Sydney? Melbourne? Perth? Find out which of Australia’s capital cities have performed best in the property market over the past two decades.
We all love to back a winner.
Some of us painstakingly pore over the most minute details, others tend to just go with their gut.
Either way, it never hurts to have a quick look at past performance.
With that in mind, this week we’ll take a look at the Australian capital city real estate market over the past 20 years and identify which cities were the hottest performers across each market cycle.
And just a quick heads up: just like a footy premiership table, some years your team is hot, and every now and then it’s not.
2013 to 2017 increases
– Sydney (74.6%) and Melbourne (63.7%) led the way – Darwin (-10.5%) property prices fell and Perth (0.6%) only experienced slight growth – All capital cities weighted average growth: 48.4%
2008 to 2012 increases
– Darwin (36.8%) and Melbourne (18%) topped the ladder, but increases paled in significance to surrounding periods – Hobart (1.9%) and Brisbane (3.2%) experienced the slowest growth – All capital cities weighted average growth: 12.2%
2003 to 2007 increases
– Perth (139.8%), Hobart (126.4%) and Darwin (106%) property prices more than doubled – Sydney (16.4%) and Melbourne (59.9%) performed worst – All capital cities weighted average growth: 53%
1998 to 2002 increases
– Melbourne (88.2%) and Sydney (84.2%) led the way – Darwin (5.1%) and Hobart (21.7%) experienced the most sluggish growth – All capital cities weighted average growth: 70%
Additional observations
So hang on, where were Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra?
In most periods they sat smack-bang in the middle of the table experiencing steady growth.
PIPA chairman Peter Koulizos says the stats prove Aussie investors and homebuyers over the past two decades have made solid returns across almost every capital city – not just Sydney and Melbourne.
He adds that while long-term investors invariably come out ahead with Australian capital city real estate, the biggest gains are made by identifying markets that have bottomed and are set to improve.
“Of course, many buyers don’t have access to the information or experience needed to monitor and predict property cycles,” he says.
“Investors should seek independent qualified property investment advice to give themselves the best chance of getting the best returns on their money, as timing the property market can be just as important as time in the market.”
Final word
Navigating the property market can be tricky. And sometimes you can be so caught up in the process of trying to back a winner that you don’t have time for anything else – like trying to organise finance.
So if you’d like a hand with purchasing your dream property, give us a call (02 8861 1689), we’d love to help you out.
Disclaimer: The content of this article is general in nature and is presented for informative purposes. It is not intended to constitute financial advice, whether general or personal nor is it intended to imply any recommendation or opinion about a financial product. It does not take into consideration your personal situation and may not be relevant to circumstances. Before taking any action, consider your own particular circumstances and seek professional advice. This content is protected by copyright laws and various other intellectual property laws. It is not to be modified, reproduced or republished without prior written consent.
Sticking to a financial plan – such as paying off a mortgage – can be a long journey that’s punctuated by high highs and low lows. Here are some tips to get you through the tougher times.
October is generally the month that people all around Australia and the world dedicate to improving awareness around mental health.
According to Mental Health Australia, 1 in 5 Australians are affected by mental illness, yet many don’t seek help because of stigma.
The thing is, mental health and financial safety are strongly linked, with many studies showing personal finances are one of the main sources of stress.
With that in mind, below we’ve outlined six ways you can help protect your mental health from being eroded by financial concerns.
First, however, we believe it’s important to add that if you’re feeling severely down or depressed, please contact your GP or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
1. Know the warning signs
Signs that you may not be coping as well as normal include:
– Arguing with the people closest to you about money – Sleeping difficulties – Feeling angry, fearful or resentful – Sudden mood swings – Loss of appetite – Not wanting to hang out with family or friends as much as usual.
2. Exercise daily
Exercise releases feel-good chemicals such as endorphins and serotonin. It also gets you out and about, which minimises your feelings of loneliness.
You don’t have to run a marathon or anything either. Just a brisk 30 minute walk each day will deliver both physical and mental health benefits – and help you sleep better at night.
3. Eat well
There’s not much use doing all that exercise if you’re just going to smash a few Big Macs straight after.
Instead, try cooking some new healthy recipes with your loved one, or inviting a friend you haven’t seen for a while to come eat with you.
A healthy diet not only improves your physical health, but it’ll make you feel better too.
The best bit? Cooking uses brain power, which will help distract you from any issues that are making you down or anxious. And they’ll make you proud of your gourmet creations, of course!
4. Reach out to support networks
Make an effort to reach out to and catch up with family, friends and other members of your community.
Don’t wait for them to reach out to you – be the one who initiates contact.
It doesn’t have to cost you anything extra, either. Kill two (or three!) birds with one stone and invite them over for a walk, or a home-cooked meal.
5. Positive sense of identity and an optimistic outlook
Always look on the bright side of life.
For example, if you’ve recently become redundant, look at it as an opportunity to launch into a new job, or finally give running your own business a shot.
Also, adopt a positive attitude to seeking support. Rather than feeling down about seeking help, take pride in the fact that you’ve got the initiative to recognise when you’re not feeling up to par.
6. Improve your financial literacy
Sometimes, our finances can feel all too overwhelming, which in turn, gets us feeling down.
If you fall into that category, brushing up on your financial education can help you feel a whole lot better about things – not to mention equip you with the tools you need to improve your budget bottom line.
Our regular blog covers a wide range of topics that can help you improve your financial literacy.
Alternatively, don’t hesitate to give us a call if you’re worried about your finances, such as paying off your mortgage.
We’d be more than happy to workshop some ideas with you to help improve your situation and get you sleeping better at night.
Disclaimer: The content of this article is general in nature and is presented for informative purposes. It is not intended to constitute financial advice, whether general or personal nor is it intended to imply any recommendation or opinion about a financial product. It does not take into consideration your personal situation and may not be relevant to circumstances. Before taking any action, consider your own particular circumstances and seek professional advice. This content is protected by copyright laws and various other intellectual property laws. It is not to be modified, reproduced or republished without prior written consent.
By Dave Fleming : 19 October, 2018
Why is the bank saying I don’t have Enough Borrowing Capacity?
A question we often get goes something along the lines of: ‘I make my repayments on time, and I save $1,000 per month, why is the bank saying I can’t service a loan?’ Here’s how banks conduct loan serviceability.
When a bank calculates loan serviceability, they are essentially evaluating your ability to pay back a loan.
Lenders base this decision on a number of factors, including your income, the loan amount, and other commitments or extra expenses.
With all of these things in mind, the bank figures out a debt service ratio (DSR). In a nutshell, the DSR is the percentage of your monthly income expected to be spent on debt expenses.
Lenders usually cap this at 30 or 35%.
How banks conduct loan serviceability
Of course, the borrower’s standard salary is considered here. But so too are bonuses like overtime, commission, and even company cars.
For nurses and the emergency services, all overtime payments are included in serviceability calculations.
For other professions where overtime payments are more infrequent, only a proportion of overtime is included.
If you have a second job, you must be employed there for a year before this income affects serviceability. And for investment properties, most banks will consider just 75% of the rental income (to allow for associated fees).
Lenders can also take into account Centrelink benefits like Family Tax Benefit if your children are younger than 11-years-old.
Reasons why loans can’t be serviced
If you have been making all of your repayments on time and saving a decent chunk of your income, you may well be wondering why a bank has just knocked back your loan application.
One explanation may be that lenders calculate repayments by adding a margin of 2.5% or more to the variable rate. This is known as an ‘assessment rate’. It’s used to predict whether you would be able to meet repayments if interest rates rose to 7.5 or 8%.
Unfortunately, this – as well as credit card debt, student loans, car loans and the number of children or dependents living in your home – can negatively affect loan serviceability and make it much harder to get the finance you need.
Bearing these factors in mind we can help you rearrange your finances and improve your chances.
How we can help
If you’ve recently been advised by a lender that you can’t service a loan, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
We’d be more than happy to look into your individual situation, help you address any issues, and line you up with a lender that’s offering a great home loan.
More carrot, less stick: Comprehensive Credit Reporting
Many people only pay their bills on time to avoid being slugged with late fees and a bad credit rating. But a big change this month means that you can now be rewarded for timely repayments.
From mid-September, ANZ, NAB, Westpac and CBA all agreed to commence Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR).
It’s seen as a more “positive” reporting system than the “negative” credit reporting system that has previously been in place.
CCR was introduced back in July but it’s just taken a while for the big four banks to get onboard.
Hold up. What exactly is CCR?
CCR will see the banks provide additional data to credit reporting bodies such as Experian, Illion and Equifax.
The data that they’re now required to supply to these agencies include:
– The type of loan or credit account.
– When it was opened or closed.
– The credit limit.
– When payments were made on time.
– And when payments were made 15 days late (not to mention the ones that are made 45 days late!).
So how does this help my situation?
In years gone by, the credit reporting bodies only heard about you when you had messed up.
Basically, this meant that banks, credit unions and lenders could only really assess your borrowing capacity on the negative aspects of your credit history. This included late payments or defaults.
However, now that CCR has been adopted by the major banks, your positive credit history, such as timely repayments, will be reported too.
This now gives your credit score the chance to go up – not just down.
Here’s the real kicker though
Just by knowing the above information you’re already more informed than 60% of the population, according to research by credit reporting agency Experian.
But the best bit is: positive credit reporting can help you obtain a loan for a home or business.
“From our experience in the 19 other countries where we operate credit bureaus, positive data sharing is a much fairer system and provides consumers with better credit opportunities,” says Experian Australia’s Poli Konstantinidis.
“It doesn’t just help those with strong credit scores, it also means those without a long credit history, young first home buyers for example, can build one quicker than before.”
So what’s my next step?
Well, that’s simple. Make sure you’re paying all your bills on time!
“This isn’t about the value of the car you drive or how big your recent pay rise was,” says Konstantinidis.
“Pay credit cards and loans on time, as lenders may now consider this when deciding whether or not to approve your credit application.”
You’ll also want to check your current credit score.
You can get a free credit report once a year from one of three national credit reporting bodies (CRB’s). You can find out how on this government website.
If you need a hand doing so – or you discover that you have a poor rating and want help improving it – then get in touch.
Should you make application for a home loan, especially if the loan you want happens to be for more than 80% of the property’s value, with most lenders you’re going to have to show them that you already have a satisfactory amount of savings.
This reassures the lender that you have the capability to fulfill your repayment obligations once you have been confirmed for a loan.
Most lenders policies require that you have a minimum amount of 5% of the property purchase price saved as a deposit.
Although, there are lenders that will loan up to 98% and 100% of a property’s value. However, most mainstream lenders will only lend to 95%.
That is, unless you have an immediate family member who is willing to use equity in their property to guarantee the loan you want (conditions apply).
In these instances you don’t need any deposit and you can borrow up to 110% of the value of the property you want to buy. It’s called a Family Guarantee Loan.
No Deposit Home Loans and LMI
To obtain a loan with any of those lenders the borrower would need at least an 8% deposit in order to be able to capitalise the Lenders Mortgage Insurance premium that will be charged.
Any loan that exceeds 80% of a property’s value will incur a mortgage insurance fee. This is a fee that is paid by the borrower to an insurance company that insures the banks loan in case the borrower defaults on their loan.
What Constitutes Genuine Savings?
The borrowers savings in most instances will be accepted by the selected lender as an acceptable genuine 5% deposit amount if the savings account in the borrowers name shows the required savings have been in the account for 3 months or more.
Alternatively, the savings account had constantly been receiving funds over 3 months or more and now had the required deposit amount.
There are many classifications of savings however these mentioned below may or may not qualify for a home loan deposit:
Cash gifting program
an inheritance
casino/other gambling winnings
Cash coming from selling a non-investment asset
Incentives and government financing
Personal loan
Are No Deposit Home Loans Just a Myth?
That said, if the money can be shown to have been in the borrowers saving account for at least 3 months, most lenders will accept that as genuine savings.
Are there other options for acquiring a loan if I don’t have genuine savings?
The good thing is that there are still loan companies that are willing to provide you with a loan despite having no genuine savings.
These include:
Family guarantor loans – a family guarantor loan is where an immediate family member allows the equity in their home to be used as security to guarantee the loan. Conditions do apply. However, most lenders will allow borrowers to borrow up to 110% of the purchase price of the property they want.
Some lenders may also accept non-cash genuine savings – some of these include equity in another property, term deposits and shares. In certain cases, the sale of a vehicle owned by the borrower can also stand as genuine savings provided that the borrower shows proof that the vehicle was owned for at least 3 months.
There are some lenders that will allow you to take out a personal loan to obtain the required deposit.
Keep in mind though you will need to show healthy taxable earnings to be able to do that strategy.
Any liabilities you have or create will reduce your borrowing capacity for a new home loan.
A stable rental history could see a loan provider forgive you to having to come up with 5% genuine savings. There are a few lenders who will waive the 5% deposit rule if documentation can be produced from a licensed property management agent showing that all rent has been paid on time and in full for the preceding 6 to 12 months. This will highlight your ability to make repayments on time and on an ongoing basis. Nonetheless, you will still need to drum up a deposit from somewhere.
What is the Most Effective Way to get Qualified?
If you’re keen on buying a home and you’re not sure if you will be able to qualify then contact us or a reliable experienced mortgage broker near you and they will be able to assess what you need to do.
Sometimes, all it takes is to understand the situation of the borrower and find a suitable lender with the right policies that can match the borrowers needs.
Brokers are the best bet because they develop their understanding and successful strategies through experience and constant communication with a network of lenders policies and procedures.
Each lender has specific policies and each borrower has specific needs – this is something that the best mortgage brokers understand and matching the borrower with the right lender is what they do very well, especially when it comes to no deposit home loans.
We all love to back a winner.
A question we often get goes something along the lines of: ‘I make my repayments on time, and I save $1,000 per month, why is the bank saying I can’t service a loan?’ Here’s how banks conduct loan serviceability.
Should you make application for a home loan, especially if the loan you want happens to be for more than 80% of the property’s value, with most lenders you’re going to have to show them that you already have a satisfactory amount of savings.
If you’re keen on buying a home and you’re not sure if you will be able to qualify then contact us or a reliable experienced mortgage broker near you and they will be able to assess what you need to do.
