House prices, sales up after rate cut

Auction clearance rates rose in the past week, as did house prices, as buyers appeared to jump on the Reserve Bank's cut to official interest rates.

A sale sign is seen in front of a house

Auction clearance rates are approaching housing boom levels, the latest industry figures show. (AAP)

House prices edged up in most capital cities and auction clearance rates are approaching housing boom levels, latest figures on the housing market show.

In the wake of the latest interest rate cut from the Reserve Bank of Australia, prices rose in four of the five mainland state capitals last week, while auction clearance rates in the three major markets were around levels seen in boom conditions a year ago.

In the week to ending Sunday, 74.9 per cent of auctions ended with a sale, according to preliminary estimates from market analytics firm CoreLogic - down only marginally from 76.9 per cent in the corresponding week of last year.

The Reserve Bank cut the official interest rate to 1.5 per cent last Tuesday and although major banks only dropped their main lending rates by half the reduction, buyers were still active.

Prices rose in Sydney (0.2 per cent), Melbourne (0.3 per cent), Brisbane/Gold Coast (0.2 per cent) and Perth (0.4 per cent).

Only Adelaide failed to notch up a gain last week.

Aside from Perth, where prices are down 5.1 per cent from a year ago, the mainland state capitals all recorded annual rises of around five per cent or more, led by the 9.3 per cent rise in Sydney with Melbourne second with a 6.9 per cent rise.


Share
Published 8 August 2016 1:16pm
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world