Aussie Grabs Wizard At The Eleventh Hour
The battle to take control of Wizard Home Loans, as reported a few weeks ago by Marquette Turner, is over. Despite expectations that National Australia Bank would take control of the brand and franchise network, the race has been won by Aussie Home Loans.
GE Money has offloaded its Australia and New Zealand mortgage offshoot [...]
The Road Home: Cutting Homelessness In Half
The number of Australians living on the streets will be halved in the next 12 years, Prime Minister has asserted recently.
Launching the Government’s White Paper on Homelessness, “The Road Home”, Mr Rudd outlined the Federal Government’s plans for reducing homelessness in Australia by 2020, with specific goals to cut homelessness by half and provide accommodation [...]
The Manchurian Candidate: Chinese Property Market Stimulated
China has unveiled a stimulus package intended to boost its slumping real estate market.
It has slashed taxes for second-hand apartment sales to help owners selling their homes. This means that anyone who has owned a home for at least two years can now sell it without having to pay a tax on the total [...]
Mopping Up The Mortgage Brokers: Australia’s Banks On The Assault
After losing their market share to mortgage brokers during the real estate boom years in the earlier years of this decade, Australia’s banks are on the offensive.
First off the market his year was Westpac which acquired the RAMS Home Loans brand, followed by the Commonwealth Bank which acquired a stake in Aussie Home Loans in [...]
The Great Australian Tax Grab
How’s this for short-sightedness: The New South Wales Government’s infinite wisdom to increase taxes by $3.6 billion AUD to compensate for their years of inept mismanagement of states coffers will have a huge impact on the property sector at a time when it can least afford it.
NSW Labor Premier Nathan Rees and Treasurer Eric Roozendaal [...]
Luxury Sales in Sydney: What’s Truth & What’s Fiction – Part 2
Part 2 of a 2 Part Investigation
The low sales volumes that we have seen in 2008 have resulted from fear, necessity and pride. Each has played a role in reducing the number of sales.
In so much as fear has contributed people are always cautious during times of upheaval or unrest.
Economically it has been a minefield [...]
Short Vs Long-Term Interests: The Challenge For Australia’s Banks
The Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) decisions to decrease interest rates over the last few months were welcomed by borrowers and lenders alike, most recently with the 0.75% cut in October and the 1% cut in September.
The reality is, however, that most of Australia’s lending institutions have chosen not to pass on the full cuts, [...]
Reserve Bank has blood on its hands – We must have further interest rate cuts – NOW!
Continued: Part 2 of a 2 Part Report
The massive decrease in housing sales volumes has decimated State Government budgets as they lose hundreds of millions of dollars in would be stamp duty revenue. The flow on effect through to builders, other trades people, real estate agents and so many others throughout the economy is [...]
BRAIN MATTERS: When Will The Roller Coaster Ride End?
This is a question on many people’s lips and our colleague in San Fransisco, Jim Walberg, has some great points worthy of noting.
“THE key to our economic recovery is real estate values and consumer confidence. Real estate is the oil that fuels our economic engine. Generally, real estate is having a similar feel that we [...]
Luxury In London: Shop Like It’s Going Out Of Fashion
For those who have spare cash to burn we have found the perfect place for you – the $A4 billion Westfield Mall in West London that was opened today by new London Mayor Boris Johnson. This is anything but your average shopping arcade: not only is it the largest in London but it has managed [...]
How to Survive the Sale Process – What you must know!
Times are difficult – sale volumes are down and the process of selling your home is taking longer than it has for years. Today we have heard that Australia may be heading toward a recession – the first in 18 years! The US Federal Reserve has cut official interest rates by 0.5%, the Japanese Government [...]
Insights: Some of the Business Lessons I Learned at the Who’s Who Conference
Last week whilst at the Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate Annual Conference and Award’s in Philadelphia, Michael Marquette & myself (representing Marquette Turner Luxury Homes) were awarded the title of the World’s Most Oustanding Rookie (New Luxury Real Estate Agency).
Therefore, as the “newbie” we were in the company of other winners, some that were [...]
What Russian Real Estate Buyers Are Looking For
Russians are investing heavily in overseas property, and even though the Russian stock market continues to suffer (and there will approximately 50% less billionaires in Russia this time next year), there are ongoing reasons for wealthy Russians to search for prestigious properties to buy as a long-term investment.
The experience of Marquette Turner Luxury Homes suggests [...]
Simon Turner’s “The Real State”: Aiding The Bubble Will Just Aid The Burst
Keeping up with the ever-changing commentary and realities of the Australian and worldwide economy (which don’t necessarily work in-congruence) can be pretty daunting. Whilst no economist myself, I nonetheless happily offer my opinion on “the real state” of play as I see them.
There have been a number of moves taken by Kevin Rudd of [...]
The Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate Global Award Winners
Last week nearly 200 luxury property experts met in Philadelphia for the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference at the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia. Whilst we have reported Marquette Turner’s award, we are pleased to be able to bring to you the other LuxuryRealEstate.com members who were honored with awards during the banquet on the [...]
The Price For Power & Fame
Being in the United States you just have to wonder why some people choose to be in the public eye? Is it the power? Is it the celebrity or is it the wealth? I can’t begin to answer that question but when looking at Michael Bloomberg with his own TV channel and of course [...]
Billionaires Under 30 years old: Do you need a loan?
It is amazing to consider that there are 6 people under the age of 30 who are billionaires in the world. Surprisingly they are spread around the globe – In the USA, Europe, China and The Middle East. The best known to most people is Mark Zuckerberg – the creator of Facebook.
The inspiring thing for [...]
The Richest 5 People in the World…For Now: A Call To All Australian Entrepreneurs
The world is changing fast. The credit crunch has hit, stocks have plummeted and wealth has been redistributed to where? India! It’s a global competition and Australians have every opportunity to punch with the very best of them. Out of the 5 wealthiest people in the world, 2 are from India. It is a changing [...]
The Dow Jones Recovers after Massive Fall
This morning the Dow Jones plummeted by more than 800 points before recovering and is currently trading in positive territory. Commentators on CNN, Bloomberg and Fox have been touting what would happen if the Dow were to drop to 7479 which would result in trading being halted for 30 minutes. The enormous recovery has excited [...]
Warren Buffett: Handling Tough Times
In a time where debt is catching up with companies and individuals alike it is important to look at those who have led the way: what have they done to amass their wealth and importantly what have they avoided doing?
With banks and countries collapsing (Iceland is teetering the brink of bankruptcy), Japan is potentially already [...]
