2534 days ago

Westpac report says the good times in the residential property market will "end very soon".

Garry Tranter from Price My House for Free Limited

The housing market is facing a looming slowdown, according to Westpac's chief economist Dominick Stephens.

In a Home Truths Report on the housing market Stephens said although the market was positive for now, it will soon slow.

"In our view the good times for the market are going to end very soon," he said.

"We are forecasting a small decline in house prices in the second half of 2018.

The report pointed to six factors that would likely cause a market slowdown:

- Foreign buyers will be banned from buying existing residential properties, probably by the middle of this year.

- Ring fencing tax losses on residential investment properties, which means investors won't be able to offset any tax losses from a property against other income.

- The Tax Working Group will probably recommend a Capital Gains Tax, although the family home will likely be exempted.

- Mortgage rates are more likely to rise than fall

- Net migration is expected to keep slowing while home construction will keep rising.

"This is a prodigious set of negative factors, but for a few reasons we are forecasting only a slight house price decline, rather than anything dramatic," the report said.

More messages from your neighbours
3 hours ago

💡 A Little Brain Buzz for You— Solve These! ⚡

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

You can ask this question all day long and get a completely different answer, yet all the answers will be correct. What is the question?

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!

Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

Image
3 days ago

Show us your projects

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Whether it's craft, haberdashery, woodwork or upcycling, we'd love to see what you've been working on lately.
You may even spark someone else's creativity...

Tell us about your current project or show us a picture in the comments below...

Image
14 days ago

What's one highway or road that needs attention?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

We've all been on a summer roadie and experienced first-hand the state of our roads.

If you've ever been stuck in a summer traffic jam, had near-misses on dangerous turns or feared for your life on clifftops (while the car behind you is tail-gating!) - you may have an opinion on this one.

Tell us what main road or highway you think needs some serious attention across the country, and why!

Image