The Blog

After a record-smashing Australian Open, tennis is enjoying a resurgence of popularity throughout the country, and homes with their own tennis courts are proving the big winners. The first Grand Slam of the year saw well over 800,000 people physically come through the gates and millions more watch on TV, while tennis participation rates have […]

‘A wonderful alternative to your traditional coastal meccas.’ Photo: Laura Bell Peacefully tucked away, Caves Beach is a serene seaside suburb on the east Lake Macquarie peninsular, nestled between the lake, the Swansea Channel, and the popular surfing beach of the same name. Despite being initially regarded as merely an affordable ‘outer suburb’ of Newcastle […]

In this piece, we look at the impact the changing face of Australian households could have on the property market.   Single-person households on the rise Throughout much of Europe, the United Kingdom, and United States, living alone has become more common since at least the 1970s. And the number of one person households is […]

Ever thought of quitting your job and working on (or living off) your property full-time? If so, you’re not alone.     I frequently see clients or potential clients of Metropole who want this. In fact only the other day I sat with someone who said: “I’ve been wanting to get out of the business we’ve been in […]

Home buyers have been splashing out: a swimming pool can add hundreds of thousands of dollars in value to a home, agents say. Pools are in hot demand among young families looking to upgrade their homes since the pandemic hit, but they are not for every buyer type or suited to all properties.   Swimming […]

Although it’s not the top priority, 38 per cent of first home buyers (FHBs) said that having space for their pets was extremely important in regard to purchasing their first property, while 23 per cent ranked proximity to family as extremely important. According to CommBank research, the top priorities for FHBs when it comes to […]

The wider introduction of hybrid working conditions and more Australian workers heading back to the office have contributed to a changing trend in housing-demand locations  — from metro to outer regions and now back again — latest research from PEXA and city-planning think tank Urbis has found. The research collaboration, titled How Has the Pandemic Changed Demand for […]

The Westpac-Melbourne Institute Consumer Confidence Index fell 0.9% in October to 83.7, following yet another RBA cash rate increase, albeit by a lower-than-anticipated 25 basis points. Westpac Chief Economist Bill Evans said the October result could have been worse if the Reserve Bank had lifted the cash rate by 50 basis points instead. “Sentiment amongst […]

New data released from Gumtree’s Trading in the Circular Economy report reveals the average Australian household has approximately 21 sellable items in their home, with an average value of $6,964. This equates to a total value of $62 billion, a spike from $48 billion (29%) in 2021. Lupe Prada, Gumtree’s head of research and insights, […]

CoreLogic’s quarterly Regional Market Update shows Australia’s 25 largest non-capital city regions continued to achieve unprecedented increases in value. Over the 12 months to January 2022, 24 regions recorded double-digit annual growth for houses, with 18 regions notching up gains in excess of 20%. The median dwelling value across the combined regions jumped 26.1% in the […]

The Central Coast is one of the hottest real estate markets in Australia right now. The recent launch of Central Coast Quarter has set the temperature even higher, with more than 50% of apartments in stage one sold out in the opening week. Among the buyers were owners and investors from nearby Sydney. Given its […]

After two weeks of intense discussion, interspersed with warnings over the consequences of inaction and a host of new commitments and pledges, the United Nation’s climate conference in Glasgow has wrapped up. For the first time, this year’s annual climate conference had a specific focus on cities, regions and buildings, which contribute around 40 percent […]

There’s a lot to weigh up when considering where to live. A less thought of consideration is how a postcode affects our health and fitness levels. We are where we live, suggests Dr Ivan Parise, a GP, lecturer and researcher in public health and tropical medicine. And, your town could make you fat and unfit, he […]

If given the chance, 50 per cent of Aussies would ideally like to live in a regional area, according to 2020 SEEK data. A sea change was favoured by almost a third of those surveyed. No surprises there. What’s less known is that the desire to relocate feeds significantly into the tourism industry. Thirty eight […]

The laundry is one of the most-used rooms in the home, but, often, they’re small, cramped, dark and lifeless, and generally not a very pleasant place to spend much of your time. It’s the hub of the endless cycle of washing, drying, folding and ironing, and given how hard the laundry has to work, it’s […]

We’ve got smartphones, smart fridges and smart doorbells and now even the humble loo is getting smarter, with new designs boasting a bunch of features you never knew you needed. First gaining popularity in Japan, the original smart toilets were a traditional toilet with a bidet attachment that allows you to control water and air […]

Australian CBDs lost their colour in 2020 as workers abandoned offices and businesses and entertainment precincts shut up shop during lockdowns. Bustling streets that once drew in the crowds effectively became ghost strips. With little to do and a new work-from-home lifestyle, homebuyer and renter preferences turned towards regional areas in one of the biggest regional shifts […]

OK, so who’s been stuck at home, in what you thought was a spacious property, right up until Covid-19 hit? All of a sudden we’ve got people trying to find space to be able to work, study, and then relax all under the 1 roof and in many cases this has not gone well. And […]