Homebuyers splashed out big sums for properties under the hammer this weekend as plummeting stock levels ramped up competition for sales.

There were close to 750 properties scheduled for auction this week across Sydney, a mild increase from the 700 held last week, but not enough to sate rising demand.

The clearance rate for auctions, based on 551 reported sales, was 80.4 per cent – indicative of a hot market.

One of the standout results was for an Epping house that sold to the next door neighbour for $1.922

A homebuyer fainted as Melbourne’s first weekend of face-to-face auction action ended with sellers celebrating prices $100,000 and more above their reserve.

On the busiest AFL Grand Final day of auctions since the premiership match had to be replayed in 2010, realestate.com.au recorded a 76.9 per cent clearance rate from 238 results.

Real Estate Institute of Victoria vice-president Adam Docking said with buyers coming from “everywhere” the sales showed “real estate is back open for business”.

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Busiest Grand Final auction day in

THE votes are in and the people have spoken — a dreamy Ibiza-inspired beach pad in Burleigh Heads has been voted Queensland’s favourite house.

Bajo El Sol Beach House, built by PJH Constructions, was the 2020 People’s Choice recipient at the Master Builders Queensland Housing & Construction Awards on Friday night.

Bajo El Sol in Burleigh Heads.

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Bajo El Sol in Burleigh Heads.

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The popular photo shoot location was a runaway favourite, attracting thousands of votes to top off a stellar year for PJH Constructions.

The Bajo El Sol

The Real Estate Institute of WA has declared the state is in the midst of a ‘rental crisis’ with Perth’s residential vacancy rate dropping to 0.96% – its lowest in 13 years.

It is just the third time since 1980 that the rate has dipped below 1% in Perth.

REIWA president Damian Collins said if the vacancy rate continued on the current trajectory, it could eclipse the record low of 0.8% seen in March 2007.

“With rental listings in Perth falling 8% to 2926 over the month, we have certainly hit a rental crisis where tenants looking for a rental

In case you missed it, there’s a lot of slogging to do on The Block this week!

Contestants, foremen Keith and Dan and host Scott Cam have all reminded us of this fact before listing the spaces off one by one to reinforce it — repeatedly.

As everyone got on with the tasks at hand – in case you’ve forgotten, that’s the upstairs and downstairs landings, laundry, hallway and stairwell as well as any rooms that need finishing – Harry kept cracking it about having to restore his front door.

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