Property market takes a breather in December
January 29, 2010
After recording a stellar performance over most of 2009 the Australian residential property market ended 2009 on a softer note with national home values dipping slightly during the month of December. Australian home values recorded a 0.3 per cent fall in the month... Read more »
Victorian house prices soar to new heights
January 28, 2010
The REIV December quarter Property Update has revealed a new record high median house price of $540,500 in Meblourne, an increase of 15 per cent from $470,000 in the September quarter. Major regional centres are also participating in the property market revival,... Read more »
Queensland property price recovery strong but volumes remain weak
January 21, 2010
A lack of growth is sales volumes in the Gold Coast and Brisbane has failed to stop prices surging back toward pre-crisis highs, according to the latest research. Analyst Bill Morris told the AFR that his findings - which come from an analysis of figures from the... Read more »
Consumer sentiment boost likely to put pressure on rates
January 20, 2010
A leading consumer confidence reading surged 5.6% in January from 113.8 in December to 120.1 in January as consumers became more bullish on the state of the job market and largely overlooked the threat of rising interest rates. The Westpac-Melbourne Institute Index... Read more »
HIA not yet convinced about housing recovery
January 20, 2010
The Housing Industry Association, Australia’s largest building industry organisation, believes final figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics confirm that new residential building activity began to recover in the September 2009 quarter. The... Read more »
Queensland Government puts price cap on first-home owner grant
January 14, 2010
Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser has announced a price cap on the state’s first home owner grant, with the $7,000 in aid to only apply to houses worth less than $750,000 by mid-2010. As of 1 January 2010, legislation will kick-in that will restrict the... Read more »
Victorian first home buyers smash records in 2009
January 14, 2010
Victoria’s first home buyers have taken advantage of the increased grants on offer in 2009, with a record 53,730 Victorians buying their first home. Premier John Brumby said the state and federal stimulus packages helped to lift the figure over 20 per cent... Read more »
Commercial, personal finance numbers strong
January 13, 2010
Commercial and personal financing rose in the month November, offsetting weakness in housing loans. Commercial financing increased four per cent to $26.677 billion, while personal finance was up 1.1 per cent to $7.053 billion. The two rises contrasted with a three... Read more »
Record number of first home buyers in NSW last year
January 13, 2010
A report card on the 2009 calendar year for first home buyer grants in NSW has shown record numbers entering the marketplace, assisted by generous First Home Owner Grants and low interest rates. Western Sydney was the most popular region for NSW first home buyers,... Read more »
Housing finance data weakens as first home buyer numbers wane
January 12, 2010
The number of dwelling commitments fell more than expected in November, according to official data, with the number of loans down 5.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis. The value of loans, however, only fell 1.6 per cent. The soft result was forecast by analysts... Read more »