As the exclusive agents and advisors, MRE was pivotal in the initial design and continued success of all three stages of Jaques’ 385 boutique homes. In collaboration with Fender Katsalidis Architects and Hecker Guthrie interiors, Jaques is the perfect encapsulation of iconic history and contemporary elegance. The award-winning Jaques, is located in one of Richmond’s most coveted pockets, just moments from Bridge Road, popular shops and restaurants, and the Yarra walking trails.  Formally the Jaques Bros Foundry, the name of this residential precinct is a homage to its original owners, the ..read more

With MRE’s new Paid Parental Leave program, soon-to-be parents no longer have to worry about budgeting on one income while on maternity leave. MRE Founder Peter Hooymans, nearly 20 years ago, committed to two guiding principles: we will never be complacent, and we will always put people first. These tenets continue to guide MRE’s expansion and evolution – in fact, they are centre stage. MRE recently introduced employer-sponsored paid parental leave across the entire business. A rarity in SMEs and even rarer in real estate. “We value our people above anything else,” affirms Mr Hooymans. “We tak ..read more

The Victorian Labor Government has introduced some new laws relating to tenancies in our state. Some of these laws take effect now and others will come into place over the next 12-18 months. The first change relates to the frequency of rent increases for residential properties, and it only effects leases that begin after 19th June 2019. If your property is currently tenanted, this change will not impact you and your tenants unless a lease renewal occurs after 19th June 2019, or your tenants vacate and a new tenant is found. Any new leases starting after 19th June 2019 will be effected by this ..read more

Tenants hoping for rental reductions in Melbourne’s highly sought-after housing segment have been sorely disappointed as asking prices continue to climb, which contrasts the recent downturn in the value of property prices. According to the recent Domain Rental Report, the Melbourne market over the December 2018 quarter showed an average: 3 per cent rise in weekly rent Rents for houses growing to a new high of $440 per week Asking prices for units decreasing slightly to $410 per week Improved Gross Rental Yields Domain’s Senior Research Analyst, Nicola Powell, stated that improving gross ren ..read more

For some property investors, short-stay accommodation setups may seem attractive due to their potential for an immediate high rental return. However, like any investment there are risks to be considered. Whether you’re currently running short-stay accommodation in your investment property or contemplating the idea, below are a few factors to keep in mind. Rental Return  With short-stay accommodation there is an increased nightly rate, that is for certain. It is important to consider, however, that having an inconsistent occupancy quickly negates the higher per-night charge, especially du ..read more

With the federal election approaching, negative gearing has been appearing more frequently in the media. Many investors will be wondering how Labor’s proposed changes will affect them if elected to power. Robert Rich from Endorphin Wealth Management believes that a timeline for the changes being introduced will be difficult to determine, though if Labor wins convincingly they’ll be moving swiftly to make their mark on the political landscape, meaning we can expect the new laws to be pushed through quite quickly. In a recent blog post, Robert outlines that currently, “Australian tax law allows ..read more

A Case Study by Lee Bouy   MRE take great care in understanding the market and the dynamics that shape rental returns. We were recently in touch with a landlord whose apartment in Northcote was achieving significantly lower rent than others in the same building. With their previous agency, they’d unfortunately experienced a string of tenancies (who’d taken over leases and resigned) with no rental increases relative to the neighbouring and similar apartments. The property is a two-bedroom apartment, built in 2014 and is approximately 84sqm. When the current tenant fell behind in their ren ..read more

For the one in four Victorians who rent their home, the passing of more than 130 reforms to the Residential Tenancies Act brings some welcome news. Designed to broadly increase renter’s rights, while ensuring landlords will continue to adequately manage their investments, the reforms will better protect vulnerable tenants and allow people to make a house a home. Alongside the banning of misleading or deceptive conduct designed to persuade a person into renting a particular property, there will be a crack-down on the practice of rental bidding, bonds will be capped at four weeks rent ..read more

Melbourne Real Estate has a duty of care to ensure our clients are aware of the risks they may be exposed to when owning a rental property. We therefore recommend all of our clients do their research to find a comprehensive landlords insurance policy that suits their needs. Some important areas to look out for in landlords insurance coverage include; Loss of rent cover – How long does the cover last and under what circumstances the policy will cover this. Accidental damage – How much the cover is, and what is considered accidental. Malicious damage – How much the cover is, under what circumst ..read more

It may seem counterintuitive to list your home for sale following the conventionally popular spring selling season, but there are some clear advantages to selling over the Christmas period.    Spring Sales Wash-up: Generally a highly competitive selling time, once the dust settles, not only will many sellers be on the look-out for their next property, but odds are there will be a number of people who missed out on purchasing their dream home and are still highly motivated to buy. Less Competition: In the traditionally busy real estate flurry of Autumn and Spring, it can be difficult ..read more