Real Estate and Property News

Rents go up in Perth
Median rents are on the rise in the Western Australian capital, according to new figures from the state's real estate institute.
11/02/2011

Mortgage sales drop to all-time low
The number of home loans processed by Australia's largest mortgage broker, AFG, has dropped to its lowest level since the inception of its Mortgage Index in 2004.
4/02/2011

Melbourne median house price hits a record, breaches through $600K mark
Melbourne house prices soared 6.9% to $601,500 in the December quarter triggered by continuing strong demand for housing according to REIV. This also marks a significant milestone - the first time that house price broke through the $600,000 barrier.
28/01/2011

Shanghai Spring Real Estate Exhibition Announces Media Partnership with YIP Australia
The Shanghai Spring Real Estate Market Exhibition (March 17th-20th 2011) and Your Investment Property Magazine Australia (YIP) announced today a cooperative marketing agreement that will include both online and print advertising components in 2011.
27/01/2011

Males make better refinancing targets
Males are 10% more likely to look at options including refinancing in 2011, according to Mortgage Choice.
25/01/2011

Property valuation in flood-ravaged areas to be permanently lowered: Fitch
While the full extent of the damage is yet to be quantified, Fitch Ratings said the flood currently affecting South East Queensland is expected to have a negative impact on mortgage borrowers.
17/01/2011

Queensland a buyers' market
A buyers' market has developed in Queensland due to falling demand for investment properties, the Real Estate Institute of Queensland has said.
13/12/2010

Population slowdown impacts WA market
A 30% drop in population growth since the GFC has contributed to a slowdown in house price growth, according to REIWA.
16/11/2010

Mortgage market stalls
AFG is warning that the mortgage market is 'stalling' as its October figures show a stark decrease in the number of mortgages taken out.
3/11/2010

Melbourne prices catch up with Sydney
Rising house prices has put Melbourne's level of unaffordability on par with Sydney.
27/10/2010

Housing crash "manageable": Fitch
Australia's banks could handle a housing price fall of 40% and an 8% home loan default rate, according to preliminary results from Fitch Ratings' stress tests.
18/10/2010

Credit unions up the competition
Credit unions are making some creative alliances in an effort to compete against big banks.
13/10/2010

Market flat until 2011, says RP Data
Australian property is unlikely to see significant capital growth until next year, according to the latest RP Data/Rismark projections.
5/10/2010

Investor thumbs up for Aussie property
Australian property investors still believe property is a secure long-term investment despite the GFC, according to a new survey.
30/09/2010

Time to consider investment loan options
The improving economic outlook and strong property market fundamentals mean that many people are looking at making their first foray into the investment property market, while experienced investors may also be looking to expand their portfolio.
23/09/2010

Today Tonight features Top CBD Suburbs Under $300K
Channel Seven's Today Tonight will showcase Your Investment Property's Top CBD Suburbs Under $300k.
17/09/2010

Dollar boosted by rate hike prospect
The Australian dollar surged to a four-month high in Asia yesterday, after strong unemployment numbers boosted the likelihood of a rate hike before the year is out.
10/09/2010

Brokers save refinancers cash
Seven out of ten refinancers that used a mortgage broker saved money on their mortgage, according to a new report.
11/08/2010

Extended period of stability ahead
Interest rates are unlikely to change until November at the earliest - which is good news for the property market.
9/08/2010

Banks lambasted for outright greed
A new survey accuses Australian banks of aggressively encouraging customers to take on debt, regardless of their ability to pay it back, while pocketing $20bn in "super profits" due to unchecked market power.
6/08/2010

Housing values fall for first time since 2008
Dwelling values in Australia's cities have fallen for the first time in 17 months, according to new data.
2/08/2010

Investors save the Aust property market!
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics housing finance figures suggest that the Australian property market may be recovering thanks to investors.
20/07/2010

Buy and hold strategy not beneficial for investors over 50’s
Property investors who are starting later in life may want to rethink their strategy to avoid losing out on the benefits of property investing.
13/07/2010

House prices to remain robust
The housing market may soften over the next 12 months but prices are unlikely to drop.
12/07/2010

Banks ready to beat RBA to rate hikes
The mortgage industry could see an overall increase in interest rates as a result of difficulties in obtaining wholesale funding.
9/07/2010

Lenders tighten credit
Lenders have ramped up their credit controls by further lowering the amount they lend to borrowers.
7/07/2010

Non bank lender slashes interest rate ahead of the RBA meeting
National Mortgage Company has cut its variable rates on selected products by 0.10% ahead of the policy meeting of the Reserve Bank of Australia next week.
5/07/2010

HIA: recovery to stall
All indications are that the new home building recovery will stall in 2011 according to the Housing Industry Association.
28/06/2010

Could high exit fees be illegal?
The exit fees charged by some lenders may be illegal, according to a report published by the Melbourne Law School's Centre for Corporate Law and Securities Regulation.
18/06/2010

Bargains soon to be had in Melbourne
After an outstanding year of growth, Melbourne prices appear to be finally cooling off as homeowners, under pressure from consecutive interest rate rises start selling.
17/06/2010

Housing construction bounces back
Australian dwelling starts rose for the third straight quarter, lifting by 4.3% in the March quarter signalling a return of construction to the residential market.
17/06/2010

Borrowers breathe a sigh of relief: RBA leaves cash rate unchanged
Falling equity prices, softening commodities and stabilising conditions in Europe have been listed as factors affecting the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) decision to leave the cash rate unchanged for June at 4.5%.
1/06/2010

Sydney's new rental hot spots
Rental vacancies in Greater Western Sydney have dropped to less than 0.5% resulting in spike in rents and a backlog for tenants.
17/05/2010

Australia's rampant population growth to ease
After racking up record population growth over the past two years, Australia's population boom is set to slow considerably in 2010/11 and 2011/12 according to a new study.
17/05/2010

Housing supply deficit widens
Residential property prices are set to rise even higher as supply continues to fall to intractable levels.
30/04/2010

Regional WA rents remain steady in March quarter
Median rents in regional Western Australia have remained relatively stable during the quarter to March 2010, with the exception of a few sizzling spots, according to the Real Estate Institute of WA.
21/04/2010

Rising land prices threaten home building recovery
Residential land prices rose dramatically in the year to December 2009, which has put the new home building recovery at risk.
21/04/2010

In property we trust
Experts often say that the great thing about property investment is that it's forgiving if you make a mistake early on, and generous if you did things right - provided you stay in the market long enough.
21/04/2010

Lower housing approvals add to supply woes
National housing approvals dropped by 3.3% in February extending the fall recorded in the previous month, according the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
1/04/2010

Regional markets outperform their CBD counterparts
While the spotlight is firmly fixed on the CBD markets, many regional property markets are quietly staging robust performance better than their inner city big brothers a new report has shown.
1/04/2010

Darwin falls into the negative territory as growth eases across the board
The strong run in Darwin's property prices appear to be easing with the latest data from Residex showing house prices have drifted into the red for the first time in more than 12 months.
22/03/2010

Property prices, rents to soar as housing shortage hits 500,000 in 2020
The strong run in Darwin's property prices appear to be easing with the latest data from Residex showing house prices have drifted into the red for the first time in more than 12 months.
22/03/2010

Auction activity remains strong in Melbourne
Property price growth might be easing, but buyers remained active in Melbourne as shown by the latest auction results from rpdata.com.
18/03/2010

Asian buyers snap up top end properties
The appetite for prestige residential properties among Asian investors is as strong as ever according to global property advisor Savills.
18/03/2010

AMP slashes basic variable rate by 0.10%
AMP announced its reducing interest rate on its basic variable home loan for new customers by 0.10% thanks to the recovery in securitisation markets.
23/02/2010

Brace for Australia's housing boom
Despite concern of worsening housing affordability brought by rising interest rates and soaring property prices, Australia's property investors could expect the current upswing to culminate into a boom within two years according to a new report.
23/02/2010

Property investors storm the NSW market
Property investors in NSW went on a shopping spree, spending a whopping $180 million in property investment in December compared to $153 million over a year ago according to a new data from the Australian Finance Group.
12/01/2010

Adelaide defies easing auction clearance rates in other capital cities
Auction activity continues to strengthen in Adelaide despite overall slowing down across major cities in Australia according to the latest report from www.rpdata.com.
30/11/2009

Israel, Australia ranked best performing property markets
Australia's property markets emerged as one of the top performers during the third quarter of 2009, trumping most housing markets in the leading economies according to the latest ranking by Global Property Guide.
30/11/2009

Demand increasing for fire resistant homes
The growing urban sprawl surrounding Australia's capital cities has triggered an increase in demand for fire resistant homes, building advisory firm Archicentre, has claimed.
24/11/2009

Toorak caravan park sells for $18.5m
Pre-downturn boom prices look to be returning to Melbourne after it emerged that a caravan park in Toorak sold for $18.5m last week.
24/11/2009

10% deposits now mortgage norm
Customers can expect to pay a minium 10% deposit on mortgages as both banks and independent lenders tighten lending restrictions in the wake of the global financial crisis, according to mortgage specialists Rams.
23/11/2009

ODEC predicts 'robust' Australian recovery
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (ODEC) is predicting that Australia's economic recovery will be more robust than those seen elsewhere in the west.
20/11/2009

Commonwealth won't commit to rate parity
Commonwealth Bank chief executive Ralph Norris has declined to commit the firm to keeping its interest rates on par with Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) movements.
13/11/2009

Melbourne developers push cuts to parking
New apartment buildings in Melbourne may soon be constructed without any car parking spaces if a new plan, under consideration by the city council, goes ahead.
7/10/2009

No boom, no bust, just steady growth ahead
LJ Hooker's national auction manager, Graeme Hyde, has forecast "sustainable" growth for the next few years in Australia's capital city markets.
6/10/2009

House prices to soar
Housing prices could be about to rocket as rising interest rates and rapid population growth create serious housing affordability issues across the country, according to a leading economist with the Reserve Bank of Australia.
6/10/2009

New home sales surge
August saw the highest increase in new home sales in three years, as first time buyers rush to secure the First Home Buyers Grant before it is reduced at the end of the year.
6/10/2009

Adelaide property developer tops Young Rich list
The BRW Young Rich list, has a new number one. Thirty-nine-year-old Ross Makris, an Adelaide-based property developer, increased his wealth by 13.5% to $420m in the last 12 months and now tops the list of Australians aged 40 and under.
25/09/2009

Population boom to cause critical supply shortage
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today showed that Australia's population grew by 2.1% to 21,779,000 in the 12 months ending 31 March.
25/09/2009

Rate hike expected: Is it too late to fix your loan?
The RBA may have left the cash rate at 3% for the last five months but it could rise as soon as October following new figures that the economy grew 0.6 per cent in the last quarter - the second quarter of positive growth this year.
8/09/2009

NSW building approvals rocket
Building approvals soared by 19% in New South Wales in July suggesting a demand for new build properties and a strengthening in the economy.
8/09/2009

Green shoots or false hopes?
The latest property data showed values are on the rise. But does this recovery have legs?
27/08/2009

Fastest growing rentals
Rental growth is forecast to slow over the next 12 to 18 months. However, property experts have assured investors that there will not be a huge slump.
27/08/2009

Loan size expands as confidence grows
The average size of home loans expanded to a record $354,000 in July boosted by the rising confidence in the property market.
10/08/2009

Perth bounces back
Property prices in Perth notched up strong gains over the June quarter lifting the median house price by $20,000 - a solid 4.6% increase according to a new data from the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA).
10/08/2009

Upgraders spark recovery in Perth
The downturn in Perth's property market appears to be coming to an end after the latest data from the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) showed a recovery in median prices.
13/07/2009

Double digit house price growth predicted nationally
Property investors can expect double digit house price growth over the next three years, according to economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel.
15/06/2009

First homebuyer peak is over, says AFG
The surge in first homebuyer activity reached a peak in March, declining for two consecutive months, according to the largest mortgage broker in Australia.
15/06/2009

Australian auction rates return to highs
Buying a home is becoming increasingly competitive.
15/06/2009

Queensland's Ipswich and Toowoomba fight global downturn
Queensland's affordable property continued to attract homebuyers and investors during the first quarter of 2009, especially in the southeast corner.
15/06/2009

Huge gains in March quarter for two bedroom homes in Melbourne's east
Melbourne's east has reversed some previous negative property value trends and has begun to surge forward again.
15/06/2009

Australian housing most affordable in 7 years
Buying a home may not come much easier for first homebuyers - if you still have a steady income and can get the finance.
19/05/2009

China's economy bottoms out
If the latest slew of positive data is an indication, then the worst might be over for the one of the world's biggest economies.
23/04/2009

Affordable suburbs lead recovery in Perth
House prices in Perth rebounded in the March quarter, racking up a healthy 2% increase in median sale prices, according to the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA).
21/04/2009

Australia racks up fastest population growth in 40 years
Australia's population grew by 1.84% to 21,542,000 over the 12 months to September 2008 - the fastest pace in nearly four decades.
20/03/2009

Rental boom continues
Rents continued to grow solidly across all property types in all capital cities in Australia, a new report shows.
20/03/2009

BIS Shrapnel economist taps Sydney for housing recovery
After years of being overshadowed by the local economies and housing markets in faster-growing parts of the country, New South Wales is now in the best position to weather the global financial crisis, said a leading economist last week.
16/03/2009

Urge to own first property growing: study
More Australians are interested in buying a first home now, drawn especially by the historically low interest rates, according to a new survey by a mortgage broker.
16/03/2009

Lowered stock reduces buyer advantage
With fewer buyers interested in higher-priced homes, many vendors are now pulling their properties off the market rather than drop their price.
6/03/2009

Million dollar homes slump as buyers bargain hunt
Fewer Australians are buying luxury homes in Australia as demand has shifted to the lower end, dominated by first homebuyers.
6/03/2009

Sydney, Melbourne have fastest selling properties
Sydney and Melbourne are defying a slow market with both units and houses taking about 30 days on the market to sell.
20/02/2009

Sydney auction clearance rate soars
Auction clearance in Sydney jumped to 71.1% in the first weekend of February, as first homebuyers raced to take advantage of the government grants and decade-low interest rates, according to RP Data.
20/02/2009

Bigger loans may signal rising property prices
Investors who are still sitting on the fence, waiting for things to improve, may find themselves missing out on the current buying opportunities - amid signs that property prices in some areas are starting to move upwards.
13/02/2009

Unemployment up, but existing jobs stable
The number of employed Australians rose by about 1,200 in January, but it was still not enough to keep the unemployment rate from rising to 4.8%.
13/02/2009

Softer house prices to spark home sales
House prices fell by a modest 0.8% in the December quarter, with those in all capital cities except Adelaide and Darwin lower than a year ago, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
5/02/2009

Government aid, rate cuts cushion Melbourne properties
Melbourne property prices fell more slowly than expected in the December quarter, thanks to lower rates and the First Home Owner Grant boost.
5/02/2009

Lehman unloads mansion for $100
While Florida real estate prices have sloped downwards lately, one particular markdown in November went beyond them all - and the person who sold it raised more than a few eyebrows.
5/02/2009

Australia's unsung heroes
While property investors are in the game to create personal wealth, they also contribute much to the residential market. Without investors, over 20% of Aussies who rent would have nowhere to live.
23/01/2009

High yields to tempt property investors back into the market
While many experts are predicting property values to remain relatively flat, rental yields are expected to strengthen further during the current housing shortage.
21/01/2009

Sydney primed for the highest growth in the medium term
With prices potentially bottoming out soon throughout Australia, buyers may see some excellent buying chances in the not too distant future.
21/01/2009

WA rents jump 6% in December
Investors in WA saw their rental income surge after the median house rent climbed by 6% to $370 in the December quarter.
21/01/2009

Housing affordability eases while rents continue to soar
Housing affordability across Australia has finally turned the corner thanks to the positive impact of the first rate cut in September.
4/12/2008

Australia's population soars to new record
Australia's booming population is showing no sign of slowing, with overall growth surging by 1.7% to 21.37 million over the year - its fastest pace in 19 years.
4/12/2008

Construction levels hit record highs across Australia
Investors should focus their attention on South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland following new data that shows construction levels reached record highs in the September quarter.
28/11/2008

Good news at last!
Those of us who battled through the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s may be feeling a sense of de ja vu - but this time around, the fear and panic are running deeper and broader as this unprecedented financial meltdown steamrollers its way around the world.
28/11/2008

Your Last Chance To Become The Next Property Millionaire
This Friday is the last day for you to send your email to WIN a $6995 property investment coaching and mentoring program thanks to Your Investment Property and The Next Property Millionaire!
24/11/2008

FHOG to boost mortgage competition
Recent rate cuts and the boost to the First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) are drumming up a surge in mortgage enquiries, with one lender recording an 80% increase in enquiries since mid-October.
24/11/2008

NSW property investors hit by higher fees
The troubled NSW state government has announced that it will ramp up property transaction fees in its mini-budget this week, in a move that the industry body says will have "a direct and negative" impact on the property market.
24/11/2008

Housing prices weather financial storm
Despite the slowing economy, Australia's property prices held themselves up according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics House Price Index for the September Quarter.
7/11/2008

Investors urged to think long-term
Investors have the opportunity to pick up heavily discounted property in the current market - but to realise maximum profit, they need to adopt a long-term strategy and focus on location, according to an industry expert.
7/11/2008

Inner Sydney units offer good investment prospects
Investors looking for affordable and high yield properties should consider looking at Sydney's inner city units, according to RP Data.
30/10/2008

Why Australian house prices are unlikely to fall
While the merchants of doom have been busy peddling their gloomy views of a massive drop in housing prices, one of Australia's leading economists said the dire prediction is unlikely to happen.
24/10/2008

Optimism returns to office property sector
Signs of optimism have emerged in the office property market, with experts tipping solid medium-term growth in Perth and Adelaide.
24/10/2008

Have we reached the bottom of the property cycle?
The bad news: property values remain stagnant. The good news: things can only get better from here for national prices.
10/10/2008

Rate cut boosts buying power by 10%
Investors and first homebuyers look set to re-enter the property market in droves following the surprise 1% rate cut by the Reserve Bank of Australia, according to experts.
10/10/2008

$4bn cash injection to pressure banks to pass on rate cuts
Australian consumers will be the big winners benefiting from the federal government's move to inject $4bn into the non-bank mortgage market.
3/10/2008

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