A mix of property market reports have come to light this week however one stood out for its relevance to the Gold Coast marketplace and Robina in particular. The article discusses the suburbs on the Gold Coast that have seen house price growth and those that have recorded declines.

With the release last week of the HTW (Herron Todd White) Valuers property report for March 2022, we have decided to follow the HTW lead and focus on investors and the investment market.

There is mounting concern in property markets around the country with multiple articles written and released this week discussing instability in the real estate market.

Whilst we are still seeing some incredible results here on the Gold Coast, the facts presented to us show that we are moving in to some significant headwinds that can't be ignored.

There has been a significant amount of commentary last week on the property front. With so many variables currently at play it is almost impossible to predict just what will happen moving forward. Having said that, the vast majority of property experts are still tipping significant price falls as soon as interest rates move higher.

This week Realestate.com.au released an article discussing what will happen to eight key property fundamentals when interest rates rise. With rate rises now all but guaranteed in 2022, the discussion raised by REA's news department makes for interesting reading.

An article that appeared last week in the Australian Financial Review should act as a call to action for all would-be sellers.

Whilst the banking system has downgraded their outlook for property prices over 2022 and 2023, none had suggested that prices had now peaked. This has now changed.

Whilst more sellers are now coming to market there is no doubt that the vast majority of would-be sellers are still waiting to list their home in the belief that prices will still continue to rise for some time, is this you ?

Last week the focus on interest rates was intense. After consistently denying that rates could rise any earlier than 2024, the RBA has now left the door open for rate rises as early as later this year and it has many commentators and analysts predicting that this news will impact the housing market.

Forecasting future property price rises or falls is fraught with danger but it is important to understand many of the property fundamentals that determine eventual price outcomes.

As we work our way through January we are seeing the same level of activity that propelled the property market forward through the later parts of 2020 and throughout the entirety of 2021. As is the case with every industry, there are factors that could influence the future direction of prices. Arguably the most important factor when it comes to real estate is interest rates.

Whilst everyone debates whether or not we are in fact at the top of this housing cycle, one question that is often overlooked is if we are at the top, what happens next?

Corelogic released an article this week discussing exactly this point by focussing on historical data to see what follows a property cycle high point.

The full corelogic article "Peak, peaking, peaked - how to read Australia's housing market" is a great read for any potential seller looking to sell in the near future. As you will see below, if a seller waits to long and misses the peak, it can be several years before they get the chance to achieve a similar price again.

A report released last week demonstrated just how far property prices & rents have jumped across the Gold Coast and also specifically in Robina.

The report, which appeared on REA last Friday, discussed the time it takes to save for a house deposit as well as the percentage of income now needed in certain areas to pay rent. Whilst the Gold Coast was represented by several areas, the fact that Robina was specifically named shows how difficult it has now become to save for a deposit and also how hard it is to keep up with increases in rent.

The big question is once rates do start to rise; how high will they go?

Australian households are among the most indebted in the developed world. As of June, total household debt as a share of incomes reached 184% according to the RBA, and close to record levels.

Following on from the report a fortnight ago, last week there has again been many articles written about the current property variables and what these various factors may mean for property prices moving forward.

Warren Buffet is arguably the most successful investor of all time and one of the richest men in the world. He has a simple formula when it comes to assets which includes property - "Be greedy when people are fearful and be fearful when people are greedy".

Much of the media focus this week centred on rising stock levels and what effect this may have on property prices.

One such example was an article written by Anne Flaherty from Proptrak that featured on realestate.com.au this week showing how the number of new listings is now rising sharply.

Prior to selling one of the major questions is “should I renovate parts of my house to increase my sale price prior to selling?”

It goes without saying, that everyone wants to make money on their property investment. Sometimes that involves renovating to maximise your return. But which renovations are worth it when it comes to delivering a return at sale?

As predicted last week the RBA left interest rates on hold. This in itself is not particularly newsworthy however the commentary around November's RBA meeting did carry some discussion points that should be reviewed.

For the majority of 2021 we have heard only positive news on the real estate front. Yesterday however, things started to change.

This weekend, major national newspapers and online portals have turned their attention to the sharp rise in reported inflation figures on Friday and on what this may mean for the property sector.

Once again the main property discussion point last week has been focussed on APRA's recent change to borrowing criteria. With this in mind we have featured an article that appeared this week on realestate.com.au that discusses the possible ramifications of APRA's intervention and what likely outcomes may emerge moving forward.