Australia’s housing debate has become dominated by ambitious targets, planning announcements and promises to unlock more land. However, the latest evidence suggests we may be focusing too much attention on the number of homes being approved and far too little on the number that can actually be built. Of course, that distinction matters because an…
Over the past week, all four of Australia’s biggest banks have reported falls of between 12% to 20% in new home loan applications since the May federal budget. After announcing it would keep interest rates on hold, the Reserve Bank confirmed demand for new home loans has “declined noticeably”. For anyone currently in the market…
We Australians are very good at finding fault with the cities in which we live. We complain about congestion, expensive housing, crowded trains, planning delays and infrastructure that often seems to arrive years after it is needed. Sure, many of those concerns are justified, but every so often an international comparison allows us to step…
Higher interest rates and uncertainty over the Federal Government’s proposed property tax changes are clearly taking some heat out of Australia’s property market, with new mortgage lending falling sharply in the June quarter. According to the latest ABS lending indicator data the total value of new housing loans settled in the June quarter was $97.6…
Are you wondering where property prices are headed and how long we will remain in the doldrums? Every property cycle eventually poses the same question to investors: is this a genuine crash, a soft landing, or something in between? Right now, with national prices falling and confidence at near record lows, those questions are louder…
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…
The Reserve Bank of Australia has left the cash rate unchanged at 4.35% as it assesses whether the three interest rate rises delivered earlier this year are doing enough to slow the economy and bring inflation back under control. The RBA faces a difficult balancing act. Inflation remains too high and another rate rise is…
For millions of Australian homeowners and property investors, the Reserve Bank’s decision to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.35% will come as welcome relief. After three interest rate increases earlier this year, the RBA has now kept rates steady for two consecutive meetings, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean the tightening cycle is over,…
For millions of Australian borrowers, an offset account has become an important part of managing a mortgage. Salaries are paid into it, savings accumulate there and household spending flows through it, all with the expectation that every dollar sitting in the account is quietly reducing the interest charged on the home loan. However, a recent…
What’s next for interest rates? Well, it seems mortgage holders can breathe another sigh of relief, with most experts tipping the RBA to leave the cash rate where it is. According to this month’s Finder RBA Cash Rate Survey™, 38 experts and economists weighed in on future cash rate moves and other issues relating to…
