Gearing proposal won’t hit renters

Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 36 : 23-Jun-16

Research suggests that the Australian Labor Party’s proposal to impose restrictions on negative gearing would have limited impact on rents. A study conducted by SQM Research suggests that rents would remain largely unchanged for the next few years, due to extra supply. SQM Research MD Louis Christopher calculated that the proposed policy would result in a rise of 1.2 percentage points in average rental yields. An adjustment of either rents rising or prices falling would happen only after four years of the new rules being in operation.

CORPORATES
SQM RESEARCH PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Nation’s home values fall for first time in 14 quarters

Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 22-Jun-16

Residential property prices in Australia’s eight capital cities fell by 0.2 in the March 2016 quarter, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The index of dwelling values had not fallen since the September 2014 quarter. There was an 0.8 per cent decline in the value of attached dwellings compared with the December 2015 quarter, including a fall of 0.6 per cent in Sydney. Paul Bloxham of HSBC expects a sharp fall in house price growth in both Sydney and Melbourne in the near-term.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BELLE PROPERTY PTY LTD, SAVILLS CORDEAU MARSHALL

Shorten’s policies ‘to cut house prices’

Original article by Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 21-Jun-16

Adept Economics has released the results of independent modelling which suggests that house prices would fall by an average of four per cent if the Australian Labor Party’s proposed changes to the negative gearing and capital gains tax regimes are implemented. The modelling also suggests that apartments in inner-city regions could fall be up to five per cent. The report, which was produced on behalf of Walshs Financial Planning, concludes that there are risks associated with the policy, and changes should be made if Labor wins the 2016 federal election.

CORPORATES
ADEPT ECONOMICS, WALSHS FINANCIAL PLANNING PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, GRATTAN INSTITUTE, URBAN DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA

Taxes may hit foreign developers

Original article by Larry Schlesinger
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 16-Jun-16

Frasers Property Australia CEO Rod Fehring has warned about unintended consequences of new charges applying to residential property acquired by foreign buyers. New stamp duty and land tax surcharges are being introduced in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Fehring fears that the new charges could also affect foreign-owned property developers.

CORPORATES
FRASERS PROPERTY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALAND PTY LTD, FRASERS CENTREPOINT LIMITED, PITCHER PARTNERS CORPORATE ADVISORY PTY LTD, NEW SOUTH WALES TREASURY. OFFICE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, NEW SOUTH WALES TREASURY. OFFICE OF STATE REVENUE, MERITON APARTMENTS PTY LTD

Sydney home prices lead way with 3.4pc surge

Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 31-May-16

Data from CoreLogic shows that the capital city-average house price index rose by 1.6 per cent in May 2016, compared with 1.7 per cent in April. The data also shows that house prices in Sydney increased by 3.4 per cent in May, although SQM Research’s Louis Christopher believes that prices are growing at a slower pace. Meanwhile, Housing Industry Association data indicates that there was an 8.1 per cent decline in sales of new homes in New South Wales during April.

CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SQM RESEARCH PTY LTD, HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED

Top-end sales and a lack of properties drive Sydney housing market

Original article by Larry Schlesinger
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 23-May-16

Preliminary data from CoreLogic RP Data shows that Sydney’s residential property market boasted an auction clearance rate of 74 per cent on the weekend of 21-22 May 2016, with 700 homes going under the hammer. The preliminary clearance rate in Melbourne was 70.7 per cent, with 825 properties auctioned. Some 1,900 homes were auctioned across Australia’s capital cities, with a national clearance rate of 70 per cent.

CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RP DATA LIMITED, BELLE PROPERTY PTY LTD, McGRATH LIMITED – ASX MEA

Rates cut, fiscal plan keep real estate ticking

Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 5-May-16

Angus Raine, the executive chairman of Raine & Horne, says the Reserve Bank’s move to reduce the cash rate to 1.75 per cent should attract first-time buyers back to the property market. Most experts do not expect the rate cut and the Australian Government’s May 2016 Budget to have much impact on activity in the residential market, but some suggest that the new rules on superannuation fund balance transfers will prompt increased demand for lower-priced commercial properties.

CORPORATES
RAINE AND HORNE PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CBRE PTY LTD, CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE, RAY WHITE REAL ESTATE, SECRET AGENT PROPERTY SERVICES

RBA says rate cut won’t boost house prices

Original article by Su-Lin Tan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 4-May-16

The Housing Industry Association has urged Australia’s major mortgage lenders to match the Reserve Bank’s 25 basis point reduction in the cash rate. Property industry experts say the new cash rate of 1.75 per cent will encourage first-home buyers to enter the property market, while LJ Hooker CEO Grant Harrod adds that it will bolster the housing markets of capital cities that are underperforming. The central bank does not expect the rate cut to significantly increase house prices.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED, LJ HOOKER (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RP DATA LIMITED, RATECITY PTY LTD, FINDER.COM.AU, MORTGAGE CHOICE LIMITED – ASX MOC, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, THE REAL ESTATE INSTITUTE OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED

House prices edge up in April

Original article by Su-Lin Tan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 3-May-16

The CoreLogic RP Data Home Value index was 1.7 per cent higher in April 2016 than in March. House prices rose by 2.4 per cent in Sydney during April, while prices in Brisbane and Adelaide increased by 2.2 per cent and 2.0 per cent respectively. House prices in Melbourne rose by a more modest 1.1 per cent, but house prices declined in both Hobart and Darwin. Meanwhile, the gross rental yield for residential properties in the capital cities fell to a new low of 3.4 per cent in April.

CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RP DATA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Don’t panic about property, HSBC says

Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 13-Apr-16

HSBC economist Paul Bloxham says that while Australia’s booming residential construction market faces a number of potential risks, these can be managed. He argues that when the construction boom wanes it will be replaced by growth in the services industry as a driver of the economy. House prices increased by nine per cent in 2015, but Bloxham forecasts growth of 3-4 per cent in 2016.

CORPORATES
HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BLOOMBERG LP, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA