Setting the record straight on Mosman house prices (and others too)!
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There is no doubting the volatility of home prices and this became more evident when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided not to increase the official cash rate. The new money in our property markets is under serious threat. So too, are the financial institutions which can ill afford a reverse in property prices. These very markets were in growth mode during the global financial crisis when the established (old money) property markets went into actual decline. The RBA is now faced with a real estate conundrum as is the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) with reporting accuracy.
Christopher Joye wrote in Business Spectator this week “ABS overstates house price growth” – “the ABS’s median price numbers are being artificially inflated by the fading of first timers, who are being replaced by up graders buying more expensive homes.” Which is exactly what happened in Mosman last year as the market awoke from the GFC (from June onwards) as did the majority of top-end property markets. Joye wrote “While the ABS results will no doubt trigger the inevitable media excitement, the hard empirical fact is that Australian homes have been recording consistent capital growth of about 2 – 3 per cent per quarter since the start of 2009. It is comforting to note, however, that Australian house price growth has not outpaced the growth in household disposable incomes since around 2002.”
The building in the bottom left hand corner is the clue where Sydney Ports are located – a magnificent heritage building on Sydney Harbour identifying our rich history
Understandably the media ran amok (trying to get those rivers of gold running again) with the ABS figures – Australian house price index rose 5.6 per cent in the December quarter and the September quarter was upwardly revised to 4.4 per cent. ABS figures in the year to December identified that the house price index rose 13.6 per cent. The only problem is, that ABS figures are not considered as accurate as the other data aggregators.
So let’s take a look at Australian Property Monitors – Domain Property Data (our preferred data aggregator given that they list the actual property addresses for all the properties contained within this report) revealed for Mosman house sales in 2009 – 2008 – 2007 a comparative analysis where you can be the judge.
- Total number offered – 334
- Total number of sales recorded – 303. (31 still unrecorded)
- Total Value Sold – $668,966,377
- Public Auction – 62 properties to a value of $94,857,000
- Private Treaty – 241 properties to a value of $574,109,377
- Median Price – $2,000,000
- Average Price – $2,397,728
- Highest Sale $13,200,000 (RWM)
- Total number offered – 360
- Total number of sales recorded – 287
- Total Value Sold – $774,865,612
- Public Auction – 65 properties to a value of $126,645,250
- Private Treaty – 222 properties to a value of $648,220,362
- Median Price – $2,275,000
- Average Price – $2,738,041
- Highest Sale $14,700,000 (RWM)
- Total number offered – 456
- Total number of sales recorded – 412
- Total Value Sold – $1,182,372,720
- Public Auction – 132 properties to a value of $292,042,000
- Private Treaty – 280 properties to a value of $890,330,720
- Median Price – $2,300,000
- Average Price – $2,869,836
- Highest Sale $22,500,000 (new record price)
MOSMAN PROPERTIES SOLD REPORT – (House and Semi only)
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1 JANUARY 2009 to 1 DECEMBER 2009
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MOSMAN PROPERTIES SOLD REPORT – (House and Semi only)
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1 JANUARY 2008 to 31 DECEMBER 2008
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MOSMAN PROPERTIES SOLD REPORT – (House and Semi only)
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1 JANUARY 2007 to 31 DECEMBER 2007
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Next week Cremorne House and Semi sales
SUMMARY MOSMAN HOUSE PRICES FROM 2007 to 2009
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It is interesting to extrapolate data post GFC. In 2007 the number of houses offered to the marketplace was 456 and in 2008 the number offered, fell -21 per cent to 360. In 2009, we witnessed market consolidation when 334 houses were offered at a – 7 per cent decline. One must not forget that in 2008 and 2009, scuttlebutt had property voyeurs believing that more than half the houses in Mosman were available for sale (this would equate to approximately 2,500 homes as against the recorded 360 and 334 respectively). Thank goodness one Mosman agency has the technology and desire to set the record straight.
Sold properties in 2007 came in at 412 and dropped -30 per cent in 2008 to 287 then in latter 2009 we saw an interesting turnaround where sales increased to 303 – a +5.5 per cent increase. The same patterns can be observed in ‘total value sold’ statistics when the total in 2007 was $1,182,372,720. This fell -34.5 per cent in 2008 to record $774,865,612. In 2009 we started to see the recovery when total sales were $668,966,377 (this represents a -14 per cent decline). We expect these figures to move back into the black in 2010.
THE AUCTION v PRIVATE TREATY DEBATE IN MOSMAN
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This is amazing data and before we move further, I must advise that every suburb reports different rates of success. The Eastern Suburbs have very strong auction markets and Mosman is one of the worst performing auction markets in Sydney.
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- Total sales – 412
- Auction – 132 (32 per cent)
- Private Treaty – 280 (68 per cent)
- Total sales – 287
- Auction – 65 (23 per cent)
- Private Treaty – 222 (77 per cent)
- Total sales – 303
- Auction – 62 (20 per cent)
- Private Treaty – 241 (80 per cent)
Mosman – 2007
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Mosman – 2008
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Mosman – 2009
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Makes you wonder why so many Mosman agents keep recommending auction? I know that regular blogger Patricia will find these statistics of great interest.
So where to in 2010 and what will happen to Mosman house prices? I asked Steve Patrick, one of the most respected agents in Mosman what would happen and here is his response. “After a twenty (20) per cent fall in our market from the highs of 2007 to the end of 2009 (actual registered sales on several properties substantiate this figure), I believe the market bounced back somewhat in the order of five (5) to ten (10) per cent.) The last few months of 2009 confirmed this trend where house prices have now stabilised.
There is renewed confidence in the local property markets from buyers, albeit with caution, where I see our market moving steadily over the next six months with small (but more importantly), steady upward growth. Supply and demand will be the key factor going forward as it always has been. Rarely in my past twenty plus years working in Mosman, have I seen an over -supply, even when the GFC was at its historic peak.”
So there you have it! The Mosman online real estate bible has spoken. This weekend marks our first 2010 experience of buyer reaction/response at our upcoming open houses.
We trust that the data contained within this edition of Virtual Realty News will greatly assist you with your market determination. Rest assured, you will read it first with only one Mosman Agency!
See you on our blog where the Mosman debate continues.
Cheers ^__^
For this week’s recorded Balmoral real estate, Mosman real estate, Cremorne real estate, Cremorne Point real estate, Neutral Bay real estate and Cammeray real estate sales www.rwm.com.au/news/
