Real Estate

Trends and updates on property markets, including residential and commercial sectors.

Real Estate
International hotels to replace Crowne Plaza Canberra
Crowne Plaza Canberra will see a redevelopment of the site to create a new precinct for InterContinental Canberra and Hotel Indigo Canberra.InterContinental Canberra (pictured) will feature a rooftop Club InterContinental Lounge and Suites with sweeping views of Parliament House. In addition, it will offer extensive conference and event spaces with a signature restaurant and luxury day spa facilities. Hotel Indigo Canberra will bring a boutique lifestyle brand to the Canberra market. It will offer a personalised and curated experience reflecting the richness of the local area.IHG Hotels & Resorts has reinforced its leading position in Luxury & Lifestyle hospitality in Australia by signing a major long-term agreement with Salter Brothers. Several high-profile IHG hotels will be rebranded and repositioned within the company’s portfolio of luxury brands – with Regent Hotels & Resorts set to return to Australia after 28 years when Regent Melbourne completes its transformation from InterContinental Melbourne in 2030. IHG’s strategic Luxury & Lifestyle expansion also sees another two of its highly popular and successful properties joining its InterContinental brand. The hotels will bolster the growth of the world’s first and larg
Real Estate
Geelong top destination as city dwellers move to regions
Migration from Australia’s capital cities to regional areas continued to rise last quarter, with Greater Geelong becoming the most popular destination. Relocations from capital cities to regions rose by 10.5% over the previous quarter, according to the Regional Australia Institute and Commonwealth Bank’s Regional Movers Index. This is around 20.5% higher than the pre-2020 average. “The nation’s love affair with regional life is showing no signs of abating with 25% more people moving from capital cities to the regions, than back in the opposite direction,” said Regional Australia Institute CEO Liz Ritchie. “Regional Australia is being reimagined. The regions’ enviable lifestyle offerings, buoyant jobs market, position as an economic leader and diverse communities are proving to be an ongoing lure, particularly for those in metropolitan areas.” Sydney and Melbourne represented the vast majority of migrants into Australia’s regions, with Sydneysiders making up 64% of the net migration outflow and Melburnians at 38%. Regional New South Wales and Victoria also accounted for 74% of net migration to all regions. Victoria’s Greater Geelong received the largest influx of net internal migration over the past twelve months, be
Real Estate
ACCC inquiry launched into REA Group real estate pricing
REA Group (ASX: REA) is under regulatory scrutiny, confirming it has received a s155 Notice from the ACCC, requiring details on certain subscription offerings. The s155 Notice refers to section 155 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, which contains the watchdog's compulsory information gathering powers. The investigation follows speculation about competition concerns, though REA insists it remains committed to choice, value, and flexibility for consumers. With 12.3 million monthly visitors to realestate.com.au, the company is a dominant force in Australia’s digital property market. The ACCC’s probe comes amid broader concerns about market concentration in real estate services, with regulators increasingly challenging industry giants. REA, controlled by News Corp, has expanded aggressively, acquiring complementary businesses to strengthen its ecosystem. The company says it cooperates fully, but declined to comment due to confidentiality restrictions. For investors, the ACCC’s inquiry raises questions about regulatory risk and potential market interventions. REA’s subscription model is a key revenue driver, and any adverse findings could impact pricing strategies and competitive positioning. The comp
Real Estate
Farming property values in Australia outpace housing
Agriculture property values in Australia have grown by more than 2.5 times over the past two decades, outpacing housing. Property values in agriculture have risen by an average of 256% in the last twenty years, with 12.8% annual growth, according to a report by the Australian Property Institute (API). Housing property values have increased by 154% over the same period. “The great untold story of Australian housing over the past two decades has been the resurgence of the nation’s smaller cities over the larger ones, in the quest for investment returns on the family home,” said API CEO Amelia Hodge. “But while most Australians aspire to own their own home, they are also indirect owners of critical farming, industrial and commercial infrastructure, through Australia’s $4 trillion compulsory superannuation sector. This proves the vital role property investment plays in not only our working lives but also in our retirements.” The growth of industrial property values also outpaced housing, increasing by 164%. Commercial property values rose by 143% over the previous twenty years. The highest performing property region in Australia is Wimmera, Victoria, according to the report. Wimera saw an average property price increase
Real Estate
Ex-VP Harris criticises Musk at real estate conference
Kamala Harris poked at Elon Musk while raising concerns about artificial intelligence at the 2025 Australian Real Estate Conference on the Gold Coast on Sunday. The former United States vice president was interviewed for an hour on stage by real estate veteran John McGrath. Without naming Musk, she spoke of a Trump administration advisor who was an example of a person holding “this misplaced idea that the sign of the strength of a leader is who you beat down”. “There was someone that is very popular these days, at least in the press, who suggested that it is a sign of the weakness of Western civilisations to have empathy,” she said. “Imagine. No, it’s a sign of strength to have some level of curiosity and concern and care about the wellbeing of others.” This comes after Musk criticised Harris's immigration views in an interview with Joe Rogan in March, calling empathy “the fundamental weakness of western civilisation”. Harris also made thinly veiled comments towards the Trump administration, saying she believes it's critical to remember what’s significant in history. “It’s important that we remember the 1930s,” she said. “It’s important that we remember that history has taught us that isolation does not equal

Real Estate
MA Financial's $90.4m IPG buy; scales real estate AUM
MA Financial Group has acquired Melbourne-based IP Generation (IPG) for $90.4 million, expanding its asset management platform. The deal boosts MA Financial’s real estate assets under management (AUM) to ~$8 billion and total AUM to over $12 billion. The acquisition is expected to be earnings-accretive in FY25, strengthening MA Financial’s position in the sector. IPG, founded in 2018, manages $2 billion in retail shopping centre assets across 10 funds. This covers 14 shopping centres in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. The firm specialises in securing assets, raising capital, and delivering strong returns for high-net-worth investors. The acquisition integrates IPG’s expertise into MA Financial’s broader real estate strategy, enhancing its distribution channels and investor base. The deal brings 29 real estate investment professionals from IPG into MA Financial’s asset management team. IPG’s Founder and CEO Chris Lock will become Head of Core Real Estate, overseeing performance and fund management. Other senior leaders, including Chairman David Blight and Director Greg Miles, will help lead MA Financial’s real estate division. The expanded team strengthens MA Financial’s capabilities
Real Estate
Lowe’s holds forecast as Pro sales steady revenue
Lowe’s maintained its full-year guidance on Wednesday, supported by growing sales to home professionals that helped balance softer demand from do-it-yourself customers. The home improvement retailer narrowly missed Wall Street’s revenue expectations for the latest quarter but exceeded earnings forecasts. Lowe’s reported earnings per share (EPS) of $2.92, above the expected $2.88, while revenue came in at US$20.93 billion, just under the forecast of $20.94 billion. In a statement, CEO Marvin Ellison attributed the company’s resilience to strategic investments in technology, inviting store environments and customer service, which have allowed Lowe’s to weather “near-term uncertainty and housing market headwinds”. High interest rates and reduced housing turnover have weighed on consumer appetite for large-scale home improvement projects. Still, Lowe’s expects to return to growth this year, albeit modestly. The company projects full-year revenue between $83.5 billion and $84.5 billion, with comparable sales expected to be flat or up by 1%. Full-year earnings per share are forecast to range from $12.15 to $12.40. For the fiscal first quarter ended 2 May, Lowe’s posted net income of $1.64 billion, while comparable sale
Real Estate
Australian commercial real estate finds its balance
The Australian commercial real estate sector has started to stabilise, following five consecutive quarters of decline, a new report shows. Latest numbers from the Property Council of Australia/MSCI Annual Property Index, show total returns improved from the lowest point in Q2 last year, of -2.0% to +1.4% in Q1 2025 at the all-property level. This growth was pushed along by a steady income return of 1.3% and a marginal 0.1% uptick in capital values, which was the first positive quarterly capital growth since half way through 2022. Retail and industrial sub-sectors are leading the charge for this recovery effort, with retail landing a total return of 1.6% for Q1 this year, an income return of 1.4% and capital growth of 0.1%. Retail capital values also went up from Q3 2024 onward and the industrial sector has remained strong too, delivering four consecutive quarters of positive total returns since Q2 last year. However, office real estate is still at the bottom of the pile, despite showing its first positive total return in Q1 this year at 1.4%. This was the first upward tick since Q1 of 2023, but came after a capital value decline of 21.8% since the start of the downward trend. “The broad-based improvement in Q1
Real Estate
Lendlease in British property deal with King Charles
Lendlease Corporation has gone into business with the British monarch, selling its British property development assets into a joint venture with The Crown Estate to build new homes and develop science and innovation hubs. Lendlease said the sale of the land holdings and management agreements would accelerate the release of more than A$300 million (US$195 million) of capital from its development book and halve future funding commitments to about $125 million. The Australian property developer said the transaction was expected to release capital slightly above book value and contribute positively to future earnings through lower funding costs and the receipt of development management fees. This brought Lendlease’s capital recycling initiatives to $2.5 billion in the 2025 financial year and provided progress towards launching a security buyback. CEO Tony Lombardo said the partnership would create an industry leading alliance that was expected to unlock value within its British development portfolio while accelerating the release of capital. “Since announcing our refreshed strategy in May last year, we have made strong progress to simplify the Group, reduce our risk profile, and recycle capital to be a more focused orga