Media & Blog 

As the housing market recovery gathers momentum, Melbourne property prices are rising. National values rose by 0.9% in September, with Melbourne and Sydney leading the rebound, with the highest growth over the month of 1.7% according to the latest CoreLogic data. Over the past quarter Melbourne’s dwelling values have grown by 3.4%

After a slow start to 2019, investors and homebuyers are now back in the market - in a big way! Data shows housing credit increased in July with the value of new owner-occupier loans up 5.3% over the month and investor loan values up 4.7% - the highest increase since 2015/2016.

Good news for Victoria! Victoria has Australia’s best performing economy, beating New South Wales to take the crown, according to recent research. Usually the two states share the top spot but Victoria edged New South Wales out to take the number 1 position on its own for the first time in three quarterly surveys. The CommSec State of the States market report found our city took the top spot on the overall performance rankings due to its economic growth, retail trade, the job market and construction work.

It seems Melbourne’s property market could have bottomed out, with prices recently starting on an upward trajectory, recording a small amount of growth. In June prices in Melbourne and Sydney increased for the first time since peaking in 2017, triggering a wave of commentary about the tide turning in these markets. CoreLogic’s Hedonic Home Value Index found dwelling values increased in Melbourne by 0.2% over June (the first rise since November 2017) and by 0.1% in Sydney (the first rise since July 2017).

Last month we detailed all the positive news for property, including the great Federal Election result - with no detrimental changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax, the news that APRA are reviewing its guidance on serviceability assessments to lower borrowing restrictions, and the resulting likelihood that activity would now pick up. So what’s happened since then?

Consumers are being urged to make sure their buyers’ agency is licensed and wholly independent. Currently every State and Territory in Australia has different licensing requirements so you need to make sure that the agency you’re dealing with holds a real estate qualification for the state that you’ll be buying in.

It’s all positive for property. Well, the federal election is finally over, and what a result! The mere fact that it is over will, in itself, create certainty in the property market, but even more so given the Coalition is back at the helm and changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax are off the table.

“The re-election of the Coalition government has cleared the way for investors to come back into the market. The near miss of Labor being elected and their negative gearing and capital gains tax property policies being implemented goes to show that investors shouldn’t rest on their laurels and assume that they can take their time when it comes to entering into the property market.

The Melbourne market is showing signs of strengthening The media is currently dominated by talk of the Federal Election, which has finally been called and will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2019. If Bill Shorten is elected, and the ALP’s policy to remove negative gearing for established properties is implemented, we believe the ramifications for the market will be enormous.

Should you go regional? GEELONG is not only Victoria’s best performing regional area, but Australia’s, according to new CoreLogic data. The Regional Market Update report found the city achieved Australia’s highest regional results once again, with house values rising by 9.1% for houses and 7.6% for units over 2018. This compares to the Latrobe-Gippsland region, where median house and unit values increased by 8.6% and 4% respectively. Rents in Geelong are also on the rise, with advertised rates rising by $20 per week for houses and $10 per week for units.

Smart buyers are confident, and active! A recent survey by ME Bank found almost four in five Melbourne homeowners were confident their property value would hold strong during 2019, despite forecasts to the contrary. The survey found more than a third were confident their house price would actually grow over the course of this year. While most data shows Melbourne property prices fell over 2018, data from the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) found the city’s median house sale price actually increased by 1.4%, and the unit median by 1.8%. How can this be?

As an expert in property investing and founding CEO of Property Mavens (property investment advisory firm) Miriam Sandkuhler frequently gets asked her expert opinion on the industry. There is a flurry of newly graduated "buyers agents" in the marketplace, having done a 5 week non - RTO online course and now passing themselves of as ‘experts’ with NO experience. Many have never worked in the industry before !