To pool or not to pool? A question that has always been a hotly debated topic among home owners and renovators. This edition of The Secret Agent Report sets out to determine how much more buyers are willing to pay for houses that feature a swimming pool. Many property developers and professionals believe adding a swimming pool to a property will increase its value. However, is it worth the associated construction and maintenance costs? Ten different suburbs located in Melbourne’s inner East and South East were investigated.

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Look out for our mid month special release of The Secret Agent Report, this time looking at Downsizing.

A note on this months Cover artwork…

The diffusion of information theory, radiant orchid and masculine interior design. In this months report, we change up our thinking yet again to explore trends and how they work within the market. Cosmo has created a mood board on Pinterest to back up his thoughts – please see the pinterest board here.

Paul also discusess key themes that we will see through to the end of the decade.

Please visit our Thinking Page to sign up to receive the report monthly.

Sign up through the Thinking Page to receive The Secret Agent Report to your inbox monthly.

This holiday edition we take you away from Melbourne to Denmark’s capital city Copenhagen. Why? It’s the world’s most liveable city, according to leading design and current affairs magazine Monocle. Melbourne was featured as the No.2 city in the world, and while this is great, we cannot rest on our laurels!

The Monocle report ranks cities according to safety/crime, international connectivity, climate/sunshine, quality of architecture, public transport, tolerance, environmental issues, access to nature, urban design, business conditions, proactive policy and medical care. Secret Agent decided to head to Copenhagen this Christmas to see what all the fuss is about! Spearheaded by Paul Osborne and Julian Faelli, the focus of the trip was to document some details of the city, and find in those details some lessons to be learnt. We hope you enjoy this special insight and wish you a super year ahead for 2014.

The Secret Agent Report takes a different turn for the last release of 2013. Rather than analyse data, this month we discuss something intangible – the ‘je ne sais quoi’ of property.

Today Paul and Julian are off to Europe for an architectural study. The report of their findings over there will be in the upcoming January and February edition of the Secret Agent Report.

Melbourne Bumped!

Of importance is the city of Copenhagen, which is now the worlds most liveable city (bumping off Melbourne!).

Read more about the ‘Index’ here: http://www.copcap.com/Newslist/2013/Copenhagen-ranked-no-1-as-the-most-livable-city

Stay tuned for further updates.

The square metre rate of a property is a very important factor – it allows a further indication of value.  This month, The Secret Agent Report investigates the volume of space – The Cubic Metre Rate – to see if there are any trends or correlations with regard to pricing.

Positive points can be given to both high and low ceilings. High ceilings allow for better air circulation and a feeling of grandeur, whilst low ceilings can make a room feel more intimate and allow for better acoustics and cheaper utility bills in some cases.

We also take a look at Inner Melbourne’s Commercial market, presenting some recent sales of interest.

Please click here to read the report, and also view the past six months of sales data for Inner Melbourne’s houses, townhouses and apartments.

In next months edition of The Secret Agent Report, we discuss the feeling you get when you know a property is just right! After a year of covering many different specific topics (such as Coffee, Vegetation, Walkability, Housing Styles and Parklands) and analysing data for countless hours, we decided to discuss the ‘je ne sais quoi’* of property.

*French: ‘I don’t know what.’ Be sure to read next months report…

Making it Big in China! Secret Agent research hits the Chinese demographic with Jodie’s research on Coffee.

Read The Secret Agent Report  – The Caffeine Charge here!

The planning process has an impact on every construction idea, and it is important understand any changes to the zones and rules. Further to our Planning Bulletin last week, we chat to Glossop Town Planning to go a little deeper into what the new changes mean to Inner Melbourne real estate, deciphering the new zones; General Residential, Residential Growth and Neighbourhood Residential. Since 1997, Glossop has specialised in residential and commercial development projects, including medium and high rise housing projects.

Paul also gives an overview of the market in general in the lead up to the festive season, with his view of the media’s ‘Boom or Bust’ and ‘Bubble’ attitudes.

Next month we take a closer look at the commercial side of things, so please stay tuned.

Click HERE or below to download the latest report!

The latest edition of the Secret Agent Report has been released, and this month we report on the impact our coffee habit has on our property choices.

Click HERE or below to download your copy.

The latest edition of The Secret Agent Report has been released! This month we investigate the walkability and public transport options available in Greater Melbourne, and find out how these factors influence property pricing.

Click here or below to download your copy.