We recently asked our team why they love working for McGrath and this is what they had to say...

It's been a few weeks since my last blog post... so I thought I'd make up for lost time by sharing with you my top 10 hot suburbs for the year ahead. These are the areas that I think are either great buying opportunities or are set to fly in 2010.

Overall, I expect the market in most parts of Australia to be up by 8%-10% by Christmas. There are a few simple factors that will drive this:

1. The economy is coming out of a chilly winter and the mood is positive. Real estate values move with the sentiment as much as they do with things like interest rates
2. There's been a severe shortage of new

On Monday night I spoke with Peter Switzer on the Sky Business Channel. Peter was keen to hear what lies ahead for property this year, how the Sydney market has been performing and my tips for buying at auction.

For more information visit http://switzer.com.au (used with permission of Switzer Media + Publishing).

A recent survey from the Bureau of Statistics and RP Data confirms my predictions for market activity in 2010. Upgraders will remain the largest buyer group, along with an increase in investor and downsizer activity.

The ABS Housing Mobility survey shows a massive 45% of Australian home owners feel their homes are too small. The survey was conducted when interest rates were twice today’s levels and upgrading was not financially viable for many home owners, but with interest rates now significantly lower it’s no wonder upgraders are active right now.

So

Hopefully by now we all have a sense of responsibility to act kindly towards our environment. Or better still, you’ve become passionate about it both personally and professionally, like I have.  Even if you feel that some sectors may be exaggerating the current plight of the environment, it’s hard to deny that if we don’t do something decisive and fast now our Earth will be in trouble and our kids won’t enjoy the same environment we had growing up.

We try to make a difference by being eco-friendly in the way we do business, as we know the real

Holiday homes became a luxury that many people couldn’t afford during the peak of the GFC, with many forced to sell their retreats or investments due to major losses on the sharemarket.

This resulted in an oversupply in Australia’s major coastal markets and prices have softened significantly over the past year. 

We’re now starting to see a turnaround due to rising confidence in the Australian economy but sales volumes are still well off the 10-year average, so it’s still a buyers’ market in these popular lifestyle and

I recently had the pleasure of again talking with Peter Switzer on his TV show, Switzer, which appears on the Sky Business Channel.

For more information visit switzer.com.au (used with permission of Switzer Media + Publishing).

Earlier this week I posted a piece on the Top 20 Most Searched Suburbs on our website. I’m not surprised that 3 suburbs in the Top 10 were from Sydney’s Inner West.

If you’re like me and appreciate cosy cafés, specialty deli’s and bakeries, then you must take some time out to stroll the streets of Annandale or Balmain.

On the weekend I was having a coffee at La Buena Mesa Café in Annandale and dropped in to view one of our listings nearby. For those of you who have ever driven down

Imagine if you bought a few terraces in Paddington in the mid 70s? You’d have had amazing returns on your investment within the first 10 years and astronomical returns by now.  So it’s always a good idea when buying a property to ask yourself, where’s the next Paddington? What areas and suburbs are likely to outperform the market?  I think you can research this a few different ways.

The first is what I call my Vespa tour.  In essence, I get on my Vespa on a Sunday morning and ride around areas I think may fit the profile of the next Paddington. I find these by starting with areas I know are in hot demand right now (Annandale, Surry Hills,

Each quarter I'll be posting a video of my thoughts and some key insights regarding the current property market.