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Cairns ready to ride a tidal wave of prosperity
In the wake of the GFC and Cyclone Yasi, Cairns is poised for massive economic growth, according to Cairns property expert Gerard Obersky.
 

If you're not investing now, when will you?
In an article headlined "What are you waiting for?" in the Sun Herald on February 20,2011, Property Editor David Potts highlights the impending arrival of the 'mother of all rental squeezes,' and wonders why more investors aren't moving to take advantage of it.
 

Have you enquired about The Grange?
As a McCarthy Group investor, have you expressed interest in this exciting pre-release investment opportunity in Raymond Terrace NSW?
 

Foreign buyers reeled into slow red-hot market
The amount of anecdotal evidence of foreign buyers driving up Australian property prices has forced the government to tighten up the foreign investment rules that they relaxed in late 2008.
 

The housing deficit: why investment property makes such good sense
A recent report in The Australian Financial Review states that the housing shortage will push past 200,000 dwellings by the middle of 2010. This is the finding of the National Housing Supply Council's second report.
 

How will you use your property growth windfalls?
"House prices rocket 20%"* and "Growth with a capital 'G'"**...
 

Go Aussie, Go!
The stock market clicked above 5,000 points yesterday, the highest close since September 2008. The car market is on track to break 1 million units.

Caution needed as property prices hot up
After a stunning performance in 2009 – through the worst of the global financial crisis – the property market is really hitting its straps in 2010.

 

First-time buyer exodus leaves investors sitting pretty
Investors are once again becoming the driving force in the property market as first homebuyers head for the hills...
 

A smart solution to the home mortgage dilemma
I was amazed to read an article in The Sunday Telegraph* headlined "Couples work twice as long for a house". The sub-heading was, "Why the good old days really were better for homebuyers".
 

Investors to drive property market in 2010
A consistent message to readers of The Horizon through 2009 was the attractive investment opportunities that existed in the property market despite the GFC. This remains the outlook for the year ahead now that the financial storm has passed.
 

Property prices surge through GFC
Not only did Australia dodge a bullet through the GFC, but we have also seen an explosion in property prices over the past 12 months, particularly in capital cities. It has been the biggest increase in property prices since 2004.
 

Great news for property investors is that rents continue
to rise.
In the last year, rents on houses nationally increased 3.4 per cent in the 12 months to October , while they lifted 4.1 per cent on apartments .*
 

Home prices on the up and up
Great news for Australian property owners is that prices increased by over six per cent in the first seven months of this year. How's that for leading the world?
 

Seven common mistakes made by property investors
Starting without a strategy
 

There’s no substitute for planning and preparation
BUILDING FAMILY ASSETS “GIVE ME SIX HOURS TO CHOP DOWN A TREE AND I WILL SPEND THE FIRST FOUR SHARPENING THE AXE.”
 

Why is the outlook for property so positive?
There are a great many reasons for property having such a strong long-term outlook. Many of the reasons are driven by factors of supply and demand.
 

Property’s ‘Dr No’ is still talking house prices down
Academic Professor Steve Keen is still talking Australian property down when he should be walking, to the top of Mt Kosciusko.
 

Seeing is believing: How would you invest $50 per week?
As an astute investor, you will be aware that investment property is the way to go. But do you know by how much it outperforms saving?
 

Rental property moves to centre stage
An undersupply of housing, weak returns from other assets, and changes to super rules have placed the spotlight firmly on investment property.
 

House price increases are great for consumer confidence
It's hard not to get excited about the good news on the Australian housing market. It makes us all feel more confident and secure.
 

2009 auction clearance rates soar
If demand drives prices higher, how's this for demand?
 

The good news on house prices
BIS Shrapnel has just released a very positive outlook for property prices in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, adding further support to growing investor confidence.
 

Why property is set to turn - our Top Twenty
We have drawn up a list that supports our view that Australia is on the cusp of the next phase of housing growth. Yes, unemployment is rising, probably interest rates too, and we have some way to go before we can declare the recession over.
 

House prices are a) Rising b) Falling c) Going sideways
d) All of the above
If you are confused about house price movements, you are not alone.
 

Housing data points towards recovery*
The Eurekareport shows that the combined number of loans to build new homes is growing steadily, and not all is due to the FHOG. Good news indeed.
 

Super tax changes likely to increase demand for
investment property
The reduction in concessional changes to superannuation announced in the budget will serve to increase the attractiveness of investment property.
 

Welcome. And are you ready?
Welcome to our latest edition of The Horizon. Autumn is upon us, Easter has come and gone, and as we race through the year, every passing month brings us one month closer to economic good news and recovery as some of the 'green shoots' of progress take root and grow.
 

FHOG unlikely to be extended
Recent statements by Prime Minister Rudd indicate that the FHOG won't be extended beyond the 30 June deadline. So expect a scramble over the next two months as the bell for the last round is rung, and as those young buyers desperate to move from renting to ownership queue up to bid for whatever is available in their price band.
 

ON THE RECORD...
Your house is safe, RBA says
 

Investors gain from Melbourne renters’ pain
Rents in Melbourne shot up by almost 11% over 2009, delivering pain to tenants and a boost in yields for private investors.
 

Interest rates - to fix or not?
This is a big call. Where is the bottom? When is the bottom? All we know is that as soon as the banks sense we are nearing the bottom of the interest rate cycle, the cost of fixed rates will rise very quickly indeed!
 

Are mining towns gold mines for property investors?
It depends. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they aren't. Sometimes yields soar. At other times they crash. Which is why many investors regard investment properties in mining areas as a high-risk investment, and expect a high yield.
 

BIS Shrapnel bullish on housing growth
Speaking at BIS Shrapnel's recent Sydney business forecast conference, Jason Anderson, BIS Shrapnel senior economist, said that the fundamentals are in place for an overall upswing in the property market.
 

House prices - down or up?
If we look at the US and the UK, house prices were a bubble that burst. Despite relative stability so far, can the Lucky Country be far behind?
 

Home, sweet home
What could possibly persuade Aussie expats (or Brits for that matter) to hang around the Old Dart when London, the finance world and their whole economy for that matter have all gone pear-shaped, and when all that's left is bad weather, weak beer, roast beef and tribal football.
 

First home buyers re-shaping the market
First-home buyers are out there in force and having a ball, so much so that the latest RP Data shows that in the second half of 2008, sales of houses between $300,000 and $500,000 accounted for 48% of all sales.
 

First home owners grant to be extended?
The First-Home Owners Grant has been a resounding success. With the help of low interest rates, 26.5% of owner-occupier finance in January went to first-home buyers, the highest on record.
 

Surge in property gearing
The latest ATO figures show that negative gearing by property investors surged by 25% in the 2006 - 07 tax year. About 68% of investors recorded a net rental loss in that period, and interest repayments and maintenance expenses outweighed rents by $6.4 billion*.
 

On the record ANZ’s bold house call : the floor’s in sight
ANZ's bold house call : the floor's in sight
 

Australia’s property market one of the world’s best performers
Despite a slew of negative economic news and a forecast of a severe downturn in the housing market, property prices have continued to display exceptional resilience, according to RP Data.
 

Australia’s exploding population
"One for mum, one for dad, and one for your country" is only part of the reason that Australia's population is growing faster than at any time since the 1960's. The other is record migration rates.
 

Housing affordability rebounds*
With interest rates at 45-year lows, and with all the government assistance on the table, who wouldn't love to be a first-home buyer right now?
 

Investment properties make a return*
Welcome to investor nirvana! We all love the idea of neutrally-geared properties, and as for positive gearing – well, that's investor heaven.
 

First-time home buyers on the charge
As we have said before, low interest rates and government grants have combined to act as a springboard for first-home buyers, with ABS figures showing that 14,154 contracts were signed in December 2008, which is over 20% up on the previous month and the best result for the past seven years!

 

Investors drive rise in mortgages *
Surprise, surprise, the lure of low interest rates and rising rental yields is bringing individual investors back into the market. Median house rents have increased by 9% in the past year, and 13.3% for units.
 

Lowest interest rate in 45 years to kick start investor activity
The 1% rate cut, delivered by the Reserve Bank of Australia on 3 February and passed on fully by the major banks, will lure investors back into the property market, according to an expert.
 

Headline inflation falls to three-year low
This time last year the political football was inflation, with 'the inflation genie being let out of the bottle' according to Treasurer Wayne Swan, with Malcolm Turnbull accusing the government of talking up inflation and talking the economy down. The last of the 12 successive interest rate increases was in March 2008, with the 'war against inflation' being cited as the reason for the increase.
 

Further interest rate cuts ahead – with investment property set to benefit
We can look forward to an interest rate cut of at least 0.50% (and probably more) when the Reserve Bank of Australia meets on February 3, which will bring the official bank rate to at least 3.75%.
 

First-home buyers lead the way
In our December 2008 issue of Horizon we noted the significant opportunity that was available in the federal and state government's measures to boost the subsidy to first-home buyers in order to stimulate construction and to address housing affordability.
 

Rentals continue to soar
The quarterly rental figures released by Australian Property Monitors show that weekly median house rents increased by between 5 per cent and 25 per cent across the country's capital cities*.
 

Investment property increasingly affordable – how about
$33 per week?
Property cost (inc. all purchase costs) $399,000
 

Affordable housing to lead property recovery
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
 

Property poised for a rebound?
The latest data released by RP Data-Bismark International* shows that the median national house price actually rose by 0.3% in the 3 months to October.