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Holiday homes

This Month

Unshackling workers from their inner-city offices has expanded the appeal of commuter-distance regional locations.

Why now is the time to bag a holiday home bargain

New types of buyers will stoke demand for properties in holiday hotspots but until then, prices will probably remain subdued.

  • Jarrod McCabe

August

Some areas are seeing almost double the listings that would usually be available.

Weekender dreaming: It’s a great time to buy a holiday home

Listings for popular getaway destinations are at their highest in five years, while demand has fallen, making now a good time to look for a holiday home.

  • Michelle Bowes

May

The colour of Copperstone’s exterior render is a nod to the local volcanic soil.

Byron Bay’s Lane family open doors to luxury equine estate

The line between Tom and Emma Lane’s passions – luxury estates and horses – are exhilaratingly blurred at their latest lavish retreat, Copperstone.

  • Eugenie Kelly

April

Paola Lenti’s ‘Orbitry’ swing seat and ‘Bamboo’ room divider.

Why an aerospace engineer and her sister make incredible outdoor furniture

Paola Lenti is one half of the eponymously named Italian furniture brand. Anna is her sister and CEO. Their collections adorn superyachts, resorts and private homes, and are now for sale in Sydney and Melbourne.

  • Stephen Todd

December 2023

Crowds throng the eateries and bars in the old district of Plaka.

On trend and affordable: Athens hits the sweet spot but aims bigger

The Greek capital has rebounded from last decade’s dark economic times. Now a $13bn project hopes to cement its status as Europe’s next big thing.

  • Hans van Leeuwen
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October 2023

Rate of house price growth eases at the upper end of the market

In the past three months, the premium end of the Sydney housing market posted the slowest reading since February.

  • Nila Sweeney

August 2023

A first look at Paul Bangay’s dream English cottage garden

The landscape designer created one of Australia’s most famous enclosures, then moved on. Now, he opens the gate on his latest passion project.

  • Hans van Leeuwen

June 2023

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Popular regional areas on the brink of losing pandemic gains

Weakening personal finances and a return to cities are cutting demand for homes in lifestyle locations, putting them at risk of erasing their pandemic gains.

  • Nila Sweeney

‘Like somebody turned the tap off’: Demand for holiday rentals slumps

Airbnb super host Cherie Barber, who owns five cabins in Byron Bay, says bookings have plummeted.

  • Nila Sweeney
AFR

Property investors threaten to quit Victoria as housing taxes double

A beach house owner in seaside Portsea could potentially face annual tax increases from about $106,000 to $204,000.

  • Duncan Hughes

May 2023

Property owners hit with bill for COVID-19 debt

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas says people with multiple properties should make a “modest” contribution to reduce the state’s pandemic debt.

  • Updated
  • Michael Bleby
Chris Wright and his wife ended up staying in Bequia and day-tripping to Mustique as a result of a not-so-minor issue with their sailing plans.

What to do when your Caribbean cruise is shut down? Go anyway

It was meant to be a milestone birthday celebration aboard a tall ship sailing through the Windward Islands. But then the cruise company was shut down by international war sanctions.

  • Chris Wright

February 2023

Financial advisers say many clients fund a sea-change with their super.

Forget downsizing, should I use my super to ‘upsize’?

Funding a sea or tree change with retirement savings is a legitimate strategy, but potential political changes to superannuation remain a risk.

  • John Wasiliev

May 2022

Holiday homes headed for the chopping block as rates rise

Rising interest rates and living costs could prompt holiday homeowners to dump their second homes, particularly if they bought at the height of the boom last year, experts say.

  • Nila Sweeney

What home buyers want now

Waterfront suburbs and affordable family-friendly areas were buyers’ desired locations in April, data from Domain shows.

  • Nila Sweeney
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January 2022

AFR

Stakes are higher in holiday home dream

Deep pockets and attempts to escape the pandemic have fuelled property prices in beach and riverside retreats.

  • Duncan Hughes

December 2021

Places where you can still afford to buy a home by the sea

House prices in coastal locations have surged in the past 12 months amid strong demand, but there are still areas where holiday home buyers can find homes under $1 million and within commuting distance to the capitals.

  • Nila Sweeney

June 2021

Unstoppable. Australia’s house prices keep rising.

House prices ride higher as listings fall

Capital city prices are now on average 7.8 per cent above their previous record high set in September 2017

  • Nila Sweeney

May 2021

About 200,000 Australian households have timeshare investments.

Is it time up for timeshare?

Consumer advocates warn investors against the schemes, but the industry claims members have realised lifestyle benefits amid the pandemic.

  • Aleks Vickovich
Strong demand has lifted Byron Bay’s median price to $1.4 million, higher than the greater Sydney median of $1.14 million.

Regional housing boom to run two years more

Regional housing markets have more than doubled the price growth recorded in the capitals, which experts say could continue for another two years.

  • Nila Sweeney

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/holiday-homes-1mrh