HomeMate.com.au

Qld home builders have seen home buyers disappear as first home buyers stay away. A lot of home builders are hurting right now, especially in Queensland, where the sale of new homes could be 20% down on 2010, itself a down year. Whilst first home buyers have not been a major force in new home [...]

First home buyers are allegedly forward dating contracts to illegally claim the boosted first-home grant. Some dodgy real estate agents and mortgage brokers are encouraging the fraud, suggesting buyers change the date of existing contracts to fall after October 14 so they qualify for the latest lucrative federal government grants. Forward-dating contracts could net first-home [...]

The sale of new homes rose strongly in October, the same month as Government assistance to first time owners was tripled and interest rates cut further, a survey shows. Yet despite the first monthly sales increase in four months for new homes, the housing industry says a recovery in the sector is still some way [...]