HOUSING DECISIONS REMAIN PERSONAL
Macroeconomic conditions shape affordability, but they don’ t drive every transaction. Households continue to move because:
• Families need more – or less – space
• Employment changes require relocation
• Separations or estates necessitate sales
• Older owners want a more manageable home
• Investors rebalance debt, yield and risk
• Developers redirect capital towards viable projects
For owners selling and buying in the same market, a relatively flat price environment can make that transition easier to assess. The sale price is only half the equation; the difference between the home sold and the one purchased often determines the real outcome.
Other owner-occupiers remain the dominant borrowing group, while first home buyers have established a larger share of the market than a decade ago and investor activity has softened.
Source: RBNZ, Macrobond, ANZ Research
“ This is not an argument that everyone should sell,” Coulson says.“ It’ s advice against assuming time will resolve every risk in your favour.”
Today’ s market conditions offer known, stable prices, identifiable buyers and observable financing costs – the landscape following November may not be so transparent.
For owners with a genuine reason to move, a carefully prepared transaction can turn those conditions into a result, without depending on a forecast becoming fact.
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