Feb 1,2021 Ryan Felsman is a Senior Economist at CommSec

The Aussie housing market is buoyant as the lifestyle stampede from the big cities to regional areas continues during the pandemic. Home prices advanced at the beginning of 2021, supported by record-low mortgage rates, the HomeBuilder grant scheme, the improving labour market, low advertised housing inventory and a pick up in home sales. In fact, CoreLogic estimates that “the number of national home sales over the past three months was 23.9 per cent higher than the equivalent three month period from a year ago.” The lift in sales volumes is consistent with an almost 50 per cent surge in owner-occupier housing loan approvals over the six months to November 2020.

Philip Lowe | Feb 2,2021

In Australia, the economic recovery is well under way and has been stronger than was earlier expected. There has been strong growth in employment and a welcome decline in the unemployment rate to 6.6 per cent. Retail spending has been strong and many of the households and businesses that had deferred loan repayments have now recommenced repayments. These outcomes have been underpinned by Australia's success on the health front and the very significant fiscal and monetary support.

Tim Lawless 1 Feb 2021

Housing values continued to rise through the first month of 2021 with CoreLogic’s national home value index up 0.9% over the month. The January movement takes Australian home values to a fresh record high. Housing values have surpassed pre-COVID levels by 1.0%, and the index is 0.7% higher than the previous September 2017 peak.

TARYN PARISTUE 19 JAN 21

Analysts at the Reserve Bank have projected house prices could increase by 30 per cent over the next three years if low interest rates prevail.

An RBA report released under a Freedom of Information request on Friday examined the effect of ongoing low interest rates on asset values. The central bank has cut the cash rate by 1.4 percentage points over the past 18 months and it is now at an all-time low of 0.1 per cent.

The report shows that low interest rates will increase asset prices, which will have a ripple effect on wealth and household spending, bucking the house price trends predicted last year.

RENEE MCKEOWNTUE 15 DEC 20

The remarkable lift in the residential sector is set to continue as buyers and sellers make up for lost time.

Property prices are on the upswing after what was one of the smaller downturns in history according to Corelogic's Quarterly Economic Review.

Following this slump there was a record increase at 14.5 per cent in the amount of finance secured for properties, driven by owner-occupiers.

The Corelogic report shows nationally, housing market values did not see the large decline anticipated at the start of the Covid.