Dee Why / Collaroy Blog

As we near the end of the first quarter we have noticed the Sydney real estate market has begun 2018 more steadily than previous years. However, it is far from doom and gloom for property, especially with the high-octane roller-coaster ride share markets have taken investors on this month.

The latest CoreLogic hedonic home value index results revealed a fall of 0.9% for Sydney dwelling values in January. In comparison, US and Japanese share markets plummeted 10% in the first weeks of February, Eurozone shares fell 8%, Chinese shares dropped 9%, and Australian shares lost 6%, according to report from AMP Capital. Meanwhile, the latest finance fad, Bitcoin, and the other cryptocurrencies have taken a toll on the finances of unwary investors.

Sticking with the safety of bricks and mortar

With the significant volatility of other asset classes in mind, it’s fair to expect that residents of the Northern Beaches will continue to seek out the safety of home ownership or real estate investing in 2018. That said, after a hot run of six years that has produced double-digit returns for property owners, there has been a fall in group numbers at open homes for apartments. However, groups at open for inspections for houses remain unchanged compared to 2017.

Auction clearance rates are down closer to 60%, which is also nearer the long-term average. Interestingly, more properties are selling before an auction, with more buyers seeking to lockdown a property to avoid offers from other parties. 

At the same time, stock levels are higher than this time last year, and days on the market are longer now than in February 2017. Longer days-on-market could be the result of more vendors attempting to sell their homes before Easter, which arrives earlier in 2018 than last year. As a consequence, buyers have more choice, and vendors need to keep this new market dynamic in mind when establishing their sale price expectations.

To find out more about the real estate buying and selling opportunities on the Northern Beaches, contact a Raine & Horne Dee Why Collaroy sales agent on
(02) 9971 9000.