Property values set to keep rising in 2016

Property buyers outnumber sellers, so the market should remain well bid this year according to new research.

Source: Property values set to keep rising in 2016

Chinese investors’ steady infatuation with Australian real estate | The Real Estate Conversation

Australian property provides security and prestige, as well as access to homes and land that simply don’t exist in China.

Source: Chinese investors’ steady infatuation with Australian real estate | The Real Estate Conversation

Australians support scrapping stamp duty | The Real Estate Conversation

Australians support scrapping stamp duty | The Real Estate Conversation.

New research on negative gearing and capital gains tax | The Real Estate Conversation

New research on negative gearing and capital gains tax | The Real Estate Conversation.

Which Inner City Suburbs Are Most Affordable

CoreLogic RP Data’s weekly Property Pulse shows which suburbs have the most affordable median value near the CBDs of Australia’s capital cities.

According to the data, the median value for Sydney’s inner city houses is significantly higher than the rest of the capital cities, with Turrella as the most affordable suburb in Sydney having a median house value of $839,676.

Current Sharemarket Carnage Good News for Home Loan Borrowers

COMMONWEALTH Bank of Australia has cut interest rates on its fixed rate home loans by up to 60 basis points.

Australia’s largest lender said the fixed rates for its one to five year products will now range from 6.59 per cent to 6.99 per cent, a cut of between 0.25 per cent and 0.6 per cent.

“Many customers want certainty with their home loan repayments and we are pleased to take a lead and offer customers that peace of mind,” executive of retail banking services Ross McEwan said.

WESTPAC Banking Corporation has cut the interest rate on its three-year fixed rate home loan by 20 basis points.

Westpac today said the three-year fixed rate for its Premier Advantage package had been cut from 6.99 per cent to 6.79 per cent.

The bank’s move came as rival Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) today cut interest rates on its fixed rate home loans by up to 60 basis points.

CBA said the fixed rates for its one to five year products would now range from 6.59 per cent to 6.99 per cent, a cut of between 0.25 per cent and 0.6 per cent.

Statement by Glenn Stevens, Governor: Monetary Policy Decision

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

The global economy is continuing its expansion, but the pace of growth slowed in the June quarter. The supply-chain disruptions from the Japanese earthquake and the dampening effects of high commodity prices on income and spending in major countries both contributed to the slowing. It is still not clear how persistent this slower growth will be. The supply-chain disruptions are now gradually abating and commodity prices have softened of late, though they generally remain high. In China most indications suggest only a mild slowdown so far.

Take 10 years off your mortgage?

WOULD you like to shave 10 years off your mortgage? How much interest could this save you?
It’s not rocket science, it’s simply a matter of making more repayments more often and making sure you’ve got the best mortgage for your situation. Of the millions of homeowners, only some are getting out from under mortgage payments years, sometimes decades, before their neighbours.
How?
They make an effort to pay off their mortgage early.
The average home loan is now about $300,000, but living mortgage-free is not a pipe dream.
You may only need to find an extra $200-$500 every month so that you can exceed your mortgage payments. While many think they can’t afford that, you’d be amazed at how much money you can save on a monthly basis.

Borrowing Within Your Means

While your lender will give you a maximum borrowing amount, it is essential that you determine your own borrowing capacity when searching for your new home

The choices you make when taking out a mortgage have long lasting implications – so you need to approach borrowing with a healthy attitude.

How much you can borrow and how much you should borrow are two very different things. While your lender should not let you borrow more than you can afford, ultimately the choice is yours – so be careful not to over commit yourself.

Warning as home and rates could yet take a tumble

• By John Rolfe – Daily Telegraph 

PROPERTY prices and official interest rates might not rise much more this year, due to the worsening crisis in Europe.

Indeed, both could fall. Chaos on the world’s forex, debt and stock markets caused economists and futures investors to revise predictions of more rate rises this year, with the ASX opening betting between traders on a rate cut next month.