Blog

It’s often true that the squeakiest wheel gets the most oil, and those who make the most noise will often receive the most attention. The same can be said for investors. An unfortunate truth is that when one investor experiences a negative result, they more than likely will voice their negative opinion, leading others to expect that they are in the same boat. This effect is ringing true throughout our market at the moment. Media headlines about shonky building quality, subjective valuations from lenders and even generalised market commentary are all petrifying investors into the idea that they are holding onto ticking time bombs. This blanket view, however, couldn’t... View article »

The big four banks have all only passed on part of the RBA's 25 basis point rate cut, keeping a large chunk for themselves. They've defied treasurer Josh Frydenberg's call for them to pass on the full cut, with further cuts expected in the not too distant future. CBA and NAB were the first to cut their rates on Tuesday, with ANZ and then Westpac following yesterday. Investors were the big winners. Investors with interest only investor mortgage's saw their rates get cut the full 25 basis points by ANZ, CBA and NAB. Westpac were the only ones not to pass fully. The labour market performance was... View article »

JOBS The availability of employment is inextricably linked to the property market, because without a job it’s pretty difficult to pay a mortgage. Mining towns in Western Australia, and to a lesser extent in Perth, are the perfect example. When there were loads of high-paying jobs available, house prices and rents went through the roof. As the boom came off the boil, so too did the housing market. This also explains why Sydney and Melbourne have been our strongest markets historically, as these cities are where the headquarters of banks, media outlets and other corporate giants are located. INFRASCTUCTURE Roads, public transport, schools and hospitals, community centres, places of worship,... View article »

In May 2017, when the changes were announced in the Federal Budget regarding the changes to depreciation that will apply to second-hand residential properties, not many people understood what exchanged changes appeared and how it affected them. Property investors who acquire a second-hand residential property after May 10, 2017, that contain “previously used” depreciating assets, will no longer be able to claim depreciation on those assets. Depreciating assets, in this case, refers to things like ovens, dishwashers, blinds, etc. The Federal Government successfully voted on new legislation to change the way depreciation works, representing the biggest move in the industry. The best way to understand it is to... View article »

After the biggest fall in at least 40 years – with a 10.2% top to bottom fall between September 2017 and June this year - average capital city home prices have turned up again. IT’S STILL EXPENSIVE This has been the case since early last decade and remains so despite the recent correction in prices: According to the 2019 Demographia Housing Affordability Survey the median multiple of house prices to income is 5.7 times in Australia versus 3.5 in the US and 4.8 in the UK. In Sydney it’s 11.7 times & Melbourne is 9.7 times.The ratios of house prices to incomes and rents relative to their long-term... View article »

Sydney’s Inner West Council has a new policy that it is reported means “residents will no longer need to seek council approval to prune or remove trees within three metres of an existing home or structure”. Green infrastructure offers significant, economic, social and environmental benefits. Urban greening is particularly important in dense urban areas like Sydney’s Inner West. Among its benefits, green infrastructure: Improves air qualityProvides space for social interactionManages stormwaterReduces the urban heat island effectProvides space for urban food productionImproves biodiversity Tree canopy in Sydney area A 2017 study focusing on three Sydney suburbs found a 10% increase in street tree canopy could increase property values by... View article »

One of the most common questions we are hearing is whether locals should be diving in and buying their primary residence or, adopting the new age theme of rentvesting (renting where you want to live and buying elsewhere). While the old school notion is to buy a house and pay off your mortgage, market conditions currently represent that the latter is proving to be more financially viable for those located in the Harbor City. The fact is that there has been no better time in the last decade to be a rentvestor in Sydney than right now. There are a number of factors in the current... View article »

The Sydney housing market has bottomed out. Many leading indicators now suggest the current September quarter will record about a 2% rise in Sydney dwelling prices and we are expecting a rise of another 4% for the December Quarter. That should take the full year to about a 1% gain compared to 2018. But let it be known Sydney has bottomed out at an overvalued point. The data suggests the Sydney housing market remains 21% overvalued despite the two-year correction. For reference, the average overvaluation (since 1986) in Sydney is 19% with a low point of 5.9% ‘undervalued’ in June 1987 and a high point of 55.5% overvalued in... View article »

Property Nest was quoted in a recent Domain’s article. In this video agent Stevan comments more about buyer’s perception on new apartments and the effect that Opal Tower has on entire Sydney Olympic Park. Also, possible solutions that will bring more assurance to new apartment buyers. https://vimeo.com/356336321 Sydney Olympic Park agents say suburb tarred with the same brush as Opal Tower Apartment sales have tumbled and new apartment listings views have taken a dive as buyers become more cautious than ever before in the wake of unprecedented defects found in residential buildings across Sydney. Since the revelation of structural defects in Opal Tower at Sydney Olympic Park... View article »

The country is outgrowing expectations and there is no sign of slowing down. Over the past 8 years our population growth rate has ranged from 1.49% to 1.67%, equating to almost 400,000 additional residents to the population each year. It was only mid-2018 when Australia’s population surpassed 25 million, a milestone met 33 years before expectations – now we are likely to hit 26 million within the next 18 months. It doesn’t take an expert to recognise that Australia’s population is changing rapidly. It’s shaping the way that we live throughout all our major urban centres and capital cities. All you have to do is look... View article »