Where top property returns live
PUBLISHED : | UPDATED:
Hobart: home to residential property investment returns in 2012.
The price of residential property in the national capitals has been coming down over the past few years but high rental yields are on offer for investors who look in the right places.
Prices for homes in capital cities fell by 0.4 per cent in 2012, following a 3.8 per cent drop in 2011, according to the RP Data-Rismark’s December Hedonic Daily Home Value Index, released on Wednesday.
Hats off to Hobart
Hobart was the most affordable city, with a median house price of $325,000 and a median unit price of $257,500.
While house prices in the city were 0.5 per cent lower at the end of December than the year before, unit values were up 4.2 per cent up – including a 13.2 per cent drop in the last quarter of the year.
What’s more, rental yields on Hobart units were 5.2 per cent. That made Hobart units the highest-returning investment properties for the year after houses and units in Darwin.
Darwin outperforms
In Darwin, which outperformed the other capitals in price growth throughout 2013, prices fell by 2.5 per cent in December. The city still posted the strongest performance for the year, with prices rising 8.9 per cent.
Rental yields were also highest in Darwin. Houses brought investors a 6.1 per cent yield, making a total return of 14.2 per cent, and units yielded 5.9 per cent bringing a total investment gain of 21.5 per cent, the RP Data-Rismark research found.
Melbourne’s woes
Melbourne was the worst performer for 2012, with prices falling 2.9 per cent across the city. There was some improvement in December, when prices lifted by 0.5 per cent compared with sales in November.
Sydney was still the most expensive city, with a median house price of $665,000 and a median unit price of $500,000.
House price growth (%)
| Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane-Gold Coast | Adelaide | Perth | Hobart | Darwin | Canberra | Brisbane | |
| Month | -0.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | -4.4 | -0.1 | 0 |
| Quarter | -0.2 | -1.5 | -0.3 | -1.6 | 1.9 | -2.6 | 1.6 | -1.1 | -0.6 |
| Year-on-year | 1.3 | -2.9 | -0.3 | -0.8 | 0.6 | -0.5 | 7.6 | -0.4 | -0.5 |
Unit price growth (%)
| Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane-Gold Coast | Adelaide | Perth | Hobart | Darwin | Canberra | Brisbane | |
| Month | -1.7 | 0 | -2.3 | -0.1 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 5.8 | -0.8 | -2.8 |
| Quarter | -1.1 | -2.7 | -2.0 | -3.9 | -0.8 | -13.2 | 6.6 | -0.6 | -0.9 |
| Year-on-year | 2.3 | -2.5 | -4.2 | -0.5 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 14.5 | 0.4 | -3.5 |
Rental yields (%)
| Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane-Gold Coast | Adelaide | Perth | Hobart | Darwin | Canberra | Brisbane | |
| Houses | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 6.1 | 4.8 | 4.7 |
| Units | 5.0 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.6 |
Median prices (based on sales settled in December quarter 2012)
| Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane-Gold Coast | Adelaide | Perth | Hobart | Darwin | Canberra | Brisbane | |
| Houses | $665,000 | $550,000 | $448,000 | $395,000 | $493,000 | $325,000 | $550,000 | $562,500 | $440,000 |
| Units | $500,000 | $435,000 | $352,000 | $327,750 | $400,000 | $257,500 | $419,000 | $410,000 | $363,000 |
Source (All tables): RP Data-Rismark Daily Home Value Index Results
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Zoë Fielding Smart Investor
