Updated
Updated · Oz Arab Media · Jun 12
Sydney Home Values Fall 0.9% in May as Budget and Rate Hikes Squeeze Buyers
Updated
Updated · Oz Arab Media · Jun 12

Sydney Home Values Fall 0.9% in May as Budget and Rate Hikes Squeeze Buyers

3 articles · Updated · Oz Arab Media · Jun 12

Summary

  • Sydney home values posted their biggest monthly drop in years in May, falling 0.9% and pulling the city deeper into a broader national housing slowdown.
  • Borrowing capacity has shrunk about 10% to 15% since the federal budget, while higher rates and tighter bank lending have made buyers more selective and slowed decision-making.
  • Auction conditions weakened alongside prices: Sydney’s preliminary clearance rate fell to 51.8% in the final week of May and hit 49.2% during budget week, the lowest since April 2020.
  • Selling times have stretched to about 40 days from 28, open-home attendance is down roughly 5%, and some suburbs recorded monthly price falls of 1.4% to 2.6%.
  • Cotality’s Tim Lawless said the market may be at the start of a broader correction, with national home values potentially falling 8% to 10% if current conditions persist.

Insights

In a falling property market, why are Sydney's most affordable homes actually becoming more expensive?
Is this the 'dramatic and destabilising' property market correction that economists have long predicted for Australia?
Will new tax reforms solve Australia's housing crisis or deepen it by stifling new home construction?