As demand outstrips supply pressure mounts on housing prices
Selling conditions are on the up for vendors in Australia’s capitals
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Not that long ago, Australia was in the midst of the fastest drop in housing values on record, as rapidly increasing interest rates caused capital city values to plunge more than 9 percent in the space of about 10 months.
That’s all changed since hitting a low in February, with three consecutive months of positive growth in housing values due to a significant imbalance between supply and demand. So, less than a week out from winter, what’s the outlook for Australia’s property market?
Resilience: Competition is rife
There’s not a lot of competition in the market for vendors currently with decade-low listing numbers. It’s one of the reasons selling conditions have strengthened, as evidenced by above average clearance rates, faster selling time and less negotiation. For context, the total number of homes listed for sale nationally is tracking 28 percent below usual. When listing volumes are very low, selling conditions strengthen, which means potential vendors thinking about selling may well be tempted to list now rather than waiting until the traditional spring period, when activity surges and there’s a spike in competition to sell.
Rising prices: Sustainable or not?
Home values for the four largest capital cities all recorded an increase in housing values from the lows recorded in February. A mid-month update based on CoreLogic Australia’s daily Home Value Index showed the upswing gathering momentum, especially in cities such as Brisbane where the index is up 1.0% over the past four weeks. Sydney however is still leading the charge. Considering housing affordability measures remain stretched such a strong rate of growth is surprising and probably unsustainable. Clearance rates: Low supply vs high demand
Auction clearance rates have been holding at 70% or higher in recent weeks and volumes are slowly on the rise at a time when they would traditionally start to drift lower. Coupled with the upwards pressure on housing values these signs suggest, if anything, the market is gathering momentum rather than slowing down. The stronger clearance rates along with other vendor metrics like faster selling times for private treaty sales and reduced discounting rates, indicate sellers are getting a little bit more leverage back.
Buyer motivation: Urgency and FOMO on the rise
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) or buyer concern about being left behind was at its peak when the market was in full flight in 2021. While the trend is not back, yet, it does appear that some buyer demographics are highly motivated to get into the market. If the trend for low advertised stock
levels, rising clearance rates and higher values continues, it would not be surprising to see FOMO becoming more pervasive. As demand picks up against strong overseas migration and extremely tight rental markets, there’s likely to be some renters who try to fast track their purchasing decisions as well. The pool of available properties they’re competing for is the smallest it’s been in more than 10 years. A sense of urgency will likely play a part in some decision making over winter.
Challenges: Interest rates and market sentiment
Demonstrating an ability to service a loan is going to be one of the biggest hurdles that prospective buyers will face this year. Interest rates are high, but assessment levels are three percentage points higher again. However, qualifying for the loan is only one challenge. We can’t ignore low consumer sentiment levels, which will also be having some dampening effect on the market’s current exuberance and we shouldn’t expect to see a material lift in property activity until there’s an improvement in consumer confidence more broadly.
Wavering confidence: Economic uncertainty
If the RBA were to cut interest rates there is a good chance we would see a lift in consumer spirits, accompanied by a substantial pick up in both buyer and selling activity. Logically, lower interest rates would be the catalyst for a further uptick in housing values. Of course, we’re not expecting a rate cut anytime soon and there’s speculation that rates may even rise a little bit further this year. Economists are split on their forecasts with predictions for further rate hikes, some stability and some cuts later this year. All of this is likely to be adding to uncertainty and low consumer confidence levels, however any reduction in rates will likely be the cue for more buyers and sellers to become active again.
Homeowner resilience: Mortgage repayments remain steady
We would be naive to think there isn’t going to be a rise in motivated selling or increase in mortgage arrears in the short to medium-term. However, coming off record low rates, most banks were reporting 90-day arrears rates of around 0.5% to 0.6% at the end of 2022. That benchmark is set to increase, however most homeowners or borrowers will do their best to pull back sharply on discretionary spending before missing mortgage repayments or selling their home.
After winter, what’s next?
Spring 2023 is going to be interesting. Historically, it’s the season for new listings and sales transactions, but that activity didn’t materialise for spring last year. There’s possibly some accrued supply building up from people who have been thinking about selling but holding back, and if the market remains relatively buoyant we could see a very active spring this season. A material increase in advertised supply could dampen values and clearance rates as more homes come on the market.
Tim Lawless is Research Director at CoreLogic Asia Pacific
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A vibrant 1954 Palm Springs home featuring eight colorful murals by late artist Shawn Savage is on the market for $2.295 million. The 2,237-square-foot property features bold hot-pink doors, three bedrooms, a pool, mountain views and playful interiors blending modern glamour with classic Palm Springs style.
3 min
A bold 1950s home in Palm Springs, California, adorned with eight colorful murals by the late artist Shawn Savage, is coming to market ahead of the city’s annual Modernism Week.
The white stucco home on El Camino Way, built in 1954 and recently renovated, has an asking price of $2.295 million. Its staggered facade features three playfully abstract murals on either side of double-height hot pink doors.
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The sellers are Los Angeles-based partners John Freeman and Mathieu Faure, who knew it was “the one” when they saw it after several months of searching in the winter of 2023. “It’s a happy house,” Freeman said. “We really liked the feel of the house: the uniqueness, the openness, the brightness—and the art.”
Located in the Mesa neighborhood of Palm Springs, which backs up to the San Jacinto Mountains, the 2,237-square-foot house features three bedrooms, an angled bonus room and a yard with a pool, desert mountain views and another colorful mural running alongside the pool.
“I never thought in my life I would have a house with pink doors,” said Faure, a producer at Apple TV who is originally from Paris. “It’s so colorful, it’s so different. And so Palm Springs.”
The layout of the home creates a smooth flow from the front doors through the open-plan common area—a foyer, bar, and living and dining room—into the kitchen around a fireplace wall and out to the yard. A corridor leads to a private bedroom wing, where the primary suite has floor-to-ceiling windows and the primary bath is only a tad smaller than the bedroom.
Faure has filled the home with Jonathan Adler furniture, rugs and accessories, riffing on the energetic California vibes of the house to create an aesthetic of “modern American glamour,” he said.
“It was enjoyable for me to play with different types of furniture and make this house ‘happy chic,’ as I describe it,” he said.
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“He did a fantastic job,” said Freeman, who is an attorney and consultant. “It does kind of bring a smile to my face whenever I walk into the house.”
Since the furniture and decor were chosen for the particularities of the space, the couple is open to selling them with the home. Their West Hollywood house is already furnished; the collection doesn’t match the vibes of a Houston loft they bought near family; and Faure can’t imagine these pieces in New York—where he’s lived in the past—he said.
The duo bought the Palm Springs house for $1.925 million in 2024, according to property records, and will list the home Monday. They are represented by Stewart Smith, Patrick Jordan and Kevin Stanley of Bennion Deville Homes/Luxury Portfolio International.
The previous owners had purchased the home in 2021 for $975,000 and then spent more than two years and $700,000 on the renovation, according to Realtor.com. They commissioned Savage, a local Palm Springs artist and painter known for his joyful abstract work, to decorate the home.
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Savage, who died in 2024, lived in the Coachella Valley from 2003, and his work can be found in various local institutions and is on exhibit at the Illumine Gallery in Palm Springs. “Some artists pass through a place. Shawn Savage became a part of it,” the gallery’s description states.
Unsurprisingly, the murals invite lots of friendly conversations, as well as guided tours and interested lookers, but never to a degree that it disturbed the peacefulness of their home or the neighborhood, the sellers said. “It felt like living in an art gallery, and you have the exterior that you would share with the world,” Faure explained.
The neighborhood also played a role in their decision to buy, because of its access to the hiking trails of the San Jacinto Mountains, the lack of through-roads and the neighborly environment.
“It’s a very friendly place,” Faure said.
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