If you are of a nervous disposition, probably best to look away now.  The Australian economy is about to turn into a bloodbath, according to a range of pundits, with soaring inflation, rising mortgage rates and a mass exodus of investors just around the corner.

Australians have been warned they could see see inflation hit 5 percent by June, thanks to the oil supply crisis.

And as a result, warns Westpac, the reserve bank will push interest rates to the highest we’ve seen in 18 years.

And it’s not just the war in the Middle East that’s to blame for anxiety attacks. Mooted changes to negative gearing could exacerbate the rental crisis and force investors out of the market, say some real estate bigwigs.

But there is better news, such as the fact that WA renters will find it much easier to get their rental bonds back, and the claim that downsizers could trouser a cool couple of million just by losing a bedroom.

That’s all in this week’s news feed from Leftfield Communications.

Free Reads

Domain

Downsizing windfalls revealed: Aussies can pocket $2m by dropping a bedroom
In some Australian suburbs, downsizing a property by just one bedroom can result in a windfall of more than $2 million from the transaction, and some experts say the window to trade down and cash in has rarely looked better.

House-like proportions found in Melbourne’s coveted Studley Park precinct
In the leafy quiet of Melbourne’s Studley Park, where heritage homes sit deep within their gardens, Piccolo House – 18 Barry St Kew proposes something intriguingly rare: apartments that feel like houses.

ABC Online

If your home is underinsured it comes with big risks, experts say
Do you know how much your home is insured for? Many home owners don’t realise they are underinsured, according to Fei Huang, an associate professor in the School of Risk and Actuarial Studies at the University of NSW Business School in Sydney/Gadigal.

How housing costs are creating an ‘almost hidden crisis’ for single parents
The past few years have been “bumpy” for Hunter and his mother. Inflation and rising rental costs bit into their single-parent household budget.

Randwick City Council calls for ban on commercial student accommodation
Cranes and scaffolding dot the skyline in these eastern Sydney suburbs, where development approvals for student accommodation trails residential housing 10 to one. The 2.5-kilometre stretch of Anzac Parade between Kensington and Kingsford has become a battleground for the local council, which argues it has been “monopolised” by commercial student housing providers.

Realestate.com.au

Shock rate warning: RBA tells Aussies to brace for 5% inflation by June
If oil prices continue to remain elevated, Australians can expect headline inflation to lift to 5% in just a few months.

Mortgage holders warned as Westpac forecasts cash rate to hit 18-year high
Australia faces its highest cash rate since the Global Financial Crisis as one of the big banks predicts aggressive RBA action that could devastate homeowners.

‘Jackpot’: Mosman unit blocks sell for $65m+ in hushed-up deal
Two old blocks of flats have sold for more than $65m in what the agents are likening to a “gold rush” and “jackpot” for the sellers. The hushed up sale included 13 Moruben Rd, Mosman – a 1940s red-brick block of six flats on 581sq m – and 15 Moruben Rd – a blonde-brick late 1960s block of 11 flats.

Historic Melbourne pub to anchor new $300m skyscraper
A $300m student mega-dorm will tower over what remains of the Great Western Hotel, delivering 892 beds across 26 levels in Melbourne’s CBD. The Little Bourke St project is one of the city’s biggest new student developments, as pressure builds in Melbourne’s rental crisis and demand continues to outstrip supply.

New win for WA renters on bond dispute front
Tenants can now kickstart the release of their rental bonds in Western Australia under a major shake-up designed to make it easier for both renters and landlords.

Get ready for Robo agent: the open home revolution
A top eastern suburbs agent has big plans to transform the open home experience for buyers: robots greeting you at the front door. “I’m looking to buy a robot,” says the Raine and Horne Double Bay principal Ric Serrao.

Urban Developer – Partly Free

Bondi Beach Proposal Swaps Boarding House for Units
A Bondi Beach corner site once approved for a boarding house is back before the Waverley Council with a new apartment bid.

Platino Adds to 600-Home Sydney Seniors Precinct Again
Platino Properties’s retirement precinct in Sydney’s Northern Beaches continues to expand, with concept and stage 1 approval granted for another 349 independent living units and a residential care facility.

Luxury ‘Low Tox’ Townhouse Plans Filed for Burleigh
Luxury boutique “low tox” residential infill plans have been filed for a tightly-held pocket of Burleigh Heads at the southern end of the Gold Coast.

Canberra BtR Scheme Plans to Bring the Backyard Back
Tri-state developer Hindmarsh is aiming to bring the backyard back to Canberra’s Woden town centre with a $114.4-million two-tower build-to-rent scheme.

Salta Properties Greenlit for $257m Docklands BtR Tower
Salta Properties has secured approval for its long-awaited Docklands stadium precinct tower. The developer has been awarded a ministerial permit for the 554-apartment development by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Exit the Dragon: SA Developer’s Mural to Go, 22 Storeys Greenlit
To build a 22-storey luxury apartment tower approved by a state panel this week, a first-time Adelaide property developer will reluctantly have to dismantle a mural of a dragon and a brave girl that he commissioned to lament the war in Ukraine.

HDA Uplift Sought for $185m NSW Precinct 50 Years in the Making
A Central Coast residential project is seeking upscaling into a $185-million mixed-use precinct and developer Darcy Smith told The Urban Developer that the vision had been half a century in the making.

Apartments.com.au

Playfield Developments brings 64 luxury residences to Chermside with Kabbalah
Chermside is better known for bus interchanges and Westfield than for high-end apartment towers. Kabbalah, a 13-storey project on Playfield Street, is a deliberate push against that reputation.

The 3,000 apartments to reshape Surfers Paradise skyline
More than 3,000 dwellings are currently selling or gearing up to launch across Surfers Paradise, the suburb’s most concentrated apartment pipeline in years. At least eight projects are already in market, with more moving through registration and presale, creating a meaningful wave of new supply.

Kooyongkoot records $8m penthouse sale as multi-gen leads the way
An $8 million penthouse has sold at PQD’s Kooyongkoot development in Hawthorn, marking one of the highest apartment sales ever recorded in the suburb and across the wider City of Boroondara.

View.com.au

A buyer walked into a Coogee showroom and walked out with a $20 million apartment
A chance walk past a construction site in Coogee has revealed a striking shift at the very top of Sydney’s property market. Earlier this year, a buyer wandered into a display suite and purchased a penthouse at Ballamac on the spot for around $20 million, no prolonged negotiations, no drawn-out decision-making.

Pay-walled

The Australian Financial Review

Where the property pros would invest $977,579 right now
From Footscray terraces to units in coastal Port Phillip, five property professionals give us their top picks for the rebounding Victorian market.

Parents buy $760,000 apartment for young children
A two-bedroom apartment at 33/31 East Street, Fremantle, Western Australia. Sold by private treaty for $760,000.

The Australian

Property leaders say tax changes could accelerate Australia’s rental crisis and force out investors
Leading real estate agent John McGrath has joined the chorus of voices warning against changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, saying the unintended consequence could result in an exodus of investors.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Revealed: Sydney Olympic Park to get 15,000 homes by 2050, but there’s a catch
Sydney Olympic Park is set to take on more homes and provide fewer jobs than originally proposed in the latest bid to turn the underused precinct into a “vibrant community”.

The lowball tactics home buyers are using to try to nab a bargain
Buyers are making lowball first bids at auction and behaving in a more reserved manner amid caution over rising interest rates and the cost of living, auctioneers say.

The Herald Sun

Melbourne ratepayers squeezed by double rate rise and parking fees in surplus-focused budget
Melbourne has delivered its third surplus in three years as the council tightens its belt, with ratepayers fronting the cost through rate increases and the first parking fee increase in eight years.

Furious residents oppose high-rise retirement village plan in Vermont South
Plans for a massive high-rise retirement village — featuring two 27m towers — in Vermont South have sparked outrage from locals who say it will ruin their neighbourhood.

Rent-a-life: The glam high-rise where influencers flex, flaunt and film
It’s part reality show, part 24/7 content factory: Welcome to the apartment block where the views are sweeping, the lifestyle is a short-term lease away, and everyone’s the star of their own feed.

The Courier Mail

Wild history of crane rescue, uni parties relived as Brisbane’s Walter Taylor Bridge turns 90
Brisbane’s Walter Taylor Bridge has celebrated its 90th anniversary with tales of wild parties, crane rescues and basketball games in its unique residential apartments.

The Gold Coast Bulletin

Record crane boom hits Gold Coast as developers restart stalled projects
A record 75 cranes now dominate the Gold Coast skyline as developers scramble to complete mega-projects before Olympic infrastructure steals their workforce.

Billionaire developer Ian Malouf unveils plans for 44-storey tower on Gold Coast ‘bomb site’
Australia’s richest former garbage collector has revealed ambitious plans to finally develop the long-empty Mermaid Beach Hungry Jacks site that has sat vacant for decades.

The West Australian

John Carey reveals which western suburb is the target for new zone rules to fast-track high rise apartments
John Carey has vowed to push through new zoning rules for train station precincts by the end of the year and he’s made Perth’s western suburbs his first target, while blaming the Opposition for fuelling NIMBY sentiments. “Around Cottesloe station you have 12.5 zonings, so that is one of the lowest densities,” the Housing Minister said.

The Illawarra Mercury

Wollongong CBD apartment block too tall, even with height bonuses factored in
A Wollongong CBD apartment block is still too tall, despite taking advantage of a state government height bonus. A seven-storey apartment block on the corner of Kembla and Stewart streets – opposite Woolworths – was approved by Wollongong City Council in December.