Part of the Riverside Estate bordered by Doncaster, Bulleen and Burke Roads, Walbundry Avenue is just one of several leafy streets blessed with an abundance of original between-the-wars houses. The Riverside Estate has a quiet, restrained elegance that, although only a 10-minute (off-peak) freeway drive from inner-city Melbourne, feels a world away.

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Is a house made out of brick worth more than a weatherboard house? That depends on where it is.

As the three little pigs found out, building a house with brick has its advantages.

They are long-lasting (able to withstand plenty of huff and puff), well insulated, easy to build on and good-looking. For these reasons, agents say, brick is the material of choice for many Sydney house buyers.

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The Perth's love of big houses was bad for the environment according to Masters of Environmental Design researcher Dirima Cuthbert from the University of Western Australia.

Ms Cuthbert said many Perth houses were not energy efficient and building regulations did not encourage home builders to change their ways.

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Sydney had 92 suburbs with a median house price of more than $1 million for the last six months of 2011. This compares with 17 in Melbourne, 14 in Perth, two in Brisbane, four in Adelaide and one in Canberra.

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Denied an interest rate cut, mortgage holders may soon be hit by a rate rise as the ANZ Bank prepares to announce an interest rate move independent of the Reserve Bank.

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Traffic gridlock, crowded schools and poor infrastructure are causing a backlash against government plans to speed up land releases in Melbourne's fastest growing suburbs.

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BUILDING will start this month in Melbourne's blue-chip suburb of Toorak on one of the state's largest and most expensive new homes.

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Australia is entering a new low-interest-rate environment and smart borrowers should seize the opportunity to sift through the competitive loans on offer.

The Reserve Bank's decision in December to cut the cash rate by 25 basis points for the second month in a row is positive news for buyers and borrowers.

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After two years of abstinence, home-buyers have been seen taking a sip from the debt bottle. Just a little one. First home buyers accounted for 20 per cent of total housing finance commitments taken out in November last year, data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Monday showed.

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AUSTRALIA'S banks could be facing a massive new class action over allegations that their mortgage lending practices have put thousands of families in severe financial stress or at risk of losing their homes.

Organisers estimate that up to 300,000 mortgage holders would be eligible to participate in the action, which is expected to focus on first home buyers and lower-income households who received loans since the onset of the global financial crisis.

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