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First home buyers scheme fuels competition in the market
Australian properties with an estimated value below the 5% deposit guarantee scheme price caps have recorded stronger growth than higher-priced homes. According to Cotality data, homes with values below the price caps increased 6.7%, compared with a 3.6% rise in value for properties with estimated values above the price caps. Momentum was building in the sub-price-caps market before the scheme's expansion on October 1st, with the divergence opening around the announcement in late August. Cotaility has suggested several factors to explain the greater growth at lower price points, including the scheme bringing forward demand, serviceability constraints, and increased investor presence in the lower price segment. Investors made up 40% of mortgage demand in Q4, which is well above the decade average, where investors typically comprised around one-third of mortgage demand. Stronger growth at values below the price cap could be seen in every capital city and regional market except for Regional Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Sydney had the largest growth differential, with homes under the price cap up 4.1% and those above the cap falling 1.1%. Across Australia, 81 of the 88 (92%) SA4-sub markets have s
Buying
New US home sales drop in December as inventory falls
New single-family home sales in the United States fell 1.7% in December as inventory slumped. Sales were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 745,000 during the month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is also a 3.8% decline year-over-year. "An estimated 679,000 new homes were sold in 2025. This is 1.1 percent below the 2024 figure of 686,000,” the agencies wrote. Most new houses sold during December were in the South, with sales up 9% to 430,000 units. The Midwest also reported a 31.7% increase in sales to 108,000 units, while sales in all other regions declined. November’s sales were 758,000, up 15.5% from October. These figures were delayed due to the 43-day government shutdown in October and November. New single-family housing inventory at the end of December was 472,000, down 2.7% from November. This is a supply of 7.6 months at current sales rates, the agencies said. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a new housing affordability package earlier in February in a bid to increase supply, which would cut zoning and regulatory restrictions on building new homes. The bill will now be considered by the Senate, which advanced similar measures under de
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US House aims to pass home affordability bill
The United States House of Representatives is set to pass a housing affordability package that seeks to significantly increase the United States housing supply. The Housing for the 21st Century Act, introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers in December, would expand financing for affordable housing and offer grants for community development activities. The bill was debated on the House floor today, with a final vote due within two legislative days. “Housing supply has not kept pace with demand, leaving the nation short by as many as 5.5 million units. Rising construction costs, regulatory delays, and outdated zoning constraints have all fueled this crisis,” according to Arkansas Republican Representative French Hill, the bill’s sponsor. “To address the housing crisis, we must expand supply, including single-family and multifamily homes, apartment complexes, and other factory-built housing. The bipartisan Housing for the 21st Century Act aims to alleviate this shortage by reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers to new home construction, modernising HUD [Department of Housing and Urban Development] programs, and allowing banks to more freely deploy funding.” The bill would also increase maximum loan limits for the F
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US house prices underperformed in June
United States house prices grew by 2.9% year-over-year last quarter, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, but continued to underperform in June. House prices were unchanged from the year’s first quarter, however. Prices rose by 1.9% year-over-year in June, their slowest pace in around two years, per the S&P Totality Case-Shiller Index. “For the first time in years, home prices are failing to keep pace with broader inflation,” said Nicholas Godec, S&P Dow Jones Indices head of fixed income tradables and commodities. The Consumer Price Index rose by 2.7% from June 2024 to June 2025. “What makes this deceleration particularly noteworthy is the underlying pattern: The modest 1.9% annual gain masks significant volatility, with the first half of the period showing declining prices (-0.6%) that were more than offset by a 2.5% surge in the most recent six months, suggesting the housing market experienced a meaningful inflection point around the start of 2025.” House prices have risen in 46 states since the second quarter of 2024, with New York leading at 8.0%. Connecticut and New Jersey, also northeastern states, placed second and third. The District of Columbia reported the largest price decline in that period,
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New US home sales extend decline in July
New home sales in the United States dropped in July, continuing the slump seen across much of 2025 to date. Single-family housing sales last month were at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 652,000. This is 0.6% lower than the rate in June, and 8.2% below July 2024. Around 499,000 new houses were available for sale at the end of July, dropping by 0.6% from June but 7.3% above July 2024. “This represents a supply of 9.2 months at the current sales rate,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau. “The months' supply is virtually unchanged (±16.7 percent)* from the June 2025 estimate of 9.2 months, and is 16.5 percent (±19.0 percent)* above the July 2024 estimate of 7.9 months.” June’s sales rate was also revised upwards from 627,000 units to 652,000 units. The median sales price last month was US$403,800, down 0.8% from June and falling 5.9% from July 2024, and is the lowest median price seen in eight months. Most houses sold were priced between US$300,000 and $399,999, at 18,000 units. This was a decline of around 1,000 units from June, while the $400,000-499,999 price bracket posted an increase of 1,000 units to 12,000. Sales of houses priced at more than US$1,000,000 also dropped by about 1,000 units, reaching 2

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Price caps lifted on Australia's first home buyer scheme
The Australian Government has moved to remove all caps on its First Home Guarantee scheme from October 1, allowing an unlimited number first-time buyers to purchase properties with just a 5% deposit. The expanded scheme delivers on the government's election commitment to support all Australians into home ownership, according to Housing Australia. The changes eliminate both placement limits and income restrictions that previously capped individual earnings at AU$125,000 (US$81,000) and joint applications at $200,000.Price caps increase across major citiesSydney buyers will see price caps jump from $900,000 to $1.5 million, whilst Melbourne's limit rises from $800,000 to $950,000. Brisbane's ceiling increases to $1 million from $700,000, and Perth climbs from $600,000 to $850,000. These adjustments reflect surging property price growth that has pushed median house values up to $825,000 (as of April). But whether the caps will meaningfully expand access remains questionable when Sydney's median house price sits well above even the new $1.5 million threshold.Mechanics unchangedHousing Australia provides a guarantee to participating lenders, enabling buyers to borrow up to 95% of the property value. The guarantee covers up to
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ANZ: RBA rate cuts to boost Australia’s housing market
ANZ Research has raised its housing price forecasts for Australian capital cities, now predicting a 5.0% year-on-year increase in 2025 and 5.8% in 2026. Three key factors underpin this outlook: rate cuts, supply constraints, and affordability pressures. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s easing cycle, which began with a rate cut in February, helped reverse a shallow three-month housing downturn. Since then, capital city housing prices have grown at an annualised rate of 7.4% over the past three months. Historically, easing cycles have seen capital city prices rise by an average of 6.1% in the first year (7.4% excluding the post-GFC cycle). ANZ expects the RBA to cut rates by 25 basis points again in November, further supporting house prices. Supply remains tight, with new listings down over 10% year-on-year and total listings around 29% below the 10-year average. This shortage is expected to ease slightly with the upcoming spring selling season but will continue to exert upward pressure on prices, especially in regions with strong population growth. Affordability constraints are expected to limit sharp price increases. Lower-priced properties are seeing stronger gains, with prices in the bottom quartile rising 5.7%
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Property-backed loans up in FY2025 amid rate cuts: PEXA
Property-backed loans settled in Australia’s mainland states rose by 6.8% across the 2025 financial year, aided by a boost in buyer sentiment from rate cuts, according to a PEXA report. In FY2025, 544,630 new property-backed loans were settled in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia. Queensland led in total property settlements, while Victoria saw the most new mortgages. “521,750 of these loans (96%) were attached to a residential property. This surpassed growth in property settlement volumes over the same period (up by just 3.2% y/y), indicating that a greater proportion of property settlements required a loan,” wrote PEXA. A total of A$380.6 billion was settled in new loans over the last financial year, up 14.7% from the previous year, with $346.4 billion for residential property. New commercial loans rose by 13.2% to 18,000 in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, with their value rising by 22.2% to $34.2 billion. According to the report, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s 25-basis point cash rate cuts in February and May “helped to support household sentiment, consumption, home purchases and savings rates.” Victoria posted the most new loans in FY2025 at 148,126. It
Buying
British home prices see largest tumble since 2002
The average asking price for British homes recorded its biggest fall in more than 20 years. According to property site Rightmove, the average price of homes coming onto the market dropped by 1.2% to £373,709 from 8 June to 12 July. While it is typical for there to be a seasonal drop in house prices in July, this marks the largest monthly fall since Rightmove began its index in 2002. The increase is spurred on by the number of properties for sale, which is at its highest level in a decade. “What’s most important to remember in this market is that the price is key to selling,” Rightmove property expert Colleen Babock says. “The decade-high level of buyer choice means that discerning buyers can quickly spot when a home looks over-priced compared to the many others that may be available in their area.” London saw the highest number of falls in asking prices, dropping 1.5% from last month and sliding by 2.1% in inner London. Despite the stamp duty deadline ending in April for England and North Ireland, sales agreed rose 5% from last year. The sales-agreed increase was helped along by competitive pricing. “Even after the stamp duty deadline, we’re seeing more sales being agreed and more new potential buyers enter