Based on information provided by RP Data, as of the end of the September quarter 2011, almost 5% of property owners in Australia are sitting on negative equity – ie. they owe more on their home loans than their property is worth. If property prices continue to slide this problem will become more serious [...] [...more]
THE number of home loans approved by banks and other lenders during the month of November has gone beyond market expectations, making economists believe that 2012 will be a good year for property. We have already seen 2 rate cuts in late 2011 and further cuts are expected in early 2012. This will undoubtedly boost [...] [...more]
The Real Estate Institute of Australia is concerned about the fact that Australian housing shortage problem is not going away. REIA are calling on the Australian government to offer greater stimulus into the housing market after a new report revealed that the existing gap between housing supply and demand is widening every year. According [...] [...more]
Many property owners continued to increase their home loans on the assumption that property values will continue to increase. Today, some buyers are finding that their homes are worth less than the amount they owe to their lender on their home loans. While today only 2% of home owners are faced with the reality of [...] [...more]
GLOBAL ratings agency Moody’s has issues a warning to Australia about our housing market amid fears that prices will tumble further if Europe’s debt crisis is not contained. In a new report, Moody’s says it believes that Australia’s Mortgage Insurance industry may be exposed when Australian property prices start dropping further if [...] [...more]
Recent figures suggest that housing has become more affordable in recent years across all states of Australia. The Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) – Deposit Power Housing Affordability Report showed the proportion of income required to meet the repayment of home loans has declined by one percentage point to 33.6 per cent during the [...] [...more]
October 2011 has brought with it a minor recover in the number of new home sales in Australia. This was at least a small improvement from the lowest result in more than a decade. The latest HIA – JELD-WEN New Home Sales Report found the number of new homes sold in the month of October [...] [...more]
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics we are in the midst of a construction boom. Total construction work done in Australia rose by a record 12.5 per cent in the September quarter. Construction work in chain volume terms, seasonally adjusted, was valued at $47.467 billion in the September quarter, compared with $42.191bn [...] [...more]
Auction clearance rates were down this weekend despite talk of consumer confidence returning. Auction figures released by Australian Property Monitors found clearance rates in Brisbane were down by 35.5 per cent over the weekend, with Brisbane recording the lowest clearance rate of only 12.5 per cent. The story was much the same in Melbourne, with auction [...] [...more]
It seems that Australian property buyers are taking a break – there is certainly no rush to make a property purchase despite lower interest rates and lower property prices. According to a survey of potential property buyers by the Commonwealth Bank/MFAA Home Finance Index for September, only 16.9% of respondents are considering purchasing a property [...] [...more]
