Nobody's Home: Australian Boom Leaves Swath of Empty Properties

``In the country's second-biggest city, growing numbers of local landlords and absent overseas owners have locked up their properties -- forgoing rental income as they focus instead on price gains, a report by Prosper Australia said Wednesday... "It's a growing problem," said Cameron Kusher, a Brisbane-based analyst at property information provider CoreLogic Inc. "If these properties aren't being occupied, it doesn't do a lot to fix overall housing supply. It's always going to be the risk when you sell to offshore investors."''