It’s Free to Speak to an Advisor

First home buyer activity jumps 15.8% month-on-month…

First home buyer activity jumps

It’s too early to say first home buyers are back, but they’ve certainly made a welcome return to the market, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The number of new owner-occupier first home buyer loan commitments rose 15.8% in March, after reaching a five-year low in February. That said, first […]

Property prices have now risen in consecutive months…

Property prices have now risen in consecutive months

Australian property prices look to be trending upwards again, judging by the latest data from CoreLogic. After the national median price fell 9.1% between May 2022 and February 2023, it has since risen in consecutive months – by 0.6% in March and 0.5% in April. “Not only are we seeing housing values stabilising or rising […]

Refinancing activity keeps going from strength to strength…

Refinancing activity

The home loan refinancing boom, which has lasted for two years and counting, has reached record levels. Refinancing activity has dramatically increased during that time from $13.7 billion worth in February 2021 to $16.2 billion in February 2022 and, now, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data, a record $19.9 billion in February […]

ATO orders banks to provide data on property investors…

ATO orders banks to provide data on property investors…

Property investors have been put on notice, after the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) said it would scrutinise their tax returns in an attempt to claw back an estimated $1.3 billion in missing taxes. The ATO told The Guardian that it would use “formal information gathering powers” to compel 17 financial institutions – including all the […]

Property downturn may be over…

Australian property prices rose 0.6% in March, according to CoreLogic – the first monthly increase since April 2022. But while prices increased at a national level, and in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane as well, they did decline in the four smaller capitals. CoreLogic’s research director, Tim Lawless, said one reason prices are rising again […]

How to protect yourself against scams…

How to protect yourself against scams…

The Australian Banking Association (ABA) has launched a new campaign to raise awareness about scams. This is a very topical issue, with Scamwatch receiving 14,603 reports about bank impersonation scams in 2022, resulting in more than $20 million in losses, according to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. The ABA ads include these key messages: […]

Home owners reluctant to list their properties for sale…

properties for sale

The number of properties listed for sale has increased, although this is due to less new listings coming onto the market than existing listings taking longer to sell. SQM Research has reported that 231,039 properties across Australia were listed for sale in February, which was 7.7% higher than the year before. Significantly, though, the number […]