered/2011082951319" title="Ski auction" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/30k.jpg"></a>
The price for the least expensive of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/falls-creek-snow-bargains-for-the-brave-beautiful-and-blinkered/2011082951319" title="Ski auction" target="_blank">77 ski properties in the Victorian snow fields that were sold</a> at a no-reserve auction last week. The properties were sold by developer Morry Schwartz, and the buyers ranged from cashmere-wearing ski bunnies to rough-and-tumble snowboarders.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/economy/commonwealth-bank-expects-rates-to-rise-other-banks-not-so-sure/2011082951320" title="Commonwealth bank expects rate rise" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/025.jpg"></a>
 
The amount by which the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/economy/commonwealth-bank-expects-rates-to-rise-other-banks-not-so-sure/2011082951320" target="_blank">Commonwealth Bank expect the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise interest rates</a> in November. However, ANZ and NAB expect rates to remain on hold for quite some time, whereas Westpac expects a rate cut.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/international/christina-aguilera-loses-almost-%2440000-selling-her-house/2011082951335" title="Christina Aguilera" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/400thou.jpg"></a>
 
The amount, approximately, that <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/international/christina-aguilera-loses-almost-%2440000-selling-her-house/2011082951335" title="Christina Aguilera" target="_blank">Christina Aguilera lost when she sold her Sunset Strip, Hollywood house </a>for about $4.65 million this week. She bought the property for an even $5 million in 2003.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/even-building-award-winners-finding-the-market-tough/2011083051345" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/8.jpg"></a>
 
The <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/even-building-award-winners-finding-the-market-tough/2011083051345" title="Fall in new home sales" target="_blank">fall in new home sales for the July quarter</a>, according to HIA. New home sales are now at their lowest level since 2000.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/international/eureka-penthouse-hoped-to-fetch-sky-high-price/2011083051361" title="Eureka tower" target="_self"><img src="/images/stories/13m.jpg"></a>
 
The price hopes for the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/international/eureka-penthouse-hoped-to-fetch-sky-high-price/2011083051361" title="Eureka Tower sale" target="_blank">84th-floor penthouse in Melbourne's Eureka tower</a>, which will go on sale next month. The penthouse is nearly 300 metres above ground.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/disgraced-property-spruikers-plead-guilty-and-cry-poverty/2011083051348" title="Disgraced property srpuikers" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/49point4c.jpg"></a>
 
The amount on the dollar that <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/disgraced-property-spruikers-plead-guilty-and-cry-poverty/2011083051348" title="ACR " target="_blank">creditors of disgraced Australian Capital Reserve property spruiking company received</a>. Three of ACR's directors have pleaded guilty to charges of fraud ahead of their criminal trials. Two are living in multimillion-dollar houses but have claimed to have no assets.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/leonardo-dicaprio-gets-his-sydney-tennis-court-for-gatsby-shoot/2011083151370" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/10k.jpg"></a>
 
The amount per week actor <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/leonardo-dicaprio-gets-his-sydney-tennis-court-for-gatsby-shoot/2011083151370" title="Leonardo DiCaprio" target="_blank">Leonardo DiCaprio will pay per week to rent a property in Vaucluse </a>while he films the titular role in Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby in Sydney.
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Cassidy Knowlton

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