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Uncategorized
18Jan
Rents Still Growing
In good news for landlords, while rental growth is starting to moderate new analysis shows they are still increasing. Data from PropTrack shows dwelling rentals were up 1.8% over the December quarter nationally, with the median asking rent now $580 per week. Rental growth in the combined capital cities was 0.8% in the quarter with the median asking rent now $600 per week. PropTrack economist, Angus, Moore says while rental growth is slowing, there is no sign that rents are decreasing. He says record low vacancy rates mean rents will continue to rise for at least the next six months with a growing number of investors likely to bring more supply onto the market in the later stages of 2024. According to SQM Research data, Sydney has the highest combined (houses and units) median asking rent of $825 per week, followed by Perth, $680 per week, Canberra and Brisbane, both $640 per week, Melbourne, $605, Darwin, $590, Adelaide, $570 and Hobart, $520.
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18Jan
Renovation Boom For 2024
Stabilising building costs mean many homeowners will renovate in 2024 according to the Housing Industry Association (HIA). It says materials costs have not changed in the past quarter, but shipping costs have lowered, meaning overall it is not as expensive to buy materials to build or renovate. HIA chief economist Tim Reardon says with interest rates potentially being cut this year and the economy improving he thinks there may be an increase in renovation work. “The ongoing growth in house prices is slowing, but prices have increased dramatically in the last four years,” Reardon says. “As a result, people will still continue renovating as the cost won’t be significant compared to the rising value of their homes.” Reardon says with the average price of a new approved house in the September quarter, up by 11.5%, he believes people will be keener to renovate than move. “Since the pandemic, people spend more time at home, so in the course of the decade, renovations will continue to be high,” he says.
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18Jan
Apartment Approvals Jump
In a sign the apartment market will continue to fire in 2024, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show apartment approvals are up. The November 2023 figures, released this week, show the total number of dwellings approved rose by 1.6% to 14,529 for the month. This followed a 7.2% increase in October. While house approvals fell by 1.7%, apartment approvals rose by 6.7%. The increase in apartment approvals comes on the back of a 17.4% increase in October. Master Builders Australia chief economist, Shane Garrett, says more higher density buildings will help alleviate some of the pressure in the rental market. HIA chief economist, Tim Reardon, says the apartment approval figures are a positive sign, but more development is needed to meet demand. During the month of November the total number of dwellings approved rose in ACT (22.5%), Northern Territory (2.6%), Western Australia (2.1%), and Victoria (1.4%). They declined in New South Wales (-3.9%) Tasmania (-3.9%), Queensland (-1.7%), and South Australia (-0.2%).
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Uncategorized
18Jan
Investors Are Back
Investors are making a return to the property market with new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing the value of new investor loans has increased by 18% in the year to November. The figures show in November there was a 1.9% increase in investment loans, while at the same time, the number of new owner-occupier loans grew by 1%. ABS head of finance and statistics Dr Mish Tan says the increase in lending was driven by the three most populated states, NSW, Victoria and Queensland. She says NSW had the biggest increase in loans to owner-occupiers and investors. The data shows investors accounted for $9.72 billion of lending in November. The figures also show that first home buyers loans grew by 3.5% in November and 20.% over the year, with the largest number of first home buyer loans written in Victoria (3516), followed by New South Wales (2730), Queensland (2173), Western Australia (1512), South Australia (720), ACT (317) Tasmania (152) and the Northern Territory (85).
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Uncategorized
16Jan
Top Investment Locations
There are still plenty of good options for property investors despite the massive price increases many suburbs have experienced in the past two years. A new report by PropTrack surveyed a panel of 17 property experts and came up with a list of 100 suburbs they expect to outperform in 2024. The findings are based on a variety of factors including affordability, location, family appeal and investment and infrastructure projects as well as rental yields. Unit markets were the top performers in every state. The top location for the highest rental yields in Australia are both in Western Australia, Armadale and Geraldton both with unit rental yields of 7.7% based on rents of $415 and $260 per week respectively. In Queensland Gladstone units had a top rental yield of 7.4%, Darwin City (7.3%) was the top in the Northern Territory and Whyalla (7.2%) in South Australia. Victoria’s top market for yields was Albion (5.6%), the ACT was Dickson (5.3%), Burnie in Tasmania (5.2%) and in New South Wales, Dubbo (5%). In good news for investors, the report says the current high interest rate environment will make renting the only affordable option for many people which will push up demand even further for rental properties.
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Uncategorized
16Jan
Market Trends In 2024
Five key trends will drive the Australian property market in 2024, according to Domain chief of research and economics, Dr Nicola Powell. She says a cash (interest) rate cut and population growth will add to demand, affordability will become more important, YIMBYs will replace NIMBYs, and rental markets will finally reach a tipping point. Powell says a rate cut will see more people enter the market as their borrowing capacity improves, that coupled with continuing population growth will push prices higher in 2024. While she believes net overseas migration has peaked Powell says it will continue to influence the property market for some time yet. “Domain analysis found population growth has a cumulative longer-term effect on house prices and, therefore, will continue to play a driving role in our housing markets into 2024 and beyond,” she says. In a search for affordability buyers in 2024 are set to explore sister (or neighbouring) suburbs which they would have previously overlooked. This Powell says allows buyers to still access the amenity in their more desired suburb but not the high buy in price. The continuing housing crisis means attitudes are changing toward suburban development according to Powell. While previously it had been NIMBY “not in my back yard”, now it was YIMBY “yes in my backyard”, she says. After two years of solid rental increases, Powell also believes rental growth will hit a peak in 2024 and slow.
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16Jan
What To Expect in 2024
Property prices are tipped to keep rising in 2024, although the pace of growth will vary widely from state to state. PropTrack economic research director, Cameron Kusher, says with interest rates climbing a record 425 basis points since May 2022, maximum borrowing capacities have now reduced by more than 30% and mortgage servicing costs have surged. As a result, he expects price growth will be slower in 2024 than in 2023. “In saying that, we are anticipating persistent strong demand for housing, limited new housing construction, and an expectation that total listing volumes will remain low with uncertainty around whether new listing volumes will be as strong as they have been over the second half of 2023,” he says. “These factors will likely lead to further price gains.” Senior economist, Eleanor Creagh, says while home price growth will slow, tight rental markets will continue. “With vacancy rates historically low, weekly rents are growing at a fast pace. There is nothing meaningful on the horizon to suggest a sufficient increase in supply of available rentals, which is the release valve we need,” she says. “With continued strong demand to rent, tight rental markets and upward pressure on rental prices are likely to remain in 2024.”
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16Jan
Call To Speed Up Approvals
The Prime Minister has called on state and local governments to drastically speed up building approvals, to help alleviate the housing crisis. His appeal comes as it was revealed that the pace of new home construction has hit its lowest rate in more than a decade. Concerns are emerging that delays in approvals and construction mean the Government will not hit its target of 1.2 million new homes being built in the next five years. To do that 240,000 homes will need to be built every year – more than has ever been delivered in the past. According to the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Australia’s housing shortfall will reach at least 175,000 homes by 2027. The Housing Industry Association says the number of new homes sold is down 18% year on year and the cost of building a home is still rising. It says the average value of a detached home approval in the September quarter was $461,000 which is 11.5% higher than in 2022. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the proportion of privately funded housing development now makes up 98.3% of construction. Although it is expected more social housing will be delivered though the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, which intends to build 30,000 new social and affordable rental homes over five years and a further 10,000 affordable homes under the national housing accord scheme. While demand for housing is high many building companies will still struggle to survive in 2024 with Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) figures showing 3046 construction-related companies collapsed in the year to December 3, which was 38% higher than the whole of 2022.
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Uncategorized
11Jan
Rents Keep Rising
Rents are expected to keep rising in 2024, as new analysis reveals tenants are paying up to 11.5% more than they were at this time last year. Data from PropTrack shows record low vacancy rates are continuing to drive rents up. It says rents in the combined capital cities are up even higher, 13.2%, with tenants paying an average of $600 a week. PropTrack senior economist Angus Moore says there are some signs rental increases are starting to slow in some areas. “But we’re still seeing very strong growth in places like Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. So, we’re far from out of the woods for renters,” he says. Median asking rents for houses were highest in Sydney at $750 per week and lowest in Melbourne and Hobart at $550 per week. The ACT had a median asking rent of $680 per week for houses, Darwin, $660, Brisbane and Perth $620, and Adelaide was $560 per week. “Rents have been growing very quickly, and we would expect that to continue in at least the near term,” Moore says.
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