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THE Australian mortgage market has come off 10 per cent in the past 12 months.

First-home buyers have disappeared and the Reserve Bank has raised the cash rate six times since last October.

No wonder some in the housing finance space have long faces.

But is it as bad as the doomsayers are making out?

Let’s start with an examination of the underlying economy. Notwithstanding predictions of a double-dip recession, the IMF recently upgraded its forecast for global GDP growth to 4.6 per cent for this year and left next year’s forecast at 4.3 per cent.

A bi-annual survey of business economists last month found GDP growth of 3.5 per cent for this financial year (with a recent Treasury update at 3 per cent), only moderate further increases in official interest rates, inflation at the upper end of the RBA target rate but not worryingly so, unemployment continuing benign and rises in the equities markets to the end of the year.

Second, housing starts continue to lag population growth to a significant degree. A recent Macquarie Bank report cites 150,000 homes being built annually since 2005, but population growing at more than double this at 350,000. This equates to a 50 per cent increase in the rate of population growth but no change in new dwelling construction.

Macquarie’s conclusions are validated by ANZ Bank research, which shows that a cumulative 600,000 new homes are required to meet demand.

At the same time, rental vacancy rates across Australian capital cities continue to be less than 2 per cent with consequent upward pressure on rent levels.

The credit growth numbers produced monthly by the Reserve Bank show housing credit growing at an annual 8.6 per cent to May, and growing in May at 0.7 per cent compared with 0.6 per cent in April.

At this level, housing credit growth is well below the double- digit levels of the 2004-07 period, but not catastrophically low. The key observation from this data is the re-emergence of property investors, with significant growth over the year of 6.6 per cent, up from 3.6 per cent a year earlier.

This data is confirmed by the monthly ABS numbers on housing finance, which show finance for property investment growing at double the rate of owner-occupied finance. The ABS numbers also reveal an interesting phenomenon — while the number of finance approvals continues to decline, the rate of decline has slowed over recent months and the value of approvals actually increased in May by 0.7 per cent.

The ABS data also shines a light on first-home-buyer activity. The percentage of first-home buyers to total approvals increased in April to 16.3 per cent, although it dipped again to 16.1 per cent in May.

While this is still well below the mid to high 20 per cent levels experienced last year when the first-home-owners grant boost was in play, it is not materially below the long-term average of about 18 per cent.

Finally, it’s worth reviewing auction clearance rates. Recent data suggests a 60-70 per cent clearance rate in Sydney and Melbourne, although some weekly data may be weaker. While not stunning, it’s a lot better than the 20-30 per cent rates of 2008.

Rates at these levels are also likely to take steam out of house price increases that created concern for policymakers late last year and early this year.

The winter of our discontent in the housing finance market?

I don’t think so. The fundamentals still look sound and the medium- to longer-term perspective remains solid.

via Don’t believe it, there’s life in bricks and mortar | The Australian.

A TREND driving a significant sector of the Gold Coast property market is mortgage downsizing and properties under $600,000 are in hot demand as a result.

Colliers International’s Gold Coast project marketing director Brinton Keath said many people were seeking to downsize their home and mortgage.

Subsequently sales rates for sub-$600,000 properties, apartments in particular, were rising.

He said in many cases those selling a home did not want to move from the area so they were looking for a more affordable option such as an apartment.

“Our research shows that currently on the Gold Coast there are 1662 new apartments for sale, and of those there are only 170 two-bedroom apartments and 134 three-bedroom apartments priced under $600, 000,” he said.

“That gives us only 304 quality investment-style apartments across the entire city.” More…

A report on the sub $600,000 beachside new apartment market has found that it could be near extinction on the Gold Coast.Aubrey Development and Marketing Consultant’s; Market Findings for August 2010 reveals just five apartments remain for sale in this price range in the beachside suburbs between Tweed Heads and Main Beach.

Author David Aubrey said reports of an apartment oversupply were misleading because they referred to units priced over $700,000.”This has been seized upon and portrayed as the entire Gold Coast new apartment market being in oversupply,” he said.”There is next to no new product available in the beachside suburbs priced below $600,000 and no major projects planned to be released in 2010/11 except for stage two at Pavilions Palm Beach, following a near sellout of its first stage.”This lack of supply shows no sign of abating in the medium term due to restrictive lending policies by banks and cautious approaches of the valuation industry and a general lender/valuer caucus of negativity.”The end of the sub $600,000 new investment unit is nigh.”The 2008 Market Findings report predicted a supply issue when 70 units were for sale in the sub $500,000 bracket across 32 projects. The latest report is based on 22 projects with 2114 units. The five remaining sub $600,000 apartments are within the first stage of Pavilions.Mr Aubrey said investors wanted new apartments due to their depreciation benefits and lower body corporate costs.

via Sub $600k units dwindle Real Estate | goldcoast.com.au | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

For those of you who, despite our regular “ramblings” on the subject, still have concerns on our housing market based on what has happened overseas , there is further evidence that you should rest easy.

A recent economic report by Canadian bank Scotiabank, said that Australia has just taken the reins from Canada – which shifted to second position – to boast the best housing recovery performance in the first quarter of 2010.

Aparently Australia has taken the lead in the global real estate market, posting the best recovery in residential house prices among 12 developed countries.

Scotia Economics senior economist Adrienne Warren said a solid economic recovery and strengthening labour markets were supporting rising home sales and prices, despite the RBA being the first, among major developed economies, to raise interest rates.

The report notes that in Australia, inflation-adjusted average home prices were up 17.1 per cent year-over-year in the first quarter – a sharp step-up from the prior quarter’s 11.4 per cent increase.

Australia is heading for a crippling shortage of housing  by 2020 unless 500,000 new homes are built between  now and then, according to projected figures released  in March by the Housing Institute of Australia (HIA).

The HIA  says the obvious ramifications of the shortfall are higher  property prices – and rents that will continue to climb.

DEPPRO managing director Paul Bennion said it was good news for  property investors, particularly those who moved to expand their  portfolio now.

“House prices rose by 10% last year and are expected to rise by the  same amount again every year over the next decade,” he said.

“The global financial crisis has taken the wind out of the sails of  developers – they are just not building houses and units at the  same rates that we saw a decade ago.

“So the HIA’s prediction of a huge shortage by 2020 is likely to come  true because developers are unlikely to catch up with demand in  that time.”

Another March release of statistics – this time from the AFG Mortgage  Index – shows that property investors are already returning in force  in capital cities, where more than one-third of home loans were for  investment purposes during February.

The AFG figures show the proportion of loans to investors was 34.1%  of all mortgages for the month – a 7% increase from six months ago.

“These figures relate to AFG, which has 2100 member brokers  across the country and a loan book of almost $60 billion – about  10% of Australian mortgages – so they are a fairly good indicator of  the state of the industry and the mood of buyers and investors,” Mr  Bennion said.

“And while the recent interest rate rises have dented the ambitions of  some first home buyers, they are not as big a deterrent for investors  because these people understand that property investment is a  long-term strategy. People realise interest rates even out over time  – you win some years and lose others. The important thing is that  your capital and rental returns continue to increase.”
Mr Bennion said it was important for investors entering the market  or expanding their portfolio to make sure they capitalised on these  returns by claiming the maximum tax depreciations allowed by the
Australian Taxation Office.

“It’s important to get a professional depreciation report done for  each property, and on an annual basis,” he said. 

*Note – with every property purchased via mrd we supply a quantity surveyors report at no cost to the client – it is a very important document.
Autumn 2010  Deppro (Quantity Surveyors) Newsletter

SOUTH-EAST Queensland is on track to eclipse Melbourne’s suburban sprawl to become Australia’s second-largest metropolitan area within 50 years.

Civic leaders say that based on the population projections, the Gold Coast will need an extra 8000 jobs every year to keep unemployment down and the city thriving.

The Business GC Economic Development Strategy 2010 has laid out a plan to create new jobs, highlighting how the Gold Coast was no longer considered just a holiday destination … it was now a robust economy internationally recognised as a highly desirable location and a premium city in which to live, work and visit.

“The Gold Coast is expected to become Australia’s fifth-largest city within the next 20 years … the rate of growth being experienced in SEQ suggests that the region is likely to surpass Melbourne as the second-largest metropolitan area in Australia after Sydney, within the next 50 years,” said the report.

Business GC boss John Witheriff said the sheer infrastructure required for the huge population growth would generate 70 per cent of the 8000 new jobs needed annually. He said house and infrastructure construction and supplying food and entertainment would create jobs easily.

Not so easily was the remaining 30 per cent, which would require proactive moves to attract business investment and exports like film, high-performance sport and environmental and knowledge-based industries.

Mr Witheriff said they were now working with schools and universities to produce a more skilled, knowledge-based workforce that would in turn lure big companies to set up here. The city has been split into 10 key precincts to group similar businesses in the one hub.

It includes Southport as a medical, education, business and technology centre, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach for international tourism and business and Coolangatta as a medical, tourism and transport hub.

Growth spurt demands 8000 more jobs Local Gold Coast News | goldcoast.com.au | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

IT is being touted as the “Perfect Storm”. According to Gold Coast property experts, prices will continue their upward swing in 2010 but a looming “massive undersupply of housing” is set to reach critical levels.

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Robert Kiyosaki in his book ‘The Cashflow Quadrant’ says a Business Owner has developed systems that ensure revenue is not limited to the owner’s personal exertion. Where such systems have not been established, an owner is generally tied to the business. A more accurate title for these people is ‘Self Employed’… not business owner. A plumber working for himself is not that different to the plumber who works for someone else. He must get up each morning and put in a day’s work to receive a day’s pay. Begin now to see Property Investing As A Home Based Business, rather than an adjunct to your job or a second job.
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What Or Where?

I am repeatedly asked: “Am I Better Off Investing In Houses Or Units? “Personally, I tend to invest in units (apartments), rather than houses because I am more interested in where I invest rather than what I invest in.

Did you just pick up that the real question is “where” not “what”?

Readers of Nick’s weekly newsletter would know that we place huge importance on the laws of supply and demand. Whether oil, bananas (remember Cyclone Larry in 2007 and what that did to the price of bananas?), property or anything else, supply and demand will ultimately determine all long term pricing (NB: There may be short term “blips” along the way).

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Last week the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) made the decision at it’s monthly board meeting to leave the official cash rate on hold. That means no adjustment to interest rates this month.

But Did The RBA Get It Wrong?

It will be interesting to watch what they do with interest rates in the months ahead. Their actions will be an indication of whether this months decision to leave rates on hold was the right one or not.

At the beginning of 2008 the RBA put interest rates up twice. At the time the opposition argued that the decision to do so was wrong and a reaction to Kevin Rudd & Wayne Swan talking up inflation; citing it as the # 1 enemy to go after. What they failed to recognise was that the negative economic impact coming out of the USA had already begun to work its way through the system and here in Australia the economic slowdown was just about to bite.

The numerous interest rate cuts later in the year is clear evidence that monetary policy in the early part of 2008 was wrong.

More…