Latest news with #SQMResearch
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Australia's priciest rentals: homes listed for up to $25,000 a week
They're the homes that rent for more per year than many houses cost to buy outright. Long-term rental properties across Sydney's coastal enclaves and inner suburbs are being listed for extreme prices of over $10,000 a week as demand for lifestyle homes ramps up. And there is even one long-term rental advertised in Bellevue Hill for the eye watering sum of $25,000 a week. The lofty weekly prices make for staggering yearly rental costs, with one tenant in the CBD reported to have recently forked out about $520,000 annually to live in an executive apartment. But that pales in comparison to the annual $1.3 million required to live in the Bellevue Hill property listed for $25,000 a week. It's currently the country's priciest rental and details in the listing reveal it is available both unfurnished and furnished. The bond to secure the home is $100,000. Records show the landlords bought the home on Victoria Rd in 2002 for a reported $6.8 million – equivalent in today's money to about $13 million, although the current value is likely significantly higher. With its sweeping harbour views over Point Piper and Mosman, the five-bedroom, six-bathroom abode boasts a stately office, tennis court, pool and multiple entertaining areas. The $25,000 a week cost contrasts Bellevue Hill's median rental price of $3,400 for houses, according to PropTrack. Sydney's median weekly rent is $1,071 for houses and $702 for units, according to SQM Research. Then there is the North Bondi six-bedroom, five-bathroom home listed with a rental price of $12,000 per week with a $48,000 bond. In the same suburb, a luxury apartment on Ramsgate Ave is listed for the same weekly amount. These rents are well above the already staggering median rent in North Bondi of $2,300 a week for houses and $1,000 for units. In Barangaroo, a high level apartment within exclusive tower One Sydney Harbour is currently listed for $10,000 per week with a $40,000 bond. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment listing comes with exclusive access to 24/7 concierge service, private dining and wine room, pool, spa sauna and gym. Another unit on the 25th floor of 161 Kent St within the CBD is also listed for $10,000 a week. Vanguarde director Travis Reeve – whose firm manages an array of pricey rentals across the CBD, including the Kent St listing – said there are usually one or two callers per week on such listings. Mr Reeve said the Kent St home may be listed for sale at $16.5 million as a previous tenant recently moved out. 'The previous tenant was paying $10,000 per week for 12 months and he moved out about six weeks ago,' he said. 'We were going to look at re-renting it – in the current market anywhere between $8,000 and $10,000 a week. 'We are now gearing up to put it on the market for $16.5 million.' Mr Reeve said pricey rentals have become common, especially following the completion of the Crown building in Barangaroo. 'We've set some big property prices in terms of rentals there – a three-bedroom goes from anywhere between $7,500 and $10,000 per week in Crown,' he said. 'Four bedroom units – will be anywhere between 11 and a half to 13 grand a week.' Mr Reeve said tenants who live in these pricey rentals are often between properties, renovating or owning dual properties. 'A lot of these people that rent are trying before they are buying,' he said. 'They want something super luxurious.'
Mercury
12-06-2025
- Business
- Mercury
Aus distressed sales plunge but one capital explodes a shock 36pc
Australia's distressed listings have fallen a solid 9.9pc year-on-year, but troubling signs are emerging in three capitals, one of which has just had a gut-wrenching 36pc monthly spike. National distressed listings figures by SQM Research saw a 4.2 per cent monthly fall emerge in May, dropping to 4,593 homes being put up in forced sales – a drop in the ocean compared to what economists were expecting overall but several capitals have seen big annual jumps. The latest figures have 1,311 homes up for distressed sale in Queensland, 1,127 in New South Wales, 1,033 in Victoria, 621 in Western Australia, 248 in South Australia, 117 in Tasmania, 102 in Northern Territory and 34 in ACT. But the concern lies in where those numbers have come from. MORE: Man pulls out 20m 'monster' in Aussie backyard Wallabies to wealth: Huge windfall looms for 25yo star MORE: Cash-strap student turns $40k to 38 homes Palaszczuk scores insane 684 per cent return on Brisbane property SQM Research head Louis Christopher said 'VIC's distressed listings were up 8.1 per cent over the year, 'while ACT was the only state to post a significant monthly rise at 36pc, now 13.3pc higher annually.' Queensland has consistently held the highest number of distressed listings hovering around 1,300, followed by NSW and Victoria which both sat around 1000 to 1200 in the past few months. But the Australian capital has seen shocking volatility in its numbers, with the current figure fluctuating after a 32.4pc monthly decrease in April, a 48pc monthly increase in March and a 13.6pc monthly increase in January. Victoria's 8.1pc annual rise in May comes after three consecutive months of concerning figures, with a 9.3pc annual rise in April, 8pc annually in March, and a significant yearly jump of 18.2pc in February. Annual figures are compared to the same month the previous year while monthly rises are against the month before. MORE: Shock twist as former Virgin CEO to tear down $17m mansion Inside slumlord's crumbling empire: derelict, unliveable, worth millions The ACT monthly surge comes as other states saw declines during May compared to April, led by WA (-9.6pc) and Qld (-5.5pc), while NSW dipped slightly by 0.4pc and VIC fell by 5.1pc. Mr Christopher said actual mortgagee sales made up about one fifth of current data, with around 500 homes nationally being sold after repossession, but a far bigger number were being forced to market before that situation came to a head. 'I think the banks are massaging the number,' he claimed. 'To do a mortgagee in possession is the final straw for a bank. So what often happens before that final straw is the banks will informally push the borrower to sell. So I'll basically make a phone call and say 'you don't sell your property by this day, we're going to.' 'So we think it's a better measurement that we're capturing. We believe we are capturing those ones where it's a bank that's pushing the borrower to sell informally.' SQM data incorporates a range of situations apart from mortgagee sales to properties pushed to market by divorce and deceased estates. Mr Christopher said Australia had survived the past two years of interest rate surges and cost of living spikes much better than expected. 'In truth, distress listings activity over the past two years has been lower than what we expected as a research house,' Mr Christopher said. 'Our expectation was that we would see distress listings activity get over 10,000 listings following the interest rate rise in 2022, and that didn't materialise.' MORE: Tradie's colossal 5.5m find in Aus backyard Million-dollar shock: Most Aussies now priced out of house market 'Now it is true that we have seen a pick-up in listings over that time in New South Wales and Victoria. In more recent times that pick-up has subsided, and levelled out, and in no state are really recording distress listings activities at alarming levels which would put downward pressure on housing prices.' Mr Christopher said the figures were below longer term average levels that SQM had seen. 'With the interest rate cuts we've had, and yet another likely next month, I think the outlook for distress activity is that they're going to keep falling.' He said the figures did 'jump around from month to month, that is true, so I do tend to like looking at the yearly numbers more and I like looking at the trend of the actual chart itself.' Mr Christopher said distress listings did offer opportunities to get in the market at a lower price. 'Not all of them, but quite a large proportion of them we find that there are opportunities for buyers in this list.' He said the hot ones moved 'real quick' – gone after a week. 'You can tell right away they were actually really, really good value ones because they've moved pretty quickly overall'. 'The housing market is far more efficient than what it was, say, 10, 20, 30 years ago, so bargains can be pinpointed pretty quickly if they're a genuine.' He said current distress levels were 'relatively benign' compared with other financial crisis situations faced by Australians in the past. 'They are commensurate and consistent with the low default rates that the banks have been reporting.' MORE REAL ESTATE NEWS
News.com.au
12-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Aus distressed sales plunge but one capital explodes a shock 36pc
Australia's distressed listings have fallen a solid 9.9pc year-on-year, but troubling signs are emerging in three capitals, one of which has just had a gut-wrenching 36pc monthly spike. National distressed listings figures by SQM Research saw a 4.2 per cent monthly fall emerge in May, dropping to 4,593 homes being put up in forced sales – a drop in the ocean compared to what economists were expecting overall but several capitals have seen big annual jumps. The latest figures have 1,311 homes up for distressed sale in Queensland, 1,127 in New South Wales, 1,033 in Victoria, 621 in Western Australia, 248 in South Australia, 117 in Tasmania, 102 in Northern Territory and 34 in ACT. But the concern lies in where those numbers have come from. Wallabies to wealth: Huge windfall looms for 25yo star Palaszczuk scores insane 684 per cent return on Brisbane property SQM Research head Louis Christopher said 'VIC's distressed listings were up 8.1 per cent over the year, 'while ACT was the only state to post a significant monthly rise at 36pc, now 13.3pc higher annually.' Queensland has consistently held the highest number of distressed listings hovering around 1,300, followed by NSW and Victoria which both sat around 1000 to 1200 in the past few months. But the Australian capital has seen shocking volatility in its numbers, with the current figure fluctuating after a 32.4pc monthly decrease in April, a 48pc monthly increase in March and a 13.6pc monthly increase in January. Victoria's 8.1pc annual rise in May comes after three consecutive months of concerning figures, with a 9.3pc annual rise in April, 8pc annually in March, and a significant yearly jump of 18.2pc in February. Annual figures are compared to the same month the previous year while monthly rises are against the month before. The ACT monthly surge comes as other states saw declines during May compared to April, led by WA (-9.6pc) and Qld (-5.5pc), while NSW dipped slightly by 0.4pc and VIC fell by 5.1pc. Mr Christopher said actual mortgagee sales made up about one fifth of current data, with around 500 homes nationally being sold after repossession, but a far bigger number were being forced to market before that situation came to a head. 'I think the banks are massaging the number,' he claimed. 'To do a mortgagee in possession is the final straw for a bank. So what often happens before that final straw is the banks will informally push the borrower to sell. So I'll basically make a phone call and say 'you don't sell your property by this day, we're going to.' 'So we think it's a better measurement that we're capturing. We believe we are capturing those ones where it's a bank that's pushing the borrower to sell informally.' SQM data incorporates a range of situations apart from mortgagee sales to properties pushed to market by divorce and deceased estates. Mr Christopher said Australia had survived the past two years of interest rate surges and cost of living spikes much better than expected. 'In truth, distress listings activity over the past two years has been lower than what we expected as a research house,' Mr Christopher said. 'Our expectation was that we would see distress listings activity get over 10,000 listings following the interest rate rise in 2022, and that didn't materialise.' 'Now it is true that we have seen a pick-up in listings over that time in New South Wales and Victoria. In more recent times that pick-up has subsided, and levelled out, and in no state are really recording distress listings activities at alarming levels which would put downward pressure on housing prices.' Mr Christopher said the figures were below longer term average levels that SQM had seen. 'With the interest rate cuts we've had, and yet another likely next month, I think the outlook for distress activity is that they're going to keep falling.' He said the figures did 'jump around from month to month, that is true, so I do tend to like looking at the yearly numbers more and I like looking at the trend of the actual chart itself.' Mr Christopher said distress listings did offer opportunities to get in the market at a lower price. 'Not all of them, but quite a large proportion of them we find that there are opportunities for buyers in this list.' He said the hot ones moved 'real quick' – gone after a week. 'You can tell right away they were actually really, really good value ones because they've moved pretty quickly overall'. 'The housing market is far more efficient than what it was, say, 10, 20, 30 years ago, so bargains can be pinpointed pretty quickly if they're a genuine.' He said current distress levels were 'relatively benign' compared with other financial crisis situations faced by Australians in the past. 'They are commensurate and consistent with the low default rates that the banks have been reporting.' MORE REAL ESTATE NEWS
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Barefoot Investor Scott Pape unleashes at the Reserve Bank for lowering interest rates
The Barefoot Investor has taken a swipe at the Reserve Bank of Australia, claiming young people should be 'p**sed off' the bank decided to cut the cash rate because it would cause house prices to surge. On Tuesday afternoon, the RBA eased the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85 per cent - a low which has not been seen since June 2023. Scott Pape said while the cash rate cut would alleviate mortgage repayments for millions of Aussies it would have a negative impact on young people trying to get into the property market. Mr Pape said young Aussies should be 'pissed' at the decision as it means property prices would inevitably increase. 'If I was a young person right now I would be pretty pissed off,' Mr Pape told 'Every time a young person gets close, it just keeps getting more expensive.' Mr Pape also took aim at the Albanese government for introducing a five per cent deposit scheme for first-home buyers,' labelling the policy as 'totally stupid'. Experts have warned the policy, which is set to come into effect from January 1, 2026, would ultimately push house prices up. 'People shouldn't be buying a home in one of the most expensive cities in the world if they can't afford it,' Mr Pape said. 'I don't understand how a responsible government can stand by and say this is a good thing.' SQM Research Managing Director Louis Christopher said he expects property prices to rise from now and into 2026, with a 10 per cent increase by the end of the year. Mr Christopher said auction clearance rates would skyrocket due to the rate cut and advised first-home buyers to try and enter the market before the end of 2025. 'First home buyers are in a better buying position compared to six months ago,' Mr Christopher said. 'Their purchasing and borrowing power has increased. However, if I am right about price rises, they will need to move quickly, otherwise they will be back to square one on affordability.' An owner-occupier borrower with an average $660,000 mortgage would save $107 on their monthly repayments with the latest rate cut, as typical variable home loan rates with the major banks fell under six per cent. ANZ became the first of the Big Four banks to announce it would match the RBA's latest rate cut with a 25 basis point cut to its variable rates. This means its online-only rate is falling to 5.59 per cent on May 30. Westpac followed seven minutes later, matching ANZ's equally lowest online-only mortgage rate but from June 3. The Commonwealth Bank matched its competitors shortly after, with borrowers getting relief on May 30. Australia's biggest home lender updated its forecasts to have more rate cuts in August and November, with relief at the RBA's next meeting in July a 'live' possibility. NAB's lowest online-only rate is falling to 5.94 per cent on May 30, but it's available for borrowers with a small five per cent deposit. Ms Bullock acknowledged the 13 rate rises in 2022 and 2023 were challenging for borrowers, who copped the most aggressive pace of monetary policy tightening since the late 1980s. 'I know this period of relatively high interest rates has been and continues to be challenging for many households and businesses but it was essential that we brought inflation down,' Ms Bullock said. The RBA declined to suggest more rate cuts were coming but left the door open for further relief as inflation is expected to fall into the target band. 'Inflation has fallen substantially since the peak in 2022, as higher interest rates have been working to bring aggregate demand and supply closer towards balance,' RBA said.
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Barefoot Investor warns against 'stupid' real estate change that is going to push house prices up even further in Australia: 'Rise by 10 per cent'
The Barefoot Investor has warned the government's first home buyer scheme will worsen housing affordability and put vulnerable Australians at risk. Scott Pape said the scheme, which promises to allow first home buyers to purchase on just a five per cent deposit, would 'just push prices higher'. 'I caught up with my old mate Louie Christopher from SQM Research, who's predicting that in this calendar year property prices are going to rise by up to 10 per cent!' he wrote in a column for NewsCorp. 'The first home buyer deposit policies are stupid. They will just push prices higher, says my mate Louie.' Mr Pape claimed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers wouldn't suggest such loans to their own families. 'None of them would sit down at Sunday lunch and tell their sister (if she was a single mum on a low income) to go out and buy a house with a 2.5 per cent deposit,' he wrote. 'Instead, they'd say: What if interest rates go up? What if you lose your job?' Mr Pape warned the consequences of such policies were already evident, sharing a letter from a reader named Sarah. 'Two years ago I purchased my first property using the Government's single parent grant, which meant I only had to save a 2.5 per cent deposit,' she wrote. 'Unfortunately, with the rise in interest rates and cost of living, I can no longer sustain the cost of my mortgage. My daughter and I are really struggling.' Mr Pape said he would offer Sarah financial guidance in an upcoming column, but added a grim prediction. 'It'll be a good warm-up. After all, come January 1, when Labor's five per cent deposit policy kicks in, there will be a lot more Sarahs coming through the door,' he wrote. 'Tread your own path.' At the federal election Labor confirmed it would allow all first home buyers to access five per cent deposits with no income caps or place limits. The party also pledged to build up to 100,000 homes reserved for first-time buyers. Former Opposition leader Peter Dutton told voters he would allow them to use some of their superannuation to fund their first home purchase. Last month, the Barefoot Investor compared Aussie homes to 'sardine tins sold at caviar prices' in a brutal swipe at both political parties' attempts to solve the housing crisis. Mr Pape said he spent four hours of his long weekend driving across Melbourne with his 11-year-old son who quickly noticed a key phrase on election billboards splashed around the city: 'Cost of living.' The finance guru noted his son was 'spot on' but claimed neither Labor nor the Coalition were doing much to address the issue. 'The biggest cost? The roof over our heads - rent or mortgage. That's where the squeeze is,' he wrote in a column for the Herald Sun. 'Australian homes are now some of the least affordable on Earth. And to afford them we've racked up world-class debt. 'Back in the mid-2000s, the average house cost four times the average income. Now it's more than eight.' Mr Pape claimed the current housing market had 'priced ordinary Australians out of their own neighbourhoods'. Yet, Mr Pape claimed both have only offered options that will put more money into the hands of pre-existing property owners. In good news for Australian borrowers, however, those with an average mortgage could save $100 a month on their repayments following an expected interest rate cut next week. Most economists are expecting the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut the cash rate by another 25 basis points, from 4.1 per cent now to 3.85 per cent, at its May 20 meeting. Financial markets regard a quarter of a percentage point rate cut on Tuesday as a 95 per cent chance.
