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Everything published in Agents Estate, newest first.
First home in Australia: who qualifies for the 5% deposit and Help to Buy
One federal scheme guarantees part of a home loan, the other buys a share of the home. The eligibility tests, deposits, price caps, deadlines and ongoing duties of each, from the official guides.
Australia: how APRA's debt-to-income limit and buffer cap home loans
Since 1 February 2026 Australian banks may write only 20% of new home loans at six times income or more. How that limit and the 3-point serviceability buffer work.
Australia: why every property seller needs an ATO clearance certificate
Since 1 January 2025 a buyer must keep back 15% of any Australian property price unless the seller hands over an ATO clearance certificate. How the rule works for each side.
Australia: how the ATO taxes an agent's commission and work costs
What the Australian Taxation Office says about a real estate salesperson's commission, the deductions an employee can claim, and what changes for super, withholding and GST as a contractor.
Who pays Australia's e-conveyancing network fees, and who caps them
How electronic lodgment network fees are capped in Australia, who pays them in a typical sale, what the reviews found, and where interoperability stood in October 2026.
Electronic conveyancing in Australia: networks, rules and state mandates
How electronic lodgment networks work in Australia: the two operators the registries name, the national law and model rules, the NSW and WA mandates, and why interoperability stopped in 2026.
Settlement day in Australia: how an electronic settlement runs
What happens on the day an Australian home sale settles on screen: the shared workspace, digital signing, registry checks, funds reserved at the Reserve Bank, lodgment, keys and the notice.
NAB now expects Australian capital-city home prices to fall 8% in 2026
National Australia Bank's October Housing Monitor deepens its forecast to an 8% fall this year and about 11% from peak to trough, with a floor in mid-2027.
How to read Australia's official housing price and activity figures
Four official publications measure Australian housing: dwelling values, home loans, building approvals and the Reserve Bank's charts. What each one counts, and what it leaves out.
Australia: payment redirection scams in property settlements, explained
How official bodies in Australia describe email payment redirection in property deals, the losses they publish, the checks they list, and what the pages leave unsaid.
Australia: what privacy law asks of an agency using AI tools
What the national privacy regulator says about AI products, which Australian agencies the Privacy Act covers since 1 July 2026, and when a data breach must be notified.
Australia's property tokenisation in practice: funds, pilots and gaps
What has been announced or tested in Australia under the label of tokenised property, how each product is built, who it is offered to, and what the published record leaves out.
Australia: how the ATO taxes a rental property from rent to sale
What the Australian Taxation Office asks a landlord to declare, what can be deducted at once or over time, how a rental loss works and what follows at sale.
Rental scams in Australia: official warnings, figures and checks
How Scamwatch and the consumer regulators of Western Australia and Victoria describe rental scams, the figures they publish, the checks they list and where a loss is reported.
Australia: buying a home through an SMSF and what the ATO allows
A self-managed super fund may hold a house or a flat in Australia, but not for its members to use. The sole purpose test, borrowing limits, tax and penalties, as the regulators set them out.
Tokenised property in Australia: when a token is a financial product
How federal law in Australia classifies a token tied to real estate, what the 2026 digital assets Act requires of platforms from April 2027, and what remains unsettled.
Australia: how identity and client authority are checked in a sale
What the national participation rules ask of conveyancers and lawyers before they sign for a client: identity, authority, right to deal and seven years of evidence.
ACT home auctions: one seller bid, no cooling-off and the seller's reports
How a home auction works in the Australian Capital Territory: the bidders record, the single permitted seller bid, why there is no cooling-off, and the reports a seller must have ready.
California's law on digitally altered listing photos, explained
Since 1 January 2026, California licensees must flag listing images edited to change what a property shows and link to the originals. What the final text says and what stays open.
Who holds the money in a California home sale? Escrow holders explained
California lets three kinds of business hold a home sale's money and papers. Each answers to a different state regulator, and the licence, bond and reporting rules differ.