The country’s biggest credit union, Credit Union Australia, says a near record proportion of its customers are taking out fixed-rate home loans, a sign more borrowers believe the next move in official interest rates will be a rise. CUA chief executive Chris Whitehead said on Tuesday that close to 55 percent of the company’s new
What do you think influences your property’s performance the most over the medium to long term? As the old adage goes, the three most important factors in determining the desirability of a property are “Location, Location, Location”. It is always best to do your research, but as veteran property commentator Michael Matusik believes, the six
Eight years ago, if we lived in Brisbane, were tempted to buy an investment property, and were a creature of habit, the chances are that the property we purchased also would have been in Brisbane. The typical Brisbane house in 2003 cost $226,000 and would today be worth around $425,000. That’s pretty good growth on
A surge in apartment construction in Brisbane puts the city on track to pick up to an average 2700 completions a year by 2015-16, a new report by research firm BIS Shrapnel says. With more than 4000 apartments in inner Brisbane under construction already due for completion by 2015-16, as many as 3000 more are
Annual growth in bank lending to home buyers has surged to the fastest pace in two years, reinforcing speculation the Reserve Bank of Australia will signal next week that its easing cycle has finished. Figures released by the Reserve Bank on Friday showed lending for housing rose 0.6 per cent in December, the largest gain
Banks have materially loosened their lending standards in a bid to win customers amid heavy competition for borrowers as record low interest rates fire up the property market. A new survey of the chief financial officers of Australia’s banks found they were applying easier criteria, including discounted interest rates and lower fees, for both home
Lending for investment properties appears to have suddenly tightened, as the banking regulator’s efforts to rein in the sector appear to be succeeding. Credit conditions in Australian housing lending market have become a lot tougher in the past two weeks with banks cutting discounts on investment loans and demanding tougher scrutiny on borrowers’ ability to
The new Queensland Labor government has said it was committed to proceeding with Brisbane’s $1 billion-plus Queen’s Wharf casino and entertainment complex sooner rather than later, despite undertaking a review of the process following the January election victory. Amid speculation the former Liberal National Party government chose not to receive the recommended winning bid from
Furnish your pockets with the funds claimed from depreciable assets! Owners of investment properties are often unaware of all the taxation benefits an investment property can generate. Property investors are entitled to claim a tax deduction on their property for all the standard losses including interest, insurance, real estate management fees, rates, repairs and maintenance.
The housing market is moving into the 2015 calendar year with some substantial momentum, with dwelling values 8.5% higher compared with a year ago across the combined capitals. The growth comes on a backdrop of slowing conditions though, with the annual rate of capital gain peaking early in the year at 11.5% over the twelve