<p>Perth’s new apartment market recorded its strongest quarter of sales since Q4 2021, with 412 apartments sold in Q1 2026 and a record quarterly sold value of $537 million, according to Urbis’ latest Apartment Essentials results.</p>

<p>Urbis said the March quarter result reflects strong, highly product‑specific demand across both ends of the market, from more attainable projects delivering at scale, through to premium stock being absorbed by equity‑rich downsizers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>David Cresp, Partner at Urbis, said the key story in Perth is not demand, it is the market’s ability to convert demand into delivered housing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“This is the strongest sales quarter since Q4 2021, and it reinforces that demand in Perth is real and it’s local,” David Cresp said. “But the task now is delivery, turning that demand into projects that can actually be built and completed.”&nbsp;</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=110291 project_image_fid=302785]</p>

<h2>Affordable product leads, premium demand remains resilient</h2>

<p>Sales in Q1 were led by more affordable projects, with The Boulevard (SKS Group) recording 115 sales in the quarter, the presentation noting this is only the second time a single project has surpassed 100 quarterly sales. The project was able to offer more affordable housing product right next to a train station.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Palmyra West (Finbar) also delivered strong results with 28 sales in Q1, following 84 sales in Q4, with an average price of under $800,000, underscoring depth of demand for well‑located, attainable new stock.&nbsp;</p>

<p>At the premium end, Urbis said downsizer demand is continuing, with the results highlighting Romeo (Applecross, Finbar) recording 75 sales and reaching almost 50% sold in one quarter.</p>

<p>Jual (Shenton Park, Celsius Property) also posted a strong quarter with 28 sales, reaching 39% sold in one quarter.</p>

<p>Urbis noted that Perth apartment demand is not speculative, not investor‑led, and not uniform, describing it as localised, often equity‑driven and highly product‑specific, a pattern reflected in the polarisation between strong “attainable” performers and premium downsizer product.&nbsp;</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=148957 project_image_fid=364102]</p>

<h2>Prices underpinned by costs, and the delivery risk is growing</h2>

<p>Urbis said pricing pressure is cost not demand‑driven: construction costs and delivery risk are now a central constraint, with the results noting build costs remain elevated and volatile, and that energy, fuel and labour uncertainty weigh on feasibility.</p>

<p>David Cresp said a growing challenge for private Build‑to‑Sell developers is simply securing a builder in the current environment.</p>

<p>“Developers are really feeling the pressure from a building market that was operating at capacity and securing a builder is challenging,” David Cresp said, adding that even where a builder can be secured, “trying to get to the price that makes the development financially viable is incredibly challenging in the current market.”&nbsp;</p>

<p>Urbis’ broader WA commentary also notes that industry remains at or above capacity with lot and housing creation, and that many builders are limiting new sales to manage stretched workforces and fixed‑price contract pressures, conditions that flow directly into apartment feasibility and delivery timing.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=108869 project_image_fid=317905]</p>

<h2>Supply: improving later, but still constrained, and Perth lags eastern benchmarks</h2>

<p>While near‑term supply remains constrained, Urbis’ forecast shows completions lifting “Supply is forecast to be back above 1,500 apartments per annum for the first time since 2019”, with 1,775 completions forecast for 2026, and volumes remaining above that level over the following years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Looking further ahead, completions are forecast to reach 2,500 in 2028, with the report noting 32% of that total is social/affordable, reflecting the role of government‑supported delivery in rebuilding the pipeline.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, Urbis said Perth remains behind comparable markets on pipeline scale. In a national comparison of projects under construction, the report shows under construction Perth Build‑to‑Sell (BTS) at 3,446 apartments versus the Gold Coast at 7,922. Mr Cresp said “The challenge for Perth is how to we grow the delivery pipeline”.</p>

<p>Urbis’ conclusion is that Perth’s market is increasingly defined by product discipline and delivery certainty, with the research identifying “delivery certainty is key” and calling out builder risk and procurement models as core success factors, alongside “timing and staging”.&nbsp;</p>


Joel Robinson

Perth apartment sales hit strongest pace since late 2021 as builder capacity tightens

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sammut-developments">Sammut Group</a> has secured development approval for its latest Brisbane apartment project, marking the Sydney developer’s next step in expanding its Queensland pipeline following the success of its debut Gold Coast development, Coast.</p>

<p>The approved project at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/44-glen-road-toowong-qld-4066">44 Glen Road, </a><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/toowong-qld-4066">Toowong</a> will deliver a 15-storey riverfront apartment building with 42 residences, significantly increasing the scale of the site’s previous approval for a smaller luxury scheme. Designed by Bureau^proberts, the development will comprise a mix of predominantly four-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments positioned to maximise Brisbane River and city views.</p>

<p>Sammut Director Julian Sammut said the group had been actively searching Brisbane for several years before identifying Toowong as the right fit.</p>

<p>“Brisbane was the right step for Sammut,” Sammut said.</p>

<p>“With the success of Coast we thought we should definitely look to do more in Queensland alone. We then pushed up to look at Brisbane. We've been looking for I'd say two to three years actually and it was hard to find the right location.”</p>

<p><img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.14%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=dYAVIL7qdcGA8ojvkslSrLjczXFejSSx" /></p>

<p>Sammut said suburbs including New Farm and Teneriffe were considered before the group ultimately focused on Toowong due to its strong downsizer demographic and limited supply of developable riverfront land.</p>

<p>The site was acquired off-market after what Sammut described as a lengthy negotiation and planning process, with the developer pursuing an uplift to the original approval.</p>

<p>“We are DA approved now which is very exciting,” Sammut said.</p>

<p>“We've had our change approval come through and we've obviously doubled the height, 15 storeys plus rooftop. We've got 42 amazing apartments that are going to be coming to market soon.”</p>

<p><img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" 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/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.26%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=ohkRkY0dIZlqdfME2EZePsCQavRiBadE" /></p>

<p>Bureau^proberts said the design responds to Toowong’s evolving urban character, balancing contemporary apartment living with the area’s established residential identity.</p>

<p>“A place where traditional Queensland living has taken place for centuries; Toowong is seeing a shift of contemporary influence, commercial and retail hubs mixed with well-considered residential offerings – all the while maintaining its character and charm,” the architect noted in planning documents submitted to Brisbane City Council.</p>

<p>The architecture practice said the project’s form was shaped by its riverfront setting, flood considerations, neighbouring building scales, and view corridors.</p>

<p>“They said the mix of four and two-bedroom apartments capture the ‘fundamental qualities of Queenslander living,’ translated into the context of a contemporary subtropical building.”</p>

<p>The development sits just off Coronation Drive within walking distance of Toowong’s retail precinct and the upgraded Regatta ferry terminal, while also benefiting from proximity to the incoming green bridge connection to West End. Sammut said the accessibility and amenity offering were central to the site’s appeal.</p>

<p>The approval adds to growing residential activity along the Toowong riverfront, joining nearby projects including Consolidated Properties’ Monarch Residences and Spyre Group’s ARC Residences.</p>


Sammut secures approval for debut Brisbane apartment development in Toowong

<p>Developer Lanevick is heading back into Sydney’s apartment market after focusing more heavily on the luxury townhouse and terrace sector in recent years.</p>

<p>Lanevick, founded and directed by Steve Maroun, is expecting to receive approval in the coming months for a new apartment development in Gladesville, with the aim to launch it to the market later this year.</p>

<p>The 51-apartment project, designed by Studio Johnston, will comprise a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments positioned toward the Hunters Hill downsizer market.</p>

<p>“Traditionally it’s been difficult for people in that market to downsize because there just hasn’t been the right product available,” Maroun said.</p>

<p>“We’re targeting buyers who might have 30 to 40 per cent of their house value sitting in the bank after downsizing.</p>

<p>“They still want good spacious entertaining areas, they still want quality design, but they also want flexibility and the ability to enjoy life a bit more after working hard for a long time.”</p>

<p>The project sits near Boronia Park and within close proximity to the Parramatta River foreshore, an area Maroun says offers more of a Hunters Hill lifestyle than a traditional apartment precinct.</p>

<p>“From a lifestyle perspective, it’s really more Hunters Hill than Gladesville,” Maroun said. “You’re close to the foreshore, close to parklands, and still connected back into the village precinct.”</p>

<p>From level four and above, apartments will capture water views&nbsp;toward Sydney Harbour. Communal amenity will include rooftop entertaining areas, wellness spaces, and a gym tailored toward owner-occupier buyers.</p>

<p>“We’ve really designed these apartments around that buyer coming from the Hunters Hill LGA and what they’re actually looking for in their next chapter.”</p>

<p>The proposed development has also been designed to respond to the changing character of the broader Gladesville town centre, where a growing number of mixed-use and residential proposals are expected to emerge over the coming years.</p>

<p>“Gladesville presented a rare opportunity to deliver a genuinely design-led residential project within an evolving lifestyle precinct, just moments from the growing Gladesville town centre, and we’ve approached the project with a strong focus on architecture, liveability and long-term community value,” Maroun said.</p>

<p>Maroun said Lanevick saw a first-mover advantage within the precinct as planning controls continue to evolve to accommodate greater housing density.</p>

<p>“We think there’s a real opportunity there that hasn’t really been serviced properly yet,” he said.</p>

<p>“There’s going to be a broader evolution of the whole Gladesville village precinct over time, particularly with more activation and mixed-use outcomes.”</p>

<p>The Venus Street proposal will include a commercial and retail component at ground level designed to contribute to that evolving streetscape activation.</p>

<p>“A big part of the thinking was how do you activate that area properly and create more vibrancy and amenity, which is what Hunters Hill has been looking for,” Maroun said.</p>

<p>Lanevick’s focus since 2020 has largely been on smaller-scale luxury townhouse and terrace developments. The developer recently completed Royale Randwick, also designed by Studio Johnston, where prices reached $3.65 million. The project was featured in the UDIA NSW 2026 Professional Development Prospectus and was also named a finalist for Development of the Year.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Lanevick to cater for Hunters Hill downsizers with new Gladesville apartment development

<p>Property developer One Living, backed by former Macquarie banker turned investment manager Chris Green’s investment firm, has unveiled plans to bring more institutional capital into housing to help address the national supply crisis.</p>

<p>The New York-based investor has focused his firm, GreenPoint Partners, on addressing the supply shortage hitting middle market housing in Australia.</p>

<p>It is backing the new One Living business to develop more than 1000 units along the eastern seaboard. The new firm is starting with a development on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with around 140 apartments planned. They are eyeing off more sites across the city.</p>

<p>With cost pressures rising in the industry, One Living’s model is to be a vertically integrated developer-builder, so it can respond directly to the housing gap by removing the cost inefficiencies embedded in traditional residential delivery.</p>

<p>“We are building a platform designed to operate at scale and starting in a market where there’s a clear need for quality, attainable housing,” One Living joint managing director Joseph Scuderi said.</p>

<p>“It’s that missing middle – it’s that attainable end of housing… that’s what most Australians invest into and what Australians can actually afford.”</p>

<p><img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="798dfa93-4941-4db6-a696-31e9dc18e81c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.31.50%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=mKBqi5C_DmeiXS.AtJkcR8LQIxqCqmFi" /></p>

<p>GreenPoint Partners brings years of experience assembling and scaling real estate operating businesses across major markets. And Green sees a big opportunity in Australia.</p>

<p>“For its size, sophistication and importance to the community, Australia’s living sector has remained largely under-institutionalised, which represents significant opportunity,” Green said. “GreenPoint identified that gap, assembled the right team, and is backing One Living to build a platform that is aligned to market needs.”</p>

<p>Green said being a builder-developer would give the company the capacity and flexibility it required to deliver reasonably-priced homes.</p>

<p>“We want it to be at that attainable level; not super high end luxury but at that attainable level,” he said.</p>

<p><img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74a5344a-4b26-4d4a-ada3-056b1220be77" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.32.15%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=vY8hXHO4reBMdO8ZXMWCNtGZJofUPQ3j" /></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>One Living will undertake a component of affordable housing in its schemes, which it will own and operate, and it could also run build-to-rent on some sites.</p>

<p>Green praised local policy settings.</p>

<p>“The NSW government is being very supportive, strategic and pragmatic in terms of how do we generate more supply of housing,” he said. “We think it’s actually positive for development and the bit that’s been lacking at that attainable level is that it’s lots of relatively small private developers, whereas we want to create an institutional platform.”</p>

<p>One Living is also&nbsp;looking at high-density projects and could take on more institutional funding in the future.</p>

<p>“The way we will be able to achieve economies of scale is through size,” Green added.</p>


One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition

<p>It's been several years since there's been an opportunity to buy a brand new townhome in Melbourne's coastal suburb of Mordialloc. Even apartment developments in recent times have been few and far between in the area.</p>

<p>Local developer LDS Property identified the gap in new housing, securing a site on White Street, directly opposite&nbsp;Woodlands Golf Club Mordialloc. They've recently launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/wm-residences-mordialloc-102-white-street-mordialloc-vic-3195">WM Residences</a>, just 13 townhouses which they have already started building.</p>

<p>Projects by Buxton Director Heath Thompson, who is selling WM Residences, says the townhouses x that perfect middle ground be</p>

<p data-end="683" data-start="511">"Mordialloc residents have had limited options to downsize within the suburb, often forcing them to look elsewhere despite long-standing ties to the area," Thompson says.</p>

<p data-end="882" data-start="690">"With very little comparable new supply coming to market, projects like WM Residences are well placed, particularly as buyers look to capitalise on current conditions amid constrained supply."</p>

<p data-end="882" data-start="690">[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6109]</p>

<p>The development, designed by regarded architecture firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ewert-leaf">Ewert Leaf</a>,&nbsp;adopts a deliberately restrained architectural approach, focusing on simplicity, durability and liveability rather than overt design gestures.</p>

<p>The boutique scale is central to the offering. With only 13 three-bedroom residences, each home is configured to prioritise functional layouts and everyday use, supported by private terraces and secure two-car garages.</p>

<p>Ewert Leaf’s design response leans into a calm, neutral material palette. Interiors are defined by oak flooring, white walls and soft finishes, creating a consistent and understated backdrop. The approach avoids trend-driven detailing in favour of longevity, with an emphasis on natural light and spatial clarity.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6110]</p>

<p>Beyond aesthetics, the homes are designed to meet contemporary performance expectations. Each residence targets a minimum 6-star energy rating, incorporating double glazing, comprehensive insulation and all-electric Bosch appliances.</p>

<p>The project’s location supports a walkable coastal lifestyle, sitting within close proximity to Mordialloc’s foreshore, Main Street retail strip and the train station. Local cafés and dining venues, including Suburbia Deli and Hendriks Café, are within a short walk, reinforcing the area’s established neighbourhood character.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6116]</p>

<p data-end="247" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="0">While <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/mordialloc-vic-3195">Mordialloc</a> is often defined by its beach and pier, the project taps into other areas of day to day living, offering easy access to local food, casual dining and transport, rather than positioning itself purely as a lifestyle retreat.</p>

<p>WM Residences reflects a continued trend across Melbourne’s coastal suburbs towards smaller-scale, design-led townhouse developments, particularly on infill sites where proximity to amenity is already established.</p>

<p>With construction commenced prior to its market entry, the project aligns with a growing preference among buyers for developments with visible progress and defined delivery timeframes.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134646]</p>


WM Residences fills gap in Mordialloc townhouse market

Rental Growth

<html><body>
<p>2015 was a lacklustre year for rental growth in Australia with rents increasing by just 0.3% in 2015; not exactly the news investors are looking to read about but good news for those looking to rent.</p>
<p>We’ve never seen rental growth as sluggish as it is at the moment. Furthermore, we’re expecting to see more of the same over the coming months due to increases in the supply of new housing, rental stock and a further slowdown in migration rates. </p>
<p>The only cities to see an increase in weekly rental rates were Sydney with an increase of 1.9 percent, Melbourne (2.2 percent), Hobart (0.6 percent) and Canberra (1.9 percent) while rates fell in Brisbane by (-0.3 percent), Adelaide (-0.2 percent), Perth (-8.0 percent) and Darwin (-13.3 percent). <span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
<p>A comparison between December 2015 and December 2014 shows in 2014 annual rental growth was slowing but was tracking at a much higher 1.8% which highlights just how much the rental market eased throughout 2015. </p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/01/12/Screen%20Shot%202016-01-12%20at%209.21.53%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/01/12/Screen%20Shot%202016-01-12%20at%209.21.53%20AM.png" alt=""></p>
<p>The construction boom across the capital cities, coupled with slowing population growth, low mortgage rates and the recent heightened level of activity from investors are the major contributing factors to the slowing rental growth in 2015.</p>
<p>Although Sydney and Melbourne saw the largest ramp up in new housing supply, both cities still recorded rental increases over the year, although rental growth is slowing relative to 12 months earlier.</p>
<p>It is clear that the increase in investment stock continues to provide landlords with little scope to lift rental rates while the low mortgage rate environment provides little incentive to push yields higher.</p>
<p>We envisage that growth in rental rates is likely to remain weak or potentially slow even further over the coming months. The good news for those looking to rent is the possibility <span style="line-height: 1.3em;">that rental rates will fall even further over the coming year.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">While the news for renters will be welcomed, investors may be facing weaker capital gains coupled with little in the way of rental growth or yield.</span></p>
<p>The large pipeline of residential construction activity and recent high levels of investment demand means that renters are likely to continue to have plenty of choice.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/01/12/Screen%20Shot%202016-01-12%20at%209.15.47%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><em><strong><img src="/images/2016/01/12/Screen%20Shot%202016-01-12%20at%209.15.47%20AM.png" alt=""></strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong> </strong></em></p>
<p><em><em>Cameron Kusher is research analyst for CoreLogic RP Data. You can contact him <a href="https://blog.corelogic.com.au/about/" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></em></p>
</body></html>

ckusher-ujnxiKuFQs

Annual national rental growth lowest on record for landlords: Cameron Kusher

<html><body>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Rental yields across the combined capital cities have gradually trended lower over the past two decades and currently sit at record-low levels. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">The change in rental rates have also seen a slowdown in recent years which has culminated in no change in rents over the past year. This represents a historically weak market for rental growth. </span></p>
<p>Looking at rental growth over the past decade, across the combined capital cities rental rates increased by 50.7 percent over the period, or 4.2 percent per annum. This is a lower level of increase than home values which have increased by 72.0 percent (5.6 percent per annum) over the same period. A split by property types, shows there hasn’t been a substantial difference in performance, with house rents increasing by 50.3 percent compared to a 53.7 percent rise in unit rents. </p>
<p>By breaking out the results across the individual capital cities and looking at the total rental change over the past decade, these show that Sydney (+59.4 percent) and Perth (54.6 percent) have seen significantly greater increases in rents than all other capital cities. </p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/02/23/Screen%20Shot%202016-02-23%20at%204.18.39%20PM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/02/23/Screen%20Shot%202016-02-23%20at%204.18.39%20PM.png" alt="" width="826" height="757"></p>
<p>Although rental growth has been strong in some cities, in most instances home value growth has outpaced rental growth over the past decade. The exceptions have been Hobart and Perth where rental increases have outstripped value growth, pushing yields higher over the decade, and Brisbane where value growth and rental growth have each been recorded at 44.0 percent over the decade.</p>
<p>The other side of the rental growth equation is of course gross rental yields which highlight the expected annual <span style="line-height: 1.3em;">rental return on an investment property. There are a few points that should be highlighted, they are based on the home value so no consideration is given to borrowings nor are there allowances for costs. Furthermore, the calculation assumes that there is no vacancy, which in the current environment is becoming somewhat more difficult to achieve. </span></p>
<p>Over the past 10 years there has been little overall change in gross rental yields across the capital cities. Although capital city rental yields are now at an historic low of 3.5 percent the shift from 4.0 percent 10 years ago has been relatively minimal. Perth and Hobart are the only cities in which yields are now higher than they were 10 years ago while in Brisbane they are unchanged over the period.</p>
<p>Melbourne and Darwin have seen the greatest softening in gross rental yields over the past decade. Melbourne, where gross yields are the lowest of any capital city, have slipped from 4.2 percent ten years ago to 2.9 percent currently. </p>
<p>With rental rates falling and yields sitting at record low levels at a time when housing construction is at its highest level on record it is reasonable to expect that rents and yields will slip further over the coming years. </p>
<p>Of course we have recently seen the Labor opposition propose changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. Were policies such as these to be implemented it could change the situation for investors. Whereas over recent years their focus has clearly been on value growth, attention could begin to become more balanced w<span style="line-height: 1.3em;">here investors place a higher degree importance on the yield profile and potential for positive cash flow.</span></p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/02/23/Screen%20Shot%202016-02-23%20at%204.20.11%20PM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/02/23/Screen%20Shot%202016-02-23%20at%204.20.11%20PM.png" alt="" width="823" height="377"></p>
<p><em>Cameron Kusher is research analyst for CoreLogic RP Data. You can contact him <a href="https://blog.corelogic.com.au/about/" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></p>
</body></html>

Housing rents slower to increase than home values: Cameron Kusher

<html><body>
<div id="post-body-651116980849945678" class="post-body entry-content">
<div>There are still a great many property investors around in the market right now, so there shouldn't be too much upwards pressure on rents at the national level.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>And, so it is!</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The weighted average annual rents inflation across Australia's eight capital cities steadied at +0.7 per cent in the third quarter of calendar year 2016, according to the ABS Consumer Price Index figures. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>As you can clearly see in the chart below, nominal rental prices at the national level only tend to spike dramatically when property investors are spooked out of the market for some reason, thereby stymying the available supply of rental stock.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>This has only happened twice over the past 35 years or so, with the most recent trigger point being the global financial crisis. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>However, with mortgage rates close to their record lows, there are presently oodles of investors in the domestic market - and many more from overseas too! - even in the face of recent curbs. </div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2016/10/28/pete1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<br><div class="separator"><img src="/images/2016/10/28/pete1.jpg" alt=""></div>
<br><div>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">City by city</span></strong><br><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br></span></strong>
</div>
<div>Of course, the outlook is as always quite different for each capital city, region, and sub-region.<br><br>
</div>
<div>I have presented a second chart below as an index to show what has happened to nominal rents over the last four-and-a-half decades.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>One of the reasons I have done so is that although commentators seemingly love to spin out 'inflation-adjusted' results, the reality for many of us living today is that we often have 'rent versus buy' equations to weigh up, and for these decisions we understandably - and logically - tend to think in nominal terms.<br><br>"Are rents rising? Are dwelling prices rising? What about holding costs? Will mortgage rates increase or decrease? What is the smartest financial decision here?"</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In Sydney, annual rents inflation accelerated slightly to +2.5 per cent, which is still close to double the +1.3 per cent headline rate of inflation.</div>
<div>
<br>Blogsites and media do love a good falling rents meme, but this hasn't really been backed up by the facts, at least in Sydney's case.<br><br>Indeed, Sydney rents have increased at double the rate of inflation for nearly a decade now.<br><br>
</div>
<div>Since the beginning of 2007 Sydney's rental index has increased by +54 per cent, exactly double the rate of inflation for the harbour city over the same time horizon. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Rental growth may be softer than it was, and in fact it is already easing in some pockets of Sydney, but rents have hardly 'fallen' since the financial crisis as commentary sometimes tries to imply.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>It's a very different Jackanory in the resources capitals, mind you.<br><br>After a great surge in both rents and dwelling prices through the heady days of the resources boom, the rental index numbers are in full on decline mode in Perth, falling back by -6.4 per cent over the year to September.<br><br>This puts the rental index for Perth back close to where it was at the peak of the mining boom four years ago in Q3 2012.<br><br><div><span>And in Darwin, the equivalent year-on-year decline has been -7.7 per cent, although certain other metrics have implied that the real estate market in the Top End may be stabilising somewhat. </span></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div><a href="/images/2016/10/28/Screen%20Shot%202016-10-28%20at%208.51.32%20AM.png" target="_blank"><span>Click to enlarge</span></a></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
</div>
<div><img src="/images/2016/10/28/Screen%20Shot%202016-10-28%20at%208.51.32%20AM.png" alt=""></div>
<br><div>Rental growth is flat on this index in Canberra, while interestingly the rental growth index for Adelaide has by and large tracked that of Melbourne closely for almost the entire data series since 1972. You learn something new every day!</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Supply response cavalry now arriving</span></strong></div>
<br><div>The chart above hints at why Rory Robertson was always unlikely to lose his high profile 2008 bet cf. Sydney house prices correcting sharply.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>While the annual rate of population growth in New South Wales rose incessantly from 2004 to 2008 up to an annualised peak of nearly 118,000, very little accommodation was actually being built, and this has resulted in nearly a chronic supply shortage and nearly a decade of strong rents growth. </div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2016/10/28/Screen%20Shot%202016-10-28%20at%208.52.55%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div class="separator"><img src="/images/2016/10/28/Screen%20Shot%202016-10-28%20at%208.52.55%20AM.png" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>What you don't need any charts to tell you - just listen to the jackhammers! - is that this dynamic has at last changed, with dwelling construction at now really hitting its straps over the last couple of years, and a veritable flood of apartment completions in the post.<br><br>---<br><br>In other news, Domain reported that Sydney's median house price rose by +2.7 per cent in the September quarter to a fresh all-time high of $1,068,000.<br><br>In Melbourne, the median house price rose by an even more sprightly +3.1 per cent over the quarter and +9.1 per cent over the year to also hit a record high of $774,000.<br><br>Somewhat surprisingly, median unit prices in Melbourne performed even more strongly again in the quarter in rising by +4.5 percent, to be +5.5 percent higher over the year.<br><br>Melbourne has been constructing dwellings like fury in recent years, but population growth has accelerated to extraordinarily high levels as you can see in the chart above. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p><span><em>PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">blogger</a>.</em><br></span></p>
<p><em>His latest book is <a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>.</em></p>
</div>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div class="post-footer"> </div>
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pwargent-M4siyDbqQY

Rental growth steadies, though not in Sydney

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<p>Rental growth was flat at just 0.6 percent over the year to March 2017, according to the ABS inflation figures.</p>
<p>This is the equal lowest annual percentage growth since 1994, largely reflecting the new supply of apartments hitting the capital cities on the east coast.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/04/27/A6.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge </a></p>
<div id="post-body-3862946038801712568" class="post-body entry-content">
<div class="separator"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/04/27/A6.jpg" alt=""></div>
<br><div>The national figure obscures contrasting fortunes around the capital cities.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Sydney recorded annual growth in its rental CPI of 2.5 percent. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>In Melbourne rental price growth has been picking up over the past five quarters, although only to 1.7 percent year-on-year according to the ABS series (there has been considerably stronger growth in asking prices). </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Hobart recorded the fastest annual growth of the capital cities at 4.2 percent. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>In Canberra there has not been much to see in aggregate, but anecdotally there is a view that the annual land tax has turned investors away from houses leading to a shortage of detached rental stock (though as in most capitals there is clearly no shortage of new apartments, which has compensated tenants for now).</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In Darwin rents declined by 7.4 percent year-on-year, although this actually represents an improvement on the preceding quarter's drop.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>And in Perth, rents were down by 7.3 percent year-om-year, having now dropped by 12.1 percent from their peak. </div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/04/27/A4.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<br><div class="separator"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/04/27/A4.jpg" alt=""></div>
<br><div>In Brisbane nominal rents remain positive, but there's no doubt that inner city apartments rents are set for a tumble, as evidenced by the "for lease" banners strewn around the inner city.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>This from yesterday...</div>
<br><div class="separator"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PotrGvJHDlc/WQDxsUvwVtI/AAAAAAAAjbQ/tUknpxnVbnQqjWV1PrKg-ApGxG14UBZPgCLcB/s1600/IMG_1655.JPG"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PotrGvJHDlc/WQDxsUvwVtI/AAAAAAAAjbQ/tUknpxnVbnQqjWV1PrKg-ApGxG14UBZPgCLcB/s640/IMG_1655.JPG" width="640" height="480"></a></div>
<br><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Benign inflation</span></strong><br><div> </div>
<div>The above figures feed in to the benign inflation picture.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Moreover, while dwelling construction is expected to remain strong for some time in Sydney, new apartment projects are now being shelved or scrapped practically by the week in Melbourne and Brisbane.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As each new Brisbane apartment project completes this will leave a small hole in the economy, which cumulatively will act as a drag on growth.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>For this reason the government will be looking to loosen the purse strings to pave the way for infrastructure projects to plug the hole, which can be achieved through borrowing without unnecessarily crippling the budget.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>A final point, the Sydney market has seen rents outpace CPI by a factor of two over the past ten years to rise by 56 percent.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/04/27/A5.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge </a></div>
<br><div class="separator"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/04/27/A5.jpg" alt=""></div>
<br><div class="separator"> </div>
<div>This reflects that Sydney's construction boom was still addressing an inherent undersupply until recently, but stay alert because the balance is about to swing sharply in favour of tenants over the next couple of years. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank"><span class="s2">AllenWargent</span></a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span class="s2">blogger</span></a>.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s3"><em>His latest book is </em><a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank"><span class="s2"><em>Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</em></span></a><em>.</em></span></p>
</div>
</div>
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Rental growth at two-decade low: Pete Wargent

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<p>EXPERT OBSERVER</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Rental trends are an important barometer of our major markets largely overlooked by mainstream media.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Media regards changes in median prices and auction clearance rates in the big cities as the measures worth considering, but at Hotspotting we think movements in rents are equally important. They reveal a lot about the state of individual markets and they can serve as a precursor to what’s likely to happen with prices.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">History shows that an uplift in prices is often preceded by tight vacancies and strong rises in rentals. This occurred in Sydney in 2011 and 2012, ahead of the start of the price boom in 2013.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hobart, which has had a mini-boom in the past two years, first experienced a sharp decrease in residential vacancies and significant increases in rentals.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hobart still has the tightest vacancies in capital city Australia (well under 1%) and it continues to lead on rent increases. We have analysed new data from the two best sources on rental statistics, SQM Research and Domain, and both record strong annual rises for house rents (7.2% SQM and 9.8% Domain) in Hobart and even bigger increases for unit rents (11.6% and 12.9%).</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Perth is another standout. A year ago the vacancy rate for the WA capital was 4% but it has reduced steadily over the past 12 months and is now below 3%. Rents have responded, with houses up 4.5% (SQM) or 5.7% (Domain), and units up 4.9% (SQM) and 3.3% (Domain).</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">If history repeats, this dramatic improvement in the rental market will be followed by uplift in prices, for the first time in five years (the latest SQM data suggests price trends are starting to improve in Perth).</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Adelaide too is producing solid rental growth. Both sources have house rents up about 2.6% in annual terms, and apartment rents rising around 3.3%. Adelaide vacancies are hovering around 1%.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Brisbane, where vacancies have recently dropped below the 3% benchmark after several years of over-supply in apartment markets, is now producing moderate rental growth for both houses and apartments.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Both sources agree that Canberra is producing solid growth in rents for apartments, up more than 4%, but Domain records no growth for house rents, while SQM says Canberra house rents have dropped about 2% in the past year. Canberra vacancies are trending higher but remain tight at 1.2%, according to SQM.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Melbourne, where vacancies are generally low, has delivered minor growth in apartment rents, while house rents are largely unchanged.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The two cities with the highest vacancies, Sydney and Darwin, are the only state and territory capitals where rents are significantly down.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In Sydney, where vacancies are trending higher, houses rents are down about 5% in annual terms, while apartment rents have fallen around 4%.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Darwin is showing signs of recovery with rents for houses, with vacancies better in the past year. But apartment rents have dropped 5%, according to both research sources.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Overall, the situation is positive for vacancies and for rents. Sydney is the notable exception.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">The improvement in the rental situation for Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane suggests price growth is likely in the near future - especially when considered alongside other factors</span><span class="s2">.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">T<em>erry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au</em></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s3"><a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au"><em>ryder@hotspotting.com.au</em></a></span></p>
<p class="p4"><span class="s1"><em>twitter.com/hotspotting</em></span></p>
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terryryder-YECXbqmri2

Rental trends an important barometer for property market strength: Hotspotting's Terry Ryder

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<p>EXPERT OBSERVER</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Media tends to measure markets by movements in median prices. But other measures of the health of major markets are worthy of attention, including sales volumes, vacancy rates and movements in rentals.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Rental data is often a forward-looking marker of things to come with prices. Sydney had a couple of years of major rental growth, but little in the way of price growth, before embarking on its price boom from 2013 to 2017. Hobart recorded very low vacancies and the nation’s biggest rental growth before starting the mini-boom on prices that’s still occurring.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">So we should keep a close eye on what’s happening with vacancies and rents in the major cities.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Domain Rental Report for the December 2018 Quarter shows that rents are stronger than sale prices in terms of growth in the past year. Six of the eight capital cities delivered growth in their rentals in 2018, both for houses and for apartments. Recent rental data from SQM Research has similar numbers.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">There is, as always, a strong correlation between vacancy rates and rental growth.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The cities with the tightest rental markets, Hobart (0.4% vacancy, according to SQM) and Canberra (0.9%), are the ones with the highest annual growth in their rentals.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Other cities with low vacancies, Adelaide (1.2%) and Melbourne (1.9%), have also recorded solid growth in their rentals.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Two cities where vacancy rates have been high in the recent past but have improved recently - Brisbane (3.0%) and Perth (3.4%) - are also both delivering moderate growth in their rents.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The only cities where rents have fallen in the past year are those where vacancies are trending higher - Sydney (current vacancy rate 3.2%, up from 2.1% a year ago) and Darwin (4.0%, up from 2.8% a year ago).</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Sydney house rents have declined annually for the first time in 12 years. Sydney is no longer the nation’s most expensive capital city to rent a house.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Canberra house rents have continued to rise on the back of low vacancies and the national capital is now the most expensive city for house rentals (according to Domain – the SQM Research figures differ on this point).</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Brisbane house rents increased annually for the first time in almost three years, helped by improvement in the vacancy rate. This is one of numerous markers suggesting that Brisbane real estate will be stronger in 2019.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hobart house rents continue to increase, but the rate of growth has slowed. There’s a similar trend with prices and this, combined with a gradual decline in sales activity recently, suggests the mini-boom in the Tasmanian capital has passed its peak.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Perth house rents have increased annually for the first time in five years. “Coupled with improving yields, the city will become a more attractive option for investors,” says Domain. I tend to agree and note that there are other indicators of improvement in the Perth market, including increased sales activity and elevated prices in the million-dollar suburbs.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In the apartment markets, Sydney unit rents have declined for two consecutive quarters for the first time on record, with rents hitting an almost two-year low, Domain says.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Brisbane unit rents recorded the strongest annual increase in almost three years. I note that Moody’s Analytics is forecasting Brisbane will be a national leader on apartment price growth in the next year or two.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Canberra unit rents experienced the strongest annual growth the city has seen in almost two years, yet another marker of stronger performance in this market, which is underpinned by one of the nation’s best economies and lowest jobless rate.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Overall the rental data, alongside other figures, points to stronger markets this year in Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide – and confirms the decline in Sydney, while pointing a gradual wind-down in Hobart’s buoyant market.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1">T<em>erry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au</em></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s2"><a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au"><em>ryder@hotspotting.com.au</em></a></span></p>
<p class="p4"><span class="s1"><em>twitter.com/hotspotting</em></span></p>
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Rental data provides clues for property price growth areas: Hotspotting's Terry Ryder

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<div>The latest Consumer Prices Index revealed some interesting trends in rental growth to December 2015.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>At the national level rental growth of just +1.2 percent is the slowest we have seen since 1995, which makes a good deal of sense given the great surge in the number of investors and the construction response to rising dwelling prices. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Essentially this is the opposite of what happened in 1985 when investors exited the market following restrictive changes to tax legislation.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2016/01/29/B1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2016/01/29/B1.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>City by city</strong></span></div>
<div> </div>
<div>In most quality locations, rental growth is simply following the cycle, slowing in response to a surge in both construction and the number of investor-owned dwellings.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Annual rental growth remains positive in Sydney (+2.3 per cent), Melbourne (+1.7 per cent), Brisbane (+1.0 per cent), Adelaide (+1.2 per cent), and Hobart (+1.1 per cent).</div>
<div> </div>
<div>It is a truism to say that there are diverging trends within those markets, particularly noteworthy being slowing rents in high density and high rise apartment complexes.  </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Rental growth has turned negative in Perth and Darwin, following an enormous surge through the mining boom, while Canberra has actually recorded moderately negative rents for the past three years.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2016/01/29/B2.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2016/01/29/B2.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Long run trends</span></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div>It pays to be wary about analysis calling "plummeting" rental growth, but it is true that the rental market will generally need to slow in order that the high levels of investor stock can be absorbed. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Eventually stronger rental price growth will return, but only once investor finance has pulled back, and the cycle does take time to work through. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>The long run data shows the cyclical nature of rental growth by capital city. </div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2016/01/29/B3.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2016/01/29/B3.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div><span>Looking at rental growth by year it is clear that while rental price growth been strongest in Sydney over the past five years, over the past decade the resources states have seen the greatest increase in the cost of renting, some of which is now unwinding.</span></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div><a href="/images/2016/01/29/C4.jpg" target="_blank"><span>Click to enlarge</span></a></div>
<div><span><img src="/images/2016/01/29/C4.jpg" alt=""></span></div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p><span><em>PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">blogger</a>.</em><br></span></p>
<p><em>His latest book is <a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>.</em></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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National rental growth slowest since 1995: Pete Wargent

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<p>"The pace of increase in rents remains at its slowest in 25 years,” according to Shane Garrett, Chief Economist of Master Builders Australia.</p>
<p>ABS inflation data show that over the year to September 2018, rents increased by just 0.6%.</p>
<p>He said, "the last time we saw a smaller increase in rental prices was back in late 1993."</p>
<p>“Rents have been increasing at a much weaker pace than both wages and general inflation over recent years” </p>
<p>“Current arrangements around Negative Gearing and the Capital Gains Tax discount are also crucial to ensuring that a large enough supply of rental accommodation makes it onto the market from year to year. Introducing any restrictions here could cause shortages of rental accommodation to develop,” Shane Garrett concluded.</p>
<p>There is considerable variation in rental price inflation across Australia’s eight capital cities.</p>
<p>Over the year to September 2018, Hobart rents saw the largest increase (+4.5%), followed by Canberra (+3.0%).</p>
<p>Rents also rose in Sydney (+1.9%), Melbourne (1.8%) and Adelaide (+0.8%) over the same period.</p>
<p>Perth rents saw a sharp decline over the year (-6.1%) with rents also falling in Darwin (- 4.6%) and Brisbane (-0.1%) over the same period.</p>
<p> </p>
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