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Record number of Australian suburbs have homes at over a million dollars
The number of suburbs in Australia with homes values at a millions dollars or over has climbed to 437, a new record and an increase of 23.1% year on year. The data from CoreLogic also shows that the number the number of suburbs with a median value of at least $1 million comes off the back of an 11.1% rise in combined capital city home values over the past 12 months. The rise in values has been strongest in Sydney and Melbourne and the jump in the number of suburbs on the list is evidence of these strong value rises. To be eligible for ranking as a million-dollar-suburb, each suburb had to achieve a minimum of 10 sales over the past year. Sydney suburbs clearly dominate the record board and account for 17 of the 20 most expensive suburbs nationally. Only one Melbourne suburb and two Perth suburbs made it to the millionaire suburbs list. In other states the most expensive suburbs are a long way from making it into the top 20. For units, Dawes Point in Sydney at 14th spot is the most expensive suburb and is the only suburb on the top 20 list for units. A breakdown of the figures shows that New South Wales had the greatest number of suburbs at 302, up from 232 the previous year. New South Wales's share of suburbs with a median value of $1 million or higher is also rising quite sharply. In 2010 57.6% of $1 million suburbs nationally were in New South Wales, the proportion has now increased to 69.1%. With 61 suburbs, Victoria is the state with the second highest number of suburbs with a median value in excess of $1 million and far less than New South Wales's number, but 14% overall. The rest of Australia has very few. According to Tim Lawless, CoreLogic RP Data research director, the data reflects the effect of strong capital growth rates which show that Sydney values are growing substantially faster than all other areas and the cost of housing in Sydney is much higher than elsewhere. Additionally, those that have owned a Sydney property for at least several years are likely to have built up a substantial level of equity in their home. Of the 437 suburbs with a median value of at least $1 million over the past year, 427 or 97.7% of suburbs were located in a capital city. There were also significantly more suburbs making the list for houses at 424 than units at 13. In fact, all of the suburbs listed for units were situated in Sydney and were located adjacent to or on the water. While the number of suburbs with a median value of at least $1 million has risen sharply over recent years, CoreLogic RP Data also recorded a sharp rise in suburbs with a median value of at least $2 million. In June 2014, 32 suburbs had a median value in excess… Continue reading
Property sales fell back in UK in July, latest transaction data shows
Property sales in the UK fell back between June and July by 4.4%, according to the latest seasonally adjusted estimate from HMRC. There were a total of 100,720 residential transactions and 10,100 others in July, the data shows, some 0.2% higher compared with the same month last year. Peter Rollings, chief executive officer of agents Marsh & Parsons, pointed out that it is the first rise on an annual basis for this measure for seven successive months. ‘In July, sales may have slipped back slightly month on month, but we need to remember that the market was working overtime in June to regain ground lost before the election,’ he said. He explained that ever since the changes to stamp duty at the end of 2014 property taxation has become more of a sticking point in London, and here buyer demand has slowed somewhat at the top-end. ‘It will take a while for these changes to fully bed in, and in the meantime house price rises and property sales in the capital may be outshone by other UK regions for the months to come,’ he said. ‘But that’s not to say they’ve fallen out of line and with an average 12 buyers chasing every available property on the market, the strength of the demand for homes in London will continue to push growth up a gear,’ he added. Doug Crawford, chief executive officer of conveyancing services provider myhomemove, also believes that the general election has been a factor affecting the property market in recent months. ‘The general election’s outcome assured buyers and sellers that the housing market was likely to remain stable, leading to a spike in the number of property transactions in June. Today’s HMRC figures show that the number of transactions has barely changed over the last year and this begs the question about why a year’s steady improvement in the economy hasn’t led to an increase in home purchases, particularly when mortgage availability and rates have been so favourable,’ he said. ‘The main impediment has been a serious shortage in supply. There is a lot of appetite from buyers but not enough homes for sale to meet demand. This mismatch is stoking price rises. In some areas we have even seen instances of gazumping, as sellers look to make the most of competition between buyers by accepting higher offers,’ he explained. He believes that the big question looming in the background is the timing of an interest rate rise from the Bank of England. Many would be buyers are keen to purchase while mortgage rates are so low. Increased anticipation of rate rises is putting greater pressure on buyers and competition for homes for sale could drive up prices further in the short term,’ he added. Continue reading
Paris could be the next city to attract more overseas property investment, it is suggested
Much has been said about London’s prime property market attracting foreign buyers but now Paris is being discussed as being just as interesting for overseas investors. Overseas investors are regarding Paris as having highly competitive real estate prices due to the weaker Euro, according to the latest report from property agents VINGT Paris. For example, using current exchange rates a UK investor could save up to 40% on the average Paris property, as the pound’s strength would see a €700,000 home cost £510,000. According to figures from the report, Paris is second only to London as Europe’s most attractive destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with 66.7% of Paris property currently owned by overseas investors. The firm believes that this is likely to increase further as UK property prices continue to rise and investment returns fall, coupled with a weakening Euro, which is currently at a seven year low against the pound and 12 year low against the dollar. The report suggests that Paris has always had an unmistakable allure, with its rich history, neoclassical architecture and Haussmannian style apartments retaining a global appeal. Susie Hollands, chief executive officer of VINGT Paris, believes that it is a good time to invest in property in the city. ‘Its culture, cuisine, reputation for intellectualism and abundance of beautiful homes make Paris a world class city, plus it has excellent international schools, a solid infrastructure and excellent transport network,’ she said. ‘The talk in the market over the past two to three years has been dominated by London, however, people forget that France is the world’s fifth largest economy and investors will always be attracted by the Paris property market’s incredible resilience,’ she pointed out. ‘Overseas investors have hedged against inflation by investing their liquid resources in tangible, prime Paris properties, so as London becomes increasingly unaffordable, Paris will be the winner. The potential returns in five to six years’ time will be worth it,’ she added. Since the global recession, overall property prices in Paris and London have consistently increased but growth in some part of London has been regarded as unsustainable and indeed prices in some locations are static or even falling. Comparing prices of London and Paris districts of similar stature, between 2007 and 2014, VINGT Paris found that prices in Paris’ 8th arrondissement rose by 21%, while in Knightsbridge they were up by 84% over the same period. Similarly, South Kensington saw a 67% price increase in the same seven year period, compared to 26% in Paris’ 6th arrondissement. The only area of comparatively similar growth in the period is Notting Hill with growth of 33% and Paris’ 3rd arrondissement at 35%. Comparing the per square foot prices of the same London and Paris districts, the report found that despite similar price growth, Notting Hill apartments were almost twice as expensive as those in the 3rd arrondissement. Similarly, prices in South Kensington were nearly two and a half times greater than the… Continue reading
