CoreLogic released their updated data to end December 2019 today.
They confirm a 1.1% rise in national dwelling values over the month, and a 4.0% increase over the quarter to finish out 2019 on a positive note.
This result represents the fastest rate of national dwelling value growth over any three month period since November 2009. Darwin was the only region among the capital cities and ‘rest-of-state’ areas to record a fall in values over the month, with a -0.5% decline.
CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless said, “Although the monthly capital gains trend remains fast-paced, the 1.1% rise in December was softer relative to the 1.7% gain in November and the 1.2% rise in October. This would suggest that the pace of capital gains may have been dampened by higher advertised stock levels or worsening affordability pressures through early summer.”
Despite a strong rebound over the second half of 2019, property values across most regions of Australia are still below their previous record highs. Nationally, the CoreLogic index recorded a peak in October 2017; dwelling values remained 3.1% below their record high at the end of 2019. If the current quarterly rate of growth persists into 2020, the national housing market will record a nominal recovery in March as dwelling values push higher to new record highs.
Tim Lawless said, “A nominal recovery in housing values implies home owners are becoming wealthier, which may also help to support household spending. However, the flipside is that housing affordability is set to deteriorate even further as dwelling values outpace growth in household incomes, signaling a set-back for those saving for a deposit.”
