REIA President Adrian Kelly said the September quarter 2019 edition of the REIA Housing Affordability Report, found housing affordability improved in all states and territories, except Tasmania, while rental affordability improved across the nation.
“Although the average loan amount has risen, the increase in family income and the decrease in the interest rates have negated this rise,” he said.
“Similarly, with a small decrease in average rents, the percentage of income to meet these payments has also declined.”
The total number of loans increased over the September quarter by 10.0 per cent and the number of new loans to first home buyers, increased by 9,270, some 13.6 per cent over the quarter and 6.8 per cent over the year.
The percentage of first home loans to all home loans, excluding refinancing, is at 29.4 per cent – the highest percentage since 30.3 per cent in December 2011.
The largest increase was in the Australian Capital Territory at 61.1 per cent, while South Australia and the Northern Territory bucked the upward national trend.
Over the September quarter, housing affordability in NSW improved with the proportion of income required to meet loan repayments decreasing to 36.2 per cent, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points over the quarter and a decrease of 0.3 percentage points compared with the corresponding quarter 2018.
Mr Kelly said with the proportion of income required to meet loan repayments 5.7 percentage points higher than the nation’s average, NSW remained the least affordable state or territory in which to buy a home.
In NSW, the number of loans to first home buyers increased to 8,246, an increase of 20.6 per cent over the quarter and an increase of 15.3 per cent compared to the September quarter 2018. Of the total number of first home buyers that purchased during the September quarter, 27.5 per cent were from NSW.
Over the September quarter, rental affordability in NSW improved with the proportion of income required to meet median rents, decreasing to 27.8 per cent, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points over the quarter and a decrease of 0.7 percentage points compared with the corresponding quarter 2018.
First home loans near 2011 record
HOUSING affordability has improved across the country seeing the highest percentage of first home buyers in the marketplace in eight years, according to research from the Real Estate Institute of Australia.
