Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Land Sales Starting to Show in Perth

REIWA has just reported that last week saw a massive increase in land sales. Anecdotally, those that had land to sell reported that their phone was ringing off the hook with developers and potential buyers. Last week there was a 7.7% increase in house sales, 1.8% increase in unit sales and... 58.5% increase in vacant land sales! Availability of rentals are down 44% from last year and 17% lower than a month ago.

Have a look at this graph and come back in a few weeks to see what happened to property sales following the Federal and State Government rebates announced recently.


Source: REIWA and Landgate

Thursday, June 18, 2020

What would the RBA do if they were a first home buyer?

An interesting article came out this morning that said RBA economists were so pessimistic about the housing market in April that they suggested to the federal government to "pause" transactions on existing homes! The expectation is that house prices will drop about 7% in the coming year with a worst case scenario suggesting a drop of 15% in value also a possibility. The article from the ABC can be found here.

So coming back to the topic of buying a home, it seems that the incentives all favour building vs buying an existing home. Doesn't this hurt existing home values even more? If you were to choose between buying and building right now, what situation would one be where they decide to overlook the $45,000 incentive to build? And if you are selling in an area where there are still house and land packages available for sale, why would a buyer buy your house rather than get a $45,000 discount on building?

Friday, June 12, 2020

WA listen up - How to Get $55,000 off your new house?

There's never a better time to build. We've heard that repeatedly over the years but in the last few weeks, this has never been so true. The Federal Government came out with a HomeBuilder stimulus package which gives some $25,000 to build their home. Then the WA government came out with a $20,000 stimulus package which could give some $45,000 to build their new home.

$25,000 - To access Federal Government's HomeBuilder, owner-occupiers must meet the following eligibility criteria:
• you are a natural person (not a company or trust);
• you are aged 18 years or older;
• you are an Australian citizen;
• you meet one of the following two income caps - $125,000 per annum for an individual applicant based on your 2018-19 tax return or later; or $200,000 per annum for a couple based on both 2018-19 tax returns or later;
• you enter into a building contract between 4 June 2020 and 31 December 2020 to either: build a new home as a principal place of residence, where the property value does not exceed $750,000; or substantially renovate your existing home as a principal place of residence, where the renovation contract is between $150,000 and $750,000, and where the value of your existing property does not exceed $1.5 million;
• construction must commence within three months of the contract date.

$20,000 - To access the WA Building bonus you need to
  • enter into a contract to build a new home on vacant land or
  • enter into an off-the-plan contract to purchase a new home as part of a single-tier strata scheme.
The contract must be entered into between 4 June 2020 and 31 December 2020.

$10,000 - The First Home Owners Grant in WA gets you another $10,000. Details here.

So who's still in the room buying an existing home? 

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Cash Rate slashed again to 0.25% amid pandemic and fears of house price freefall

Statement by Philip Lowe, Governor: Monetary Policy Decision
Financial market volatility has been very high. Equity prices have experienced large declines. Government bond yields have declined to historic lows. However, the functioning of major government bond markets has been impaired, which has disrupted other markets given their important role as a financial benchmark. Funding markets are open to only the highest quality borrowers.
The primary response to the virus is to manage the health of the population, but other arms of policy, including monetary and fiscal policy, play an important role in reducing the economic and financial disruption resulting from the virus.
At some point, the virus will be contained and the Australian economy will recover. In the interim, a priority for the Reserve Bank is to support jobs, incomes and businesses, so that when the health crisis recedes, the country is well placed to recover strongly.
At a meeting yesterday, the Reserve Bank Board agreed to the following comprehensive package to support the Australian economy through this challenging period:
  1. A reduction in the cash rate target to 0.25 per cent.
    The Board will not increase the cash rate target until progress is being made towards full employment and it is confident that inflation will be sustainably within the 2–3 per cent target band.
  2. A target for the yield on 3-year Australian Government bonds of around 0.25 per cent.
    This will be achieved through purchases of Government bonds in the secondary market. Purchases of Government bonds and semi-government securities across the yield curve will be conducted to help achieve this target as well as to address market dislocations. These purchases will commence tomorrow. The Bank will work closely with the Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM) and state government borrowing authorities to ensure the efficacy of its actions. Further details about the implementation of this are provided in the accompanying notice.
  3. A term funding facility for the banking system, with particular support for credit to small and medium-sized businesses.
    The Reserve Bank will provide a three-year funding facility to authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) at a fixed rate of 0.25 per cent. ADIs will be able to obtain initial funding of up to 3 per cent of their existing outstanding credit. They will have access to additional funding if they increase lending to business, especially to small and medium-sized businesses. This facility is for at least $90 billion. Further details are available in the accompanying notice.
    The Australian Government has also developed a complementary program of support for the non-bank financial sector, small lenders and the securitisation market, which will be implemented by the AOFM.
  4. Exchange settlement balances at the Reserve Bank will be remunerated at 10 basis points, rather than zero as would have been the case under the previous arrangements.
    This will mitigate the cost to the banking system associated with the large increase in banks' settlement balances at the Reserve Bank that will occur following these policy actions.
The Reserve Bank will also continue to provide liquidity to Australian financial markets by conducting one-month and three-month repo operations in its daily market operations until further notice. In addition, the Bank will conduct longer-term repo operations of six-month maturity or longer at least weekly, as long as market conditions warrant.
The various elements of this package reinforce one another and will help to lower funding costs across the economy and support the provision of credit, especially to small and medium-sized businesses.
Australia's financial system is resilient and well placed to deal with the effects of the coronavirus. The banking system is well capitalised and is in a strong liquidity position. Substantial financial buffers are available to be drawn down if required to support the economy. The Reserve Bank is working closely with the other financial regulators and the Australian Government to help ensure that Australia's financial markets continue to operate effectively and that credit is available to households and businesses.
Today's policy package from the Reserve Bank complements the welcome fiscal response from governments in Australia. Together, these measures will support jobs, incomes and businesses through this difficult period and they will also assist the Australian economy in the recovery.
There will be a press conference with further details at 4.00pm AEDT today.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Coronavirus Forces RBA to Slash Official Cash Rate to 0.5%

Here is the full statement from the RBA - 
At its meeting today, the Board decided to lower the cash rate by 25 basis points to 0.50 per cent. The Board took this decision to support the economy as it responds to the global coronavirus outbreak.
The coronavirus has clouded the near-term outlook for the global economy and means that global growth in the first half of 2020 will be lower than earlier expected. Prior to the outbreak, there were signs that the slowdown in the global economy that started in 2018 was coming to an end. It is too early to tell how persistent the effects of the coronavirus will be and at what point the global economy will return to an improving path. Policy measures have been announced in several countries, including China, which will help support growth. Inflation remains low almost everywhere and unemployment rates are at multi-decade lows in many countries.
Long-term government bond yields have fallen to record lows in many countries, including Australia. The Australian dollar has also depreciated further recently and is at its lowest level for many years. In most economies, including the United States, there is an expectation of further monetary stimulus over coming months. Financial markets have been volatile as market participants assess the risks associated with the coronavirus. Australia's financial markets are operating effectively and the Bank will ensure that the Australian financial system has sufficient liquidity.
The coronavirus outbreak overseas is having a significant effect on the Australian economy at present, particularly in the education and travel sectors. The uncertainty that it is creating is also likely to affect domestic spending. As a result, GDP growth in the March quarter is likely to be noticeably weaker than earlier expected. Given the evolving situation, it is difficult to predict how large and long-lasting the effect will be. Once the coronavirus is contained, the Australian economy is expected to return to an improving trend. This outlook is supported by the low level of interest rates, high levels of spending on infrastructure, the lower exchange rate, a positive outlook for the resources sector and expected recoveries in residential construction and household consumption. The Australian Government has also indicated that it will assist areas of the economy most affected by the coronavirus.
The unemployment rate increased in January to 5.3 per cent and has been around 5¼ per cent since April last year. Wages growth remains subdued and is not expected to pick up for some time. A gradual lift in wages growth would be a welcome development and is needed for inflation to be sustainably within the 2–3 per cent target range.
There are further signs of a pick-up in established housing markets, with prices rising in most markets, in some cases quite strongly. Mortgage loan commitments have also picked up, although demand for credit by investors remains subdued. Mortgage rates are at record lows and there is strong competition for borrowers of high credit quality. Credit conditions for small and medium-sized businesses remain tight.
The global outbreak of the coronavirus is expected to delay progress in Australia towards full employment and the inflation target. The Board therefore judged that it was appropriate to ease monetary policy further to provide additional support to employment and economic activity. It will continue to monitor developments closely and to assess the implications of the coronavirus for the economy. The Board is prepared to ease monetary policy further to support the Australian economy.

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Coronavirus - is it good for real estate?

The world in recent times has not seen a pestilence quite like the coronavirus and with the interconnectivity of the world today, and the ease of international travel, the panic that has followed should not be too surprising.

Already, we are hearing of the impact that this has had on businesses who are re-assessing their economic exposure to China. Businesses, schools and universities involved in tourism, international education and consumer goods have used this situation to finally act on their suspicions too many of their eggs are in one basket.

The question is what impact this will have on real estate in Australia? Following the news, one can't help but think that it will help. Australia has a reputation around the world as almost an oasis, a far away country that you can escape to. The Chinese government's response to the virus has every effect of making their citizens wonder whether they are safe in the long term. While there are no flights out, one can imagine families in China contemplating a better life in another country.

Currently, the real estate market in Perth does seem to be turning a corner. There are first homebuyers that have been sitting on their cash and earning over the last few years, saving for the right time. Interest rates are as low as they could possibly go and the state of the world probably suggests people will stay in Perth. Even in this little corner of the internet, we have experienced an increase in web traffic as homebuyers start to do their research online such as finding out what are Perth's best and worst suburbs. Time will tell if this is a true recovery for the market.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

RBA keeps rates at record low of 0.75%

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 0.75 per cent.
The outlook for the global economy remains reasonable. There have been signs that the slowdown in global growth that started in 2018 is coming to an end. Global growth is expected to be a little stronger this year and next than it was last year and inflation remains low almost everywhere. One continuing source of uncertainty, despite recent progress, is the trade and technology dispute between the US and China, which has affected international trade flows and investment. Another source of uncertainty is the coronavirus, which is having a significant effect on the Chinese economy at present. It is too early to determine how long-lasting the impact will be.
Interest rates are very low around the world and a number of central banks eased monetary policy over the second half of last year. There is an expectation of a little further monetary easing in some economies. Long-term government bond yields are around record lows in many countries, including Australia. Borrowing rates for both businesses and households are at historically low levels. The Australian dollar is around its lowest level over recent times.
The central scenario is for the Australian economy to grow by around 2¾ per cent this year and 3 per cent next year, which would be a step up from the growth rates over the past two years. In the short term, the bushfires and the coronavirus outbreak will temporarily weigh on domestic growth. The household sector has been adjusting to a protracted period of slow wages growth and, last year, to a decline in housing prices, with the result that consumption has been quite weak. Following this period of balance-sheet adjustment, consumption growth is expected to pick up gradually. The overall outlook is also being supported by the low level of interest rates, recent tax refunds, ongoing spending on infrastructure, a brighter outlook for the resources sector and, later this year, an expected recovery in residential construction.
The unemployment rate declined in December to 5.1 per cent. It is expected to remain around this level for some time, before gradually declining to a little below 5 per cent in 2021. Wages growth is subdued and is expected to remain at around its current rate for some time yet. A further gradual lift in wages growth would be a welcome development and is needed for inflation to be sustainably within the 2–3 per cent target range. Taken together, recent outcomes suggest that the Australian economy can sustain lower rates of unemployment and underemployment.
Inflation remains low and stable. Over 2019, CPI inflation was 1.8 per cent and underlying inflation was a little lower than this. The central scenario is for CPI inflation to be around 2 per cent in the near term and to fluctuate around that rate over the next couple of years. In underlying terms, inflation is expected to increase gradually to 2 per cent over the next couple of years.
There are continuing signs of a pick-up in established housing markets. This is especially so in Sydney and Melbourne, but prices in some other markets have also increased. Mortgage loan commitments have also picked up, although demand for credit by investors remains subdued. Mortgage rates are at record lows and there is strong competition for borrowers of high credit quality. Credit conditions for small and medium-sized businesses remain tight.
The easing of monetary policy last year is supporting employment and income growth in Australia and a return of inflation to the medium-term target range. The lower cash rate has put downward pressure on the exchange rate, which is supporting activity across a range of industries. Lower interest rates have assisted with the process of household balance sheet adjustment. They have also boosted asset prices, which in time should lead to increased spending, including on residential construction. Progress is expected towards the inflation target and towards full employment, but that progress is expected to remain gradual.
With interest rates having already been reduced to a very low level and recognising the long and variable lags in the transmission of monetary policy, the Board decided to hold the cash rate steady at this meeting. Due to both global and domestic factors, it is reasonable to expect that an extended period of low interest rates will be required in Australia to reach full employment and achieve the inflation target. The Board will continue to monitor developments carefully, including in the labour market. It remains prepared to ease monetary policy further if needed to support sustainable growth in the economy, full employment and the achievement of the inflation target over time.

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Perth newest shopping centre development will be near Murdoch Knowledge Health Precinct



When I was a kid, Kardinya shopping centre was just a strip of shops with Kmart being the main tenant and a grocery store a few steps away. Then in the 90s, they turned it into a shopping centre but it remained an awkward development between the freeway and Fremantle. Recently, Murdoch University has been earmarked to be a large commercial hub, linking with Fiona Stanley Hospital to become a knowledge and health precinct. Murdoch is pushing for more international students and has also started bold plans for more infrastructure along Murdoch Road as Roe Highway is extended to this main artery. So it shouldn't surprise us that Kardinya shopping centre will get an upgrade but no one would have expected this! With apartments, a cinema, swimming pools and climbing walls, the proposed development will increase the complex by 50% to 13,776m2. This could be a good time to look at houses around this area as this should be quite a good development if it goes ahead. There is nothing much in this pocket of Perth, with Garden City to the west and Cockburn to the south and currently nothing in Fremantle, this development does make a lot of sense.

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