Retail: Hot Property

The popularity of retail property, always an attractive investment option, appears to have reached a new zenith. According to research by Savills Australia, investors outlaid $9.76 billion on retail assets in the 12 months to June, topping the five-year average for the sector by nearly $3 billion, a rise of 40%. Savills says the figure also represents…

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Tightening Yields and Smart Money

  Commercial Property Yields A review of market activity over the past year or so, makes it abundantly clear that demand for commercial property has kindled a significant tightening in yields. The transformation has occurred since 2013, when the market began to move after years in which investors were focused on bargain-basement prices. It was, of course, inevitable…

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Commercial Building Disclosure Review: Part 2

In our last post, we focused on the Federal Government’s review of its Commercial Building Disclosure program, which was introduced by the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010, along with other measures to improve energy-efficiency in commercial buildings. It was developed by all Australian governments as part of the broader national strategy directed at energy-efficiency. In the…

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Infrastructure Charges

Johnny’s always running around, trying to find certainty. The above words form the introductory lyric to the Robert Palmer song Johnny and Mary, which many will remember. We raise them because we thought it might be interesting to consider local government charges in relation to development to provide, if not certainty, at least some clarity about the process. The…

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A Mighty Commitment

Have you noticed the traffic snarl on leaving the M1 motorway at Exit 54, which gives access to Upper Coomera and East Coomera, location of Dreamworld and the Coomera marine industries precinct? Exit 54 is in the throes of a $60 million upgrade to provide for significantly increased traffic flows associated with the yet-to-be-developed Coomera…

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Commercial Building Disclosure

The Federal Government has chosen to expand the ambit of its Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program which, from July next year, will capture all buildings with upwards from 1,000 sqm of office space. The new threshold for mandatory disclosure of a building’s energy efficiency was unveiled ahead of the federal election by Minister Josh Frydenberg and will…

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