Money
How a deal is settled and paid, from contract to keys.
Bank of Queensland's home loan book shrinks by almost $1bn in May
Regulator figures for May show the home loan books of Queensland's two best-known bank brands still contracting while Macquarie adds more than $3 billion in a month.
New capital gains rules are now law, and the family home stays exempt
The ATO confirmed on 29 June that the capital gains tax changes are law from 1 July 2027. The main residence exemption is untouched, but partly taxable homes will be counted differently.
June minutes: mortgage payments are up, but lighter than last time
The Reserve Bank's June minutes say scheduled repayments have risen yet take a slightly smaller share of income than when rates were last this high. Home lending is set to slow.
Commission-only pay threshold rises to $72,938 as award lifts 4.75%
From 1 July 2026 Real Estate Industry Award rates rise 4.75 per cent and the income test for commission-only employment moves to $72,938, the employers' federation says.
The pre-settlement inspection in Queensland: what a buyer may check
What the standard Queensland contract lets a buyer inspect before settlement, what the seller has promised about the property's state, and the options if something is wrong.
Budget sees transfer duty dip to $8.3 billion while land tax climbs
Queensland's 2026-27 Budget forecasts $8.346 billion in transfer duty, down on this year, and land tax rising by half by 2029-30. What the revenue lines say about property.
Fixed, variable or split: how home loan rate types work in Australia
A variable rate moves when the lender moves it, a fixed rate holds for a set term, and a split loan does both. What each costs, restricts and protects against.
Rental scams in Queensland: the warning signs before you pay a bond
Fake listings, false landlords and letters redirecting rent: how rental scams deceive Queensland tenants, and the checks the RTA sets out before any money is paid.
Logan adds 5.49 per cent and Moreton Bay 4.69 to minimum rates
Logan's $1.39 billion budget and Moreton Bay's $1.2 billion budget both lift the minimum general rate. The two growth councils quote their increases in ways that are easy to misread.
ARNECC briefs industry on tighter rules for settlement platforms and firms
Registrars briefed the property industry on 17 and 19 June on draft version 8 of the national e-conveyancing rules, covering cyber security, insurance and reporting.
Townsville and Cairns rates climb about 7 per cent as costs bite
Townsville's budget lifts residential rates by an average 6.8 per cent and Cairns adds about $283 to a median bill. In both northern cities, waste, water and fuel do the damage.
After the June hold: what a 4.35 per cent cash rate costs borrowers
The Reserve Bank paused on 16 June but would not call the peak. For Queensland borrowers the pause leaves repayments where they are and the income needed to buy still rising.
Brisbane lifts rates 3.97 per cent, the lowest rise announced so far
Brisbane City Council's $3.9 billion budget adds $1.22 a week to the average owner-occupier's rates and raises the pensioner rebate to $1,350. What sits behind the headline.
Queensland refinancing enquiries fall 8.8 per cent in a year
Credit bureau figures for May show fewer Queenslanders applying to refinance or to borrow for the first time. Three rate rises have turned a busy January into a quiet autumn.
Gold Coast holds its rates rise to 4.7 per cent after dropping 5.7
The Gold Coast's $2.7 billion budget lifts owner-occupier rates by 4.7 per cent and keeps the 10 per cent discount, ten days after councillors rejected a higher figure.
Payment redirection scams in property sales: the checks that stop them
How a deposit or settlement payment gets diverted to a false account in a Queensland sale, the moments of risk, and the checks the profession tells clients to make.
AUSTRAC guidance: delayed checks due 28 days in, or 3 before settlement
AUSTRAC updated its guidance on 12 June. A delayed customer check in a property sale must now be finished within 28 days of exchange or three days before settlement.
Lenders trim variable rates days before the June Reserve Bank meeting
Eleven lenders, Bank of Queensland and Queensland Country Bank among them, have cut variable rates since the May rise. Forty now advertise a rate under 6 per cent.
How real estate commission works in Queensland: negotiated and written
Queensland sets no commission scale. The rate is whatever a client and an agent agree, and it binds only as written on the appointment. How the system works, from first quote to final deduction.
Brokers now write 81 per cent of new home loans, a record share
Industry figures for the March quarter put mortgage brokers behind four in five new home loans. How the channel works, and where Queensland's own banks stand in it.