CoreLogic's national measure of housing values revealed five of the eight capital cities recorded a 'modest' uptick in the monthly growth rate.

This 'surprising' result saw Melbourne housing values rise, despite recording a slight decline in the previous month.

Regional markets have had a 'substantially' stronger monthly result, with the combined regionals index up 1.8% over the month and 6.3% over the rolling quarter.

Comparatively, capital city housing values rose 0.8% and 2.6% respectively over the same period.

CoreLogic's Research Director Tim Lawless said housing stock is thinly traded in January, and that it will be more important to pay attention to these trends when transactional activity picks up.

"As the volume of home sales moves out of seasonal lows, we should get a firmer reading on how 2022 is shaping up," Mr Lawless said.

"The early indication is that housing markets are starting 2022 with a similar trend to what we saw through late last year. Values are still broadly rising, but nowhere near as fast as they were in early 2021."

Mr Lawless said that growth rate softening was influenced by a number of factors.

"[Factors include] less government stimulus, worsening affordability, rising fixed term mortgage rates and, more recently, a slight tightening in credit conditions, and a surge in new listings through the final quarter of last year," he said.

Highest dwelling value growth since 1989

The annual change in national dwelling values reached a new cyclical high in January, up by 22.4% over the year to date.

This is the highest annual rate of growth recorded since June 1989 according to CoreLogic's figures.

In dollar terms, the average Australian home is now worth an extra $131,236.

Brisbane recorded the biggest jump in housing values, up by 29.2% or $159,763 over the past year.

Over the past month, Brisbane housing values steamed ahead, rising by 2.3%; Adelaide housing values rose by a close 2.2%; Hobart housing values rose by 1.2%.

Slower growth was recorded in Melbourne (0.2%), Darwin (0.5%), Sydney (0.6%), and Perth (0.6%) in January.

Hot rental market still elevated, but cooling down

Since its peak in the March quarter of 2021 (3.2%), the rental index reduced to a quarterly rate of growth of 2% in January.

Annualised rent prices rose by 9%, slightly down from the peak of 9.4% in November last year.

That said, CoreLogic data released Thursday also showed 2021 saw the strongest annual growth rate since 2007.

Annual growth in Perth peaked at 16.9% in June 2021, slowing to 8.8% in January 2022.

Also notably Darwin's rental growth peaked at 22.3% in August 2021, now sitting at 11.7%.

Brisbane and Canberra are now recording the fastest rent rises across the capitals, with rents up 2.3% in both cities over the three months ending January. 

This 'stronger' rental growth reflects the imbalance between rental supply and demand, particularly for houses, according to CoreLogic.

The gross rental yield nationally fell to 3.21% - down from 3.69% the year prior - despite rents rising at an above-average pace. 

This is because dwelling values have risen more substantially, pushing yields in most cities downward.


Advertisement

Buying a home or looking to refinance? The table below features home loans with some of the lowest interest rates on the market for owner occupiers.

Update resultsUpdate
LenderHome LoanInterest Rate Comparison Rate* Monthly Repayment Repayment type Rate Type Offset Redraw Ongoing Fees Upfront Fees Max LVR Lump Sum Repayment Additional Repayments Split Loan Option TagsFeaturesLinkComparePromoted ProductDisclosure
6.04% p.a.
6.06% p.a.
$3,011
Principal & Interest
Variable
$0
$530
90%
4.6 Star Customer Ratings
  • Available for purchase or refinance, min 10% deposit needed to qualify.
  • No application, ongoing monthly or annual fees.
  • Quick and easy online application process.
Disclosure
5.99% p.a.
5.90% p.a.
$2,995
Principal & Interest
Variable
$0
$0
80%
Apply in minutes
  • No application or ongoing fees. Annual rate discount
  • Unlimited redraws & additional repayments. LVR <80%
  • A low-rate variable home loan from a 100% online lender. Backed by the Commonwealth Bank.
Disclosure
6.09% p.a.
6.11% p.a.
$3,027
Principal & Interest
Variable
$0
$250
60%
  • No annual fees – None!
  • Get fast pre-approval
  • Unlimited additional repayments free of charge
Disclosure
5.69% p.a.
6.16% p.a.
$2,899
Principal & Interest
Fixed
$0
$530
90%
  • Available for purchase or refinance, min 10% deposit needed to qualify.
  • No application, ongoing monthly or annual fees.
  • Flexibility to split your loan with both fixed and variable rates
Disclosure
Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

Base criteria of: a $400,000 loan amount, variable, fixed, principal and interest (P&I) home loans with an LVR (loan-to-value) ratio of at least 80%. However, the ‘Compare Home Loans’ table allows for calculations to be made on variables as selected and input by the user. Some products will be marked as promoted, featured or sponsored and may appear prominently in the tables regardless of their attributes. All products will list the LVR with the product and rate which are clearly published on the product provider’s website. Monthly repayments, once the base criteria are altered by the user, will be based on the selected products’ advertised rates and determined by the loan amount, repayment type, loan term and LVR as input by the user/you. *The Comparison rate is based on a $150,000 loan over 25 years. Warning: this comparison rate is true only for this example and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Rates correct as of . View disclaimer.

Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

Image by agmclellan on Pixabay





Ready, Set, Buy!


Learn everything you need to know about buying property – from choosing the right property and home loan, to the purchasing process, tips to save money and more!

With bonus Q&A sheet and Crossword!

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy