Labor to crack down on dirty money for homes

Original article by Campbell Kwan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 & 32 : 7-May-24

The federal government is set to expand money-laundering reporting obligation laws to cover real estate agents, lawyers and accountants, with the potential that 100,000 extra entities will have reporting obligations if the legislation is passed. However, the Real Estate Institute of Australia claims that expanding money-laundering obligations to cover real estate agents would impose an overwhelming burden on them, and that the legislation should instead expand the reporting obligations of land registry bodies. It contends that not all real estate transactions are handled by real estate agents.

CORPORATES
THE REAL ESTATE INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Brisbane on track to be second-most expensive city

Original article by Mackenzie Scott
The Australian – Page: 3 : 1-May-24

Data from PropTrack shows that the median house price in Brisbane rose by nearly three per cent to $818,000 in the first four months of 2024. Brisbane now boasts Australia’s third-highest median house price, and Eleanor Creagh from PropTrack says the Queensland capital is likely to surpass Canberra if the current momentum in house price growth is sustained. Creagh notes that Brisbane has been one of the strongest housing markets since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She says factors such as interstate migration and a limited supply of homes on the market have contributed to the price growth.

CORPORATES
PROPTRACK PTY LTD

First-timers, low earners in housing crunch

Original article by Nila Sweeney
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 17-Apr-24

A report from the ANZ Bank shows that the average proportion of income that is needed to service a new mortgage rose to 48.9 per cent nationwide in the March quarter; this compares with 43.1 per cent during the same period in 2023. The ANZ Housing Affordability report also reveals that it now takes an average of 10.3 years to save enough money for a house deposit. Meanwhile, ANZ found that the average renter must now allocate 32.2 per cent of their income to rent; this rises to 54.3 per cent for low-income earners.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Unit values outpace houses in half of suburbs

Original article by Nila Sweeney
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 3-Apr-24

Data from CoreLogic shows that growth in apartment prices outpaced detached homes in 633 out of 1,168 suburbs across Australia in the March quarter. This includes 77 per cent of Brisbane suburbs, 54 per cent of suburbs in Sydney and 50 per cent of Melbourne suburbs. Tim Lawless of CoreLogic says the outperformance of apartments could be sustained in the near- to medium-term, due to factors such as housing affordability and supply constraints. Buyer’s agent Amanda Gould says high interest rates are prompting some clients to opt for an apartment rather than a detached dwelling.

CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Rate pause could lure home buyers back

Original article by Nila Sweeney
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 20-Mar-24

Tim Lawless of CoreLogic says the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to leave the cash rate unchanged on Tuesday is likely to boost the confidence of prospective home buyers. He notes that there has tended to be a close relationship between consumer sentiment and the volume of home sales. Meanwhile, SQM Research MD Louis Christopher expects mortgage stress to continue to rise while interest rates remain high, while the number of distressed listings is also likely to rise.

CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SQM RESEARCH PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

New house pipeline at near-12 year low

Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 5-Mar-24

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that approvals for new detached homes fell by 9.6 per cent month-on-month in January, to the lowest level since mid-2012. Approvals for apartments, townhouses and semi-detached homes fell by 22 per cent. Tamawood CEO Robert Lynch says the house construction market has most likely reached its bottom; however, he cautions that factors such as high interest rates mean that a rebound may take some time. He adds that sales activity in the more affordable segment of the housing market – in which Tamawood specialises – is likely to recover first.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, TAMAWOOD LIMITED – ASX TWD

House prices could jump 5pc: McGrath

Original article by Campbell Kwan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 & 34 : 20-Feb-24

Real estate group McGrath Limited has posted a 2023-24 interim statutory profit of $7.5m and underlying EBITDA of $4.8m. Meanwhile, CEO John McGrath says the prospect of interest rate cuts later in 2024 may boost prices at the lower end of Australia’s housing market by up to five per cent. He adds that interest rate rises have seen house prices in this segment of the market fall by around five per cent over the last 12 months. However, McGrath says prospective buyers of homes priced below $1m are likely to remain cautious about returning to the property market until interest rate cuts actually occur.

CORPORATES
McGRATH LIMITED – ASX MEA

Cooling inflation, stable rates may encourage buyers

Original article by Nila Sweeney
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 & 30 : 7-Feb-24

Tim Lawless of CoreLogic says the Reserve Bank’s decision to leave the cash rate unchanged on Tuesday could prompt an upturn in house buying activity. He notes that house prices remain below their peaks in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Darwin and the ACT; Lawless says that some buyers may capitalise on this to buy into the market before interest rates fall. Judo Bank’s chief economic adviser Warren Hogan says the rental housing market is still a major concern, while SQM Research MD Louis Christopher warns that rising rents could put upward pressure on inflation.

CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, JUDO BANK PTY LTD, SQM RESEARCH PTY LTD

House prices could dip before next rate cut

Original article by Nila Sweeney
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 30-Nov-23

Domain Holdings is upbeat about Australia’s residential market, forecasting that house prices will rise by seven per cent nationally in 2024. Dwelling prices in Sydney are tipped to rise by up to nine per cent, while prices in Melbourne are expected to gain four per cent. Nicola Powell from Domain says house prices could fall in early 2024, particularly if there is another interest rate rise and inflation remains high. Powell adds that dwelling prices could rebound if there is an interest rate cut later in the year.

CORPORATES
DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA

Domain portal a business in trouble with declining market share, Catalano says

Original article by Cameron England
The Australian – Page: 17 : 15-Nov-23

Anthony Catalano’s View Media Group operates the view.com.au real estate listings business. Catalano sees Domain as View Media’s main rival, rather than REA Group’s realestate.com.au portal. He says the real estate sector is clearly moving towards a ‘one-portal market’ in the same way that employment and car sales are now largely dominated by one portal. Catalano adds that instead of trying to compete with REA, View Media is aiming to ‘own a consumer’ across different products, such as mortgages and insurance. He also believes that View Media poses a very serious threat to Domain; he is a former CEO of Domain.

CORPORATES
VIEW MEDIA GROUP PTY LTD, VIEW.COM.AU, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, REALESTATE.COM.AU