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…
Three rate cuts this year have clearly lit a fire under our property markets. Affordability has improved, confidence is back, and the spring selling season is heating up. It’s not just houses making gains – unit prices have now risen for eight straight months. Brisbane and Adelaide are leading the charge, while Melbourne is quietly…
National home prices rose 0.5% in September, extending the upswing to a ninth straight month and lifting values 6.2% higher than a year ago, according to PropTrack. PropTrack data shows that the housing market remains on a firm upward trajectory this spring selling season. National home prices rose 0.5% in September, extending the upswing to…
If you’ve noticed that “musty” smell lingering in homes or apartments this winter, you’re not imagining it. Mould is quietly becoming one of the biggest hidden risks to property and health in Australia, Airtasker data reported on realestate.com showed that Sydney and Darwin topped the tally sheet of the nation’s mouldiest cities, with 92.48 out…
More than 60% of Australian households are made up of just one or two people, yet the bulk of our housing stock is built for families. New analysis from Cotality shows a stark mismatch between who lives in our homes and the kinds of homes we’re building. Who really makes up Australia’s households? When most…
Tax isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’re paying tax, it means that you are making money (income or capital gains). But of course, there’s no need to pay any more than you legally have to. I discuss our common-sense approach to saving tax below. Minimising risk is often more important than saving on tax…
Australian housing markets are gathering strength as we head further into spring, with September marking the strongest monthly gain for national dwelling values since October 2023. The Cotality Home Value Index (HVI) recorded a 0.8% increase in September, powered by robust growth conditions across the capital cities, where values rose 0.9% over the month. On…
After cutting interest rates by 75 basis points since February, the RBA has chosen the cautious path at the September board meeting, keeping the cash rate at 3.6%. The decision was widely expected, after the monthly inflation indicator hinted at some ‘upside’ risk to the inflation trajectory, especially from housing costs. However, the RBA is…