Is Gladstone Really a Mining Town?

If you think Gladstone is a mining town, you'd be wrong.  Over 95% of the population is employed outside of mining.  The unemployment rate is 3.5%, well below the State average of 5.9%.  Whilst there is no doubt that a price correction in housing has occurred, many desktop analysts fail to see Gladstone for what it really is, an industrial port city.

Perhaps one other interesting piece of information, the majority of Gladstone's real estate agents actually have vacancy rates for housing at less than 5.0%, a far cry from the 12.0% plus being listed by others.

What does the year ahead look like for First Home Buyers?

The first home buyers market will remain challenging throughout 2014. In fact it could get worse as the market rebounds with additional pressure coming to bear on both houses and apartments as investors and second home buyers buy up. Both of these buyers have a capacity and an appetite. However, there are some real winners that could emerge in 2014 for First Home Buyers.

Talk of Housing Bubble Premature

This week the ABS released the quarterly weighted average house price data series for Australia’s capital cities.  All the media hype surrounding a property boom appears to be largely that, hype.  Now don’t get me wrong, it is great to see the media in a positive frame of mind about the property sector, because clearly it has been years since we have seen that.

However the most recent statistics demonstrate that the property recovery is still in its infancy in many centres and with the exception of Sydney (3.6% Qtr or 11.4% p.a), and some may argue Melbourne, is still relatively fragile. 

Brisbane Housing Recovery Underway

The outlook for the housing market in Brisbane is very positive with the Federal election being the final confidence hurdle for many buyers thinking of investing, downsizing or upgrading. The other incentive for buyers is the low interest rate, with some commentators predicting a further rate cut, possibly in November. The first homebuyer market is still at historically low levels due to the removal of the grant for established housing; however the improvement in the broader economic conditions may see this sector of the market also start to improve, especially if there is a further cut to interest rates.

Are Public Transport and Bicycles the Future for Capital Cities?

A message to our governments, if you want people to use their cars less, you need to improve the public transport network and pricing thereof. In 2012, approximately 7 in 10 people (71%) aged 18 years and over travelled to work or full time study primarily by passenger vehicle, similar to 2009 (72%). This could have been either as a passenger or a driver. Only 16% of Australians used public transport, while 4% walked and 2% cycled. (ABS)  

Sunshine Coast Land Summary: July 2013

Following on from our last ‘Brisbane Inner City Apartment Market Summary’ we have released a small snapshot of the Sunshine Coast Land Market which is available as a free download.

The Land Summary provides a brief overview of the economic drivers for the Sunshine Coast as well as a broad look at supply and demand for new and existing land. We have also included some information regarding forecast population changes for the Sunshine Coast area as whole.