Pain for vendors as more properties sell at a loss

The number of properties selling at a loss is on the rise in Australia, new research released today reveals.

CoreLogic’s Pain and Gain report for June shows that Sydney had the highest levels of homes selling at a loss across the capital cities, reaching 10.7 percent over the March quarter. It’s the highest level since the August quarter of 2009. Melbourne, Darwin and Perth also saw increases in the numbers of properties selling at a loss.

The report noted that there has also been a rise in the share of sales of properties held for less than two years, with an increase of 8.4 percent over the March quarter, up from 6.6 percent over the same period last year.

Report author and CoreLogic head of research Eliza Owen said such behaviour was historically a little unusual.

“Such short selling times that involve sellers incurring a loss may be considered unusual, because hold periods typically increase during housing value downturns, as sellers try to avoid making a loss,” Ms Owen said.
“The implication may be that some sellers are choosing to incur a loss from resale in order to avoid particularly high mortgage repayments in the current rate-hiking environment.”

The pain has been felt more in the unit market, which has experienced a faster deterioration in profitability than the housing market over the past year. The report speculated that the performance of the unit market may be an indication that investors are struggling to service their mortgages. In this environment, it may also be an indication that sellers are willing to offload their property for less rather than face higher mortgage payments.

Ms Owen said residential resale gains remained significant in overall terms. While the largest capitals had experienced the greatest losses, there were capital cities still experiencing gains. In Hobart, 99 percent of resales made a nominal gain, while 98.1 percent of resales in Canberra recorded a profit. Brisbane also saw an increase over the quarter, with 95.7 percent of resales experiencing a gain.

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Pain for vendors as more properties sell at a loss

The real estate reckoning continues as homeowners and investors reassess their assets

Atlas Real Estate is reimagining how people connect with property, combining listings, market insights, local stories and lifestyle content in one destination for those buying, selling or simply exploring the market.