I’ve never been a fan of horror movies.

Too much screaming, too many jump scares, and don’t even get me started on the gore. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always let you opt out of the genre. Sometimes it brings the horror film straight to your bed at 2am – in the form of a dead possum.

A couple of months ago, I was soundly asleep when my dog Agnes decided I needed a gift. Like the generous housemate she is, she dropped what I thought was one of her rain-soaked toys into my arms.

I lazily flicked it off the bed, heard it thud on the floor, and rolled over.

Agnes, delighted, bounded after it and leapt back up, dumping it on me once again.

Except this time, my hand brushed claws.

Adrenaline surged, my survival instincts kicked in, and I turned on the light to find a very much not alive, drool-soaked possum staring back at me.

Cue banshee-level screaming, flailing limbs, and a dramatic escape roll over my husband, who definitely didn’t sign up for live-action The Exorcist: Possum Edition.

Agnes, meanwhile, looked smug.

Proud.

Triumphant.

Like a cat who’d aced its final exam.

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And while my household drama might sound like an isolated horror-comedy, it turns out I’m not the only Aussie forced into middle-of-the-night possum confrontations.

According to new Airtasker data, possum infestations are peaking right now, with demand for possum removal services soaring 40 per cent in August compared to previous months – and a 15 per cent year-on-year rise in September.

And while my possum-pocalypse occurred in SA, the nation’s possum capital turns out to be Melbourne.

Licensed Pest Technician and Tasker Ibby El-Jamal says Melbourne’s Inner East is ground zero for possum chaos, with removal tasks there running at three times the national average.

“Melbourne’s combination of possum-friendly old housing with gaps and roof cavities can make DIY removal tricky, which when breed like wildfire,” he says.

“The noisy breeding and fighting is a nuisance at all hours, especially when it’s dark, as they are nocturnal, and people would rather pay a pest control expert than do it themselves.

“That leads to high demand, as proven by the amount of possum removal tasks posted on Airtasker.”

The Inner East is followed closely by Melbourne’s Inner South, with both regions having a rate of tasks per 100,000 population 300 per cent higher than the national average.

Sydney suburbs like North Sydney, Hornsby and the Northern Beaches also made the top 10 possum hotspots, but Melbourne still takes the crown, with 60 per cent more removal jobs than Sydney.

So if you hear strange thuds in the night, it’s probably not ghosts. It’s possums.

And if you’ve got an enthusiastic pet like mine? Well, let’s just say – consider investing in industrial-strength bed sheets.

Top tips to prevent pests from taking over

Focus on prevention first

Block off entry points by sealing cracks, adding door sweeps to wide gaps, and even using mesh over weep holes. Simple steps like closing windows when you leave can also help keep out pests. The easiest way to deal with pests is to discourage them from getting in. Keep your home tidy, seal food properly in containers, wipe down benches regularly, and empty bins often.

Act early – especially in spring leading into summer

Experts say infestations spike in the warmer months as heat speeds up pest breeding cycles. With more food and water available, pests spread faster, especially in densely populated cities like Sydney. Prevention and quick action are key — deal with pests at the first sign before they multiply.

Use possum repellent

Deakin University data shows effective possum repellents include Tabasco Sauce, garlic, Indonesian fish sauce, and hot mustard which deter possums through two chemical senses: smell and taste.

The post Revealed: The Australian suburbs most overrun by possums appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Balook St buying: “It’s a rare opportunity.”

Petrusma Property senior representative Kahn Duffey said the chance to buy by the beach in Lauderdale’s Balook St is a special one that doesn’t come along often.

And he’s spot on.

Only one home on the waterside of this enviable location has been sold this year. And about a dozen homes in the last five years.

No.114 Balook St, Lauderdale is a neat and tidy 1950s home with three bedrooms and a single bathroom, set on a 668sq m beachside lot.

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Mr Duffey said the property has attracted a good amount of interest since it launched.

“That has come from a range of different buyers, including owner-occupiers, investors, and developers,” he said.

“Many are actually a hybrid of all three.”

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The home is currently rented for $630 per week.

“People are drawn to the attractive rental income in the short term, with a long-term vision of developing their dream home on the site,” Mr Duffey said.

“Beachfront properties on Balook St are in very short supply and don’t come up often.

“In my opinion, it is arguably one of Hobart’s most desirable beachfront locations.”

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The property has a functional kitchen with plenty of storage, large windows, abundant natural light and warmth, Tasmanian oak floors and generously sized bedrooms.

In winter, comfort is ensured via a heat pump, wood heater and electric panel heaters.

A rear covered deck provides the best location for relaxation.

There is beach access from the property’s backyard.

No.114 Balook St, Lauderdale is priced at “Offers over $1.15m”.

The post Humble waterfront home with $1m+ hopes appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Planet Home Lending on Thursday announced the appointment of John Adams as retail renovation leader as the company seeks to enhance its home renovation expertise and unlock more housing opportunities for borrowers.

Adams will focus on training and supporting Planet’s distributed retail loan originators and educating real estate agents nationwide. He will also educate veterans and first-time homebuyers about the potential of renovation loans.

“Planet was one of the first lenders to bring VA renovation lending to market — and remains one of the only companies offering it at scale,” Adams said. “That means veterans don’t have to settle for a less-than-perfect house. They can buy a home in the location they want, even if it needs work or is difficult to insure.

“There’s intrinsic value in making a house your own instead of going with the previous homeowner’s choices and waiting to do renovations,” he added. “Millennials and Gen Z buyers, veterans and families caring for loved ones don’t want to wait years to remodel — they want a house that reflects their taste, in the right neighborhood, today. Renovation lending makes that possible while building long-term generational wealth.”

Another part of Adams’ new role includes delivering live and on-demand training for LOs and real estate agents. This aims to create a repeatable playbook for retail loan officers to grow their market share while collaborating with Planet’s marketing team to drive education and lead generation.

“John wakes up every day thinking about how property builds wealth, and he has shown hundreds of people how to overcome their fears of renovation lending,” said Matt Payan, Planet Home Lending’s senior vice president of national production and distributed retail.

“His expertise, energy and innovative approach are a perfect fit for Planet’s entrepreneurial culture and our commitment to supporting customers throughout their homeownership journey.”

Adams is the author of “House Hacking: Using Renovation Loans for a Better Way to Buy a Home,” and a portion of the book’s proceeds are donated to K9s For Warriors.

“I chose Planet because it has the scale, talent and resources to move the adoption of renovation loans forward,” Adams said. “Planet understands what it takes to bring clarity to renovation lending. We have the subject matter experts, the systems and the drive to connect every dot for our customers and partners.”

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Existing home sales have shown year-over-year growth for two consecutive months, as mortgage rates have remained below 6.64% for the same period. However, let’s remember that the bar is very low for yearly growth. In fact, for many months, I’ve said that the reports coming out from June to October — which will be reported from July to November — will have the lowest year-over-year comps in history, so take the growth with a grain of salt. 

However, looking forward, purchase applications have just had their best eight weeks of the year and this data line typically doesn’t reflect in the sales data until 30-90 days later. So we can still see some growth in existing home sales as the year progresses.

We really need 12-14 weeks of consistently positive weekly purchase application data to be a material event and in the last eight weeks we’ve had seven positive and only one negative, marking eight straight weeks of double-digit year-over-year growth. If we can string out four to six more week of positive purchase apps data, we can see some growth from these low levels.

Existing home sales

From NAR: Total existing-home sales for August:

• 0.2% decrease in total existing-home sales, month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.0 million.
• 1.8% increase in sales year-over-year.

“Home sales have been sluggish over the past few years due to elevated mortgage rates and limited inventory,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “However, mortgage rates are declining and more inventory is coming to the market, which should boost sales in the coming months.”

Earlier this year, I mentioned that if home sales remain steady at around 4 million, we will still see year-over-year growth despite elevated mortgage rates, as our Housing Market Tracker data indicated slight year-over-year increases. It will be interesting to observe how the rest of the year unfolds, especially since the comparisons for November and December will be more challenging. Those results will be reported in December and January. However, for now, sales have done better this year than last year at this time with 1.8% year-over-year growth.

Housing inventory

Inventory in August:

• 1.53 million units: Total housing inventory down 1.3% from July and up 11.7% from August 2024 (1.37 million).
• 4.6-month supply of unsold inventory, no change from July and up from 4.2 months in August 2024.

Housing inventory has decreased slightly with the NAR data and we may have already reached this year’s peak of 1.55 million, as reported by the NAR. The growth of inventory has been one of the best stories in 2025 for the U.S. economy.

However, with our own HousingWire Data on inventory, we’ve seen housing inventory growth slowing since mid-June, while still showing year-over-year gains. We went from 33% year-over-year growth down to 20% the last few months.

Still, the most notable aspect of the housing market has been the increase in inventory, as price growth has cooled and is now showing a year-over-year increase of just 2.2%. Historically, normal inventory levels range between 2 million to 2.5 million. (For context, In 2007, inventory peaked at 4 million.) If current inventory levels remain between 1.52 million and 1.93 million, discussions regarding low inventory will become less relevant, as sufficient supply will be available in the market.

Conclusion

It’s been a good week for housing data, with purchase apps up, new home sales beating expectations, year-over-year growth in existing home sales and inventory up year over year. Considering the real negative take on housing data early in the year, things have improved. When mortgage rates get below 6.64% and head toward 6% the housing dynamics change and 2025 is now the third time since late 2022 that we’ve seen this happen.