Sydney apartment market expected to fall in 2018, but may bounce back
A professional services and investment management firm has claimed Sydney’s apartment market stays resilient despite of a large construction boom, and despite a fall predicted for 2018 trends could return to form through to 2022.
According to JLL’s Sydney Apartment Market Indicators Report October 2017, which quotes data from the Real Estate Institute of NSW, rental vacancies in inner Sydney holds at 2.2 per cent in September 2017, with rental growths of 6.1 per cent over the 2016-17 financial year for two-bedroom apartments and 3.8 per cent for one-bedroom apartments.
Meanwhile, apartment construction is certainly booming, with JLL’s data showing about 4,500 new apartments built throughout the year to date, with 7,800 in total expected by the year’s end. Last year, there are 5,000 completions in the inner Sydney area.
JLL’s head of residential research Leigh Warner said he expects the market will slow in the short term due to macro-prudential measures from APRA and Chinese capital restrictions, along with more supply expected to be completed.
“However, we do not expect widespread oversupply. Sydney’s recent construction boom has been making up for a decade of undersupply,” Mr Warner said.
“Market balance has certainly now moved back to around equilibrium with recent supply additions, but the continued low vacancy rate and rental growth is the strongest indication it has not tipped into oversupply.
“The supply pipeline is reaching a peak now and will fall in 2018. The combination of slower pre-sales demand and tighter development lending criteria by the major banks is acting to self-regulate supply levels. However, there is still considerable construction yet to complete that will further slow price growth and soften the rental market over the next few quarters, particularly in certain pockets of high supply concentration."
By 2022, the supply pipeline is predicted to consist of 40 per cent in Sydney’s inner south areas, and an additional 23 per cent in the inner west.
More from this writer:
-
Where to find winners in the WA market
-
How rents have performed for investors so far this year
-
How to save money with a new repayment strategy
-
Popular capital cities on the rise as market softens over June
-
Cash rate call for July 2019 revealed
-
New property sales rebound over May
-
How far can a $500,000 budget get you in Sydney?