Profit boost for property website

THE operator of Australia’s most popular property sales website has achieved a 34 per cent rise in underlying halfyear profit to $95 million.

REA Group, which owns realestate.com.au and realcommercial.com.au, achieved strong growth in revenue and earnings in the six months to December 31, lifting its profit from $71 million in the same period a year earlier.

Net profit, which included benefits from the sale of a business and securities, was up 79 per cent to $126 million.