The latest housing finance figures from the Bureau of Statistics released on Tuesday show that investors continue to flee the housing market, but owner-occupiers are also taking out fewer mortgages than they were a year ago. Even with interest rates at, or near, record lows, right now the decision to buy or invest in property is being put off.
Real estate, perhaps more than any other industry, is subject to peaks and troughs. And right now it is in a trough.
In April, for a record 15th month straight, the value of mortgages taken out by investors fell in trend terms. The 2% fall in April was the biggest monthly fall in that period, suggesting that there is still some ways to go before the bottom is reached.
Combined with a 0.2% fall in the value of owner-occupier mortgages (excluding re-financing) it adds up to a 1% fall in total housing finance – the ninth consecutive fall, the longest run since the global financial crisis.
Total housing finance in April was 5% below what it was a year ago – led by a 13% fall in investor financing, while the 2.1% growth in owner occupier finance was the weakest since 2016:
The latest housing finance figures from the Bureau of Statistics released on Tuesday show that investors continue to flee the housing market, but owner-occupiers are also taking out fewer mortgages than they were a year ago. Even with interest rates at, or near, record lows, right now the decision to buy or invest in property is being put off.