Mansion Global Daily: Actress Jenna Elfman lists Austin, Texas rental

Rental income in the UK has increased by almost 20% in the last two years

There's no bad time to be a landlord in the UK. According to analysis by specialist lender Octane Capital, the average return on buy-to-let properties in the country has risen from 4.9% to 5.8% over the last two years, with rental income rising 19% to a total of £15,144 over the same period ($18,916) per year. Additionally, initial startup costs have decreased by 17% over time. Still, it's not all sunshine and roses for investors – operating costs have risen 18% to £15,592 a year, largely due to increased mortgage interest rates. PropertyWire

China may need an additional $2.1 trillion to boost the real estate market

The Chinese government needs to do more to save the country's struggling real estate sector, according to Goldman Sachs. The U.S. investment bank noted that efforts so far have failed to lift the real estate market out of its three-year doldrums and predicted that China may need to spend more than 15 trillion yuan ($2.1 trillion) to address three problems: the Assisting developers in completing pre-sold but yet-to-be-built homes; bring the housing stock to normal levels; and to offset the annual decline in real estate construction. South China morning post

Armored luxury home built in Canadian wildfire region hits market for $3.8 million Canadian

An armored house in British Columbia's Okanagan Lake region built to withstand a forest fire is now on sale for 3.8 million Canadian dollars (US$2.76 million). The two-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits on an 11-acre property north of Naramata and features a “shell” of steel armor surrounding the base of the property, as well as deep overhangs and a lack of floor-to-ceiling windows. This allows it to fend off any raging inferno that might invade the area. Wildfires are common in the Okanagan Lake region, most notably the Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire in 2003. Vancouver Sun

Actress Jenna Elfman lists Austin, Texas, rental

If you don't mind spending $13,500 a month, you can live like a sitcom star. Actress Jenna Elfman, best known as Dharma on the hit sitcom Dharma & Greg, has put her Austin, Texas home on the rental market at this high price. Located just minutes from downtown Austin, the four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom property features a heated pool, gym and great room with huge wall-to-wall windows. real estate agent.com