A recent report has claimed that Australia is drifting towards becoming a “homeowners’ welfare state.” It’s a provocative headline, but is it really the full story? Yes, it’s true that tax settings and government policies have long favoured homeownership, but rather than seeing this as a handout, we should recognise it as a deliberate choice…
Australia’s rental market is seeing renewed strength as national vacancy rates reach a new record-low, according to Cotality’s latest Quarterly Rental Review. Cotality’s seasonally adjusted Rental Value Index saw national dwelling rents post a 1.4% rise in Q3, its largest three-month increase since June 2024, and a significant uptick from the 1.1% lift recorded in…
Australia’s property markets are on the move again. After a period of fragmented property price growth and cautious sentiment, recent developments have brought momentum back into the picture. The Reserve Bank of Australia has delivered three interest rate cuts this year — most recently lowering the official cash rate to around 3.6% — easing borrowing…
If a picture paints a thousand words, then this collection of charts should do a pretty good job of painting the landscape as it affects our economy and our property markets. Each month the RBA summarises macroeconomic and financial market trends in Australia by providing a detailed chart pack. World Economy Australia’s economy doesn’t operate in…
Auction markets have continued to produce strong results overall into October despite listing changes compared to last week due to full resumption following last week’s AFL Grand Final but reduced auctions in Sydney due to the NSW Labour Day long weekend holiday. This weekend’s auction results around Australia: Capital City This Week Last Week Same…
Over the years, I’ve found that lending activity often reveals more about the direction of our property markets than price movements alone. And right now, the latest state-by-state mortgage lending report from Money.com.au reveals some fascinating insights. While Queensland continues to lead the charge with broad-based growth, Western Australia is showing signs of slowing after…
National asking prices rose across all property types, with houses leading the charge, according to SQM Research’s Weekly Asking Prices Index for the week ending 30 September. The national average asking price for houses increased 0.9% over the rolling month and 9.5% year-on-year, while units rose 1.7% monthly and 7.8% annually. Combined dwelling prices lifted…
For decades, the biggest stumbling block for first-home buyers hasn’t been affording the mortgage; it’s been scraping together the deposit. In fact, many households faced the sobering reality of saving for close to a decade before they could even put their foot on the property ladder. But since October 1, a major expansion of the…
Governments love quick fixes, especially when it comes to housing. That’s why Victoria’s new “Airbnb tax” was hailed as a game-changer; a bold policy to push thousands of homes from short-term holiday lets back into the long-term rental market. However, here’s the uncomfortable truth: instead of freeing up housing, the levy has only added costs,…
Want to know what’s really happening with property prices right now? Every month, investors, homeowners, and would-be buyers turn to the latest median property price data, hoping to make sense of what’s happening in our housing markets. And while the numbers give us important clues, they don’t tell the full story. Australia’s property markets are…
