Entries by wsadmin

Signs of growth in housing sector

It’s too early to be jumping for joy, but the latest housing loan figures support hopes for better times in the home building industry. The two per cent bounce in February was not enough to restore the number of home loan approvals to the 2012 average. It fell fractionally short of the mark. But things […]

Home prices up 0.3 per cent in February

Home prices across Australia’s capital cities rose for the second consecutive month in February. Home prices rose by an average of 0.3 per cent in the month, following a 1.2 per cent rise in January, according to the monthly RP Data/Rismark Home Value index released on Friday. RP Data research director Tim Lawless said that […]

Soft jobs data raises prospect of rate cut

A weak employment report for December has increased the chance of an interest rate cut in February, so economists say. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) announced that the nation lost 5,500 jobs in December. The result was well below market consensus of a 4,500 gain in total employment. NAB group chief economist Alan Oster […]

2012 Wrap Up

Mortgage holders and home buyers received an early Christmas present this year, with the Reserve Bank slashing 25 basis points off the official cash rate and taking it to an all-time low of just 3 per cent. In terms of interest rates, it has been a good year for borrowers, with more than 125 basis […]

First Time Choices

Should you enter the property market now, or later? Most first-time property investors find themselves facing the challenge of coming up with sufficient funds for a deposit and so will be torn between two options: Do they enter the market now and borrow a hefty portion of the property’s value? Or should they bide their […]