REAL ESTATE REPORT

Sydney sellers out in force
24 Dec 2013 - Sydney continues its blistering run, with more than 300 properties going under the hammer this week, as National Australia Bank Limited (ASX:NAB) Chief Economist, Markets, Rob Henderson, declares the Australian property market is going gangbusters.

Auction numbers & low rates impact soar
19 Dec 2013 - Coming up against its biggest auction day on record the Sydney market maintained its fighting form, while RBA Governor Glenn Stevens has confirmed what property watchers already know. The central bank’s two-year easing cycle is boosting home prices.

Approvals show investors are on the up
12 Dec 2013 - The Australian Bureau of Statistics this week released home loan approvals data for October, indicating that first-home buyers continue to struggle to enter the housing market even as it grows, with investors tackling record unprecedented levels of borrowing.

Home values edge slightly higher in November: RP Data
05 Dec 2013 - Growth in home values slowed to a six month low in November, prompting fears the strong run of Australia’s housing market may be beginning to lose steam.

Auction boom reaches peak: APM
27 Nov 2013 - The total value of auction sales in Sydney and Melbourne came off the boil somewhat on the weekend just gone, falling by 24 per cent from the previous weekend’s boom result of $731.1 million.

GPT the dark horse in CPA race
21 Nov 2013 - Property investor GPT Group (ASX:GPT) has this week emerged from the shadows to launch a surprise $2.99 billion takeover bid for Commonwealth Property Office Fund (ASX:CPA), effectively leap-frogging a previously agreed $2.8 billion deal with Dexus Property Group (ASX:DXS) and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board.

Approvals soar, first home owners sink
15 Nov 2013 - The latest housing approval figures from the ABS were released this week, and whilst they beat general expectations, they also revealed that the proportion of first-home buyers in the housing market has fallen to a record low.

RBA holds fire on rates
06 Nov 2013 - The RBA offered few surprises with its decision to keep the key cash rate on hold at 2.5 per cent this week, and from a housing perspective this is reflective of eight cuts in two years having their desired effect in stimulating the housing market.

Stevens: keep a weather eye on the future
01 Nov 2013 - RBA Governor Glenn Stevens has voiced concerns about the current upward direction of property prices and encouraged future caution from banks and mortgage borrowers to not let housing costs go beyond the spending limitations of younger generations.

Renters, buyers out in cold: Grattan
25 Oct 2013 - The gulf between home owners and renters is on the rise, according to data from the ‘Renovating housing policy’ report from the Grattan Institute.