2015 property purchase intention: Melbourne overtakes Sydney – but is a new boom town looming?

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-May-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 6.8 per cent of Australians aged +14 intend to buy or build a residential property in the next year. The survey, which was carried out in the year to March 2015, also shows that 9.8 per cent of Perth residents intend to buy or build a new or established house or apartment in the next year, ahead of Melburnians (9.3 per cent) and Sydneysiders (7.8 per cent). Just 3.5 per cent of Hobart residents intend to buy or build in the next 12 months.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Symond calls for ban on interest-only

Original article by Shaun Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 17-Mar-15

Australian businessman John Symond says residential property buyers who intend to be owner-occupiers should be prohibited from taken out interest-only loans. There has been strong growth in interest-only mortgage loans in recent years, particularly to property investors. Symond, who is the chairman of Aussie Home Loans, argues that property investors tend to be a lower risk than owner-occupiers

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AUSSIE HOME LOANS LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, MEMBERS EQUITY BANK PTY LTD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Cabinet split on flexible super plan

Original article by Fleur Anderson, James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 12 : 12-Mar-15

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is among the federal MPs who have criticised a proposal to allow Australian to use their superannuation savings to buy a home. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen also opposes any push by Treasurer Joe Hockey to permit super to be used in this way, while financial system inquiry panel member Craig Dunn argues that super should be used solely to finance retirement. Hockey has suggested that super should be available throughout a person’s life due to increasing longevity

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL FINANCE AND REGULATION, ABC RADIO, BRISBANE CLUB

Murray shoots down Hockey’s super kite

Original article by Fleur Anderson, Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 11-Mar-15

Business leaders have expressed reservations about the Australian Government’s proposal for superannuation to be used to finance home ownership. Financial system inquiry chairman David Murray and AMP CEO Craig Meller are among those who oppose the plan due to its potential effects on the nation’s retirement system. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann also spoke out against such a proposal in October 2014

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AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, MONASH UNIVERSITY, GEM CAPITAL FINANCIAL ADVICE, COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA

Keating: don’t kill super

Original article by Jacob Greber, Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 10-Mar-15

Former prime minister Paul Keating says it would be irresponsible to allow young Australians to use their superannuation savings to buy their first home. Such a move, in his view, would destroy the superannuation system. Both Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey believe that the idea of using super to finance the purchase of one’s first home is worth considering

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, THE CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT STUDIES LIMITED, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

Outrage over PM’s property hit

Original article by Phillip Coorey, Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 26-Feb-15

The Australian Government’s proposals to crack down on foreign investors in the residential property market has the support of Master Builders Australia CEO Wilhelm Harnisch. However, buyers advocate David Morrell says the proposed application fees should be higher, although the Real Estate Institute of Australia believes that the fees are too high. The Government plans to introduce a fee of up to one per cent of the value of new or established residential properties bought by foreign investors

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MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, THE REAL ESTATE INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RAY WHITE REAL ESTATE, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, NEW SOUTH WALES. THE TREASURY, PROPERTY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CBRE PTY LTD

Mosman sales break $1b level

Original article by Luke Malpass
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 19-Dec-14

Corelogic RP Data has reported that sales of houses in the Sydney suburb of Mosman have topped $A1.1bn in calendar 2014, compared with almost $A8.1m in 2013. Tim Foote of Belle Property notes that Australian house buyers have dominated sales activity in the last year, whereas Chinese buyers accounted for many of the sales in Mosman during 2013. The Melbourne suburb of Brighton is ranked second in terms of the value of house sales, with $A797m worth of homes changing hands

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CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RP DATA LIMITED, BELLE PROPERTY PTY LTD

Apartments drive new home sales

Original article by Rebecca Thistleton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 30-Jul-14

Data from the Housing Industry Association shows that there was a two increase in sales of new dwellings in Australia during the June 2014 quarter. Sales of detached houses increased by 4.1 per cent in Victoria during the quarter, and by just 0.4 per cent in New South Wales. Meanwhile, sales of new dwellings rose by 1.2 per cent overall in the month of June. However, sales of new apartments were nearly 16 per cent higher, while sales of detached homes fell by one per cent

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HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED, INVESTA PROPERTY GROUP, MORGAN STANLEY REAL ESTATE, KNIGHT FRANK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, STOCKLAND – ASX SGP, FIVE SQUARED PROPERTY GROUP PTY LTD

Renting may be better than buying, says Reserve Bank

Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1-Aug : 15-Jul-14

The Reserve Bank of Australia has released a research paper which refutes suggestions that house prices are overvalued. The report estimates that since 1955, house prices have risen by 2.4 per cent annually after adjusting for inflation. It concludes that many people may be better off renting a home rather than buying into the property market if house price growth falls below this long-term average

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, THE ECONOMIST NEWSPAPER LIMITED, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT