House prices lifted by 1.6% in the March quarter 2020 (January-March), coming in below expectations of a 2.5% rise. 

All capital cities recorded a rise in residential property prices with Australia's two largest cities, Sydney (+1.9%) and Melbourne (+2.1%), continuing to lead the rises, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

House prices rose 2.6% in Sydney and 2.3% in Melbourne, while attached dwelling prices (apartments and townhouses) rose 1.5% in Melbourne and 0.8% in Sydney.

ABS Chief Economist Bruce Hockman said estimates were in line with expectations.

"The majority of restrictions relating to COVID-19 came into effect in late March and therefore did not have a noticeable impact on property prices in the March quarter 2020," he said.

Buying a home or looking to refinance? The table below features home loans with some of the lowest variable interest rates on the market for owner occupiers.

Rates
Features
Fees
Other
Lender
VariableMore details
4.6 Star Customer RatingsIncludes Nov RBA Rate Increase
4.6 Star Customer RatingsIncludes Nov RBA Rate Increase

loans.com.au – Variable Home Loan (LVR < 90%)

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    VariableMore details
    Unlimited Redraws
    • No annual fees – None!
    • Get fast pre-approval
    • Unlimited additional repayments free of charge
    • Redraw freely – Access your additional payments when you need them
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    Unlimited Redraws

    ubank – Neat Variable Home Loan (Principal and Interest) (LVR < 60%)

    • No annual fees – None!
    • Get fast pre-approval
    • Unlimited additional repayments free of charge
    • Redraw freely – Access your additional payments when you need them
    • Home loan specialists available today
    More details
    VariableMore details

    ANZ – Standard Variable Home Loan (Principal and Interest) (LVR < 80%)

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      • Immediate cashback upon settlement
      • $2000 for loans up to $700,000
      • $4000 for loans over $700,000

      More details
      Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

      Base criteria of: a $400,000 loan amount, variable, fixed, principal and interest (P&I) home loans with an LVR (loan-to-value) ratio of at least 80%. However, the ‘Compare Home Loans’ table allows for calculations to be made on variables as selected and input by the user. Some products will be marked as promoted, featured or sponsored and may appear prominently in the tables regardless of their attributes. All products will list the LVR with the product and rate which are clearly published on the product provider’s website. Monthly repayments, once the base criteria are altered by the user, will be based on the selected products’ advertised rates and determined by the loan amount, repayment type, loan term and LVR as input by the user/you. *The Comparison rate is based on a $150,000 loan over 25 years. Warning: this comparison rate is true only for this example and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Rates correct as of December 11, 2023. View disclaimer.

      Through the year to the March quarter 2020, residential property prices rose 7.4%, with rises in all capital cities except Perth and Darwin.

      The results were lower than what had been expected. NAB had predicted house prices would rise 2.5% and be up +8.1% on a year ago.

      AMP Capital chief economist Dr Shane Oliver had forecast house prices for the March quarter would show a rise of 2-3%, but noted the data was a bit dated. 



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