January
Can home loans be as simple as airfares to compare?
When people talk about competition, they normally focus on the number of companies competing for your business. As anyone who’s ever flown to a destination that was historically only served by Qantas, and then has Virgin or Tiger starting up, as a general rule you’ll understand that more players generally makes for a more competitive environment.
December
Best Wishes For The Festive Season!
Everyone at Barry Plant Croydon would like to wish all of our clients a wonderful festive season & a safe & happy New Year.
December
Industry Market Wrap
The ABS released housing finance data for October 2011 this week. The data showed that the volume of owner occupier housing finance commitments excluding refinances increased for the eight successive months and has risen by 1.2% over the past 12 months. The successive increases in owner occupier finance commitments is somewhat encouraging for the housing market however, refinances continue to dominate the landscape, rising by 17.8% over the year however, they did fall by -1.8% in October.
December
Why House Prices Should Recover in 2012. By Craig James
The housing market is constantly in a tug-o-war between two factors — demand and supply. And really it doesn’t get simpler than that. If there is a limited number of properties for sale and plenty of keen, cashed-up buyers then prices are almost certainly going to be bid up. Similarly if there is an abundance of property on the market and buyers are cautious — preferring to take time to find the ‘right’ home — then prices are more likely to ease.
December
Reserve Bank Interest Rate Announcement
The Reserve Bank has cut interest rates by 0.25 per cent. The 25 basis point fall comes on the back of a similar cut last month. The reduction is good news for people paying off a mortgage. "This will put an extra $60 into the pockets of borrowers each month," says Domain property expert Carolyn Boyd.
December
Housing is as affordable as the 80′s!
Contrary to popular belief, property prices in Australia over the past 30 years have only grown in line with rising incomes and lower interest rates, a prominent property economist has claimed.
Head of property research at ANZ Bank, Paul Braddick, said today’s purchasing power was equal to the actual cost of the average home (including mortgage payments), as it was during the mid-1980s.
November
House prices 25% overvalued: The Economist
Australian house prices could plunge by as much as 25 per cent on the back of a global credit crunch caused by the European meltdown, The Economist magazine predicts.
In a dire warning for Australia and other developed countries, The Economist says global house price indicators suggest property was still overvalued.
