There are fewer Hobart homes for sale now than there were last month or last year.

And there are fewer new listings coming through to fill the gap.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean that budding buyers are starving for choice.

REA Group’s June Listings Report showed a 18.1 per cent decline in new Hobart listings when comparing June to May.

Hobart was among five capital cities with a double-digit decline.

Compared year-on-year, new listings in June were 7.5 per cent lower.

Hobart’s total listings figure was down by 8.1 per cent month-on-month and 6.4 per cent lower year-on-year.

In regional Tasmania, the annual total figure was 4.8 per cent higher. However, the new listings year-on-year result was 1.4 per cent behind 2024.

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REA Group executive manager of economics, Angus Moore, said the market had entered the quieter winter season now, which is particularly pronounced in Hobart.

“This means we’re seeing fewer new listings and less stock on the market,” he said.

“Even so, this June has been quieter than last year, and a bit quieter than average, though that comes off a busy first three months of 2025 and a busy spring last year.”

Mr Moore said while there are fewer homes for sale this year compared to June last year, that mainly reflects that there was quite a lot of stock last year, not that choice is more limited this year.

“In fact, even with the decline we’ve seen year-on-year, there is far more stock available for sale than was the case during the pandemic, or during Hobart’s late 2010s home price boom,” he said.

“Barring last year, the last time there was this much stock available during winter was 2016.”

Meanwhile, SQM Research figures show 2931 listings across greater Hobart, including 559 that have been available for under 30 days.

There were only 249 in the 30-60 day bracket; 308 in the 60-90 day range; 594 listed for 90-180 days; and 1221 have been on the market for over 180 days.

Separate research by PropTrack shows houses in Hobart are selling 14 per cent faster now than they were a year ago (43 days on market), while units are selling 7 per cent faster (42 days).

REA Group senior economist Anne Flaherty said days on the market are a clear indicator of how demand is tracking in a suburb.

“Where we see demand tracking up, we see days on market going down,” Ms Flaherty said.

PropTrack statistics show the fastest moving suburbs in Hobart — for house sales — are Warrane (13 days), Glebe (18 days), Geilston Bay (20 days) and Mount Nelson (21 days).

For units, the quickest suburbs are Moonah (16 days), Oakdowns (20 days) and Mount Stuart (22 days).

The post Hobart home listings trend lower appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Homeowners and renters have been told to check their next energy bill as it is likely to be a fair amount higher amid rate changes across various networks and uneven deals in the market.

Increases in energy charges came into effect over July and will affect hundreds of thousands of Aussies. For most, the increases will be about 25 per cent.

But Canstar analysis revealed the rises have not applied equally across networks.

This has led to vast differences among provider charges, with some lower cost electricity suppliers offering rates that would work out to be about $500 a year cheaper than the industry average, Canstar noted.

Canstar insights director Sally Tindall said the price gaps were often the result of differences in the size of each energy network, which meant they were passing on costs in varying ways.

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“The cost of electricity is made up of a number of different factors. While wholesale costs is one of them – which is the price paid to generators for energy – there is also network costs, retailer costs and environmental costs,” Ms Tindall said.

“The increase in many of these costs is, unfortunately, resulting in higher energy bills.”

Canstar revealed that some of the biggest price variances were across NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

The lowest cost plans in NSW from Essential Energy and Endeavour Energy were about $507 and $460 cheaper annually than the industry average, the comparison group found.

In Queensland, Energex’s lowest cost plan was about $444 a year cheaper than the industry average.

Victorian households could get electricity rates at about $314-$358 cheaper than the industry norm on the lowest cost plans from Ausnet, Citipower, Powercor and United Energy, the Canstar analysis showed.

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Ms Tindall added that price changes this month were significant – albeit lower than those recorded over 2022, when the start of the Ukraine War and other factors sparked a global surge in energy prices.

“High demand for electricity, weather events and, on occasion, coal station outages over the last year have had an impact on wholesale prices,” Ms Tindall said.

“Network costs, that is, the cost of transporting energy to your home, is a major component of (prices). Depending on the network you’re on, these costs can form up to 48 per cent of an electricity bill.”

Compare the Market’s economic director David Koch said July increases in electricity costs would impact around 800,000 households on standing offers. These customers were simply “paying too much”, he said.

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“If you’re on the standing offer, chances are you’re already paying more than you need to for the very same electricity supply as your neighbours,” Mr Koch said.

“We know 80 per cent of households in the National Energy Market are overpaying for electricity because in so many cases there are better deals out there.”

Recent energy price increases reflect ongoing cost pressures on providers, Mr Koch said.

“Wholesale prices only account for roughly a third of your energy bill, and regulators consider an array of other factors when determining prices,” Mr Koch said.

“Firstly, network costs continue to rise for retailers. The cost of materials to maintain the network has increased and it’s costing more for distributors to read meters, maintain poles, wires and pipes and transform the grid.

“People may not realise that there’s also a cost involved in meeting renewable energy targets. Outdated electricity grids and networks have been expensive to maintain and will cost even more to transform over the next 10 years.

“It’s regular Aussie families who will bear the brunt as some of these costs are passed on.

“None of these changes will happen overnight, so we could face a long, protracted period of price pressure.”

The post Energy bills: price gaps between providers revealed appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Live like a rock star in this uber-chic Broadbeach Waters home that comes complete with a waterfront address, premium Surfers Paradise skyline views and a stunning hand painted facade that’s a literal work of art.

Located in the sought after suburb’s ‘Golden Triangle’, 10 Rio Vista Blvd is a near-new ultra luxe mansion.

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Spanning two storeys, the Jayson Pate designed home includes six bedrooms, four living rooms, a wine cellar with a tasting room, and a resort-style swimming pool overlooking the water.

But the property’s crowning glory is a hand painted exterior mural by renowned artist Cameron Scale.

That mural was part of the reason owner Sue Su purchased the property in 2022, shortly after its construction.

“I was deeply attracted by it when I saw it online, so I immediately flew from Sydney to the Gold Coast,” Su said.

“After just one inspection, I decided to purchase it because it ticked all my boxes.”

Since then, the property has served as a holiday home for the Su family, offering an enviable Gold Coast lifestyle with a stunning view across the water to Surfers Paradise and the iconic Q1 building.

“In the morning, we are woken up by the whispers of sunlight and water waves, and opening the window reveals the perfect match of a clear blue sky and the private jetty,” she said. “At night, the neon lights of the city skyline become the backdrop for our pool parties.”

Featuring 16.6m of water frontage, the home offers a bold and dramatic design, with features including soaring voids, charred timber accents, a mix of polished concrete and oak timber flooring, and smart home automation.

Upstairs are four ensuited bedrooms, a family room and a central lounge area, along with a master suite with balcony access, and water and skyline views.

Downstairs includes a guest suite, a lounge, a wine cellar with a tasting room, and an open plan kitchen, dining and living space that leads to a covered alfresco entertaining area.

“It has an excellent interior layout with six bedrooms and six bathrooms, as well as large internal and external public areas, which can meet the needs of different family members,” Su said.

Set on a 731sq m block, the property also boasts a two-car garage and carport, a 13m swimming pool with built-in sun beds, a private sandy beach, and an 8m boat pontoon.

“The pool area offers a stunning river view, set against the Jewel Towers,” Su said. “And the private jetty is only 300m away from Main River, making it convenient to go out to sea.”

By day, the property is a contemporary eye catcher known to many for its unique artwork, but at night it takes on a whole new look and rock star persona courtesy of state-of-the-art lighting and its prime waterfront position.

Meanwhile, the home is located within easy reach of Broadbeach, The Star casino, and Pacific Fair.

“We have so many beautiful memories here,” Su said.

“A cup of rich coffee while enjoying the scenery in the sun, morning walks on the beach at sunrise, shopping at Pacific Fair, playing in the pool, and the fun of going out to sea for fishing and catching crabs at the pier.”

Paul Harrison of Kollosche is taking 10 Rio Vista Blvd to auction on August 15, if not sold prior.

The post Rock star mansion going to auction appeared first on realestate.com.au.

A collection of tenanted investment properties in Ocean Grove’s main retail strip is set to break commercial real estate records in the Bellarine Peninsula town.

The Commercial 1 zoned properties, dubbed The Elite 8 – Ocean Grove Collection, comprises eight leased tenancies across nine titles at 65-67 The Terrace and 6-9 Park Lane.

The conglomeration delivers a net annual income of more than $380,000, plus GST, and is being sold in line in an expressions of interest campaign closing in August.

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The 959sq m landholding has a strategic dual street frontage and offers long-term future development potential.

Darcy Jarman agents Andrew Prowse and Tim Darcy, in conjunction with Kerleys Coastal director Damian Cayzer, are managing the expressions of interest campaign closing August 21.

“It’s almost 1000sq m of commercial land, that on its own is a significant attribute to the property. There’s nothing like outside the Coles building or Home Timber and Hardware on that strip so the scale can’t be ignored,” Mr Prowse said.

“It’s a unique opportunity – eight tenancies offered for sale in one line and fully leased to longstanding tenants. They’re all on three-year terms and a lot of them are on renewed terms.

“The average tenure is over 11 years, so it’s an asset that hasn’t been presented to the Geelong market for a long time.”

The diverse mix of tenants across banking, retail, health, hospitality and service sectors lowers to the risk profile for future owners, Mr Prowse said.

Tenants include Bendigo Bank, Oceans24 Health Club, Mac’s Menswear, Mudge Shoes, and longstanding institutions such as Cleo Fine Jewellery.

“I’m a big fan of The Terrace, it’s one of the best retail strips on the Bellarine and is constantly around zero vacancies along the strip at any one time,” he said.

Given its CBD location, it’s strong income and mix of tenancies, industry sources say the property could match a 5 per cent to 6 per cent yield achieved in similar landmark sales with future development upside across the Geelong region in recent years.

That could push the value to $6m.

The Terrace is a bustling business hub, with national retailers such as Coles, ANZ and the Commonwealth Bank, high foot traffic and year-round demand that swells over summer.

Mr Prowse said there as been good initial engagement, with a mix of local, Melbourne and interstate groups seeking information.

“It’ll be someone that will be looking to enjoy that income today but potentially have an understanding of what that area will evolve to and become and continue to be.

“But given the security of the income, it’s very much a land bank with a cash flow and down the track a grander plan for that site could be activated.”

The post Ocean Grove: Coastal hub drives $380K income with upside appeared first on realestate.com.au.

As the U.S. population ages, many families are facing long-term care (LTC) issues. Most families either pay for it out of their savings or spend down these savings until they qualify for Medicaid.

But there’s a group stuck between the two — those who are too “rich” for Medicaid benefits but not wealthy enough to afford 24/7 in-home care.

According to a recent report from Time, about two-thirds of caregiving hours for older adults in the U.S. are provided by informal and unpaid caregivers. 

David Grabowski, a Harvard Medical School professor who authored a 2019 study about middle-income seniors, told the publication that many seniors will have insufficient resources for housing and health care needs.

By 2033, researchers at the University of Chicago estimate there will be 16 million middle-income seniors who can’t afford to pay for the health, personal care and housing services they need.

Nursing home costs, according to a 2021 study, are estimated at $100,740 a year for a semi-private room, with in-home care on weekdays costing $42,120.

The giant Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump‘s “Big Beautiful Bill” are likely to exacerbate the situation. Home- and community-based care for low-income seniors is considered an optional program in Medicaid, meaning that states can cut it when their budgets are tight.

The report cited various solutions to the long-term health care issue, such as looking into long-term care insurance and consulting an elder attorney. It did not, however, suggest a reverse mortgage, which is expected to be a key tool for seniors whose health care costs exceed their income.

The reverse mortgage industry has aimed in recent years to position itself as a potential avenue to fund LTC directly or pay for LTC insurance. But a reverse mortgage through a lump sum or a regular fixed monthly payment could disqualify borrowers from Medicaid eligibility, and an elder care attorney should be consulted.