Cooling house market offers hope to first-time buyers

10 June

Australia’s housing market is experiencing rapid downward pressure because of global conflict and the federal budget, but the conditions are unlikely to benefit renters. Just 51.1 per cent of homes auctioned across capital cities this weekend...[Read More]

Interest rate impact hits housing approval levels

3 June

Rising interest rates have been blamed for a downturn in housing approvals, but tax changes in the federal budget could lead to an uptick. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the total number of dwellings approved in April fell...[Read More]

Home price falls may signal end of housing super cycle

3 June

Falling home prices in Sydney and Melbourne might just have signalled the end of Australia’s 30-year housing super cycle. Dwelling values fell 0.9 per cent in Sydney and 0.8 per cent in Melbourne during May, according to data from research agency...[Read More]

Labor shrugs off claim tax shift will sink house prices

3 June

Contentious changes to taxes on property investments won’t be the main driver of expected falls in prices, the housing minister says. As auction clearance rates hit lows not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare O’Neil said it was unclear how...[Read More]

Falling fuel prices bolster hopes for RBA rate reprieve

27 May

A softer-than-expected inflation result will give the Reserve Bank a little more space to leave interest rates on hold, but another hike is not off the cards yet. Australia’s annual headline inflation rate fell to 4.2 per cent in April, from 4.6...[Read More]

Budget measures could cut house prices by 10 per cent

27 May

The budget’s tax whack on property investors will accelerate a housing slowdown caused by interest rate hikes, potentially causing the biggest downturn in more than 40 years. Home price growth was already slowing nationwide, with outright falls in...[Read More]

Jobless jump, Iran war shoot down fears of rate rise

27 May

The likelihood of a rate hike in June has shrunk after a surprise jump in the unemployment rate showed the Iran war is having a material impact on Australia’s economy. While bad news for workers, the rise in the jobless rate from 4.3 per cent to...[Read More]

Labor happy with softer housing market since budget

27 May

Softer auction rates are a sign tax changes in the federal budget are making things easier for first home buyers, the housing minister says, as Labor weathered another day of criticism from investors and entrepreneurs. Auction clearance rates held...[Read More]

Commercial property vs residential property: Understanding the key differences before you invest

21 May

For many Australians, property investment begins with residential property. It feels familiar. Most people understand houses, units, tenants, suburbs, rents and mortgages because they have lived in homes themselves.    Commercial property...[Read More]

Mixed results from first post-budget auction weekend

20 May

All eyes were on the auction market to see the response to negative gearing and capital gains tax changes in the first weekend after the federal budget. The results were mixed. The volume of homes that went to auction across the capital cities fell...[Read More]

Rates revelation: why RBA dissenter voted against hike

20 May

The Reserve Bank’s lone dissenter against a rate rise argued interest rates were already high enough to get inflation back under control, before being overruled by the rest of the central bank’s board. Minutes of the May 5 meeting, released on...[Read More]

Middle ring could be ‘hollowed out’ by tax overhaul

20 May

Rental supplies in the middle ring of Australian capital cities could be hollowed out by changes to investor tax concessions in the federal budget. Real estate agents expect investor interest in established properties to crater after Tuesday’s...[Read More]

Land levy planned despite anti-‘forever tax’ pledge

20 May

Property owners in Australia’s most populous state could pay an annual levy of up to $600 under a proposal to change the way emergency services are funded. NSW is the only mainland state that funds emergency services by taxing property insurance...[Read More]

Why ditching car park rules could make homes cheaper

20 May

Changing car parking requirements could shave about $70,000 off the cost of building a typical two-bedroom apartment in Sydney. A report from the Grattan Institute revealed more than $1 billion is wasted on building off-street car parks that go...[Read More]

How housing became a generational budget battleground

20 May

Young homeowner Mika likes Jim Chalmers’ housing policies but the treasurer’s preferred choice of coffee is a problem. “Does anyone know how to make a long black?” she asks media and ministerial staff waiting in her small Canberra apartment...[Read More]