There’s good news for house hunters with lower mortgage rates and higher wages helping to improve affordability even as house prices edged higher. A separate report, meanwhile, shows that people are staying put longer, underscoring how the property market has cooled in recent years. The Housing Industry Association-Commonwealth Bank housing affordability index rose by 0.8 [...]

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The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has spared borrowers an interest rate rise, leaving the cash rate at 4.75 percent in a widely expected move. The Reserve Bank last increased the overnight cash rate in November 2010 to 4.75 percent from 4.5 percent and most economists still expect a rate rise this year. “We expect [...]

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Now we know the starting price on carbon – $23 – a clearer picture is starting to form as to its impact on the property industry. Will it have a negative impact? That all depends on who you talk to.The Housing Industry Association – a body that represents builders and the makers and suppliers of [...]

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House prices have fallen almost three per cent so far in 2011 as potential home buyers choose to save their pennies rather than bid for real estate.The RP Data-Rismark Hedonic home value index shows a 2.7 per cent decline in Australia’s capital cities house prices through the first five months of 2011.In the 12 months [...]

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Recent falls in property prices are making buying your first home a more attainable goal. That’s the view of leading agent Madeleine Hicks of LJ Hooker Everton Park. “First home buyers should start planning now to build their deposit and position themselves to take full advantage of attractive property prices,” said Madeleine. “Saving or building [...]

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Renovation is a favourite strategy of many property investors. The idea of buying that run down property, putting in some hard labour and a few dollars with the intent of reaping big rewards has a certain “appeal.” The problem for many is discovering the winning fix me up projects and what to do with them [...]

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Nearly 11 years on since it was first introduced the federal grant for first-home owners still stands at $7000, even though the average house price has more than doubled in that time.That’s led one leading mortgage broker to suggest it is time the scheme was upgraded.The residential housing market had changed significantly since 2000 and [...]

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Finding a suitable property for lease can be a challenge in the current competitive market. There seems to be a lot of people seeking quality rental accommodation. This being the case now more than ever a tenant must “put forward” a strong argument that they are the tenant most suitable. Often landlords are receiving 2 [...]

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Australia is suffering from a housing affordability crisis because of rising interest rates and uncertainty surrounding the Gillard government’s planned carbon tax, the opposition says.Australian Bureau of Statistics data released today showed the number of new homes approved in April fell by 1.3 per cent from the previous month, and now stand 11.5 per cent [...]

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The cost of being a tenant is rising at a rate unseen for some time, making saving a home deposit a challenge for many and leading others to wonder if they will be better off as a property owner.Capital city rents grew a solid 4.8% in the first quarter of this year alone, which is [...]

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