Latest news with #Domain
AU Financial Review
2 days ago
- Business
- AU Financial Review
CoStar sizes up Jason Pellegrino for return as Domain chief executive
Former Domain chief executive Jason Pellegrino is a leading contender to run the real estate listings platform once it is acquired by American property giant CoStar, returning him to a position he left seven months ago. Domain is controlled by Nine Entertainment but has struggled for years against its larger rival, News Corp-backed REA Group. Pellegrino, a former Google executive, ran the business for many of those years and had a tense relationship with senior Nine figures including the then-chief executive, Mike Sneesby, and former chairman Peter Costello.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
House prices are being pumped up by solar and batteries, according to Domain
Skip to main content Chief of research and economics at Domain, Nicola Powell says energy efficient housing is no longer a climate issue, but a financial must-have, adding value to homes.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
House sellers are being ripped off – and the ACCC is onto it
Real estate listings companies like the Murdoch-controlled property portal REA Group are making off like bandits with claims that advertising rates are rising by 10 per cent or more a year – an amount that house sellers ultimately bear. In response, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has begun sniffing around, using its investigative powers to gather information. Real estate agents and vendors ultimately pay for what has been described variously as profiteering, or price gouging. And it now appears they have become involved in a concerted effort to push back. Using a digital property classified advertising business can now be so expensive that people selling their house have needed to find temporary finance to pay this cost, which they ultimately repay when the home is sold. There are two large real estate advertising businesses in Australia – REA and Domain. The latter is 60 per cent owned by Nine Entertainment, which also owns this masthead, and is in the process of selling it to US digital real estate listings giant CoStar Group. But there is a yawning gap between the dominant REA and the much smaller Domain – so much so that the property industry sees REA as a monopoly dressed up in duopoly clothing. There is a yawning gap between the dominant REA and the much smaller Domain – so much so that the property industry sees REA as a monopoly dressed up in duopoly clothing. Real estate agents admit that the advertising prices charged by both groups are roughly similar, but the brunt of the pricing anger is directed at REA as the market leader. The two companies' respective market shares, levels of profitability and sharemarket values are poles apart. By way of illustration, REA – controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp – boasts a market capitalisation of more than $32 billion, while Domain is valued at less than one-tenth of that.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Selling a house in Australia is expensive. The ACCC is investigating one reason why
Australia's consumer watchdog is investigating the practices of REA Group, the News Corp-controlled real estate listings behemoth that runs The development comes months after a major Guardian Australia investigation probing the practices of REA Group, which critics alleged was shutting out new players and hiking up advertising prices. Some in the industry fear the market dominance of REA Group is hurting consumers, both by increasing the costs associated with buying, selling and renting, and by denying them flexibility and choice in the way they advertise and search for property. So, what do we know about the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's investigation? REA Group is the biggest real estate listings company in the country. It runs the ubiquitous the main portal for buying, selling and renting property in Australia. The size of the company cannot be overstated. It leads the real estate listings market across every platform and in the most recent quarter, had a monthly traffic of 12.3m people visiting its site. In August, it posted a $460.5m annual net profit in August, with a market capitalisation of $26.7bn, making it more valuable than supermarket giant Coles. It is owned by News Corp and is larger than its nearest competitor, the Nine-owned Domain, by a considerable margin. Last year, Guardian Australia spent months investigating the real estate sector, including the practices of REA Group. The investigation revealed that real estate agents believed REA Group was using its effective monopoly on the market to price gouge. Prices to list properties on the REA Group's portal and on Domain had increased by about 30% over the past three years, the investigation revealed, leaving a top-tiered listing in inner-city Sydney or Melbourne costing up to $4,000 on each platform. Guardian Australia revealed REA Group's conduct had been the subject of multiple complaints to the ACCC, one of which alleged it was using 'deceptive' terminology and listing sales from agents who had paid for more expensive products when people searched for 'relevant' sales results in a particular area. A spokesperson for REA Group said agents could choose advertising packages according to their needs, but said the 'seismic shift' from print to online had led to a significant increase in 'the size of audience and the number of leads delivered to agencies'. 'REA's per listing costs are priced to reflect the additional value delivered to vendors and agents in digital prime experiences,' they said. Industry disruptors told Guardian Australia they felt they were being significantly disadvantaged by the practices and pricing structures of and, to a lesser extent, Domain, claiming they cannot compete on a level playing field with traditional real estate agents. Guardian Australia also revealed that 170 real estate agencies and franchisees were party to a 2016 application to the ACCC that sought permission from the competition and consumer watchdog to be able to collectively negotiate and, if necessary, boycott, and Domain. The 170 agencies said the dominance of the REA Group, and in some cases Domain, distorted the online advertising market and made prices 'high and disproportionate' for the services offered. The revelations were so significant they prompted Rod Sims, the former ACCC commissioner, to say: 'This behaviour seems well worth considering under section 45 of the Competition and Consumer Act.' Earlier this week, the REA Group informed the ASX about 'speculation regarding an investigation being undertaken by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission'. The company said it had received a notice from the ACCC requiring it to provide 'information regarding certain subscription offerings'. It is unclear at this stage whether the investigation directly relates to the Guardian's investigation last year. 'REA is cooperating fully with the ACCC and is unable to comment further for confidentiality reasons,' the company said. 'REA will continue to comply with its disclosure obligations and will update the market on this matter as appropriate.' The Australian Financial Review reported that the update to the ASX had been given following its questions to the REA Group. Some in the industry fear the price hikes to advertise on and Domain were hurting consumers. The 2016 ACCC application argued the market dominance of REA Group, and in some cases Domain, meant a lack of 'real choice or flexibility' in the advertising options available to agents and therefore consumers. Barry Plant's chief executive, Lisa Pennell, had previously told Guardian Australia that regulators needed to be alert to the market power of REA Group and Domain. 'Competition is important in any industry,' she said. 'There is an inherent risk for any dominant player to lose sight of competitive forces and become insular in their attitude.' Pennell said that because of the ongoing advertising fee increases, many agents were being forced to eat into their own commissions in order to secure listings. 'Ultimately because the consumer only wants to pay so much, the pressure is on the agents to work for reduced fees, which in many cases may result in poorer outcomes for the customer.'
The Age
5 days ago
- Business
- The Age
House sellers are being ripped off – and the ACCC is onto it
Real estate listings companies like the Murdoch-controlled property portal REA Group are making off like bandits with claims that advertising rates are rising by 10 per cent or more a year – an amount that house sellers ultimately bear. In response, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has begun sniffing around, using its investigative powers to gather information. Real estate agents and vendors ultimately pay for what has been described variously as profiteering, or price gouging. And it now appears they have become involved in a concerted effort to push back. Using a digital property classified advertising business can now be so expensive that people selling their house have needed to find temporary finance to pay this cost, which they ultimately repay when the home is sold. There are two large real estate advertising businesses in Australia – REA and Domain. The latter is 60 per cent owned by Nine Entertainment, which also owns this masthead, and is in the process of selling it to US digital real estate listings giant CoStar Group. But there is a yawning gap between the dominant REA and the much smaller Domain – so much so that the property industry sees REA as a monopoly dressed up in duopoly clothing. There is a yawning gap between the dominant REA and the much smaller Domain – so much so that the property industry sees REA as a monopoly dressed up in duopoly clothing. Real estate agents admit that the advertising prices charged by both groups are roughly similar, but the brunt of the pricing anger is directed at REA as the market leader. The two companies' respective market shares, levels of profitability and sharemarket values are poles apart. By way of illustration, REA – controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp – boasts a market capitalisation of more than $32 billion, while Domain is valued at less than one-tenth of that.
