Like most 30 somethings with a substantial HECS debt and an addiction to avocado on toast, I am an aspiring first home buyer. I’d love to buy the home I currently rent: a daggy 1960’s ‘six-pack’ flat on a main road in Footscray. It’s currently valued around $360,000....
BLOG: housing
Does taxing investors drive up the rent?
The Productivity Commission’s recent five year review, “Shifting the Dial”, brings the welcome recommendation of a shift from stamp duties to a broad-based land tax. Stamp duty is a dud tax from the economist’s point of view; it doesn’t achieve an obvious...
Modelling housing failure
Cameron Murray from Fresh Economic Thinking provides insight on why today's housing modeling is not up to the task of providing accurate insights into urban development. The workhorse model of urban economics is the Alonso-Muth-Mills (AMM) model of the mono-centric...
Reform Negative Gearing Now!
Are you locked out of the housing market? Do you want to see an end to market distorting subsidies to property investors? Sign the petition! This petition calls for the Federal Government to reform negative gearing NOW! Negative Gearing must be limited to new housing...
Victoria considers ‘Value Capture’
Victorian Labor in its November 2014 election transport manifesto Project 10,000 boldly announced it would “Remove our 50 worst level crossings” at a cost of $5-6 billion. They are now the government. Grade separation of rail – elevating the track or, preferably,...
HIA should advocate inexpensive land
MELBOURNE:- Very poor residential land sales have prompted fresh pleading for the construction industry by the Housing Industry Association today in ‘Land Sales Signal Slow Home Building Recovery’ as new home buyers remain unwilling to commit at current high land...
Written Off: Negative Gearing
Tuesday Oct 2nd, 6.30pm 1/27 Hardware La, Melbourne Presenter: Philip Soos RSVP $5 entry Does Negative Gearing increase rental supply? Is it a path to wealth or a black hole? Download the full report (PDF) Philip Soos has assembled an extensive array of data to...
Telling the RBA like it is
Reprinted from On Line Opinion 6 Sept 2012 The apathy of economists about the costs and burdens imposed upon modest citizens is staggering, as though this is their natural lot and there is nothing to be done. Housing is a perfect example. We see young adults rejecting...
House prices stagnate
The ABS Eight Capital Cities House Price Indexes 6416.0 released today shows the property market is totally stagnant with prices unmoved, says Prosper Australia. “Property spruikers calling ‘Bottom!’ based on this data - and they will be – are misleading homebuyers....
Speculative Vacancies in Melbourne Report: 2012
20 June 2012 There are 90,700 vacant houses in Melbourne - 5.9 per cent of the total - according to Earthsharing Australia's 5th annual Speculative Vacancies Report. "Our lazy land use makes a mockery of the drive for affordable housing," researcher Philip Soos said...