The Federal Government’s announcement of the best economic growth in four years and the prediction that interest rates remain steady for the rest of the year, may be the catalyst for a return to slow but positive growth in the housing market. The Government announced today a 1.2 per cent increase in GDP in the 3 months to June 30.

The trend is definitely upwards following the latest housing statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Whilst a minimal increase, and less than expected by economists, the result should still be heartening for the many brokers, investors and home owners alike who have been waiting with bated breath for something positive from the property market.

Statistics released from the ABS on July’s housing figures show a one per cent rise in home loans for the month which is an improvement on the flat market of the last few months.

Total housing finance by value rose 1.6 per cent in July, seasonally adjusted, to $20.576 billion. The value of home loans for owner-occupied homes rose 1.4 per cent to $14.4 billion after seasonal adjustments. The value of loans for investment homes rose 1.9 per cent to $6.2 billion.

The number of commitments to buy new homes fell 0.9 per cent after seasonal adjustments, while commitments to buy established homes rose 1.3 per cent.

The number of loan commitments for building homes fell 0.8 per cent.

JULY KEY FIGURES

Trend estimates
Seasonally adjusted estimates
Jul 2011
Jun 2011 to Jul 2011
Jul 2011
Jun 2011 to Jul 2011

Value of dwelling
commitments(a)(b)
$m
% change
$m
% change
Total dwellings
20 449
1.2
20 576
1.6
Owner occupied
housing
14 280
1.5
14 370
1.4
Investment housing –
fixed loans(c)
6 169
0.5
6 206
1.9
Number of dwelling commitments(a)(b)
no.
% change
no.
% change
Owner occupied
housing
49 548
1.7
49 813
1.0
Construction of
dwellings
4 796
1.3
4 757
-0.8
Purchase of new
dwellings
2 098
2.3
2 084
-0.9
Purchase of
established dwellings
42 654
1.7
42 972
1.3

(a)
Includes refinancing (see Glossary).
(b)
Excludes alterations and additions.
(c)
Excludes revolving credit.

 

Value of dwelling commitments,
Total dwellings
Graph: Value of dwelling commitments, Total dwellings

No. of dwelling commitments,
Owner occupied housing
Graph: No. of dwelling commitments, Owner occupied housing

Coupled with the small rise in home loans, were statistics released yesterday from the ABS showing household spending has also risen 1 per cent in the

With this small boost in confidence, will be the need for prospective home owners to ensure they have not been tarnished by the gloomy periods of recent months in respect to their credit file. It would suggest this could be a good time for people to do a credit check, and ensure their credit report comes back clear.

Whilst the outlook may be positive, it probably hasn’t transferred to banks yet – so they may still require borrowers to have a clear credit file to obtain a mortgage in the current market.

People should be aware that any repayments which were left late past 60 days may have been listed on their credit file as defaults. This includes any bills which were in dispute.

People should also be aware that creditors make mistakes when putting listings on credit files all the time. Sometimes it can be a case of mistaken identity, the wrong person ends up with the bad credit rating, sometimes it can be a change in address which causes the adverse listing, or simple computer error. So it is worth doing a free check every 12 months, even if people think they should have no adverse listings on their credit file.

It is the credit file holder’s responsibility to obtain a credit report from the credit reporting agencies and ensure their credit file is as it should be. Contrary to popular belief, if the credit report shows inconsistencies, people do have the right to have them removed. If a listing has been put there in error, it is possible to have it removed – NOT JUST MARKED AS PAID. For those people who were previously unable to obtain a mortgage due to credit file defaults this may open a door they thought was closed for 5 years (the term of a default).

For more information on how to check credit files, and for help with credit rating repair, visit MyCRA Credit Repairs website.