T.E.T.

File it under Never-Been-Seen-Before. In the last 48 hours, five blocks of land have sold in Toorak. All separate. All to locals. All at litmus-testing prices. Higher than has been seen for land on each street before. And there’s more… Another, tonight. 66 Clendon Road via EOI closing at 5pm. Being pumped at $11k/metre. Duelling cheque […]

First, a disclaimer. There’s little value in thinking of the real estate world as a “market”. It’s not. It’s individuals deciding when to buy or sell individual homes and how much should be paid. It’s why clearance rates may be the most quoted useless statistic anywhere outside of politics. Every house is its own market.

The Story of Summer at The Top End The cliff-hangers of Portsea are hanging on (not one sale). Ditto all along the coast from Phillip Island to Lorne. Ditto the city’s salubrious streets (there’s action behind closed doors, but move along—there’s nothing to see here). On the horizon? Clear air punctuated by the occasional vendor

For many people, the images in this morning’s Top End Trends email did not appear and it would not have made much sense. You’re still not seeing images? Click here and all will be revealed. And apologies. That Was The Dance That Was… Doors are slamming, movers are packing, would-be sellers are sweating (still). A

Doors are slamming, movers are packing, would-be sellers are sweating (still). A mariachi band of a year is dancing to its close. The Lesson Of The Year No matter what the “market” does, it’s individual sales that matter. When an individual buyer connects with an individual seller, bingo. Deal done.  This Spring, a squillion of

Up here at the top end, it’s hot in spots but there’s a lot of not much in-between. Agents are blaming the not-much on the distractions of horse races. Agents would. But where have those clouds of auction-waving hands really blown away to? There are vendors staring at terminal jitters as Christmas looms—and frustrated buyers

Spring. Melbourne. There’s a horse race, but that’s not where the big bets are placed. Wander the gilded streets. Check out the billionaires’ rows. It’s here where the real money comes out to play. So this is where to start. Where you can assess the form of the top end’s three big players —the Sellers,

You know it. Pretty soon it adds up. But to what? The media mills are alive with the sounds of Toorak records, but what does that mean? Smoke + Mirrors? 18 St Georges Road scored around $40m plus a handy $8.5m for Our Gov (FIRB loved it) (wow!) but was it a “…benchmark for Toorak.”?

America, you’re only just discovering fake news? What took you so long? It’s ruled real estate in Australia forever. The sense of insecurity. The never knowing who to believe. The great suspicion that you’ve been had. Yup. Got all that. We’re almost used to it. If you want to know why buyers’ advocacy has taken

The top end now has all the predictability of a set of malfunctioning traffic lights. Looking for a signal you like? Just wait. Looking for sense? Sorry. It’s Go! There’s a gale blowing from the north and the wind speed is over $10m and it’s blown locals out of the water at: … and that’s