What could sink the property market and drown investors

ljgrealestate

A growing number of middle-of-the-road, mainstream economists and policymakers now acknowledge that Australia has a housing bubble.

ASIC’s Greg Medcraft got in early, and repeated his warning this year, but Treasury secretary John Fraser and former Liberal leader John Hewson have also used the “b-word”.

While they haven’t all called it a bubble, respected analysts such as Chris Richardson and Shane Oliver have basically told people they’d have rocks in their head to buy property now, especially in Sydney and Melbourne.

And, while it may have missed (or wilfully ignored) the US housing bubble, ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is becoming increasingly vociferous about Australia’s housing risks.

In short, we are as close as we’ve ever been to a consensus that Australia has a property bubble, or at least extremely overvalued markets in its two biggest cities.

But that’s where the agreement between the mainstream and the housing…

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LJGilland REV 0508 by @GillandDebello via #soundcloud http://bit.ly/Ks92NN

The latest set of housing market indices showed a cooling in the rate of capital gain during April, with CoreLogic’s combined capitals index slowing from growth of around 1.2% per month over the first quarter to just 0.1% over the month of April.While the result demonstrates a stark slowdown in the pace of capital gains, we need to remember this is just one month of data, so it will be important to monitor the data flows to see if this recent softening develops into a sustained trend of cooling housing market conditions.”

@gillanddebello @ljgrealestate 1.2% per month over the first quarter to just 0.1% over the month of April.
While the result demonstrates a stark slowdown in the pace of capital gains,    itions. Http://vimeo.com/217434285

Keep convenience, a central location and connectivity top of mind, and you shouldn’t have a problem keeping your property rented on the regular.

What millennials want from a landlord

 

May 11, 2017

 

Do you own, or are you looking to buy, an investment property? If you answered yes, there’s a very good chance you’ll be renting to a millennial (those born between the 1980s and 2000s), as experts believe this age group is likely to be renting for longer than ever.

While previous generations typically rented for a few years before becoming homeowners, millennials are now renting for longer, with 10-plus years of tenancy no longer out of the ordinary, according to an analysis by real estate consultant and author John Burns.

This trend seems set to continue—and if you want to attract the cream of the renting crop, you need to know what millennials want from a landlord and a property.

Location, location, location

So they say. Location is an ever-present buzzword in the property industry. But what does this mean to a millennial?

Well, this generation is not so concerned with the white picket fence enclosing a spacious yard and great schools down the road. What they do want is ease of getting to both work and play, to facilitate their lifestyle.

• Is public transport easy to get to?
• Are bars and restaurants nearby?
• Is there nightlife accessible within a reasonable Uber-fare distance?
• Are there trendy cafés nearby for brunch the day following?
• Is there a gym that is open long hours within the area?

The more outdoorsy millennials will be drawn to attractions such as nearby parks with good bike tracks, or lakes and rivers for water sports or relaxation. But ultimately, they all crave convenience most of all.

And being in an area with NBN already rolled out doesn’t hurt. Which brings us to…

Connections

Since millennials rely mostly on mobile phones and home phones are on the way out, they are very unlikely to make do with living in a “black hole” spot. A lot of time is also spent on the Internet—whether to watch Netflix, play games with others around the world, or work from home, which more millennials are beginning to do—so access to a fast, reliable connection is a must.

Although there aren’t many places left without a decent mobile signal, having a weak Wi-Fi signal can be worse than having a broken stove of malfunctioning oven to some young adults, so keep connectivity top of mind.

A kitchen to live in

When millennials are at home, they still like to be social creatures—and a big thing they look for is the size of the kitchen. (Yes, size does matter!) They have more appliances to make a wider range of foods than previous generations: think green smoothies and pizza makers, and you start to get the picture.

They have regular gatherings in the kitchen. They need room, and storage, so they like breakfast bars or islands (don’t we all?). That said, all of this comes much further down the list than the first two points. Strive for location and connectivity first, then this list of wants kicks in.

Other desirable features to millennial renters:

• Storage, or that extra little room

An extra little room such as a study, storage room, sunroom, or nook that can be converted to a home gym, can be a big deal to a millennial.

• Green factor

Is it environmentally-friendly? Are there water-saving showerheads? Are the toilets low-flow and are the light bulbs energy-saving? Younger generations are becoming increasingly aware of their impact on the planet, so if you can demonstrate your eco-friendliness as a landlord it can be a massive factor in your favour.

More game-changing technologies in housing sustainability >>

• Pets welcome

Millennials are a pet-loving generation. Purchasing a property that is favourable to pets, such as a ground-floor unit with a small courtyard, may help you attract more tenants.

• Extras

What extras can you offer, such as lawn and garden maintenance for the busy millennial who also has a “black thumb”, or appliances such as a washing machine or dryer? These little bonuses will help you attract top quality tenants, while also minimising your vacancy periods and maximising your rental income.

The bottom line? Millennials want it all—or at least, as much as possible, and they want it now. It’s more than likely that a millennial will flick through rental listings on their phone, so first impressions count more than ever. Keep convenience, a central location and connectivity top of mind, and you shouldn’t have a problem keeping your property rented on the regular.

Finance approvals for investor housing Australia-wide have been slightly declining, an indicator that finance approvals for investor housing are moderating.

Brisbane HTW April 2017 Report

Vacancy rates for new Inner Brisbane apartments remained tight at 2.3 per cent over the December quarter 2016, according to new research released by Urbis.

How did the housing market perform over the second half of 2016? We take a look at the repeat sales growth figures, rents and sales volumes to examine the housing market performance across each capital city

Finance approvals for investor housing Australia-wide have been slightly declining, an indicator that finance approvals for investor housing are moderating.

The Real Estate Institute of Australia says finance approvals for investor housing are moderating, which could threaten economic growth through reduced construction activity if left unchecked.

Finance approvals for investor housing Australia-wide have been slightly declining, an indicator that finance approvals for investor housing are moderating.

President of the Real Estate Institute of Australia, Malcom Gunning, says this is a sign of an adjusting market.

“The value of investment housing commitments decreased by 0.3 per cent in March 2017 in trend terms. This is down from its 2015 peak,” Mr Gunning said.

He said this result came before the actions in May to regulate bank lending to attempt to reduce the demand for property by investors in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as budget initiatives to limit deductions for investment property.

“Overall, the figures for March 2017 show, in trend terms, that the number of owner-occupied finance commitments decreased by 0.1 per cent,” Mr Gunner said.

“If refinancing is excluded, in trend terms, the number of owner-occupied finance commitments increased by 0.5 per cent following a rise of 0.7 per cent in February.”

Increases for finance approvals for investor housing were recorded in New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory, with the latter having the largest increase at 1.8 per cent. Queensland and Western Australia saw decreases, with WA having the largest decrease at 1 per cent. Victoria did not see any change.

“In trend terms, the number of established dwellings purchase commitments decreased by 0.1 per cent, while new dwelling construction increased by 0.4 per cent and the purchase of new dwellings increased by 0.2 per cent,” Mr Gunning said.

“The proportion of first home buyers, as part of the total owner-occupied housing finance commitments, increased to 13.6 per cent in March 2017 from 13.3 per cent in February 2017, and the number of first home buyer commitments increased by 20.5 per cent and is the highest since November 2016.

“We will need to closely monitor the cumulative impact of recent actions by the regulators, banks and the federal budget initiatives to ease demand by property investors and ensure that they don’t threaten economic growth through reduced construction activity.”

 

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