New Service - Property Comparison Report - Get Yours Today
Posted by Simon Dehne on May 19, 2014 in Latest News with No Comments
Complete our FREE home loan comparison report and Helpcompare.com.au will now provide you a FREE property comparison report on the property you are looking to purchase. Or if you are considering refinancing, we will also provide a FREE comparison report on your existing home.
This information is provided by RP Data Australia’s leading property solutions company.
So compare our hundreds of loan options from over 30 lenders and we will send you a property comparison report SAME DAY for FREE.
Regards,
Helpcompare.com.au Team
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The surge in Australian house prices over the past 2 decades, and the stunning acceleration in Sydney in particular in the past couple of years, has made it difficult for many young Australians who want to buy their first home to enter the market. But in an incredible paradox it’s this very acceleration of high prices...
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Southern suburbs becoming popular with prestige buyers Sydney’s second city centre spurs demand Lewisham prices soar as buyers like being well connected When it comes to Sydney’s residential property market, the word on everybody’s lips this year is stable. Agents and commentators alike are anticipating a year in which stories of extreme price hikes take on folkloric dimensions, replaced...
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A vital shift in Australians' spending habits heralds a downturn in the property market, a global card payments giant has warned. Analysts at MasterCard say a marked slowdown in expenditure on household goods such as hardware, furnishings and appliances points to softer conditions ahead for Australia's housing sector. Read more....
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Katrina Parker and Rick Wilson have been living rent-free for about eight months. They have moved house seven times, packing and transporting their belongings in storage containers. The reason: they are saving for their first home. The couple, both in their late 20s, have tried out a range of properties across Melbourne, from a one-bedroom apartment in Northcote to a three-bedroom house in Belgrave. Read...
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LANDLORDS warn they will hike up rents if negative gearing is scaled back. Labor Party leader Bill Shorten announced Saturday a proposal to limit negative gearing to new housing from July 2017, but property experts have slammed the proposed changes, arguing they will drive a spike in rents and, possibly, home prices. Founder of the Binvested Group...
- First home buyers face higher hurdle to home ownership
First home buyers may think cooling house prices could provide an opportunity to crack into the property market this year, but the picture could be bleaker than before. A typical house in Melbourne priced at $628,104 a year ago now costs $719,486, and Sydney’s median house price also soared $130,000 in 2015. The general consensus is that house prices in the...
- First home buyers need help: poll
A majority of agents believe the government should be doing more to help first home buyers, with stamp duty relief the favoured option. According to a recent REB poll, 53.8 per cent of respondents said stamp duty relief was the type of assistance they would most like first home buyers to receive. Another 15.1 per cent called...
- Housing prices across Australia
Housing affordability is a topic that is being discussed more and more due to the substantial increase in home values at a time when household incomes are hardly moving. While there are many studies outlining affordability based on measures like dwelling price to income ratio’s, the proportion of household income it takes to service the...
- Labor promises to cut negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions
Labor has promised to end negative gearing on existing homes and cut capital gains tax concessions if it wins the next election. Labor says the changes would raise $32bn over a decade, help make housing more affordable and generate construction industry jobs. As Malcolm Turnbull’s government struggles to develop a tax plan and abandons the idea of...
- What Australia’s population hitting 24 million means for the property market
At 12.51am on Tuesday, the estimated population of Australia as measured on the population clock passes 24 million. It is interesting to note just how quickly we have reached 24 million given previous expectations. The population clock was unveiled in the latter half of 1999 by Minister Hockey when the population hit 19 million, and at that...
- Real estate index, house price expectations fall as foreign buyers exit: NAB
A decline in property investment and foreign buyer activity is expected to reduce house price growth to just 1 per cent over the next two years. Key points NAB predicts house price growth of 1 per cent nationally this year Unit prices expected to fall 1.2 per cent this year Foreign buyers and local investors make up a falling...
- Australians bet their home on their grand business idea
Home ownership was in sight for Melbourne couple James and Monica Meldrum, who had saved a healthy deposit of $100,000. But the couple put their great Australian dream on hold and used the cash to pursue a business idea in a move some family and friends thought was crazy. It's always terrifying, but not going ahead with...
- Home auction clearances bounce back
Housing auction clearance rates bounced back strongly last week, but the overhang of supply in Sydney, Perth and Darwin continued to build. The proportion of homes being sold after being put up for auction last week in the state and territory capitals was 71.0 per cent, compared with 67.3 per cent in the same week of...
- Rising house prices in Sydney and Melbourne
Surging house prices in Sydney and Melbourne have helped keep Australia near the top of an annual list of the world's least affordable countries. Key points: The typical Australian house costs 5.6 times the median household income Only Hong Kong (19) is less affordable; with New Zealand (5.2) and the UK (5.1) close behind Australia Sydney is the second...
- Acorns turns your spare change into an investment portfolio
A new app is launching in Australia that will take a few cents here and a few dollars there and invest it in exchange traded funds on your behalf. I had coffee recently with George Lucas. No, not that George Lucas. My coffee was with the managing director of Acorns Grow Australia. He wanted to tell me about...
- Property prices in australia
A slowdown in property prices in Australia is unhelpful for investors but good news for migrants. For those seeking to live and work in Australia rising property prices have been unwelcome but the market is changing fast and the slowdown means affordable housing will become more widely available in 2016, industry analysts say. Only 15 out of...
- Five tips for property investment in 2016
As Sydney’s boom ends, other locations around Australia are stepping up as locations poised for price growth. Success in property investing will depend, as always, on buying in the right places. But there are a number of key steps investors need to take before considering where they might buy in 2016. Here’s my five-step process to...
- Five things sellers hide at open homes
Open homes are a chance for buyers to look through a property to see if it is suitable, but they’re also a chance for savvy sellers to hide the unsavoury features in their residence. Buyers may initially look around open homes to get an idea of how they feel about the property, but they should also...
- Australia’s house price madness is getting worse
In the ongoing debate over Australia’s ‘housing bubble’, the annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey causes plenty of arguments and a few burst blood vessels. The survey looks at cities around the developed world through the lens of the ‘median multiple’ – that is, the median dwelling price divided by the median income in that area. Critics argue...
- How to sell a home in Australia while it is being rented
Selling a property is usually a stressful enough time in someone’s life, but when you’re selling a tenant’s home it can be even more difficult. While many agents prefer to sell a property with vacant possession, without a tenant, some renters can benefit your sales campaign, Xenia Ioannou, principal of Alexa Property Group said. “Some tenants are...
- Top six Australian real estate deals to watch for 2016
With at least $30 billion worth of commercial real estate deals predicted to change hands in Australia this year alongside the billions of dollars worth of residential property, The Australian Financial Review has charted the top six areas for this year's market, guided by the big successes of 2015. 1. WATCH THE OLD HANDS It is hard...
- Brisbane’s best buys
Brisbane property experts share their top suburbs for investment success in 2016. By Dinah Lewis Boucher If Brisbane has hit your radar as the next capital city market in which to invest, you may be interested in which suburbs local property experts are earmarking as their top picks. Armed with different investor budgets, they’ve picked something on...
- These are the most affordable suburbs close to capital cities for investors to look out for in 2016
WO states dominate the list of suburbs for investors to keep an eye on in 2016. Suburbs in Western Australia and South Australia have been labelled by realestate.com.au as the best affordable suburbs to invest based on their strong compound annual growth in 2015. South Australia’s Mansfield Park topped the list of suburbs for three-bedroom homes less...
- How do Australia’s cities compare with other global villages?
IT’S a sale of two cities. Our property prices versus the globe. Real estate in Aussie capitals is often labelled as the most expensive in the world and while sunny Sydney has a median house price of $850,000 - or about $1 million in the central suburbs - some of our other cities appear more tame...
- Positive Outlook For Australian Housing Market
Australians have started 2016 with a more positive outlook on the nation’s housing market according to research released yesterday. Results from the January Westpac-Melbourne Institute Survey of Consumer Sentiment have revealed more people think now is a better time to buy a house than any time since midway through 2015. The Time to buy a dwelling index...
- Most Australians think their home is worth more in 2016, survey finds
Most Australians think their home is worth more off the back of last year’s property “boom”, despite price gains in 2015 largely being concentrated to the Sydney and Melbourne markets and clear signs that growth had cooled by the end of 2015. A survey of 2000 homeowners by law firm Slater and Gordon found 78 per...
- Happy Australia Day — Get Your House in Order
As a sixth generation Australian, I’m truly blessed my forefathers chose to call Australia home. It’s a wonderful country. For me, every day is Australia Day. Our country is on the must see list of most travellers. Whenever you travel overseas, people invariably say ‘I would love to come to Australia one day. I hear it has such beautiful...
- Housing costs in Australia second only to Hong Kong
Surging house prices in Sydney and Melbourne have helped keep Australia near the top of an annual list of the world's least affordable countries. Key points: The typical Australian house costs 5.6 times the median household income Only Hong Kong (19) is less affordable; with New Zealand (5.2) and the UK (5.1) close behind Australia Sydney is the second...
- Five ways to pay off your mortgage earlier
With the increase in bank mortgage rates late last year, combined with the shaky economic start to 2016, there has never been a better time for Aussies to starting things about how to pay off their mortgage earlier. Not only would you make more savings, but the opportunity to pay off a mortgage early also frees...
- Fitch: House Price Growth to Slow Significantly in Australia, NZ
(The following statement was released by the rating agency) SYDNEY/SINGAPORE, January 13 (Fitch) House prices in several Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets are likely to slow down or decline in 2016 owing to low affordability, exposure to US rate hikes, and prudential regulations, says Fitch Ratings. The pace of house-price growth should decelerate particularly sharply in Australia...
- Borrowers flock to fixed-rate mortgages
Nearly one out of five new home loans taken in December were capped at fixed rates, as Australian borrowers worry of further interest rate rises to their mortgage in 2016. New data from Mortgage Choice found 19.44 per cent of all loans that were given by lenders during December were fixed-rate products, rising from 17.4 per cent...
- Hobart is last capital city standing with no million-dollar suburbs
HOBART, you’re giving the rest of us financial envy. Across our wide, brown land there are now 513 suburbs with a median house or unit price of $1 million (or way more) and every capital city is on the list — except the capital of our Apple Isle. Hobart ticks a lot of the same boxes as...
- Top six Australian real estate deals to watch for 2016
With at least $30 billion worth of commercial real estate deals predicted to change hands in Australia this year alongside the billions of dollars worth of residential property, The Australian Financial Review has charted the top six areas for this year's market, guided by the big successes of 2015. 1. WATCH THE OLD HANDS It is hard...
- Perth house auctions move to Sundays, weeknights
PERTH home sellers are turning to Sundays and weekday evenings as a secret auction weapon in a slowing property market. While Saturday has traditionally been WA’s busiest day for auctions, vendors are now experimenting, putting homes under the hammer on Sundays, and even Wednesday and Tuesday evenings. Figures from CoreLogic RP data show a spike in the...
- Seven things buyers should look for when inspecting a property
TV personality and professional buyer’s advocate, Frank Valentic, has three golden rules for buying real estate: “location, location, location”. “You can change the house, but you can’t change its location,” he says. “It’s not something you want to get wrong.” Valentic, who is a regular judge and buyer’s advocate on the hit TV seriesThe Block, advises buyers...
- The Sydney versus Brisbane price gap
Families from southern capitals are looking to the north for a better quality lifestyle at an affordable price, with median prices in Sydney up to 75 per cent higher than the median price in Brisbane, according to the latest Corelogic figures. Corelogic data released in November showed the gap between the median house price in Sydney...
- Seven factors that will shape the 2016 property market
I was recently rung by a journalist from one of the major daily news sites asking me for my predictions on the property hot spots for 2016. Apparently an article that he wrote two years ago predicting the hotspots for the coming year was one of the most popular on their website, and now coming to...
- Australia’s high rise boom is weighing on apartment prices
Australia is in the midst of an unprecedented high rise residential construction boom. The skylines of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – the three main capitals along Australia’s eastern seaboard – are currently littered with cranes, particularly in inner city locations. While residential construction is taking off, the increase in new apartments has lead to a slowdown in...
- Top five tips for buying well in 2016
Restrictions on bank lending are having an impact on the market, as is continued speculation of a property market bubble, so property buyers need to be astute in 2016. Buying a property is one of the biggest purchases most people are likely to make and many still view property as the key vehicle for their retirement savings nest-egg. For savvy...
- What to consider before buying a unique home in Australia
So, you are in the market for a new home and that faux Tudor castle has caught your eye? The quaint 1850s sandstone church down the road also has potential. Australia has plenty of unique homes to choose from, whether it’s a bold design from one of the country’s distinguished architects, a house built in the shape...
- These are Australia’s priciest pads for 2015
THEY’RE worth millions, have enviable postcodes and have just become the new dream homes of some cashed-up Australians. Realestate.com.au has released its list of Australia’s priciest homes of 2015, featuring mainly Sydney suburbs with harbour views and water frontage. Mandalay in Sydney’s Point Piper, which sold to road construction developer Phillip Dong Fang Lee and his wife...
- Australia real estate boom leaves swath of empty property
SYDNEY (BLOOMBERG) - Australia's three-year property boom is leaving Melbourne awash with empty homes. In the country's second-biggest city, growing numbers of local landlords and absent overseas owners have locked up their properties - forgoing rental income as they focus instead on price gains, a report by Prosper Australia said on Wednesday (Dec 9). Some 82,724 properties, or...
- More than 190,000 people took a virtual look through this home in an online frenzy over its listing
THIS is Australia’s most popular property. Realestate.com.au has crunched the numbers and found out which properties were the most viewed in Australia this year. More than 190,000 people might not have been able to afford it, but they clicked on the realestate.com.au listing for the home to take a look inside 3 Barooga Drive, at Wonga Park...
- Where will Australian property prices go in 2016?
As 2015 comes to an end – which was a bumper of a year for real estate sales – everyone from property punters to economists are placing their bets on where prices will go in the New Year. Now it’s my turn to throw my hat in the ring. But the answer isn’t a one size...
- Is it Time to Ditch the Great Australian Housing Dream?
Australian millenials may soon need to abandon the long-cherished dream of occupying their own detached, single-family dwelling on a quarter acre block. Profound changes to urban environments and economic conditions are sadly making such residential property aspirations a thing of the past. According to Craig Yelland, director of Plus Architecture, projected growth in Australia's city-dwelling populations will...
- Many new homes in Australia sit vacant as foreign investors bank on capital gains
Australia’s residential construction boom, fuelled largely by enormous growth in high rise apartment construction favoured by offshore investors, may be leaving Melbourne with a raft of vacant properties. That’s the findings from Prosper Australia, a Melbourne-based research-based organisation seeking to advance economic efficiency and social justice through tax reform and education according to its website, who...
- The best time to sell property across Australia
IT’S an article of faith — pick the right time of year to buy or sell and you can save (or make) a whole lot more on property. The only problem? Knowing the right time. That is no longer an issue, thanks to new research by economics and finance gurus from Swinburne, Griffith and Monash universities. Analysing 20...
- Which is Australia’s most unemployed state?
Australia’s unemployment rate has remained relatively stable over the past 12 months, decreasing to 6.1 per cent to 6.2 per cent, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. In some areas of the country, unemployment rates are as high as 61 per cent, a huge 10 times higher than the national average. Queensland is home...
- What to Expect for Australia Housing 2016
John Flavell, CEO at Mortgage Choice shares what he thinks Australia's housing market will look like in 2016. Read more....
- Falling housing finance figures point to a cooling property market
The housing market continues to show signs of cooling with the second successive month of falling housing finance and a dramatic decline in investor lending. Overall housing related lending fell 2 per cent in October and the annual growth eased back to 8.4 per cent. However investor lending tumbled 6.2 per cent for the month and is...
- ‘Australia headed for recession’: Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek finance minister
Australia is headed towards recession, according to former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who argues that weak domestic investment and the slowdown in China will ultimately put the brakes on growth. Speaking to Fairfax Media on Monday, the one-time Sydney University economics lecturer said China was crucial to Australia's fortunes, but the world's second-biggest economy was...
- RBA keeps rates on hold again
The Reserve Bank has decided to keep interest rates on hold at 2.0 per cent for a sixth consecutive month at its last board meeting of the year. Following the RBA’s previous announcement to leave the cash rate unchanged at its November board meeting, academics and economists predicted there would be no movement in the cash...
- Why December is the best month of the year to splash out on property in Australia’s tough market
Lead-up to Christmas is a good time to buy properties with owners hoping to offload before the holiday period Appealing suburbs to buy in include Mosman, Balmain East, Strathfield, Marrickville, Leichhardt and Annandale Central suburbs Glebe, Darlinghurst and Woolloomooloo are also favourable suburbs to buy in Prospectives buyers who are worried they've left it too late to make...
- House prices continue to show signs of cooling
House prices in Australia are continuing to show signs of cooling, as out-of-cycle rate hikes from the big four banks and a regulator crackdown on loose lending start to curb the speculative property bubble in the major cities. Property prices slipped in five of the eight Australian capitals, which dragged the combined capital cities price index...
- Time’s up for foreigners who illegally own Australian real estate
Time has run out for foreign buyers who illegally own Australian real estate. In May 2015, the government announced an amnesty of sorts for foreign investors who had breached Australia’s residential property rules. Foreigners who illegally acquired an Australian home had seven months – until December 1 – to voluntarily come forward and disclose ownership. In return, foreign...
- Cossets crowd-funding sets sights on Australian property market
FIRST there was the guy who raised $55,492 to make potato salad, and then the man who gathered up a collective $3650 to fix his broken front tooth. But now crowd-funding just got serious. Singaporean-based crowd-funding firm, CoAssets, is heading down under in a bid to help financially-challenged househunters invest in real estate with as little...
- How can we best design housing for Australia’s ageing population?
Few older Australians actually live in non-private housing such as nursing homes. Data from the 2011 Census reveals that 94% of Australians who are 65 or older still live in private housing. More than half live with a partner and another quarter live alone. Life expectancy is nearly double what it was a century ago. And...
- A land value tax could fix Australasia’s housing crisis
The major cities of Australia and New Zealand are experiencing an extraordinary wave of speculation in their respective real estate markets. Over the past three years, the median house price to median income ratio has increased by 21.2% in Australia and 18.1% in New Zealand, a rate reminiscent of Ireland’s 20.5% before its housing crash...
- This state has more suburbs where buyers close to the CBD have the upper hand than any other in Australia
Western Australia has more suburbs in the top ten list of buyer’s markets close to the CBD than anywhere else in Australia. Buyer’s markets are suburbs where properties sit on the market for a long time, there are fewer people looking for properties and sellers are more willing to sell at a discounted sale price. While it...
- Australia blocks sale of giant property portfolio
S Kidman & Co has pastoral leases in several states that together cover about 101,000 square kilometres - an area roughly the size of the North Island excluding Northland. Two Chinese companies, Genius Link Group and Shanghai Pengxin, were reportedly engaged in a $A350m ($NZ384m) bidding war over the holdings. Selling the company would be against the...
- 7 reasons to believe Australian property prices aren’t about to fall off a cliff
Is Australia’s property market really a precarious house of cards waiting to topple? There’s a property debate raging at present – some say the future for property is bright while others suggest our markets are set to crash. After a number of boom years, especially in the Sydney and Melbourne property markets, we’ve entered a more mature...
- Melbourne property market dwindles as crackdown spooks Chinese buyers
CHINESE buyers have deserted Melbourne’s prestige property market following the Australian Government’s crackdown on foreign homeowners, buyer advocates say. Experts tip the exodus could cause sale prices of high-end properties to dip, particularly in the Stonnington and Boroondara areas. But real estate agents who work in the sector say they’re yet to see a drop in values. Treasurer...
- Commercial property investors reaping rewards
Investors are cashing in on the increasing demand for commercial real estate, with vendors selling their properties well over reserve. Raine & Horne executive chairman Angus Raine said commercial assets priced between $1 million and $3 million are increasingly popular with yield-hungry, self-managed super fund trustees, which is paying off for vendors. “Low cash rates are also...
- Tiny House gives Queensland families new take on Australian dream
A growing band of Australians are ditching the idea of a big home and mortgage for something smaller and more affordable known as a Tiny House. It is a global movement that took prominence after 2005's Hurricane Katrina in the USA when so many people lost their homes. Now it is making inroads in Australia. The pint-sized homes...
- Household batteries still five years from making financial sense for Australian homes
There is a lot of hype about the flood of household battery options to store rooftop solar power that are hitting the Australian market - but do they make financial sense for a family home? A new assessment by the Alternative Technology Association says not yet. But by 2020, for some households around the country, they...
- Self managed super warned over housing
Self-managed superannuation fund trustees have been warned against making big bets on residential property. With many SMSF trustees are already invested in residential property outside their super fund, there is an argument against directing a large part of their super to housing as well, AMP Capital portfolio manager Christopher Davitt and AMP chief economist Shane Oliver...
- Australian pine more valuable as housing construction increases 17 per cent
Record low interest rates and greater housing construction are driving up the price of Australian pine trees, according to Australia's largest forestry investment company. A new report released by the Federal Government indicates Australia's housing construction is up 17 per cent, and general log harvesting is up eight per cent to 27 million metric tonnes. Read more. ...
- What are Australia’s 10 richest postcodes?
With an estimated 1700 people classified as ultra high net worth individuals currently living in Australia, almost half of whom live in Sydney, it is unsurprising that six of the top 10 richest postcodes in the country are in NSW. According to the latest data from the ATO, Australia’s richest people live in Sydney’s eastern suburbs,...
- Australia’s top suburbs where homes have TRIPLED in value in a decade and made their owners rich… so where should YOU buy?
Australia's biggest 'boom' suburbs have been revealed, with some owners who snapped up property in these postcodes having seen the price of their home more than triple is just years. Skyrocketing prices in many suburbs are the result of growing gentrification across Australia's most popular cities of Sydney and Melbourne, according to real estate experts Domain. In...
- Australian real estate still performing strongly
The head of a major real estate franchise believes concerns about property markets in Australia are somewhat overblown. Angus Raine, executive chairman of Raine & Horne, said the idea of markets such as Sydney being in trouble is far from the truth. “Real estate markets in Sydney are returning to a more normal market where we might...
- Chinese investors turn attention to Canberra real estate
Real estate agents are reporting signs of growing Chinese interest in Canberra's property market. Sydney and Melbourne have seen a boom in Chinese investment over recent years. But real estate companies have described a recent growth in interest from wealthy Chinese buyers in Canberra suburbs such as Gungahlin and Lawson. Read more....
- Is the Chinese property boom over?
CHINESE buyers have flooded billions into the Australian property market, but a new report suggests that demand could finally be falling. Analysts from investment bank Credit Suisse said in a report this week “anecdotal evidence” suggested demand could slow by as much as 30 per cent in the year to December. The report blamed the slowdown on...
- Rising interest rates threaten to crash Sydney housing market
Sydney’s home auction clearance rate crashed below 60 per cent at the weekend, reflecting the effect on buyer confidence of recent rises in home mortgage rates. Just 59.2 per cent cleared on Saturday, well down on the previous weekend’s 63.3 per cent and significantly below last year. There will be no relief for the market this year,...
- How falling house prices could end up making us rich
MY MATE is a brilliant engineer. He’s got a good job but he wants to get rich. The other night as we stood round at a barbecue, he was telling me about his plan to buy another house — or maybe a flat — in the suburb he lives in. I smiled and said ‘awesome!’ But...
- Australia on the cusp of new way to power homes
Australia is tipped to undergo a solar power revolution, with experts saying it could soon be cheaper to generate a home's electricity using solar energy than via the traditional grid. A report by Climate Council, a non-government organisation, found that by 2018, using solar panels with new efficient batteries could make it cheaper to produce home-made...
- Perth house prices hit by record fall
Perth’s property market has hit a bleak milestone — its sharpest quarterly price drop on record. But WA’s leading real estate group says discounts could be short-lived, predicting an end to falling prices within six months. Real Estate Institute of WA figures show Perth’s median house price fell from $545,000 in June to $522,133 last month —...
- Apartments boost building approvals
Australia's housing construction boom looks to be over, with approvals for new homes managing only a slight rise in September. Approvals were up by 2.2 per cent during the month, which was better than market expectations of a one per cent rise. Over the year to September, approvals rose 21.4 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics...
- Survey says mortgage brokers becoming more popular as people look for home loans
Having your finances in order is becoming even more important, if the results of a recent survey of property investors are anything to go by. The results of the 2015 property investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA) Annual Investor Sentiment Survey were released this week, and nearly a third of the more than 1000 respondents said securing...
- Property prices still strong in some cities, despite cooling market
New forecasts by the National Australia Bank (NAB) have discovered that despite the national housing market losing steam, some individual states are posting respectable price growths. Alan Oster, chief economist for the NAB Group, noted that the overall national figures obscured some of the more positive individual performances across individual state markets. NAB Economics estimated that the...
- Housing crisis report says backyards for children vanishing as oldies stay put
Backyards will soon be unattainable for the majority of children born in Sydney and Melbourne, according to an explosive new report which blames a buildup in the number of largely-empty houses occupied by Australians over the age of 50. The report by academics Bob Birrell and David McCloskey from the Australian Population Research Institute finds Sydney...
- Where is Australia’s low-rise, high-density housing?
The work of a largely forgotten architect demonstrates that density doesn’t have to come at the price of amenity. Louis Sauer: The Architect of Low-rise High-density Housing (Lulu, 2014) The concept of “low-rise, high-density” housing is one the public doesn’t often get exposed to in contemporary Australia. The two main modes of housing supplied to the market...
- ANZ joins rivals to raise standard variable home loan rate
ANZ has joined its rivals in raising interest rates for home owners to help cover the costs of boosting their protection against potential economic shocks. The bank will raise its standard variable interest rates for owner-occupiers and investors by 0.18 percentage points to 5.56%. The bank said it faced significant additional costs due to the new levels...
- Chinese no-deposit home loans could fuel speculation in Australian real estate
Chinese investors being offered zero-deposit home loans over Australian apartments will be charged credit card interest rates, raising fears of increased offshore speculation in the already heady property market. The privately owned Ping An Insurance, which is offering the zero-deposit home loans, will charge clients an annual interest rate of 14 per cent. Eddie Yuen, the Shanghai-based...
- International buyers eye Australia’s ultimate prize, a home on the water or ocean
A home on the water’s edge has long been considered the ultimate prize by Australians but increasingly it’s being sought after by those from foreign shores. From the mega mansions on Sydney harbour to an $11 million prize on Victoria’s coastline, the plunge of the Australian dollar has recently made the idea even more desirable. Read more....
- Real estate jitters hit auctions as Sydney and Melbourne show signs of cooling
The Sydney and Melbourne property markets are showing signs of cooling off, with auction clearance rates dropping over the past week. Auction clearance rates in Sydney fell to 65.1% over the past week, the lowest in three years, with 530 out of 874 listed properties selling. Clearance rates in Melbourne were 73%, with 957 sales out...
- Affordability front of mind for today’s home buyers
“Location location location”- a common saying used to express a tightly held belief that home buyers’ top attribute for a home was suburb. New research from Finder.com.au, however, has challenged this popular perception. Read more....
- Home buyers hot for Australia’s first sun-savvy suburb Denman
Home buyers have taken a shine to Australia’s first solar suburb with hundreds of bidders competing for 40 blocks in Denman’s first land sale. Some snapped up two and three blocks each at the sell-out auction in front of a 500-strong crowd at the Canberra Convention Centre. There were 250 registered bidders with final prices ranging from $410,000 to...
- Ever wanted to live in another era?
Ever wanted to live in another era? Amazing time-capsule home reverse-restored to reflect Australian life as it was 161 years ago goes on sale The home, built in 1854, is to go up for auction in November Located in St Kilda, Melbourne, the house is one of the city's oldest The present owners undertook a restoration project when...
- Home-building to peak in early 2016, Property Council says
The housing construction boom hasn't yet run out of steam and completions of new homes are likely to peak early next year, before following the approvals rate lower, the Property Council of Australia says. Completions, which jumped 19 per cent to 189,239 in the year to June as new housing starts also rose to a record, will keep...
- Melbourne property to outperform Sydney
House price growth in Melbourne is tipped to outperform Sydney next year while Perth and Darwin property markets are expected to go backwards. The latest SQM Research shows that, overall, Australian residential property prices in 2016 are predicted to rise at their slowest pace since 2012. Read more:...
- Handy with a hammer and paintbrush? Check out these ultimate renovation projects
IF YOU’RE on the lookout for the ultimate renovators delight these are the homes for you. And they are all priced less than $50,000. This derelict house at lot 14 Warrie St, Gulargambone about 500km north west of Sydney is listed for just $20,000. It may need a little more than a paint and clean up, but...
- Time to think outside the square with retirement and housing
There is a strong need for certainty in retirement policy, a far-reaching review of the system and recommendations for reform that are outside of previous policy considerations. The inexorable march of time, Australia’s ageing population and the critical need for government to provide policy certainty mean the issues around retirement can’t be ignored any longer. It’s...
- If You’re A Property Investor, You Are A Small Business Owner
If you own property from which you receive rental income, you should be thinking of yourself as a small business owner. That rule doesn’t just apply to property investors who run a large portfolio as a full-time source of income. The scale might be different but it still applies if you’ve just inherited nana’s bungalow and...
- Owner-occupiers overtake investors in home loan growth
Home loans to owner-occupiers are accelerating at the same time as lending to property investors eases off. The Bureau of Statistics housing finance data for August show the value of loan approvals for owner-occupiers grew 6.1 per cent over the month, while the value of loans to investors fell 0.4 per cent. Excluding refinancing, owner-occupier lending jumped...
- Disrupting Australia’s Power Supply: Your Home’s Future On (Or Off) The Grid
The announcement of Tesla’s Powerwall recently made waves for its huge potential to change the way we use — and generate — electricity, but did you know that Australian consumers have already started changing the power dynamic? Individual households are quickly becoming one of the biggest disruptors in Australia’s electricity network. In September it was revealed that...
- What is the Australian property dream?
With different parts of the country experiencing varied rates of capital growth, we embarked on some research to assess what people's priorities were in different postcodes. The results make for very interesting reading. Increasingly we knew from our branches that the different aspects of property – loans, equity, investing, renovating, construction, etc – all added up...
- How Affordable Is Australia’s Housing?
For anyone who has a passing interest in economic matters it is no real surprise that Australia ranks so highly in unaffordability for the homebuyer. As a highly urbanised society our housing indeed ranks amongst the most expensive in the world, but just how high? Utilising survey data from the 11th Annual Demographia International Affordability Survey: 2015...
- Australia’s Central Bank Keeps Interest Rates on Hold
SYDNEY—Australia’s central bank left interest rates unchanged at its monthly policy meeting Tuesday, waiting to see whether the falling Australian dollar and a change of prime minister can do the heavy lifting in reviving the nation’s economy. The Reserve Bank of Australia left its cash rate target at a record low 2.0%, where it has remained...
- Foreign investment in commercial real estate hits record highs
Analysis by CBRE shows that foreign investors accounted for 56% of the $8.6 billion worth of commercial sales in the September quarter. That is the highest proportion of sales to offshore buyers in the 10 years the figures have been tracked. The level of overseas purchasing activity had pushed total sales in the quarter 8.5% higher...
- Real estate industry Pain and Gain report shows where Australian property is not making a profit
IT’S the great Australian property myth. When it comes to real estate prices, the only way is up. Well, that might be true of just about any capital city, but step out of the big smoke and there are still spots across the country where selling your home for less than you paid for it is...
- Australia’s city house prices up 11 per cent in 12 months
Capital city home values have grown 0.9 per cent, led by a 2.4 per cent surge in Melbourne. September's rise in home values, reported by CoreLogic RP Data, pushed the annual rate of home price inflation to 11 per cent across the eight state and territory capitals. That is up from 10.2 per cent in the year...
- Canadian house price rise outstrips all but 3 other global markets
The year-over-year rise in the price of Canada's housing in the second quarter of 2015 is one of the highest in the developed world, largely because of low interest rates, according to a report from Scotiabank. At 8.3 per cent, it lags markets such as Ireland (13.3 per cent) or Sweden (10.1 per cent), but is...
- 3 possible outcomes for Australia’s property market
Sky-high prices are making residential property a tougher proposition for investors, especially self-managed superannuation funds. From here, the market could turn any of three different ways. Australia’s housing market has made a habit of defying financial gravity. While property prices in the US, UK and other developed countries have cycled between boom and bust, in Australia...
- Is this Australia’s least desirable house?
The property that's been on the market for FOUR years - even after the owners slashed the asking price by 30 per cent. A South Australian property with the longest days on the market has been available for an outrageous four years. The home, at two Rankine Street in Strathalbyn has been discounted by 30 per cent...
- BOOM TOWNS: Australian property and the lessons from the Irish experience
In September 2008, a helicopter crashed and burst into flames in the Irish seaside town where I grew up. It was news to me that there was a helicopter in the neighbourhood, let alone learning that it crashed and exploded. As kids, we’d never seen choppers in the area. It was a village north of Dublin...
- The deepening risks in the housing market
House prices surged further in the June quarter, though growth was concentrated almost entirely in Sydney and Melbourne -- which highlights the growing risks in Australia’s biggest asset class. Nationally, the house price-to-income ratio reached a new high, reflecting lower interest rates and elevated investor activity. The current scenario appears unsustainable unless income growth picks up,...
- Australia housing market ‘peaked’, says Morgan Stanley
Australian housing sector has "peaked", increasing the risk of recession, according to new report. Analysts at investment bank Morgan Stanley said lower migration rates, tighter financial lending rules and over-supply would blunt housing growth. Australia's official cash rate is a record low 2% but regulators recently tightened lending rules for investors. Read more....
- Housing market cools as new dwellings help ease the squeeze, says Treasury
The housing market is beginning to cool as new dwellings going on sale help moderate prices, despite investors representing 40% of all new home loans, the federal Treasury has said. On Friday parliamentarians quizzed Treasury officials about housing affordability. Read more....
- Why the rise of Malcolm Turnbull is good news for first home buyers
Don’t let the Point Piper address or the enviable property portfolio dissuade you – Malcolm Turnbull’s rise to Prime Minister is one of the best steps towards putting housing affordability on the national agenda. The leadership change will challenge the argument pushed by key members of the Liberal Party that nothing is wrong with house prices. Read...
- Slowing population growth presents economic, housing market challenge
A slowdown in population growth, due mainly to a fall in immigration to Australia, will pose further challenges to economic growth and the housing market. The latest Bureau of Statistics estimates, released today, reveal the nation's population grew to 23.7 million by the end of March, up by around 316,000 people, or 1.4 per cent, on...
- Australian Crackdown on Foreign Property-Buyers Intensifies
CANBERRA, Australia—A government clampdown on illegal investment in Australian real estate has broadened, with almost 500 properties worth more than 1 billion Australian dollars (US$713 million) in total under investigation and more foreign buyers forced to sell properties. The government has been under pressure to rein in an investment-driven surge in home prices in Australia’s two...
- ‘Australia is toast’ foreign investors tell NAB
Foreign investors have turned especially bearish on the Australian economy, with one describing it as "toast", a National Australia Bank report says. Chief economist Ivan Colhoun said a recent visit to clients in Britain, continental Europe and the Middle East revealed a "uniformly negative view on Australia's prospects". "I have never experienced such overwhelming negativity on the...
- Aussie property market facing glut of new homes
A home-building frenzy that is shoring up Australia's economy as the mining boom ends may also be what finally takes the steam out of one of the world's most expensive property markets. The case in point: Green Square. Nearly 10,000 apartments will be built in one of Sydney's newest suburbs in the next four years to satisfy...
- How does Australia’s property price growth compare globally?
The residential property price boom gripping Sydney and Melbourne is sweeping several other markets in Europe, North America and Asia, according to Global Property Guide. In its global survey of housing markets for the second quarter of 2015, the guide identified Hong Kong, Ireland, Estonia (Tallinn), Philippines (Manila) and Iceland as the top five for year-on-year...
- Mining towns face mortgage threat
Australian regions suffering from the resources downturn are seeing increased mortgage delinquency rates as more residents of once-booming mining town fail to repay loans. Global ratings agency Moody’s said today that, excluding the New South Wales hot property market, mortgage delinquencies across Australia increased over the year through to May, despite two Reserve Bank interest rate...
- Sydney property prices faltering as new home ‘tsunami’ hits
A home-building frenzy that is shoring up Australia's economy as the mining boom ends may also be what finally takes the steam out of one of the world's most expensive property markets. The case in point: Green Square. Nearly 10,000 apartments will be built in one of Sydney's newest suburbs in the next four years to...
- Why you can’t blame Chinese investors for Australia’s property bubble
The scale of Chinese investment in the Australian residential property market continues to polarise public opinion. Chinese buyers are often blamed for driving up house prices in Australia and causing the current affordability crisis. However, Chinese offshore purchases are surprisingly low. Based on Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval figures, ABS data, and our own data...
- Rule change hits demand for Australian investor visas
Demand for Australian investor visas has slowed to a trickle following a government decision to follow Canada and the UK in tightening rules on fast-track residency in return for investment. The changes were introduced in July following a surge in applications from wealthy Chinese and suspension of a scheme Canberra argued was not generating enough return...
- Australia property most expensive of all 20 rugby nations
f house prices are anything to go by in the Rugby World Cup, Australia will be the nation most likely to take home the coveted Webb Ellis trophy, leaving New Zealand and England in its wake. Global real estate group CBRE has charted the average house price of the twenty rugby-playing nations and Australia is on...
- An omen for Australia’s commercial property market?
Even as global investors queue eagerly to get their hands on Australian real estate, one astute investor, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte Ltd, has been quietly taking profits and selling down its Australian holdings. GIC has sold its five-star hotels, an industrial portfolio, an office building and a key stake in GPT Group, one of...
- Lower Australia dollar to inflate Sydney, Melbourne property prices
he lower Australian dollar makes property cheaper for foreign buyers and could increase the bubble prices being paid for apartments in areas of Sydney and Melbourne. The dollar sank below US70¢ on Wednesday, for the first time since April 2009, and Deutsche Bank chief economist Adam Boyton predicts the dollar will keep falling to US60¢ by...
- Expats and overseas buyers to lift Australian prestige spring property market
The sorts of influences that dictate your chances of selling the average house – such as interest rates – don’t apply so much to prestige property. It’s other issues, like the lower Australian dollar. “Anywhere where the buyers’ currency is stronger than ours makes Sydney very attractive to buy in,” says Sotheby’s International Realty agent Michael...
- Perth’s growth of millionaire suburbs
Perth now has 39 suburbs where the median price of a home is at least $1 million. CoreLogic RP Data says that there were 35 earlier this year but despite 8 falling below the seven-figure threshold more have risen above. Peppermint Grove is still the most expensive suburb by median value in Western Australia at...
- Look east for Melbourne’s best locations to buy an apartment
Suburbs nestled in Melbourne’s inner-eastern school belt have long been understood to be a safe bet for houses, but it’s now also hailed an apartment hot spot. The prestigious suburbs of Kew, Hawthorn, Camberwell, Balwyn and North Balwyn were identified by Andrew Leoncelli, managing director at CBRE residential projects, as the best locations to buy at...
- The salary you need to buy a median-priced home in each of Australia’s major cities
To buy a median-priced property in Sydney you need to be earning more than $106,000 a year. The average annual wage in Australia is around $75,000, which means as property prices in Australia continue their hot run, more people are finding buying home is an unattainable dream. Read more. ...
- How to buy your first home the right way
Tips for First Home Buyers in Australia - How to buy your first home the right way Buying your first property is an overwhelming process. There are new terminologies to be learned, processes that you never knew existed and what's all this talk about first home owner grants? Hopefully, after reading this page, you'll feel more confident...
- Perth’s bargain buys – the 10 most affordable suburbs
With housing affordability an issue for many Western Australians and increasingly on the national agenda, entering the Perth property market can seem a daunting prospect. If you’re looking to buy and want to know which Perth suburbs are the most affordable, you may want to look south, with reiwa.com data showing that Perth's 10 most affordable...
- Sydney again leads home value growth in Australian capital cities
Property values in Australian capital cities increased 0.3% in August with Sydney seeing the highest growth at 1.1% compared with the previous month. The latest home value index from CoreLogic RP Data also shows that there were considerable variations in the performance of the housing market from city to city. Read more....
- The worst states for mortgage repayments
Tasmanians and Queenslanders are the nation's worst for keeping up with home loan repayments. A report from ratings agency Fitch shows just under one in a hundred mortgages in Tasmania, or 0.99 per cent, were 30 days or more in arrears at the end of March. Read more here....
- Mining downturn causes mortgage stress for Australian banks
SYDNEY, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Job losses in Australia's resources sector have caused more mortgages in Australia's mining region to fall in arrears, potentially highlighting the risks to Australia's banks from the slump in commodities....
- Australia Worried About Rise in Chinese Property Buying
China’s market turmoil is raising the risk that wealthy Chinese investors will pour more money into an already overheated Australian property market, Australia’s top finance official warned. Read more here....
- Tighter regulations on foreign property ownership
Australia's tighter regulations on foreign property ownership not affecting Singaporeans' interest: Estate agents Under Australia's foreign investment regime, foreigners are only allowed to purchase new dwellings. Authorities say they will introduce legislation into Parliament to ensure that the reforms will commence on Dec 1. Read more here....
- Why Sydney Property is ‘Cheap’
There are a lot of things said about Sydney. But have you ever heard anyone describe its real estate as cheap? Well, I did last week when I spoke to a consultant and researcher based in China, Shaun Rein. He’s also the author of two books on China. He deals with a lot of wealthy Chinese...
- Housing Data: Some Highs, Some Lows, All Good
RealtyTrac's July U.S. Home Sales report is a tale of extremes. July sales of properties in foreclosure and all-cash transactions both dipped to multi-year lows while home sales for the first six month of 2015 and July home prices hit seven and eight year highs. Read more here....
- House prices hurting Australia and nation’s policies making it worse
The massive jump in the cost of buying or renting a house is having a profoundly negative impact on Australia, and policies imposed by Canberra and state governments are making the problem worse, a housing expert has warned. Social Services Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday released Australia's Welfare 2015, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's...
- There is a new tool to help you snoop on Australian property
Think you are paying too much rent? Want to know the value of that glamorous pad down the road? Thanks to a new tool on the Australian property site Domain, the answers are a little easier to work out. Finding out such things used to be a costly or annoying data hunt, using multiple websites and...
- Sydney vacancy rates fall
A tightening in Sydney’s vacancy rate shows supply is meeting demand, according to the Real estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW). The July 2015 REINSW Vacancy Rate Survey reveals the number of properties for rent across Sydney fell 0.2 per cent to 1.9 per cent. Read more....
- Is Australia a Teacup?
Long-time readers may remember that last year I sang the praises of Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder, a book by Nassim Nicolas Taleb. He was also the author of The Black Swan, the book that made him famous. Read more....
- Mortgage Rates Hit 3 Month Lows
Mortgage rates continued lower today, bringing most lenders to their best levels in more than 3 months. The average conventional 30yr fixed rate for top tier scenarios is now edging closer to 3.875%, though 4.0% is nearly as prevalent. By a small margin, today's rates are the lowest since late May. Some borrowers will see...
- Are Brisbane auctions going the way of Sydney?
A weekend auction in Brisbane’s Dutton Park points to Queensland’s capital pushing past reserves in much the same way Sydney and Melbourne have been doing for some time. Read more....
- Deposit Tax to Hit Big Four Banks, Exempt Smaller Lenders
The government’s long publicised plan to hit banks with a deposit tax is closer to lift off. Originally it looked as if the tax reform would apply to all banks from 2016 onwards. But the latest proposal, by Treasurer Joe Hockey, involves an exemption for small banks and credit unions. The plan would leave the big...
- Declining Business Confidence in the Australian Economy is a Sign of Worse to Come
For two months now, business confidence looked to be on the rise in the Australian economy. But that uptick in sentiment hasn’t lasted. Overall business confidence fell sharply in July, according to a new NAB survey. Read more....
- How to Do a Personal Financial Checkup
In every area of your life, it’s important to submit yourself to a checkup to find out how you’re doing. That way, you can make course corrections and ensure that you’re remaining on the path to the success you were born to experience. This is especially true about your finances. Your fiscal health affects your overall...
- Ex-Westpac banker says threats by Malaysians prompted property fraud
Michael Knight paid little mind to the dark-haired man walking in his direction, past the luxurious cars and large gates on Mulgoa Street, in Melbourne's upmarket beach suburb, Brighton. At least not until the man stepped close, twitched his jacket to suggest he was carrying a gun and issued an unforgettable threat to the senior Westpac...
- Developer building Australia’s first high-rise dog park
A new high-rise has literally gone to the dogs, with the developer announcing an unusual feature: Australia's first private residential apartment off-leash dog park. Read more....
- Thinking of renovating your investment property?
If the façade of your home or investment property is showing its age or you are ready for something new, there are some techniques that you can use that are surprisingly simple and easy on your budget. Read more....
- Australia orders selling of illegal residential properties by foreigners
Australia has intensified crackdown on illegal foreign owners of residential property in the country, by ordering the selling of such properties even as banks and law enforcement authorities are being warned about the risk of real estate becoming a conduit for money laundering and financial crimes. Read more here....
- Perth’s median house price to drop below $500,000: Property Club warns
A leading property investor says Perth's house prices will continue to fall and expects the median for the WA's capital to crash below $500,000. Perth's median house price has been steadily declining since it hit a peak of $551,500 in December 2014, according to the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia. Read more here....
- Sydney and Melbourne property markets close to peaking: John McGrath
“Sydney and Melbourne are about 80 to 90 per cent near its cycle and it’s probably about as hot as I have seen for some time,” Mr McGrath, the chief executive of McGrath Estate Agents, told a conference in Melbourne today. Read more here....
- Australian Housing Seen Easing as Banks Rebuff Borrowers
Last month, Australian banks raised interest rates for property investors and introduced tougher loan-to-value standards in response to a move by regulators to rein in the riskier corners of the country’s house price boom. Read more here....
- Better news from the West, with Albany on top
The area of Albany has emerged as the best performing regional centre for West Australian property over the last financial year, according to the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA). Data released this week by REIWA shows the Albany Urban Area had 5.3 per cent growth in median house price over the last year, lifting...
- Home reno costs are down in Queensland
The cost of renovating your home in Queensland has dropped one per cent so that it’s now the most affordable state in which to renovate, according to a new report. Read more here....
- The $1 Million Superannuation Retirement Myth
Do you worry about superannuation? If you’re nearing retirement, chances are it’s one of the biggest concerns on your mind. Maybe you’re convinced that you’ll need $1 million to retire comfortably. At least, that appears to be the conventional thinking. Read more....
- Melbourne Tops Sydney as Fastest Growing Housing Market
Home prices in Melbourne are now rising at a faster rate than in Sydney. That’s the biggest takeaway from the latest CoreLogic RP Data’s Home Value Index. Read more....
- Sydney, Melbourne could see a housing price bubble, says Nobel Prize laureate
A Nobel Prize laureate has cautioned that Sydney and Melbourne's real estate markets are showing indications they are in a housing price bubble. The 2002 awardee, Professor Vernon Smith, told the ABC that the country needs to learn lessons from the subprime mortgage bubble in the United States which resulted in a housing crash and the...
- Lower building approvals threaten housing sector
Australia’s property investors appear to be shying away from the housing sector, as less money is being placed into new apartments. In WA alone, building approvals have dropped more than 13% in June – the lowest since 2013. Apartment and unit approvals fell sharply in the area, as private home approvals went down 4.7% after a...
- Research advises homeowners: watch over interest rates
New research suggests that Australia’s property investors should watch their home loan interest rates, and that new investors will find it more difficult to secure an investment loan. Read more....
- Australian Dollar Holding Firm Ahead of RBA Decision
The Australian dollar is unmoved ahead of the RBA’s interest rate decision tomorrow. In early trade, the local currency was up slightly, trading at $0.7311 against the greenback. Read more....
- The Chinese property downturn is still hurting Australia’s economy
China’s property market downturn has played out largely as UBS economists has expected. But they also believe that the “adjustment is only halfway through” and will “still drop 10-15% this year”. That continued fall in “Chinese (property) demand has a disproportionately large impact, and remains a downside risk” for the Australian economy, according to UBS Australia economists...
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There’s a lot of noise out there in the property market right now. Investors are constantly second guessing the future direction of the market. Analysts can’t seem to agree on whether the outlook is positive or not. Read on....
- Here’s why Australia can afford a new property tax
Despite complaints from the real estate industry that it’s overtaxed, Australia lags behind its peers when it comes to the tax take from property according to a new report from the Grattan Institute. Read more....
- 5 Mistakes To Avoid When Selling Your Home
When selling your home it’s fair to say you are looking to achieve the best result for your property in the shortest amount of time. There are a lot of factors that can contribute to how quickly your home is sold, but when it comes to some of the things that may be holding you...
- Australia’s Banks to Hold More Capital for Mortgage Losses
Australia’s biggest lenders will have to set aside more capital against potential losses on home loans, the nation’s banking regulator said Monday in its latest move to bolster the financial system. Read more....
- Government Crackdown on Foreign Property Investors Nets ‘One’ Casualty
The government’s plan to limit foreign investment in Aussie property is flopping. In February this year, the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) was tasked with clamping down on illegal home purchases by overseas buyers. Since then, only one Chinese buyer has been forced to sell up. Read more here....
- From Adelaide to Athens … We’re Answering Your Questions
In case you hadn’t noticed while Greece has hogged the headlines, the Chinese stock market is in full-blown meltdown mode. To the extent that this drop heralds economic weakness in China, it’s a huge potential hazard for Aussie investors. Read more here....
- What Would a Change to the Superannuation Preservation Age Mean For You?
How would you feel about having to retire later than you planned? If you’re like most Aussies, the prospect of working longer doesn’t sound appealing. Read the full article here....
- How do you feel about moving?
Moving house? This method could solve your problems!...
- Household wealth in Australia rose by $232 billion in the March quarter
Household wealth in Australia rose by $232 billion in the March quarter, topping $8 trillion for the first time, according to an article in the Australian. However the article also says that unless you own lots of shares, have plenty stashed away in super, or are invested in housing, chances are you didn't get a...
- 4 Tips to Help Investors Survive in a Changing & Competitive Market place.
Is the competition pushing you out of your space? Is it tough to find the deals you used to find? What’s an investor to do?...
- Want to know where the most affordable housing in Australia is?
CoreLogic RP Data has released a list of the top 10 regional suburbs with the most affordable housing in Australia, with the NSW suburb of Broken Hill emerging on top....
- Where is the housing boom headed?
Property Market Records Impressive First Quarter Growth… But Where Is The Housing Boom Heading?...
- Foreign Property Investors… the “Elephant in the room”?
Are foreign property investors the “elephant in the room” when it comes to housing affordability in Australia? A north shore councillor believes foreign property investors are the “elephant in the room” when it comes to housing affordability in Australia, with many outbidding local residents in buying apartments....
- What do you think about the Government’s plan to limit foreign investment in Aussie property?
The government’s plan to limit foreign investment in Aussie property is flopping. ...
- Why new housing estates and whole towns will go off grid : Renew Economy
Why new housing estates and whole towns will go off grid Source: Why new housing estates and whole towns will go off grid : Renew Economy...
- Interest Rate Cuts are here again… But what does it all mean for you?
On Tuesday 5th May the Reserve Bank of Australia announced a rate cut of 0.25%, that is all good news right? I wanted to spend a little of your time with a bit of an attempt at a satirical piece negotiating our way through some of ‘spin‘ the marketing departments of banks put out with their interest...
- Buyer Was Smart Enough To Ask
One of our Helpcompare clients, are in the property marketing looking for a new home for their family. The great news was they quickly found a home that they thought would be right for their family. In fact, looking on Realestate.com.au the pictures and commentary about the property were glowing. The Helpcompare team were excited and...
- New Research Shows Many Banks Are Overcharging on Home Loan Rates
Professor Abbas Valadkhani from Swinburne University has published research findings that suggests that "The mortgage interest rate spread of all lenders has risen since the GFC (Global Financial Crisis)". He goes on to say, "That given the increasing use of internet banking, borrowers are in a much better position to carefully compare the standard variable...
- Buyers Market For Property and Loans
Buyers Market For Property and Loans With the Reserve Bank keeping interest rates on hold and their minutes from the their meeting suggesting no movement in interest rates for the rest of the year, this will see home loan rates remain at an all time low. The banks continue to perform well, recording strong profitable returns –...
- Looking for a home loan? Choose from one of these options…
In 'The Conversation' today 15/4/04, the headline is 'Looking for a home loan? Choose from one of these four options.... It mentions that 40% of all mortgages are sold by mortgage brokers, however most of these mortgages are coming from one of the four major banks. Suncorp CEO, Australia's 5th largest bank argues that a lack...
- How Smart Are You?
Having worked in the mortgage lending space for close to 30 years, I just take for granted that I compare the various product features and price as part of my annual review of our finances…don’t we all? However, since I decided to work full time in the Helpcompare.com.au business I have been amazed at how...
- Barefoot Investor Talks Sex
Like many of you, I look forward to reading what Scott Pape from the Barefoot Investor has to say in his Saturday column from the Herald Sun. This weeks article talked about sex. Thats right sexually transmitted debt to be exact. He developed three rules or advice on what we all should do to keep ourselves...
- Another Major Reduces Rates
Well competition in the fixed rate market continues to get hotter. As I sit at my desk I see the Helpcompare product database has been updated with new low fixed rates from one of the major banks. This particular major is now offering 4.84 per cent for a two year term, 5.06 per cent for...
- NAB’s ‘Dob in a Delayer” is about Money Confidence right?
Last night I was watching The Block. And during the course of the show, the major sponsor, National Australia Bank, launched a promotion called "Dob in a Delayer". Now, I'll declare my bias up front, I am good friends with the head of Marketing at the NAB, but I had no awareness of the campaign,...
- Seeking Expert Advice
The Mortgage Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) reported that brokers wrote $123 billion of loans last year, compared to $100 billion in 2012. Volumes are forecast to keep rising in 2014. Brokers wrote 47.3 per cent of all home loans in Australia during the December 2013 quarter after writing 46.4 per cent in the September quarter,...
- Helpcompare Tracking Cheaper Interest Rates
The Helpcompare team tracked an increasing number of lenders, reducing their two and three year fixed rates last week. Depending on the term of the fixed rate you can now get a fixed rate well below 5% in the Australian lending market. But what is advertised is not always what the true cost of the loan...
- Smarter, Cheaper, Wiser
Over the weekend, I really thought about WHY we started Helpcompare. What I realised was we were about making it easier for people to find the most suitable loan for their needs at their current stage in life. But what does that really mean? What it comes down to is we want to help people manage...
- Re: Have we reached the bottom of the interest rate cycle?
Last Tuesday, the RBA (Reserve Bank of Australia) met for the first time this year. The good news was RBA did not increase interest rates. But what does this really mean? Governor Stevens announced that the official rate would be held unchanged for an extended period. Although, the media picked this up as a message...
- A Fix Over Interest Rates
A recent report from Bill Evans gave predictions for interest rates for 2014. Westpac Economics revised its forecast on interest rate movements, expecting the RBA (Reserve Bank Australia) to reduce rates in February 2014 rather than November of last year. With a second 25-basis-point cut predicted in May 2014, the official cash rate could reduce to...
- Money Confidence Budgeting Tip
A great budgeting idea is to use your credit card to manage your money, earn reward points on your credit card and save interest on your home loan which all means paying off your loan sooner. A common myth among many people is that living off your credit card is dangerous and will only lead to...
- Fixed Rates: Is it time to compare?
With variable rates at an all time low, is it now time to fix some or all of your loan into a fixed rate period? Although, competition in variable rates is fierce the ability to fully understand what lenders have the best-fixed rate and the best features is a little trickier. For example if you lock in...
- Switching Banks Getting Easier
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- RBA and So You Think – Is there a link?
So you'd think, pardon the pun, that when predictions from all the experts were, that the RBA was going to keep rates on hold, that, well, rates would be kept on hold. Mind you, last month the experts predicted, on the whole, a rate rise and the RBA, like So You Think, failed to deliver. ...
- RBA HOLDS RATES – OCT 2010
6-10-2010 - 1.06am The RBA has announced that it will not increase the cash rate in Australia, given all current lenders another month to chew over the prospect of a rate rise. It seems that the global markets are of a concern for the RBA and that Australia, whilst performing strongly does not yet warrant the...
- Rates Set to Rise – But what’s next?
It seems that tomorrows RBA meeting will see the cash rate rise. With analysts being reported to have factored in a 50-60% chance of a rise. And this, at a time when the Bankers Association and Banking Executives are signaling... (more…)...
- WHAT IF, RATES INCREASED BY 2.75% OVER NEXT 5 MONTHS ?
> To Fix or Not to Fix your loan? Sorry to use such a headline, as it’s a scary thought. But this could well have been the headline in the papers back in 1994. And such a thought gives rise to the question, should I fix my loan or not.? Taking a look at historical RBA rate...
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Current & Past News Updates
- Is Home Ownership Really an Impossible Dream? February 4, 2018
- The Purplebricks effect: LJ Hooker launches DIY disruptor March 1, 2017
- Today’s housing crisis is worse than the 17pc home loans of the 1980s February 26, 2017
- Land Tax could be the real balance for property growth for investors February 24, 2017
- Is it still a sellers market? February 22, 2017
- live streaming app to revolutionise real estate auctions February 16, 2017
- 85 per cent of Aussie homeowners don’t know their own interest rate February 9, 2017
- RBA Rate Announcement February 7, 2017
- Tim Lawless, head of data at CoreLogic RP Data, returns to Mortgage Business to discuss housing prices across Australia in light of the mining downturn, interest rates and commodity prices. October 4, 2016
- More people are using Mortgage Brokers August 11, 2016
- Mortgage Brokers versus banks – What’s the difference? August 11, 2016
- RBA heading to 1% with chance of unconventional policy, NAB says August 11, 2016
- Which Banks are Passing on the Rate reduction August 4, 2016
- Do You Have the Right Loan Now – It is Smart to check August 3, 2016
- Depreciation: Can I claim previous renovations? July 21, 2016
- Property investing is essentially a business that provides accommodation July 19, 2016
- Home value growth remains all about Sydney and Melbourne July 18, 2016
- Investor housing finance commitments bounce in May 2016 July 18, 2016
- How important is rental yield when investing? July 12, 2016
- Five things you must know about your home loan July 6, 2016