Category: State of the Market
First quarter of the year sees home values stabilise
The recent release of the RP Data-Rismark Hedonic Daily Home Value Index results for March showed that national home values rose 0.2 per cent in March 2012 – a potential sign that the Australian housing market is stabilising. The market has remained unchanged for the quarter ending 31 March 2012; this flat result is the strongest result since March 2011 when values increased by 0.7 per cent. According to the managing director of Rismark International, Ben Skilbeck: “While...Read complete post
RBA leaves rates on hold for the fourth consecutive metting
There was good news for the residential property market again last week as the Reserve Bank of Australia decided in its monthly meeting to leave the official cash rate on hold at 4.75 per cent. This means that all mortgage holders can rest assured that interest repayments will remain the same for another month at least. In his statement that accompanied the decision, RBA Governor Glenn Stevens referenced various factors that had influenced the Board’s thought processes. He said...Read complete post
A good time for buyers in the housing market
The residential property market can sometimes be a confusing space to navigate, especially with the media attention it often generates and receives. The views of property commentators, as well as the constant flow of data released, often appear to be conflicting, with the media conveying sometimes contradictory signals to buy, sell, or hold. I consider myself fortunate to be in the position I am, as I have access to our internal company data as well as the experience and opinions...Read complete post
How to Be a Green Renter
There is a lot of talk at the moment about how home owners can make their homes more environmentally sustainable, with governments and companies offering financial incentives for various green initiatives (such as the installation of solar panels and water heaters) that people are encouraged to take advantage of. But what about the renters who are environmentally conscious but cannot action such projects because they do not own the property they live in? With growing numbers of...Read complete post
It's time to get serious about going green
From a real estate point of view, I think we can definitely say that the benefits of including green features in a property certainly go beyond the aspiration of owners to be environmentally friendly. From the data that has been coming out for a couple of years now, as well as the attitudes of buyers that our agents are seeing in the marketplace, I am becoming firmer in my stance that the inclusion of environmentally sustainable features in new buildings or renovation projects is...Read complete post
Home intelligence could add value to your property
It’s pretty hard to ignore the speeding train that is technology these days. And I’m the first to acknowledge the opportunities for business that technology offers – over the years CENTURY 21 Australia has been able to utilise and embrace various innovations to achieve considerable success in the Australian real estate market. Beyond the office though – what types of technology do people wish to incorporate into their homes? As real estate agents we definitely focus a lot on...Read complete post
Good news for the rural housing market
It is no secret that rural Australia has had a tough time of late. With the plethora of flash natural disasters experienced across the nation over the past few years, as well as extended periods of ongoing drought, it has been hard for our farmers to catch a break, as well as to encourage city-dwellers to consider a move inland. Australia is an incredibly urbanised country, with approximately 82% of the Australian population living in major metropolitan regions (Source:...Read complete post
Relief as RBA keeps interest rates on hold
In a move that was not too surprising, the Reserve Bank of Australia decided to leave the official cash rate on hold at 4.75 per cent when it met last week. This was the third meeting in a row that the decision to keep rates steady has been made. In his statement following the announcement, the RBA Governor Glenn Stevens seemed to indicate that rates would remain at current levels for awhile yet, saying the Board judged that the mildly restrictive stance of monetary policy remained...Read complete post
Housing supply remains an issue
The issue of housing supply is contentious at the best of times. It is not unusual for seemingly conflicting data and reports to be released almost concurrently – sometimes we are told that there is too much stock on the market and people aren’t buying, at other times it is that there are not enough homes and prices are skyrocketing. It is important to understand that the residential property market has both a short term and long term outlook, both of which can be affected by...Read complete post
Interest rates on hold over Christmas
I think we all breathed a sigh of relief last Tuesday when the Reserve Bank of Australia decided to leave interest rates unchanged for the month of December after raising them to 4.75 per cent from 4.5 per cent last month. In his statement after the announcement, RBA governor Glenn Stevens commented that the board saw the current monetary policy setting as appropriate for the economic outlook. He also noted inflation is expected to see little change over the next few quarters,...Read complete post