Buyers considering a residence at boutique Gordon townhouse development <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/lume-gordon-43-47-dumaresq-street-gordon-nsw-2072">Lume</a>&nbsp;now have another reason to bring forward their decision.

For a limited time, purchasers of a residence at Lume will receive a BMW iX3 50 electric SUV, valued at more than $120,000, as part of their purchase. The offer is designed to add value for buyers while complementing the lifestyle envisioned for the architecturally designed Upper North Shore development.

Scott Timmins, Development Manager at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/winim">WINIM</a>, said the partnership was created to provide buyers with a compelling reason to act.

"In today's market, buyers need a compelling reason to act now, and the BMW partnership was designed to create that catalyst. We wanted to add genuine value for our future purchasers. Choosing the all-electric BMW iX3 50 also reflects the values behind LUME, forward-thinking design, innovation and a more sustainable way of living. It's a premium incentive that complements the lifestyle our buyers aspire to and rewards those who commit early."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7354 project_image_fid=374893]

Delivered by WINIM in partnership with Burtonwood Investment Partners, Lume comprises 14 architecturally designed two, three and four-bedroom townhomes created for families seeking the space of a freestanding house with the ease of modern, low-maintenance living.

The three-storey residences, designed by award-winning architecture practice <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a>, have been tailored for families and multi-generational living, featuring private internal lifts, flexible lower-level spaces, generous open-plan living and entertaining areas, media rooms, and landscaped outdoor spaces with custom outdoor kitchens.&nbsp;

Inside, engineered oak flooring, bespoke dining joinery with integrated wine fridges and backlit bars, sculptural porcelain bathrooms, Parisi freestanding baths and Astra Walker tapware create interiors that balance functionality with refined finishes.

Each townhome has been designed to combine generous internal spaces with sustainability initiatives such as EV charging infrastructure, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>'s landscaped communal areas, centred around a restored creek line and native planting, encourage residents to connect with nature and spend more time outdoors.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7354 project_image_fid=269527]

Rothelowman's Gary Tsui said the architecture was conceived to respond carefully to its Upper North Shore setting.

"Our vision was to create elegant, uplifting homes that draw on and positively contribute to the local character through meticulously considered design and an interaction with the surroundings."

The communal landscape has been designed as more than an open space between homes. Arcadia's Ben Newell and Kate Phillips said the adjoining reserve provided an opportunity to create a distinctive natural retreat for residents.

"Just as waterways carve their way through Ku-ring-gai's landscape, a raised boardwalk weaves through the reserve, connecting the homes to this tranquil oasis."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7354 project_image_fid=374892]

Located just 300 metres from <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/gordon-nsw-2072">Gordon</a> Village and Gordon railway station, Lume offers convenient access to Sydney's CBD while placing residents close to some of the North Shore's leading schools, including Ravenswood, Pymble Ladies' College and Knox Grammar. Lane Cove National Park, Gordon Golf Club and a range of cafés and restaurants further reinforce the family-focused lifestyle on offer, with the BMW iX3 50 complementing everything from local trips around Gordon to weekend drives and city commutes.

Construction is underway with completion expected in mid-2027.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=7354]

Joel Robinson

Boutique Gordon townhomes now come with a BMW iX3 50

Two apartments have sold for more than $10 million at EADE Byron Bay, setting some of the highest apartment prices ever achieved in the coastal town and underlining the growing appetite for luxury beachfront apartments in Australia's most popular coastal locations.

The $210 million project by Vitale Property Group has now secured more than $70 million in sales, led by residences that changed hands for $12.75 million and $11.75 million.

The record-breaking transactions reinforce the shift occurring in Byron Bay's premium property market, where affluent downsizers and lifestyle buyers are increasingly opting for high-end apartments over large beachfront homes.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/eade-byron-bay-29-shirley-street-byron-bay-nsw-2481">EADE Byron Bay</a> occupies a rare 6,000 sqm absolute beachfront site on the corner of Shirley and Milton Streets overlooking Main Beach and The Wreck surf break, just 350 metres from Byron Bay's town centre.

The 25-residence development is the first beachfront apartment project approved in Byron Bay in more than a decade and is currently under construction, with completion expected in May 2027.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=145590 project_image_fid=359521]

The project has attracted a mix of local Byron Shire residents downsizing from larger homes, alongside interstate buyers from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane seeking a permanent coastal lifestyle without compromising on space.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hayball">Hayball</a> and with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/alexander-co">Alexander &amp; Co</a>, EADE comprises&nbsp;10 garden apartments ranging from 284 sqm to 622 sqm, nine with private pools, five full-floor apartments and 10 rooftop residences with private plunge pools, expansive outdoor entertaining areas and uninterrupted ocean views.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=145590 project_image_fid=359527]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/vitale-property-group">Vitale Property Group</a> Managing Partner Chris Vitale said the project's combination of scale, location and limited future supply was driving buyer demand.

"There isn't another beachfront holding in Byron Bay of this size and position that could be developed again," Vitale said.

"Buyers are responding to the scarcity and the irreplaceability of a site of this calibre and to floorplans they can't find elsewhere in the market.

"We are seeing buyers place significant value on quality, space, design, resort-style amenities and the rarity of the location. The sales achieved to date demonstrate that discerning purchasers recognise the long-term significance of what is being created at EADE Byron Bay.

"Many are coming from larger homes in the Byron region, or from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and are after the space, security and convenience, without the upkeep of a house."

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=145590 project_image_fid=359523]

The Byron Bay project follows Vitale Property Group's delivery of the Mondrian Hotel and Private Residences at Burleigh Heads, with EADE continuing the developer's focus on luxury coastal developments.

Residents will have access to a resort-style swimming pool, gymnasium, sauna, cold plunge pool, concierge services and dedicated workspaces, while the project is targeting an 8-Star Green Star rating.

EADE Byron Bay is being exclusively marketed by Projx Australia in conjunction with WHITEFOX Projects.

WHITEFOX National Projects Director Phillip Rand said demand had been driven predominantly by owner-occupiers.

"We are seeing buyers at EADE place significant value on quality, space, design, resort-style amenities and the rarity of this location," Rand says.

"The sales achieved to date demonstrate that purchasers at this level recognise the long-term significance of what is being created at EADE Byron Bay."

Residences at EADE Byron Bay are currently priced between $4.75 million and $15.95 million.

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[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=145590]

Vitale breaks Byron Bay records with EADE sales flurry 

When buying an apartment, most people compare the big-ticket items first. Floorplans. Kitchens. Balcony size. Natural light. The view.

But there's one everyday consideration that often doesn't come up until after moving in: how parcels are delivered.

As online shopping has become part of everyday life, parcel deliveries have shifted from an occasional event to a regular occurrence. Australians spent a record $82.6 billion shopping online in 2025, with almost one in every four retail dollars now spent digitally.

For apartment residents, that can present a challenge.

If nobody is home to accept a delivery, parcels may be redirected to a nearby Post Office, left in a building lobby or common area, or require building management to step in. In higher-density buildings, where dozens or even hundreds of residents may receive deliveries each day, parcel management has become an increasingly important part of everyday living.

That can create a range of frustrations. A missed delivery often means making time to collect a parcel elsewhere, while packages left unattended in foyers or mail areas can create clutter and increase the risk of theft. What seems like a minor inconvenience can quickly become a recurring issue for residents who shop online regularly.

It's one of those details that rarely features in a display suite but can have a noticeable impact once residents move in.

As a result, buyers are beginning to look beyond traditional apartment features and consider how a building supports day-to-day convenience, including whether there are secure options for receiving deliveries.

Australia Post's Parcel Lockers provide one solution.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CkF2oKmlACg?si=C50sDaoUUn2nuLmq" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Rather than having a parcel delivered directly to an apartment, eligible deliveries can be sent to a nominated Parcel Locker. Once the parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS and can collect it using a QR code or one-time PIN at a time that suits them.

The Parcel Locker network now includes more than 1,500 locations nationwide, with installations at Post Offices, shopping centres, transport hubs and an increasing number of residential developments. By providing a secure collection point, Parcel Lockers help reduce missed deliveries and avoid parcels being left unattended in common areas.

For developers, parcel infrastructure is becoming another way to improve the resident experience. Rather than relying on concierge staff or leaving parcels in communal spaces, secure collection points help streamline deliveries while preserving the presentation and functionality of shared areas.

For buyers, it's a reminder that the best apartment features aren't always the most obvious.

A generous floorplan or quality finishes might help narrow the shortlist, but the conveniences that simplify everyday life, whether that's EV charging, secure bike storage or reliable parcel delivery, often become the features residents appreciate most once they're living there.

The apartment feature many buyers don't think about, until their first missed delivery

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hg-developments">HG Developments</a> is doubling down on Maud Street in Newstead, filing plans for a new apartment tower just a few doors down from its under-construction Aire Newstead development.

Recently submitted to Brisbane City Council, the proposal is for an 18-storey building designed by bureau^proberts, which has drawn heavily on Brisbane's subtropical design principles while referencing the suburb's industrial heritage.

A total of 64 apartments are planned for the amalgamated 1,518 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/17-21-maud-street-newstead-qld-4006">17–21 Maud Street</a>, a short walk from the Brisbane River and Newstead Riverwalk.

<img alt="First look: HG Developments plans 18-storey subtropical apartment tower for Newstead" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a400c7fd-bd15-48f8-a63b-10ede92efe00" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Maud%20st%20bldg.png?VersionId=.0vPmjpbC7CNP7kqGWa6L7rGIwsNExaw" />

"The building is defined by a series of vaulted motifs that reinterpret the arches, colonnades and layered facades evident throughout Newstead's historic built fabric," the Urban Design Report states.

"Combined with recessed glazing and generous balconies, these elements create a layered building envelope that provides shade, weather protection and opportunities for natural ventilation whilst establishing a distinctive architectural identity."

The proposal comprises 64 two, three and four-bedroom apartments across 18 residential levels, positioning it alongside a growing number of taller residential projects transforming Newstead's northern precinct. The tower incorporates extensive subtropical landscaping, with cascading planter boxes, deep planting at street level and a landscaped rooftop recreation area.

<img alt="First look: HG Developments plans 18-storey subtropical apartment tower for Newstead" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1d8140f4-8b98-45cd-b1b8-1efe8c8e266b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Maud%20st%20podium.png?VersionId=VAZtbCoD44YCJ57N99fQCAKeSJx7ldZs" />

Bureau Proberts has prioritised passive environmental design throughout the project, with generous balconies, recessed glazing and operable façades helping reduce solar heat gain while maximising natural ventilation. River views become available from the upper levels, while the building has been orientated to capture prevailing breezes from both the Brisbane River and the west.

The architects say landscape is intended to be integral to the building rather than an applied element.

"Vertical greenery, cascading planter boxes and elevated gardens are woven throughout the architecture, softening the built form and strengthening the connection between residents and the subtropical environment."

"Through the integration of landscape, high-quality materials and passive design principles, the development delivers a refined residential address that celebrates Newstead's heritage character while contributing positively to Brisbane's evolving subtropical identity."

Newstead has remained one of Brisbane's most active apartment markets in recent years, with a number of developers continuing to back the inner-city suburb.

HG Developments is currently delivering the 40-apartment Aire Newstead at 25 Maud Street. Fortis recently launched the 65-apartment <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/crest-walker-newstead-12-kyabra-street-newstead-qld-4006">Crest &amp; Walker</a> on Kyabra Street, while builder-developer BPG and Don O'Rorke's Consolidated Properties are both expected to launch their respective Newstead projects before the end of the year.

HG Developments doubles down in Newstead with second Maud Street apartment development

Walk past a new apartment development promoting its sustainability credentials and it's easy to picture rooftop gardens, mature trees, landscaped courtyards and residents surrounded by nature.

But in many cases, that's not actually what those sustainability ratings guarantee.

Australia's leading environmental rating tools have played a significant role in improving the energy efficiency and environmental performance of buildings. Yet despite their focus on reducing emissions, many don't require developers to include trees, biodiversity or meaningful green space.

In other words, a building can achieve one of the country's highest sustainability ratings while containing little more than concrete, glass and hard landscaping.

That disconnect has led to the emergence of a new movement across Australia's property industry: nature-based cities.

The concept goes beyond designing buildings that consume less energy. Instead, it encourages developers to treat nature as essential infrastructure, integrating biodiversity, tree canopy, living landscapes and green spaces into projects from the earliest stages of planning.

Research has consistently linked access to nature with better physical and mental health, cooler neighbourhoods, improved biodiversity, stronger climate resilience and more connected communities. As Australia's cities continue to become denser, advocates say those outcomes should be considered just as important as energy efficiency.

Nature Based Cities (NBC) was established in 2022 to help accelerate that shift.

Founded by Hamton Executive Chairman Paul Hameister OAM, the not-for-profit was created after research highlighted a significant gap in Australia's sustainability framework. While existing environmental rating tools rewarded energy performance and emissions reductions, they placed little emphasis on the inclusion of living landscapes.

"We've always wanted to do more, and we know other developers who want to do more, but the ESD rating tools just aren't there," Hameister says.

"In Australia, you can have a five-green-star rated building that's concrete and glass with not a blade of grass.

"The focus is on reducing emissions, which is laudable, but there hasn't been enough attention paid to protecting and re-establishing nature. We need both for the health of the environment and for communities."

Since its launch, NBC has developed independent design guidelines and accreditation frameworks that encourage developers to prioritise ecology, biodiversity, tree canopy, walkability and living landscapes alongside traditional sustainability measures. The organisation first focused on medium and high-density residential developments before recently expanding into precinct-scale communities and masterplanned neighbourhoods.

Jan Talacko, founder of sustainability consultancy Ark Resources and a member of the Nature Based Cities Advisory Council, says the initiative addresses an area that has largely been overlooked by the property industry.

"Throughout my 25 years of working collaboratively with all stakeholders in the property sector, I've always favoured a pragmatic approach to sustainable design which encourages initiatives that not only meet environmental expectations but also improve amenity," Talacko says.

"Whilst we are making steady progress in relation to energy and carbon emissions from buildings, there has been much less emphasis on encouraging biodiversity and tackling the urban heat island effect.

"The Nature Based Cities initiative responds to a gap in the suite of tools currently used by the property development sector, which don't provide sufficient incentive, or recognition, for the integration of landscaping and greenery."

For apartment buyers, the shift is also changing the questions worth asking.

Rather than assuming a sustainable building will naturally include abundant green space, buyers are increasingly being encouraged to look beyond environmental ratings and ask what nature is actually being delivered. How much tree canopy will the development create? Has biodiversity been considered? Are landscaped spaces designed for people as well as appearance?

As Australia's cities continue to grow upwards and outwards, the next generation of sustainability may not simply be measured by lower emissions, but by how successfully developments bring nature back into everyday urban life.

What does it really mean for a building to be 'green'?

Prominent New Zealand apartment and hotel operator, <a href="/developers/safari-group">Safari Group</a>, is offering up a prime investment opportunity for Australians to purchase off the plan in one of the world’s most popular ski destinations.

They recently took to market Mountain Oak Queenstown Apartments, in the growing precinct of Remarkables Park in Frankton, near the airport and at the foot of The Remarkables - the mountain range the locals like to call “The Remarks”.&nbsp;

Sydney investors have shown interest in the one, two and three-bedroom apartments that secure high-season occupancy six months over the year, primarily over summer and winter months.

They average 90 per cent occupancy across their portfolio over January, February, March, August, November and December, while shoulder season months of April, July, September and October are still occupied 70 per cent of the time, with the growing appeal of Queenstown becoming not just a hotspot for the snow, but a lifestyle destination.

Even in the low seasons of May and June, occupancy levels reach around 40 per cent.

<img alt="Safari Group’s Mountain Oak Apartments brings new investment potential to Queenstown" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_auto/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Ext_Cam15_Sunny.jpg?VersionId=SJAROUM_1s.Tr5ciMk4EEj5oAt_Vewmv" />

Safari’s Safari Hotels arm can also manage the holiday letting for an investor, from the listing on holiday accommodation websites such as Airbnb and Booking.com to the cleaning and maintenance of the investment. They’ve been in the short stay management business for 15 years and offer 24/7 support for investors, an important convenience benefit for any overseas investor

Another major drawcard for Australians is that New Zealand doesn’t have a stamp duty policy - so the entry price of NZ$639,000 (AU$586,000), is all that is payable on completion.

<img alt="Safari Group’s Mountain Oak Apartments brings new investment potential to Queenstown" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/313_Livingv2_WEB.jpg?VersionId=nV229fM0ZeYpoxOrX372HyGjfwY_LR8c" />

Safari is starting construction of the 141 apartments in Q2 this year, with a two-year build estimated to complete in mid-to-late 2027.<img alt="" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="15" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXczFpFAb7WuA6f4f9TtKWcqXyNwR8qqtakWv352ERkpqNlP3KwIo8YKxw67jZNHfpjEGIZGv5MQTbnvLZwNt8iu9IVdOrswOjCvBZ4zhSoOOLrpt6etVEZTN1gkBho0r_R72zdHNA?key=yq3daOanqHSb88QFd8jGYKdb" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" />​

The apartments will feature modern amenities and contemporary designs with expansive windows capturing sweeping views of The Remarkables mountain range.&nbsp;

Interiors are equipped with modern finishes, premium appliances, and secure electronic key-locked doors, ensuring a comfortable living experience for residents and guests alike.

With its strategic location near Coronet Peak and Cardrona Alpine Resort, as well as key retail and dining precincts such as Market Street, Five Mile Shopping Centre, and Remarkables Market, Mountain Oak offers a strong proposition for investors seeking high rental yields and capital appreciation in one of New Zealand’s most sought-after locations.&nbsp;

Queenstown’s sustained demand for visitor accommodation and rental properties is underpinned by a shortage of housing options, attracting both local and international buyers.

Safari Group offers low-touch investment proposition in Queenstown’s popular ski fields district

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First home buyers are struggling to buy property because of a lack of savings, not because of competition from property investors, according to a survey by mortgage broker Loan Market. 

 
In an online survey, its 450 brokers were asked: ‘What is the No.1 issue keeping first home buyers out of the market. 68% of brokers blamed low deposits and savings and 21% blamed a lack of government incentives. 

 
Loan Market director Mark De Martino said that with the property market running hot, first home buyers were competing with other buyers armed with equity and savings. However, with the right preparation and guidance, first home buyers could level the playing field, he said. 

 
“The biggest disadvantage most first home buyers have is they’re often younger and haven’t had the same amount of time to build up equity and savings as those purchasing their second or third homes,” De Martino said. 

 
“What first home buyers need to do early is save for a deposit. A larger deposit doesn't necessarily mean you can borrow more and buy a bigger property, it means you can have equity in your home from day one and also avoid loan costs like lenders mortgage insurance,” he said.  

 
De Martino said most first home buyers at Loan Market were meeting with a mortgage broker before they started inspecting properties. This means they can understand how certain loan products work and the savings they can make if they have a bigger deposit. 

 
“A variety of loan products benefit first home buyers, however, they aren’t all equal and depend on your savings level. The product you initially thought was for you, may not be as competitive if your deposit size changes,” De Martino said. 

 
De Martino stressed the importance of first home buyers getting pre-approval for a home loan before they start their property search. 

 
“Pre-approval gives a first home buyer the confidence to attend an auction and bid on it with the peace of mind that they can afford the property and the repayments,” he said. 

 
Only 6% of the brokers surveyed said property investors were the main reason first home buyers were being kept out of the market. 

 
“Property Investors certainly have the benefit of existing equity in their home and certain tax advantages. First home buyers can best compete with them by building up their savings and deposit sizes,” De Martino said.  
 
 
 
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staylor-63KgDrKwoY

Savings holding back first home buyers

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According to data released by the ABS earlier this week, the amount of loans financed to first home buyers in September recorded a new low at only 12.48%.
This week’s exclusive piece is putting the spotlight on this data and whether or not it’s a true reflection of what’s going on in the market.
Many property forums are arguing that first home buyers are no longer ticking the first home buyers box, and therefore skewing the statistics.
Todd Hunter of wHeregroup says he would like to know who came up with this data and where it came from on his latest <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wheregroup.com.au/blog/are-they-are-they-really/">blogpost.</a>
Professionals active in the property sphere were asked the following question.
Do you agree with the first home buyer statistics? Why or why not?
 
 
Paul Biller – Principal of <a href="https://www.1stcity.com.au/" target="_blank">1st City Hasemer &amp; Caldwell-Eyles<img src="/images/stories/2013/11/15/biller-profile.jpg" alt="biller-profile" style="float: right;" height="200" width="150"></a>
FHB LEVELS PLUNGED SINCE THE GOVERNMENT REPLACED FHB GRANTS WITH INCENTIVES
Yes, I agree with these statistics. There is no benefit to a first home buyer no longer ticking the first home buyer box.
Australia’s housing market is experiencing its strongest run in years. Investors and changeover buyers are being drawn back to the market following interest rate cuts and the positive outlook for housing. Yet despite historically low interest rates, rising prices are raising fresh concerns about housing affordability for first home buyers. Just one-in-eight borrowers were first home buyers in September - the lowest proportion in more than two decades.
First home buyer levels have plunged recently in some states by more than 10% since the government replaced first home owner grants with incentives to buy only brand new properties, however the bulk of first home buyers are still buying established dwellings because they are more affordable.
When the government announces it is putting an end to an incentive and telegraphs it, a lot of home buyers bring their plans forward. The result of the rush to get in before October 2012 means that many buyers who would have been in the market now, purchased last year instead. As a result of the new policies, the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that first home buyers are becoming scarcer. There is too much competition with investors who are looking at the same properties and taking the opportunity to borrow with the lowest interest rates in 50 years and with a shortage of rental accommodation pushing up yields.
Other factors include stamp duty and the size of deposit required and ability to save for it. While monthly mortgages were becoming more affordable, first home buyers were struggling to put down a deposit as property prices continue to rise.
 
Jessica Darnbrough - Spokesperson for <a href="https://www.mortgagechoice.com.au/?" target="_blank">Mortgage Choice</a><img src="/images/stories/2013/11/15/jessica.darnborough-profile-2.jpg" alt="jessica.darnborough-profile-2" style="float: right;" height="200" width="150">
ABS STATISTICS COULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN WHAT IS HAPPENING IN REALITY
 
The data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics is as true as it can be. The Australian Bureau of Statistics report on the data that is available to them.
That said, today, some of the states have removed the first home owners grant for established dwellings. As a result, many first home buyers who are purchasing existing properties do not have to declare that they are buying for the first time.
According to a recent survey by Mortgage Choice, 70.9% of recent first home owners said they had purchased an established dwelling. With this in mind, it is reasonable to assume that the first home owner numbers as reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics could be significantly lower then what is happening in reality.
Next page: Kevin Lee and Ben Kingsley
 
 
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
Kevin Lee - Buyers agent at <a href="https://www.smartpropertyadviser.com.au/?" target="_blank">Smart Property Adviser</a>
<img src="/images/stories/2013/11/15/kevin-lee-profiel.jpg" alt="kevin-lee-profiel" style="float: right;" height="200" width="150">
FORGET THE 12.48% - WHO, WHAT, WHERE AND WERE THE OTHER 87.52%?
It never ceases to amaze me that first home buyers regularly receive a disproportionate amount of media and government attention when compared to the actual percentage of the total property market that they account for.
Could I be so bold as to suggest that this group is a 'political football' and therefore the recipient of so much government 'spin'. But they will never, ever save the country - how can they?
Forget the 12.48% who bought their first property - who, what, where… were the other 87.52%?
That's the number one question our politicians, policy makers, bureaucrats and property professionals should be focused on. With the right assistance/incentives this second group could (and should) have a much larger impact on the Australian economy.
However all the press is devoted to the precious few home buyers who are having their first go at becoming a rate payer. Weird isn't it!
By definition, most of this 12.48% won't do much for the next six or seven years. Sure they'll struggle to make their monthly repayments, buy some furniture, have a kid or two, maybe buy a new car, and send their kids to schools in the area.
Don't try to tell me that the other 87% of purchasers don't contribute in the same way?
It matters nought whether the purchaser is an owner occupier or investor - the end result is always the same.
Whether you purchase a property to live in yourself - or for someone else to live in - there's still a household to be formed, things to buy, kids to go to school, and people who will live a life there.
Let's face it, governments devoid of any real ideas, balls or brains created incentives for a minority group to stop renting and purchase their own home. First home owner grants of $7,000, then $10,000 then $14,000 ... but wait there's more. Buy now and we'll also throw in free stamp duty - in NSW that's a potential saving of another $23,000.
So the government spends millions of dollars to entice maybe 100,000 extra people to join this minority group. Why? Because this is what financially un-educated people do.
Smart people - those people with a financial education - set goals and take the necessary action to reach those goals. They get other people to pay off their debt for them.
Little do these bureaucrats know that many savvy first time buyers were in fact buying their first investment property, all they had to do was comply with the rules and live in the property for a very short period.
If these bureaucrats had any clue, they would incentivise all people who are trading up or down by removing (or at least reducing) the two most insidious taxes ever created: stamp duty and land tax. The average Sydney couple buying a modest home or investment property for $700,000 pays just over $27,000 NSW stamp duty for the privilege.
That's equivalent to furnishing that property, a pretty special holiday or a whole mouth full of dental work. Our economy would be so much stronger if that $27,000 was spent on goods and services for the individual, instead of employing another pencil pusher.
They were supposed to eliminate those state based taxes with the introduction of the GST, but our governments are like heroin addicts - their addiction to the tax is on the same level; they will do anything to get it and just can't give it up.
 
Ben Kingsley – Chair of <a href="https://www.pipa.asn.au/%E2%80%8E" target="_blank">Property Investment Professionals of Australia</a> (PIPA)<img src="/images/stories/2013/11/15/ben-kingsley-profiel.jpg" alt="ben-kingsley-profiel" style="float: right;" height="200" width="150">
THIS DATA IS NOW OVER SIX WEEKS OLD AND THE MARKET FOR FHB IS ON THE IMPROVE
I see no beneficial reason or hidden agenda by the ABS to alter the statistical reporting of this data.  The ABS do a great job in capturing and reporting this data on a monthly basis and have done so for many years now.  This housing finance series attempts to enumerate all providers in its scope of collecting this data and in the early 2000s the collection of this data was handed over the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA), so the coherency and consistency of the data has remained robust over this period. The claims that first home buyer borrowers are choosing not to report their status as first home buyers on their loan applications to lenders doesn't make sense to me.  First home buyers have access to grants and/or incentive scheme across each state and territory at the moment, and lenders are heavily involved in the implementation of these grant and incentive as part of the lending application process, so first home buyers are almost certainly known to lenders and reported as such in this data in my view. Within our business in Melbourne, our observations of the soft activity by first timers in the market and also the number of first home buyers we are arranging finance and providing buyers agency services for supports this September reading.  However we need to recognise this data is now over six week old and the market for first home buyers in definitely on the improve and I'd expect this number will be the bottom of this cycle for first home buyers and the remainder of the year we will see an improve and 2014 I see even further growth in first home over grant numbers active in the market.
Nest page: Todd Hunter and Andrew Wilson 
 
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Todd Hunter - Director at <a href="https://www.wheregroup.com.au/%E2%80%8E" target="_blank">wHeregroup</a><img src="/images/stories/2013/11/01/todd-hunter-profile-2.png" alt="todd-hunter-profile-2" style="float: right;" height="171" width="144">
THERE IS NO WAY TO ACTUALLY GAUGE WHO IS A FIRST HOME BUYER AND WHO IS NOT

It’s being bantered all over the press everywhere, the property market has out priced first home buyers and they have magically disappeared from the market place. They are gone and don’t look to return anytime soon. Are they?
 
I personally would like to know who came up with this data and where it came from. In New South Wales since the first home owners grant and the stamp duty concession was abolished, with the exception for new properties, there is no way to actually gauge who is a first home buyer and who is not. There are no forms to fill in, no boxes to tick on the loan application form, no sections to fill in on the land transfer. So I ask, how do they know this?
 
It sounds like some fancy media or marketing hype that someone has conjured up and now the media herds are running with it like no tomorrow. For those who have ever dealt with the wHeregroup, you would have had contact with one or both Rebecca’s. Well Rebecca - my personal assistant - has recently purchased her first unit. Now this unit was in the Sutherland Shire but was not new. Rebecca wanted to live in the Shire so rather than buy a new house and land package in the western suburbs, where there is available land, she opted to pay the stamp duty and live where she wanted to live. As the $7,000 grant is no longer available, her transaction went through undetectable as a first home purchase. In the past I have exposed inaccuracies in the stats and supposed property indexes. I wrote a <a href="https://www.wheregroup.com.au/blog/the-median-measurement-is-misaligned/" target="_blank">blog</a> on the median house price and how the figures can be easily skewiff.
 
Well it appears that this fictional statistic has also been skewiff, and it’s such an easy fix. All we need is a box ticked on the land transfer so the type of purchaser can be calculated correctly.
 
I do agree, however, that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to first home owners to get into the market; especially in the Australia’s capital cities, but come on lets not over exaggerate things, lets find solutions. It may mean that first home buyers may need to take a different tact in investing in property, whereas they may have to buy a cheaper investment property or two in large regional areas where house prices are still around the $300,000 – $350,000 mark and increase their wealth in those properties. So that when they sell they have a much larger deposit for their home. As the game changes so must your game plan. But one thing’s for sure, what we certainly don’t need is a whole bunch of negative inaccurate hype deterring our future generation from buying property.
These comments originally appeared on Todd Hunter's blog.
 
Dr Andrew Wilson - Senior Economist for Australian Property Monitors
Latest ABS data seems to indicate increased underlying barriers to home ownership <img src="/images/stories/2013/10/04/AndrewWilson-profile.jpg" alt="AndrewWilson-profile" style="float: right;" height="150" width="125">
trengthening housing markets and rising prices can be bad news for first home buyers waiting in the home ownership queue.
With prices rising faster than savings this can lengthen the queuing duration for first home buyers or alternatively necessitates revised property type and location choices.
Increased investor activity can also be a barrier for first home buyers as these groups tend to compete with each other for similar properties.
Latest ABS home loan data seems to indicate increased underlying barriers to home ownership and have fuelled the flames of first home buyer doomsaying. But a closer look at the data reveals a more positive environment, particularly on a local market-by-market basis.
The ABS reported that the proportion of first home buyers approved over September in New South Wales is the lowest on record at just 4.1 percent market share of home purchase loans. No real surprise here as significant first home buyer activity has been brought forward over the past two years as a consequence of state government changes to first home buyer incentives.
Similarly in Queensland low first home buyer activity is a consequence of demand brought forward over the past year due to changes to local incentive schemes. And Victorian first home buyer activity is also predictably waning following a recent surge in activity as the local state government followed the lead of other states and changed its incentive programs.
First home buyer activity in other state markets however remains consistently alive and well. In Western Australia the proportion of first home buyers in the market is a nation-leading 20.6 percent and clearly above the long-term average for that state. Similarly in South Australia the proportion of first home buyers at 14.7 percent remains above the long-term average for that state.
Tasmania first home buyer activity over September remains just below the long term average market share.
Expect first home buyer activity to gradually recover in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland as underlying demand increases driven by Australia’s ever-resilient aspiration for home ownership.
 
Property Observer is looking into how ABS compiles this data and will publish a follow-up piece.
 
<a target="_blank" href="mailto:ntrotman@propertyobserver.com.au">ntrotman@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
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ntrotman-Et3xWpamVh

Stand up and be counted: Are the FHB stats a true reflection?

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The executive chairman of Aussie, John Symond expects investors will continue to dominate property purchases into 2014.
He sees this as "a long term fundamental shift" in the property market.
It comes as first home buyers typically failed to compete against investors in what Symond called the many hot property pockets of many capital cities during the spring selling season.
First home buyers are absenting themselves from the market at a time when the conditions are actually rather favourable for them given interest rates are at historic 50 year lows and mortgage repayments as a proportion of average disposable incomes are lower than for much of the last two decades. John Symond reckons the current potential first home buyers are preferring to invest in shares and rent in apartments nearer their workplaces or CBDs.
Symond sees part of the solution for the Federal government to look at creating tax incentives for first home buyers to save for a deposit.
There is the existing first home buyer saving accounts scheme introduced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, which after plenty of patience offers a terrific honey pot, but just doesn't seem to have gathered much traction.
Yes the required home buying deposit has risen considerably as prices rose faster than incomes - from around 2.5 times the average disposable household income in 1985 to around 4.5 times now - but maybe there are other life priorities that has triggered this apparent baulking at the requisite deposit hurdle.
It's a little early to judge an entire generation on one overly-zealous selling season, but home ownership rates have been in decline since the mid-1990s with the most substantive drop being among households in the 25-44 age bracket.
Any such demographic shift will be a fillip to investors who not doubt have some anxiety over issues of supply and demand especially in the apartment rental market. they'd be watching the recent rather contradictory rental vacancy statistics with for instance SQM having Sydney rental vacancies increasing while the REINSW had them reducing.
It's also a little exaggerated to suggest as Robert Gottliebsen, the Business Spectator columnist did, that the home ownership dream was fading, at least in the inner city,  "increasingly replaced with a tenant relationship with Chinese landlords." Lastly John Symond warns that first home buyers, who now make up about 13% of all loans written, should avoid the temptation of going after very low deposit loans as they can lead to financial stress.
<a target="_blank" href="mailto:news@propertyobserver.com.au">news@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

A first home buyer generation with other priorities? 

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Just $200 million was given in first home buyer grants across NSW last year.
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.osr.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/file_manager/fhog_apps_received_3.pdf">It was the lowest year on record</a>. The aim of attracting first home buyers into new homes - not established ones to boost construction - has allowed the state government to get the good idea headlines, but then saved millions in the budget bottom line.
Click to enlarge
<a rel="shadowbox" href="/images/stories/2014/02/12/chart-two-feb-12-big.gif" title="Click to enlarge"><img src="/images/stories/2014/02/12/chart-two-feb-12-small.gif"></a>
Source: NSW Office of State Revenue statistics
 
The list is an interesting mix of old and new, of greenfields and increased urban density.
<a target="_blank" href="/news">Parramatta</a> buyers topped the list of recipients with around $5.4 million in grants in the 2150 postcode. Parramatta, one of Sydney's oldest locations is undergoing a transformation with major residential projects including <a target="_blank" href="https://vbycrown.com.au">V by Crown</a> headlining its renaissance. 
The $300 million “vertical village” was officially launched in 2012, with construction of the 27-storey tower – set to be Parramatta’s tallest building – well underway. V by Crown recently reached $150 million in sales, with more than 270 apartments sold up since the project was launched in 2012.
<a target="_blank" href="/news">Spring Farm</a>, which sits second on the list of recipient postcodes at 2570, is one of the newer suburbs on the south-western rural/urban precinct. 
Spring Farm is surrounded by <a target="_blank" href="/news">Elderslie</a> to the north, <a target="_blank" href="/news">Narellan Vale</a> to the northeast, <a target="_blank" href="/news">Mount Annan</a> to the east and <a target="_blank" href="/news">South Camden</a> in the south. Until recently it principal land use has been the poultry production by the Tegal family and Neville Clinton, along with extensive orchards and vineyards along the floodplain of the Nepean River. 
The first urban development in Spring Farm was in the Ettlesdale Road area in the 1960s. In 2006 the population of the Spring Farm was 287 predominantly made up of young families with 44% of the population under 25 years of age.  
The area is planned to have around 3,900 housing lots with three separate developers, the Cornish Group with 1100 lots, Landcom 1,400 lots and Mirvac, 450 lots.
I noticed Mirvac recently sold a seven hectare holding to the Starhill Property Group for $7 million last November. In 2008 at Mirvac's Ayre three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouses were for sale starting from $335,000. House-and-land packages in Mirvac's Ayre started from about $357,000 in 2012. 
Lots of land have been selling at around $200,000 plus since the first Spring Farm estate was opened in 2007 off Richardson Road.
<a target="_blank" href="/news">Arncliffe</a> and <a target="_blank" href="/news">Waterloo</a> were the most established suburbs in the top 20 postcode recipient list.
<a target="_blank" href="/news">Woollongong</a>, with $2.1 million in grants, rounded out the list.
The top 20 postcodes securing around $71 million of the total funding which is a mix of the grant and stamp duty concessions.
There were around 9,500 recipients who secured the mix of grants.
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Click to enlarge
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Source: NSW Office of State Revenue statistics
news@propertyobserver.com.au
 
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Just $200 million in NSW first home grants last year

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There have been few Google searches for the term “first home buyer” over the past few years with that segment of buyers increasingly dropping out of the market.
<img width="470" height="196" src="/images/stories/2014/02/28/fhb-analysis-chart-feb-28.gif" alt="fhb-analysis-chart-feb-28"> 
Plotting Google searches on the term “first home buyer” compared with Australian Bureau of Statistics data on the proportion of home mortgages taken out by first-time buyers shows a fall in interest in the search term corresponding to the drop in buyers. Related phrases such as first home owner grant yield similar results.
The peak in first home buyer activity in 2009 was preceded by a clear spike in internet searches on the subject.
There was a minor lift in the number of searches on first home buyers around mid-2012, in line with a slight lift in buyer numbers, but aside from that blip, the term has been as absent from Google searches as the buyers have been from the market.
<a target="_blank" href="mailto:news@propertyobserver.com.au">news@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
                                     
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zfielding-GvX3Uq9KTa

Amount of first home buyers searches dropping in more ways than one

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The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released building approvals data for August 2014 earlier this month.
At a headline level, dwelling approvals were 3.0% higher over the month and are now 14.5% year on year. With 16,810 approvals over the month there is clearly a strong level of residential development activity with monthly approvals just -5.0% lower than their recent peak.
<img src="/images/2014/10/8/Chart-1.jpg" alt="">
Of the 16,810 dwelling approvals in recorded over the month of August, 9,401 were for houses and the remaining 7,409 were mulit-unit dwellings (typically apartments).
Over the month, house approvals fell by -1.4% while unit approvals rose by 9.2%. Year-on-year, house approvals are 12.6% higher while unit approvals are up 17.1%. 
As the chart above shows, the six month trend indicates a slowing of dwelling approval numbers and it also shows that monthly movements in unit approvals tend to be much more volatile. Also remember that a multi-unit development is more risky than developing a single house and ultimately less likely to ultimately be constructed.
<img src="/images/2014/10/8/Chart-2.jpg" alt="">
Focussing on dwelling approvals on an annual basis we have seen more house and unit approvals than ever before over the 12 months to August 2014. Over the 12 month period there were 197,571 dwelling approvals, of which 111,020 were for houses and 86,552 were units. The annual number of approvals has increased by 19.2% over the past year.
Although approvals have surged, as the chart shows it is largely due to a significant lift in unit approvals. Although the number of unit approvals over the past year was at a record high, house approvals are still -6.8% lower than their previous peak over the year to July 2010 and -21.2% lower than their all-time high of 140,832 over the year to April 1989.
Historically, units have been much less likely to move from approval to construction. Units also tend to be much more likely to be owned by investors than houses. 
With the Reserve Bank flagging that deliberations are ongoing into the introduction of macroprudential policies to slow the level of investor activity in the housing market, there is potentially an even bigger than normal risk that these units won't make it to completion.
<img src="/images/2014/10/8/Chart-3.jpg" alt="">
Across the combined capital cities, there was an all-time high of 147,122 dwellings approved for construction over the 12 months to August 2014. The number of capital city dwelling approvals has increased by 21.9% over the past year. 
Over the year there were, 71,662 approvals for houses and 75,460 unit approvals with house approvals up 20.6% and unit approvals 23.2% higher.
Much like the national results you can see that unit approvals are at their higher levels while house approvals are only just approaching their previous peak levels.
This article continues on the next page. Please click below.
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<img src="/images/2014/10/8/Chart-4.jpg" alt="">
Across the individual capital cities, Brisbane has recorded the greatest increase in dwelling approvals over the year (41.8%) followed by: Perth (24.9%), Adelaide (24.0%) and Sydney (23.3%). Dwelling approvals are lower over the year in Darwin (-6.8%) and Canberra (-6.4%) while Melbourne (16.3%) and Hobart (19.4%) have recorded only moderate rises in dwelling approvals. 
Despite certain cities recording significant rises in dwelling approvals, Sydney and Melbourne have accounted for more than 57% of all capital city dwelling approvals over the past year. With 26,123 dwelling approvals over the past year, approvals in Perth are at a record high while Brisbane approvals are just shy of their record high.
<img src="/images/2014/10/8/Chart-5.jpg" alt="">
A key driver of the overall increase in dwelling approvals has been the rising prominence of the unit market. Over the past year, the increase in unit approvals has been greater than the increase in house approvals in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.  Although unit approvals have recorded greater increases in these cities, there has been a substantial decline in unit approvals across Hobart and falls in both Darwin and Canberra.
<img src="/images/2014/10/8/Chart-6.jpg" alt="">
With more than half of all capital city dwelling approvals for units as opposed to houses, all individual capital cities except for Adelaide (31.8%), Perth (25.9%) and Hobart (7.0%) are seeing a majority of approvals for units. In Sydney, 67.7% of dwelling approvals were for units over the past year, elsewhere 53.0% were for units in Melbourne, 55.9% in Brisbane, 63.2% in Darwin and 57.9% in Canberra.
Sydney has consistently approved more units than houses since 1993 and Darwin has consistently approved more units than houses since 2003, while across the other cities it is a relatively new phenomenon.  
Melbourne has only been approving more units than houses since mid-2012, in Brisbane it has occurred since mid-2013 and in Canberra since mid-2010. Of course, there is an increasing level of demand for units, but particularly in Melbourne and Brisbane the number of units in the pipeline is largely untested in the market. 
Furthermore, units tend to be more appealing to the investor market rather than owner occupiers. While demand may currently be strong it remains to be seen whether there is enough investor demand to satisfy all of the supply in the pipeline.
Dwelling approvals remain at a very high level and with the rate of population growth slowing it is encouraging to see that supply is finally responding.  With their lower price point compared to houses and superior rental returns no doubt we are seeing a rising level of demand for units, particularly in inner city markets. 
Of course, the Reserve Bank of Australia has raised concerns about the level of investment lending which is most prominent for inner city units.
If controls are introduced to slow the level of investment there may be an adverse impact on demand and subsequently values of inner city units, particularly new inner city units which are a strong target from the investment segment of the market.
 
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ckusher-ujnxiKuFQs

Units are driving dwelling approvals, but will they get built?

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Glenn Stevens' statement on interest rates was bland but holds important reminders for property investors.
It's probably a sign of how stable our economy is that we wait for the slightest change in wording when the Reserve Bank (RBA) decides on the cash rate.
Last Tuesday the RBA board met and decided to keep the official interest rate at 2.5% – not only a historically low rate compared with the 5.2% average since 1990, but also a rate that's been kept the same since August 2013.
But it was the way RBA governor Glenn Stevens expressed himself on property prices and the Australian dollar that is worth looking at during the remainder of the year and into 2015.
For more than a month we've heard strong commentary from economists about unhealthy price inflation in the property market, driven by low interest rates. Some of that comment has predicted an end to negative gearing. I haven't joined this discussion because lenders' figures don't suggest a problem in the property market, and the Bureau of Statistics' House Price Index series shows we are just slightly above the index average since 2002.
However, the RBA governor in his statement did mention investment property: "Credit growth is moderate overall, but with a further pick-up in recent months in lending to investors in housing assets."
I think Stevens was right to address the property market with a bland statement like this. If nothing else, it's a reminder to property investors that they must do their homework and invest wisely regardless of what official interest rates are doing.
With an investment property, you are interested in a good location and access to infrastructure such as schools, shops, railway stations and playing parks. And you are also interested in average rentals and some historical data on rental yields.
But the first step in a good investment is buying well. This means not just paying a good price for the year, but a good price for the 10 to 20 years you want to generate income from this property. If you pay too much you'll lose on capital appreciation and it will take longer to generate clear funds from the rent.
It's one thing to get carried away at an auction and pay too much for the house you love, but an investment property is a business that must earn income and capital growth for many years.
So keep a cool head.
The other element mentioned by the RBA – that they expect the Aussie dollar to fall further against the US – is something that might give a boost to our economy. When our dollar was at parity with the US, Aussie exports were expensive and local manufacturers found it hard to compete in foreign markets.
Now that our dollar is at 85 US cents – and expected to fall further – our non-mining economy has a chance to pick up, expand operations and create jobs.
So don't be alarmed at the lack of big headlines from the Reserve Bank this month. A steady economy is a great thing when you consider the alternative.
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mbouris-tauSvXGAM2

Do your homework, whatever the interest rate

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Once again we need to ask the question: where in this nation of "chronic housing shortages" is the rental growth?
The latest Rental Report from Domain Group records virtually no rental growth in the capital cities in the September quarter. And, in annual terms, rental performance ranges from weak to nothing to negative.
The report covers the rental market for houses and for apartments in each of the eight capital cities. That's 16 rental markets in total, and in the past 12 months half of them have recorded falling rents or no growth.
The best performance in an Australian capital city is in Hobart, according to these figures, with a 4% rise in the median asking rent for units and a 3.3% rise for houses. That's a very anemic result, but it's the best in the nation apparently.
If you believe the constant rhetoric from the developer lobby, Sydney has the nation's most serious shortage of housing – yet in the September Quarter the median rent for houses did not change and the median rent for apartments fell 1%.
In annual terms, house rents in Sydney have grown a meagre 2% and apartments rents 3.1%.
The position in all the other capital cities is weaker than that.
Perth's rents have dropped around 6% in annual terms for both houses and apartments. In Canberra, the median rent for apartments is down 5% and for houses it's dropped 2.7%.
Darwin is down 2.9% (houses) and 1.8% (apartments).
Overall it's a very pallid performance and one that's inconsistent with claims of "a chronic housing shortage crisis", one that apparently demands urgent action from government.
The federal inquiry into the non-existent housing affordability problem, the one that is based on an Australian Bureau of Statistics miscount of first-home buyer numbers, is being fed a series of wish lists from groups representing builders and developers.
The common theme is that if you give developers everything they've ever wanted, they'll go away and build lots of dwellings and affordability will be miraculously transformed.
Economists, journalists and other commentators across Australia have bought the "chronic shortage" storyline and so it's accepted as fact by many people.
But there's a lack of evidence to support the idea and plenty of data that suggests the claim is nonsense – including rental performance.
The performance of rents has been so poor, yields have fallen in virtually every capital city market in the past 12 months. Only Hobart has managed to lift rental returns.
I continue to believe that the most pressing issue for markets around Australia is the opposite one, one of emerging over-supply in key locations.
Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au. You can email him or contact him on twitter.
 
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terryryder-YECXbqmri2

If there's a housing shortage, where's the rental growth?

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Perceptions about Australian property being overvalued are significantly higher among first-home buyers then owner-occupiers, the latest QBE LMI Mortgage Barometer shows.
This was one of the key findings of the report, which found an overall improvement in sentiment about the property market with more than a quarter (26%) of Australians looking to buy property in the next 12 months despite nearly one in two believing it to be overvalued.
More than three quarters (76%) of first-home buyers believe property is overvalued with nearly half (48%) believing prices are overvalued by more than 10%.
Click to enlarge
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In comparison just 41% of owner-occupiers and 48% of Australians believe property prices are overvalued, according to the online survey of 1,107 adult Australians responses of which 763 have a mortgage, 680 considering buying property and 399 qualifed as both.
This finding combined with concerns about changes to first-home buyer grants favouring new homes only and another finding from the survey - 69% of FHB respondents worry they’ll never be able to afford their own home – provide insights into why the segment of the market has shrunken in recent times.
Other findings from the report suggest a frustrated first-home buyers market despite recent improvements in affordability.
The report quotes ABS figures showing that since February 2013, the number of FHBs as a percentage of total owner-occupied housing commitments has fallen by more than 5% since September 2012 and now sits at 14% nationally, an eight year low. .
This is due to record low FHB commitments in NSW and QLD (both less than 10%) – a plunge of more than 10% since the grants were replaced, while other states saw FHB commitments rise.
"There are concerns that Victoria will follow suit as it replaces its First Home Owner Grant with a $10,000 newhome owner grant as of 30 June 2013," says the report.
Figures compiled the<a href="/news"> Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA)</a> found the number of home loans to NSW first-home buyer in the March quarter totalled 2,647 - 57% lower than a year ago and a 40.6% fall in the March quarter alone.
This was the largest annual decline recorded across the country but in line with a national trend of dwindling first-home buyer demand.
In Queensland, a state which has also cancelled its first-home owner grant in favour of a $15,000 handout for new homes in September last year, home loans to first-home buyer decreased by 43.7% over the March quarter  to 2,557 - the largest quarterly decline across the nation the REIA found.
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lschlesinger-FZcF9M3vE6

Overvalued, unaffordable property keeping first-home buyers on the sidelines: QBE LMI survey

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It’s a case of good news and bad news for eligible Victorian first time property buyers from today.
The first-home owner grant is increasing from $7000 to $10,000 for those buying new homes, but is cut completely for buyers of existing homes.
Along with the boost to new home grants the state government will fast-track stamp duty cuts, bringing them in six months ahead of schedule.
These will increase from 30 to 40% on homes valued up to $600,000. The combination of a $10,000 First Home Owner Grant and stamp-duty cut means buyers of new home for $400,000 or less will save more than $16,500.
Treasurer Michael O'Brien forecasts the move will help create more jobs in the housing-construction sector.
"Targeting the grant to newly constructed homes - whether in regional Victoria, Melbourne's growth corridors or new CBD apartments - will stimulate the economy and create jobs in the construction sector," Mr O'Brien says.
"These measures will promote more housing construction, leading to more employment, greater housing supply and reduced residential price pressure for Victorian families."
First-home buyers looking to buy established property for, say, $450,000 will benefit only from the stamp duty concession worth $7588, which the Government says offsets the $7000 grant previously available.
Last Nevember the Real Estate Institute of Victoria chief executive Enzo Raimondo says the majority of first-home buyers would not receive the grant.
"I think that first-home buyers should be treated equally," he said.
"I understand that the Government is trying to stimulate construction but most first-home buyers buy established homes and it is unfair that they will miss out on the full savings."
“Overall, the cut is good news for those buying their first home and it will be worth an additional $2377 on a home valued at $530,000.  
‘’This will bring the total stamp duty cut on the median priced home from $4754 to $7131,” Mr Raimondo said.
But Mr O'Brien said the changes will boost construction and ease housing pressures.
"We want to see more jobs and we also want to make sure we have more housing stock to meet the needs of a growing population," he says.
Mr Raimondo says first home buyers should realise that homes bought with 60 day settlements are eligible to benefit from the lower stamp duty because they pay stamp duty on settlement – not when they sign a contract.  
“Settlement occurs on the day the balance of the purchase price is paid and the property’s title document is handed over to the buyer.’’  
“This is unlike the First Home Buyer Grant, which applies from the date the contract is signed.’’
From September 1, 2014, all first-home buyers will benefit from a 50% stamp duty concession.
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