Rate hold as Autumn selling season begins

Century 21 believes that the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision to keep interest rates on hold will encourage many buyers to make a property purchase in the traditionally busy autumn real estate season.

"At its March meeting the Reserve Bank elected to keep the official cash rate steady at three per cent for a fourth consecutive month," said Charles Tarbey, Chairman and Owner of Century 21 Australasia.

"This move suggests that the Reserve Bank feels relatively comfortable with current economic conditions which, in combination with relatively low interest rates, should help to provide a level of confidence for buyers looking to secure a property purchase.

"Century 21 is starting to see a lot of buyers get off the fence and this decision should only increase that trend."

As part of its decision, the Reserve Bank reasoned that it was prudent to leave the cash rate unchanged in light of recent economic information, the expected rate of inflation and the fact that there had been a substantial easing of monetary policy in recent decisions.

The Reserve Bank's decision follows the recent release of RP Data-Rismark's Hedonic Home Value Index results, which showed that median home values In Australia's capital cities rose 0.3 per cent in February, following a 1.2 per cent increase in January.

"In terms of the Australian residential property market, we have seen a combined 1.5 per cent rise in capital city dwelling values over the past two months and auction clearance rates pick up to levels not seen since mid-2010," continued Charles Tarbey.

"For the time being, buyers can take advantage of another month of rates on hold at attractive levels," concluded Charles Tarbey.

Century 21 encourages potential buyers that are looking to purchase real estate to ensure they have obtained the appropriate professional property and finance advice before doing so.

For more information about the residential property market in your areas of interest, please feel free to stop by your local Century 21 Real Estate office for expert and clear advice. Additionally, if you would like to speak to a mortgage professional about suitable loan packages, please contact Century 21 Home Loans


Disclaimer: The opinions posted within this blog are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of CENTURY 21 Australia, others employed by CENTURY 21 Australia or the organisations with which the network is affiliated. The author takes full responsibility for his opinions and does not hold CENTURY 21 or any third party responsible for anything in the posted content. The author freely admits that his views may not be the same as those of his colleagues, or third parties associated with the CENTURY 21 Australia network.