Stay informed with the latest real estate news, market trends, and expert insights for Melbourne City. Our blog covers everything you need to know about the property market in Australia.
Buying a strata apartment in Melbourne? Before you sign, carefully review the Section 32, Owners Corporation records, and sinking fund balance. This guide explains common defect patterns in 2000s–2010s buildings, what a healthy maintenance fund looks like, and when future special levies are a real risk.
Melbourne’s planning system layers zoning, council overlays and site-specific conditions, making small-scale development complex. This guide explains GRZ and NRZ zones, neighbourhood character and heritage overlays, ResCode rules for granny flats and secondary dwellings, and core feasibility, tax and GST considerations for 3–4 townhouse projects so investors avoid costly mistakes.
The February 2026 RBA rate rise is reshaping investor cash flow across Melbourne. This guide explains what higher rates mean for mortgage costs, land tax and rental yields, and when it may be smarter to sell, hold or restructure. Learn how to adapt your portfolio to the new rate environment.
In Melbourne, the price you see on property portals often isn’t the price you need to win. Underquoting laws, auction dynamics and vague labels like “Contact Agent” or “Expressions of Interest” can mislead buyers. This guide explains how portal prices are set, common traps, and how to budget realistically.
Melbourne’s 2026 property market splits into three key buyer groups: family home seekers in the south-east, investors weighing inner-south-east yield versus growth, and first-home buyers targeting affordable units. This guide compares real suburbs, school zones, transport links and state taxes to help you choose the right area for your budget.
First home buyer with a $650k–$700k budget in Melbourne’s west? This guide explains what you can realistically buy in suburbs like Laverton, Altona Meadows, Tarneit and Hoppers Crossing, how underquoting works in 2026, and why inspection reports, recent comparable sales and interest rate stress-testing are critical before you bid.
Many Melbourne owners are surprised when a bank valuation comes in below what local buyers would pay. In 2026, higher interest rates, APRA’s tighter DTI limits and conservative valuation methods mean your “bankable” value can be lower than agent appraisals, reducing usable equity for refinancing or purchasing your next home.
In Victoria, even a simple two-lot subdivision with a shared driveway creates an owners corporation with enforceable rules. This guide explains common property obligations, parking and storage restrictions, and how to handle “inactive” OCs and neighbour disputes through Consumer Affairs Victoria, the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria and VCAT.
Victorian property owners face new 2026 rules on Vacant Residential Land Tax, land tax thresholds and short‑stay levies. Learn who pays, key deadlines, exemptions, portfolio impacts and practical leasing strategies to reduce vacancy risk, avoid penalty tax and protect your Melbourne investment returns amid changing SRO requirements across greater Victoria.