OPINION: AS the Australian construction sector enters a much-needed period of stabilisation, it’s tempting to think that the commercial property development market has...

The latest data from Altus suggests that we can expect a rocky ride for the remainder of 2023, even if there are certain indicators that the country’s construction sector will...

Indeed, cost management is paramount at present, despite prices for a range of building materials levelling out after the turmoil brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic...

While material prices for items such as structural steel and rebar have eased, prices for concrete-based structural components and internal fittings continue to rise...

Likewise, the brick market has seen robust price increases over both the quarter ending June 2023 and the corresponding financial year, a trend that goes some way to...

Copper has also been subject to elevated prices, as has diesel, an all-important commodity that makes building material transport and construction requiring...

On the upside, materials like plasterboard and structural timber have joined steel and rebar in seeing prices stabilise and, in some cases, decrease — even if only...

But of course, the price of materials cannot be used in isolation to determine the cost of construction and property development overall, and rapidly rising labour expenses in...

Not only has a shortage of skilled labour seen expenses rise, background economic pressures are also leading to the rise in labour costs. The country’s consumer price index...

So it should come as little surprise that building construction prices rose 1.0% in the June quarter and 6.5% over the past 12 months – strikingly similar to the shifts in...

These factors are putting some pressure on the market, given that demand for both materials and labour have remained high due to the ongoing activity in...

And although general market uncertainty has moved from prices to future projects, a strong pipeline will help to prevent major ongoing disruptions to...

You see, dwelling approvals, which are a leading indicator of construction industry trends, have shown a downward trend, both when compared to the previous quarter and...

But we know from history that government intervention can lead to lasting follow-on effects. After the Global Financial Crisis, for instance, government...

With that in mind, the property development market could see significant activity ahead, most likely from 2024 onwards. Such a recovery, however, is dependent on...

With interest rates at a high point, the duration of a project has the potential to become a significant cost centre for any developer, with hiked interest repayments on...

With so many variables dictating the ability of property developers to protect profit and commercial real estate players to manage costs, a data-driven approach to...

From calculating the price of building materials and managing labour costs to tackling rising interest rates, the best way to determine the feasibility and...