Unique right from concept delivery, every element of South Yarra’s newest apartment building 42-48 Claremont Street has been designed to make modern living a bigger and better experience. Designed by Plus Architecture for the highly-respected developer DealCorp, this stunning development overlooking the Yarra River delivers more: more space, more natural light, more storage and more top-end inclusions. In short, 42-48’s design is guaranteed to see it become a highly-valued South Yarra address.

In Melbourne, properties for sale in the McKinnon Secondary College, Balwyn High School and Glen Waverley Secondary school zones have long attracted a ‘zone premium’, which is nothing short of gold for vendors. So what’s it worth? Well it could be anywhere in the ‘zone premium’ region of 15-25 per cent more. Figures from the Real Estate Institute of Victoria show that in 2016 the median house price for homes in the McKinnon Secondary College zone was $1.5 million compared to $1,195,000 for homes in the same suburb but outside the school zone. The desire to be in a school zone is only increasing.

No one likes being stuck in traffic. The bad news is as Melbourne continues to expand the pressure on our roads is increasing. Would you believe that Melbourne drivers spend on average 500 hours per year commuting to and from work. That’s three weeks! But more than just saving time, being able to easily access employment hotspots, especially the CBD, will also see you gain much greater access to opportunities.

Few things are as infuriating as the addition of stamp duty to the sale price of a property. Thankfully in Victoria, the state government has recently made changes which have spared many first home-buyers from paying any stamp duty at all. But any first timers preparing to enter the market should be aware of an important distinction that can make a substantial difference to how much stamp duty they end up paying.

Melbourne is well on its way to overtaking its big sister Sydney in every respect, from number of residents to economic growth and industry. Melbourne is home to the Australian Open, Formula 1 Grand Prix and Aussie Rules football. Then there’s some of the country’s most respected schools and universities, and the inner city’s thriving hub of art, food and fashion. It’s easy to see why people are flocking to Melbourne in droves, determined to make Australia’s cultural capital their home. So, what are Melbourne’s city planners and government officials doing to prepare for the future?

Melbourne and Sydney have long enjoyed a healthy rivalry. To Melbourne, Sydney lauds its beautiful harbour. In return, Melbourne extolls the virtues of its dynamic suburbs, thriving restaurant and bar scene, and jam-packed major-events calendar. While Sydney has always laid claim to having Australia’s premier real estate market, some experts believe Melbourne has all the fundamentals in place to take out top spot. Here’s a few reason why Melbourne is outshining Sydney for savvy buyers and investors…