In good news for property investors, SQM Research has reported that the rental market has turned even more in their favour. The national vacancy rate – which measures the share of untenanted rental properties – fell from 1.3% in December to an ultra-low 1.0% in January. Vacancy rates are very low in all capital cities: … Read more
In its first meeting of 2023, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) today raised the cash rate for the ninth consecutive time. It increased from 3.1% to 3.35% as the bank continues to attempt to ease rising inflation. While this can impact borrowing power of prospective home buyers, the positive news for anyone looking to … Read more
The Australian Taxation Office has responded to feedback from trustees and their advisors by issuing guidance on trust reimbursement agreements. The guidance, which relates to reimbursement agreements where section 100A of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 may apply, will not affect “the vast majority of small businesses operating through a trust”, according to the … Read more
The job market has improved from an employer’s perspective, but it’s still challenging to find good staff, based on the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. In December, the unemployment rate was just 3.5%, the same as the previous month, although the number of unemployed workers edged up slightly, from 492,600 to 494,200. … Read more
For property investors, 2022 was one for the history books. To begin with, capital city rents increased by 14.6% for houses and 17.6% for units, according to Domain – both of which were records. Furthermore, the year ended with an unprecedented seventh consecutive quarter of house rent rises and sixth of unit rent hikes. “Just … Read more
As of 16 January 2023, first home buyers in New South Wales have the option to opt out of paying upfront stamp duty and instead pay an annual tax. The First Home Buyer Choice scheme was introduced by the NSW Government in a bid to help reduce the entry cost for buyers looking to get … Read more
It’s almost certain the Reserve Bank of Australia will increase the cash rate again. But what we don’t know is when or where it will peak. The RBA has raised the cash rate for seven consecutive months to November, taking it from 0.10% to 2.85%, in a bid to slow and ultimately reverse rising inflation. … Read more
The cash rate has been increased by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) for the fourth month in a row from 1.35% to 1.85%. Since the RBA’s first increase of the cash rate from its record low of 0.1% in May, we have seen interest rates for both variable and fixed home loans increase across … Read more
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has continued its trend of increasing the cash rate, moving it for the third month in a row from 0.85% to 1.35%. According to our data, all lenders in our panel increased variable interest rates on home loans in line with the cash rate increase last month. This means … Read more
Investors are continuing to show confidence in the future of property with the latest data showing a 6.1% rise in the value of housing loans made to investors in January, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). A total of $11 billion was loaned to investors – that’s a new record and the 15th … Read more
