House prices made the biggest jump in a decade, according to Corelogic's results for the last quarter.  The best performing capital city was Sydney with 6.2 per cent growth, followed closely by Melbourne at 6.1 per cent, Hobart had a 3.4 per cent jump, Brisbane 2.4 per cent, Canberra 2.3 per cent, while Adelaide experienced a 1.4 per cent uptick. Corelogic head of research Tim Lawless said “The housing value rebound was spurred on by lower mortgage rates, a relaxation in borrower serviceability assessments, improved housing affordability and renewed certainty around property taxation policies post the federal election,” Lawless said. Agreed by Capital Economics economist Marcel Thieliant and he said sales volumes were much stronger in recent months than the preliminary data suggested.  The strong finish to 2019 is expected to be the start of larger gains in prices with anticipated listings, sales and RBA cuts to strengthen the market...

Appetite for Sydney's top-end homes surged during the last three months with around 31 properties worth more than $10 million a piece - almost half of the year's total - exchanging hands. Prestige property valuation and advisory firm Pontons analysed the resale market for ultra-premium homes in Sydney and found that 69 properties were sold over 2019, with maximum price achieved at $40 million. Ultra-prestige homes such as this house at 18 St Thomas Street, Bronte have held their resale values during 2019. Andrew Tunbridge, valuer and director at Pontons said that while the total sales volume for the year was 43 per cent lower compared to the 120 transactions achieved in 2018, selling prices had remained stable. "The fact that 45 per cent of the sales of the annual tally above $10 million occurred in the fourth quarter of the year, is a particularly strong finish," he said. The...

Sydney's premium market is poised to grow by 4 per cent in 2020, while Melbourne is set to rise by 3 per cent – trumping Vancouver, New York and Dubai – amid growing confidence bolstered by lower interest rates and limited supply pipeline, the Knight Frank Prime Global Forecast 2020 shows. The report, which monitors the performance of prime properties in global cities, is predicting Paris to lead the charge with a 7 per cent growth as strong tenant and second home buyer demand outpaces supply. Luxury home prices in Sydney are poised to grow by 4 per cent in 2020.  Top-end homes in Berlin and Miami are set to grow by 5 per cent while Geneva is forecast to rise by 4 per cent. Hong Kong's luxury market is set to stagnate, dragged down by the political upheaval that started in May. Dubai's premium home prices are forecast to drop by...