Apartments.com.au chief executive Mike Bird says factory-built modular homes could help revive Australia's stalled apartment pipeline. National apartment approvals fell almost 25 per cent in August, to 3,268. Mr Bird says many approved projects have not moved because the numbers do not work. He says building modules in a factory alongside site works can save months and reduce costs. The Commonwealth Productivity Commission estimates such homes can cost up to 20 per cent less and take up to 50 per cent less time to build.
A six-bedroom home at 15 Freemans Rd, Mt Eliza, has sold for $12 million, close to the suburb's $12.4 million house price record. The sale was the biggest for a house in the suburb since 2017. The listing agent, Michelle Skoglund, called it a positive sign for The Block's House 1 renovation, which is set for auction this weekend. The property sits on 3502 square metres, with about 73 metres fronting Port Phillip Bay. Mr Cooley, a well-known auctioneer, will sell House 1 on the agent's behalf.
Tom Offermann agents sold two of three properties offered at auction on the weekend, despite heavy rain across South East Queensland. Erica Newton sold a Noosaville penthouse to a local buyer. The week before, she sold a Sunrise Beach house, the legacy of Kenneth and Wendy Heinze, for $3.6m, with proceeds going to four charities. The Real Estate Institute of Queensland says 48 of 50 tracked regions were in the tight rental range of 0 to 2.5 percent in the September quarter.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
A three-bedroom property at 20 East Ave, Northfield, failed to sell at auction last week despite earlier valuations above its $900,000 price guide. Selling agent Andrew Simpson of OC Real Estate said few inquiries came in and developers now think the Northfield market has become too hot. He said the number of people attending open homes has dropped sharply and buyers are cautious about whether prices have bottomed. The house was extensively damaged by vandals and squatters, whom police had to evict. The property is now back on the market via private treaty at $900,000.
A Geelong-region state MP has claimed more than $60,000 in taxpayer-funded allowances for a second Melbourne home since early 2024, despite appearing to miss 70 per cent of parliamentary sitting days. South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman was expelled from the Labor Party in April 2024 after allegations of persistent, inappropriate behaviour towards staff, and has sat as an independent since. The allowance helps regional MPs living more than 80 kilometres from Melbourne. Mr Cheeseman declined to respond to questions from the ABC. Victoria has no public record of MP attendance, and the Greens and former premiers support introducing one.
Melissa Evans and Mauro Vecchi have renovated a townhouse designed by architect Bert Reid in 1982. They kept the original design, including the sunken conversation pit, slate floors and angled walls. The kitchen and bathrooms were updated, with a coral marble bench and handle-free cabinetry added. The couple and their two Russian Blue cats now live in the home, which they say feels special to live in.
A five-bedroom character home in Drumcondra, near Geelong's foreshore, has sold for $2.3 million after barely three weeks on the market. The buyers, who are moving from the Mornington Peninsula to be closer to family, had previously lived in the suburb. Agent Malinda Leonard of Jellis Craig Geelong said the property drew two potential buyers during the campaign. The home was originally built in 1914 and combines its period features with a modern extension and a solar-heated pool. It last sold for $1.08 million in 2010.
A large former Toyota site at 200-214 Blackshaws Rd, Altona North, has been listed for sale, with a possible $40 million price. The 5.3-hectare property was sold by Toyota in 2020. A Victorian government masterplan has earmarked the site for a future town centre with a supermarket, shops and up to 395 homes. No development plans are yet in place. Expressions of interest close at 3pm on November 11.
A 1980s acreage home at Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast has hit the market for the first time in 43 years. Its green stone bathrooms, red vinyl bar and tiki-style outdoor area have divided members of a vintage property group. Some members argue the 1990s is retro and the 1980s is marginal, while others say the era has become the new 70s. The 4,106 square metre creekside property is being marketed through an expressions of interest campaign with Karen McDonald of Coastal.
Real estate agent Emil Juresic and partner Giselle Kramer have signed a lease for a four-storey space at Broadbeach, on the Gold Coast, once home to the Change gym. The site sits within the Oracle precinct owned by Makris Group, which says it did not consent to a planning submission for a Change-branded proposal. Stage one of the Level X wellness venue is under construction and is due to open on December 1. A later expansion will add a rooftop pool, medical recovery suite and bathhouse.
A production insider has rejected claims that work completed after filming rigged The Block's Mount Eliza finale. The insider said no contestant gained an unfair advantage and that finishing homes for auction is separate from the competition. Media reports allege producers approved work worth up to $200,000 on Rick and Tayla's home, a figure that has not been independently verified. Buyer's advocate Madeleine Roberts said completing unfinished work before auction was not unfair. The properties go under the hammer on October 31, ahead of the finale on November 1.
A $40 million luxury apartment project at Hope Island Resort on the Gold Coast has sold more than $28 million of residences ahead of completion. GH Properties says 14 of the 21 Sage apartments have sold at an average price above $2 million. The developer's managing director, Ellen Guan, said the boutique, north-facing waterfront units have drawn strong interest from downsizers. Prices start at $1.63 million for large two-bedroom apartments and $1.96 million for three-bedroom apartments. Residents will have access to the resort's golf course, pool and wellness programs.
A court has set aside Gold Coast council approval for a 14-storey apartment tower in Kirra, after neighbours appealed. Judge Nicole Kefford found the design added to the appearance of bulk and was overbearing on neighbouring properties. She also said the 317 bedrooms proposed for the site were far above the density set under the city's planning rules. The developer's original nine-storey approval for the site remains in place.
NASA and its commercial partners Blue Origin and SpaceX have streamlined lander designs and changed how their crewed landers will operate for Moon missions. NASA plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028 and establish a Moon base. Under the revised plan, the landers and the Orion spacecraft will meet in different orbits, and both companies must complete uncrewed demonstration missions first. Artemis III has been redefined as a test of rendezvous and docking in low Earth orbit next year. NASA has also added development milestones to increase its oversight of lander work.
Experts say the five Mt Eliza homes on The Block will go under the hammer on Saturday, October 31, and the outcome is hard to predict. The $3.45 million reserve for each home has been revealed ahead of auction, a first for the show. Buyer's advocates say houses 4 and 5 suit family buyers, and that the views on offer may be a deciding factor. Judge Darren Palmer said he could not call a winner, and praised House 1 for its luxury country home design.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
The ACT government has opened expressions of interest for the Canberra House Pattern Book Design Competition, a national search for designs of dual occupancies, townhouses and terrace homes. The aim is to help the territory reach its goal of enabling 30,000 new homes by 2030. The pattern book will be a library of pre-approved, architect-designed plans that projects can build without a development application. Planning minister Chris Steel said the initiative builds on the territory's missing middle reforms. Expressions of interest close on 4 December 2026.
Three in four Australians say a $20 weekly rise in rent or mortgage would force them to cut back, according to an Everybody’s Home survey of 1,150 people. Of those, 41 per cent said they could not afford it or would need to cut essentials such as food, medication or bills. Many respondents also said they had delayed major life decisions, including saving for retirement. Everybody’s Home has called for minimum standards for rental homes, limits on unfair rent increases and more public and community housing.
South Australia plans another 300 homes under its Rent To Own scheme, aimed at first-home buyers and former owners who have spent years renting. The state government says planning and construction are under way, following the allocation of all 125 homes in the initial pilot. Under the scheme, buyers sign a sale contract and lease together, renting at 75 per cent of market rent for up to two years while the purchase price is fixed. Housing Minister Nick Champion said the scheme gives people a second chance at home ownership.
Rock musician Ross Wilson is selling his Port Melbourne home, which he bought in 2018 for $1.681m. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house has been extended and renovated and carries a $2.4m to $2.6m price guide. Agent Justin Holod of Marshal White says buyers have described the home as feeling like a famous person lives there, pointing to an old-school jukebox. The house goes to auction on November 7 at 1.30pm.
Long-held Australian properties are reaching the market for the first time in decades as senior owners sell or pass homes to family. Raine & Horne Group executive chairman Angus Raine said intergenerational wealth transfer is creating rare buying opportunities. In Adelaide, a 92-year-old woman's Devon Park home sold at auction this month. A Parafield Gardens property on a 2313sqm block was listed for the first time in more than 60 years. Two country estates in NSW, owned by one family for over 30 years, have also been listed for sale.
