Nation’s property hotspots

St George’s National Property Report released on 17 September 2009 has revealed 24 locations across the nation that are likely to provide the strongest value for home buyers.

Suburbs have been chosen based on their location attributes, the value of housing in the area, the level of amenities in the suburb and the demographic mix.

According to St George chief economist Besa Deda, the locations should continue to grow and therefore suit buyers looking to live in a blossoming area and investors seeking capital growth.

In Sydney the best ‘value for money’ suburbs were Granville, Rockdale, Lidcome, Riverwood and Waterloo.

Granville’s 18.5 km distance to the inner city and median house price of $347,500 made it the standout performer in Sydney. Read More »

Should I float on variable or fix my home loan interest rate?

There is a common view from the financial gurus in Australia that variable interest rate rises are inevitable. From financial commentators to bank economists to the Prime Minister, the view is that during 2010 the Reserve Bank will move the cash rate up. How much? We don’t know, but the PM suggested about 1% by July. Also, banks have not discounted raising interest rates independently of RBA decisions.

What does this mean to home loan borrowers? Let’s take a look. Read More »

First home buyers pass the baton to upgraders

Posted by Infochoice 0n 11/9/09

The big worry for lenders in the housing finance market has been that when the strong push from first home buyers came to an end the market would lose its momentum and be back in the doldrums.

Housing finance figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics  this week suggest that first home buyer demand has indeed peaked.  After rising steadily in response to low rates and government stimulus first, home buyer share of all dwellings financed peaked at 28.5 per cent in May and fell back to 27.1 per cent in June and 25.7 per cent in July. Read More »

The recession and interest rates - breakfast with the economists

In Sydney on 26th August a group of Economists joined together in front of 1500 delegates to discuss the current state of affairs in the global and Australian economies. These Economists were:

Stephen Koukoulas: Global Strategist, Currency & Fixed Income Research, TD Securities
David Wyss: Chief Economist, Standard & Poor’s
Dr Subir Gokarn: Chief Economist, Standard & Poor’s, Asia Pacific
Warren Hogan: Head of Australian Economics & Interest Rate Research, ANZ
Bill Evans: Global Head of Economics, Westpac
Rory Robertson: Interest Rate Strategist, Macquarie
Sally Auld: Interest Rate Strategist, J.P. Morgan Australia Limited Read More »