Those following the DFA channel will know we have been tracking the rise of mortgage stress in recent times, as the higher interest rates and prices bite while real incomes stalled. I have been listing some of those post codes, like Liverpool in Sydney or DonnyBrook in Melbourrne, where we have been measuring cash flow pressures on households building.
Of course, the banks have been extending and pretending, offering households the chance to extend the term of their loan, or go interest only for a period. Initially people who were over committed reached for this lifeline, but as the recent ASIC report said, this often just put off taking hard decisions about selling up while you can. Many households are making this call now, and I expect property listings to rise in the months ahead as a result.
However, up to now the number of mortgagee sales has been very low, first because of the extend and pretend strategy, second because some households do decide to sell before they are forced to and thanks to recent price rises get to replay the bank and move on. But eventually the mortgagee sales worm will turn, as interest rates stay higher for longer and as lenders, especially from the Non-Bank sector get tough.
But now we are seeing this discussed in the press, with Realestate.com.au reporting Millions of dollars worth of Aussie homes have been seized for mortgagee sales from McMansions to townhouses and inner city apartments as data shows 100 suburbs in trouble.
However, I think more accountability should be taken by the RBA for its poor monetary policy decisions, the government for pumping migration and lenders for lending way too much and the industry for frankly telling porkies.
But at the end of the day, it is individual households who are caught in the vice, and are having to make hard decisions about their financial futures.
We will be releasing the next edition of our stress analysis in a few days, look out for that, but already I can see that the tax cuts and Government handouts are only providing limited short-term relief for some, so I effect more defaults in the months ahead.
I hate to be proved right on this, but I think I will be!
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