James MacSmith

Sydney

Real Estate Writer at News.com.au

Journalist Content Editor Humble aide to King Zeus The Golden Wonderdog

Articles

‘It’s collapsing!’: homeowner’s desperate plea over bad neighbours

2 weeks ago | realestate.com.au | James MacSmith |Matt Bell
‘Govt oppression’: man fined $50k for not mowing lawn

2 weeks ago | realestate.com.au | James MacSmith |Matt Bell

NewsAs Tommy Lee Jones’ character sheriff Ed Tom Bell surmises in the movie classic No Country for Old Men: ‘you couldn’t make this up if you tried’. One of the most overzealous councils in the history of the world has fined a homeowner $50,000 for not mowing his lawn – illustrating there can be a big price to pay if you don’t look after your home.
Hooters collapse in America mirrors its demise in Australia

2 weeks ago | realcommercial.com.au | James MacSmith

When it comes to the demise of the once popular restaurant chain Hooters, it seems Australia was the canary in the coalmine. The news this week that Hooters has filed for bankruptcy in American as it struggles to deal with $603m in debt, could be the beginning of the end for the global franchise. That development came around a decade after the bottom fell out of the restaurant chain in Australia.
Inside Kid Rock’s mini White House

3 weeks ago | realestate.com.au | James MacSmith |Matt Bell

NewsUS Rocker Kid Rock has proudly illustrated his love of America by building his own White House – with some very unusual additions. The ‘All Summer Long’ singer has spent 20 years building himself a mini White House on his Nashville Tennesseee property. The 2500 sqm home is so faithful to the most powerful building in the world at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, that Rock would not felt out of place when he visited US President Donald Trump in the real White House earlier this week.
Car giants immediately smashed by tariffs

4 weeks ago | news.com.au | James MacSmith

Some of the world’s biggest car makers are already copping a huge hit, after Donald Trump announced he would impose tariffs on cars imported into the United States. The 47th President’s American First slogan was a key part of his re-election campaign and he has largely followed through with most of his campaign promises, including levying tariffs on US imports in a bid to protect domestic American industries.
‘$1k’ error: Maccas’ secretly-axed Aus service is back

1 month ago | realcommercial.com.au | James MacSmith

McDonald’s Australia has announced it will bring back a much-loved old school service after it was secretly axed – except its social media post telling its followers, didn’t go to plan. That’s right kids parties are back at Macca’s but it hasn’t been a smooth return. A birthday party at Macca’s was for a long time a rite of passage for many Aussie kids.
Money guru slams home move as ‘bulls**t’, ‘window dressing’

1 month ago | realestate.com.au | James MacSmith |Matt Bell

NewsFinance guru Mark Bouris has savaged a much-publicised move from the Albanese government, claimed to “ease pressure on our housing market”. Bouris, one of Australia’s most respected money minds and the brains behind Wizard Home Loans and Yellow Brick Road said it will do no such thing.
Vending machines as a commercial business opportunity

1 month ago | realcommercial.com.au | James MacSmith

A 26-year old woman has revealed how she quit her job to buy a vending machine and says she is now earning around $15,000 a month. Megan Healey walked out on her job in finance and inspired by her schoolyard hobby of selling snacks, bought a vending machine from eBay for $1400 to kickstart her own business. She started off slowly, after she bought her first machine three years ago, she was making just $61 a month, however things have taken off massively since then.
76pc drop: Major nation abandons Tesla

1 month ago | news.com.au | James MacSmith

Elon Musk’s troubles have compounded after Tesla hit the skids in one of its most important markets. Sales of the EV giant have plummeted in Germany – Europe’s biggest economy and the world’s third largest – as President Donald Trump’s cost cutting tsar struggles to juggle multiple jobs. Telsa sales slumped 76 per cent to just 1,429 cars in February, according to statistics from the German Federal Motor Authority, despite electric vehicle sales spiking 31 per cent over the month to 35,949.
Inside Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes’ new house-like $120m private jet

1 month ago | realestate.com.au | James MacSmith |Matt Bell

News“Conflicted” climate change billionaire activist Mike Cannon-Brookes has another new toy to go along with his Formula One racing outfit, his NRL side and his NBA franchise – a private jet. And it’s not just any private jet, this one’s as big as a house. The Atlassian co-founder has just bought a Bombardier Global 7500 – the personal jet of choice of Hollywood luvvies including Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg, reality TV star Kylie Jenner and fellow Aussie rich lister Andrew ‘Twiggy Forrest.