Property is often called an Australian obsession, and for good reason; the Australian property sector contributes more than $182 billion to GDP, dwarfing all other sectors. It also employs more than 1.1 million Australians.
The Australian property market is incredibly dynamic, and the market experienced rapid change through 2020. COVID saw the acceleration of trends including employees choosing to both work and shop from home. This disrupted the market and created a number of opportunities for investors, landlords and occupiers.
Despite forecasts that the residential property market would collapse as the enormity of the pandemic was realised, the opposite transpired. Government stimulus and record low interest rates saw owner occupiers and investors pile back into the market realising record price growth. Returning expats also contributed to price increases, particularly at the top end.
Australia’s response to the pandemic set the market up to continue its growth in 2021, supported by solid underlying demand and favourable economic conditions.
The demand for property is mirrored by the demand for real estate and property market news. Owner occupiers, investors and tenants want the very latest property news to keep up with such a dynamic and broad market.
The ausbiz team, along with a stable of expert guests, examines investment opportunities and trends in property of all types. ausbiz also explores the impact of fiscal and monetary policy on the property market and investors.
Why invest in property?
Property news is dominated by the residential market, which is not surprising given that Australia has among the highest proportion of owner occupiers in the world. Tax breaks in the form of negative gearing also makes residential property very attractive for investors.
But the opportunity to invest in property extends well beyond the residential sector. Commercial, industrial and retail are in high demand and individual investors can gain exposure in these sectors by buying into REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts). REITs are companies that own or finance income producing real estate. Most are listed publicly on major exchanges both in Australia and overseas.
Increasingly, REITs are finding opportunity beyond the traditional sectors in property such as health and aged care, agriculture, service stations and even hotels, as well as land development.
Given record low interest rates, market commentary will tell you there’s never been a better time to invest in residential property. But rapid price increases have exacerbated housing affordability. While government assistance is provided in the form of first home-buyers concessions, many Australians are already priced out of the market.
Property news on ausbiz
At ausbiz we understand the importance of property news and the need for information to help you buy or invest in real estate in such a rapidly changing market. ausbiz has vastly experienced property analysts on call in all sectors, and ausbiz regularly provides news on the latest property metrics provided by industry leaders such as CoreLogic and SQM.
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