Experts warn against buying property with units to be hit hardest: Finder.com.au

Experts say now may not be the best time to buy property, according to comparison site Finder.

In this month’s Finder RBA Cash Rate Survey™, while all experts surveyed expect a cash rate hold in July (43/43), just one third of respondents (15, 35%) said that now is a good time to buy property.

Another third (13, 30%) believe that buyers should sit tight and wait for the property market to settle, while the others were unsure (15, 35%).

Clearance rates – which measure the percentage of homes that sell at auction – have fallen in Sydney and Melbourne from 77% in February to 63% and 61% respectively.

Experts predict that clearance rates for both Sydney and Melbourne should sit at around 61% by the end of September.

Graham Cooke, insights manager at Finder, said the housing market is in a very unsettled position, with reduced stock levels and lower clearance rates.

“Increasingly, auctions are topping-out at final bids well below reserve."

“With more job uncertainty on the horizon, it’s difficult to see any improvement in the near future,” Cooke said.

Experts were asked to make predictions about house and unit property values in the eight capital cities.

Apartments are due to be harder hit than houses, with 7-8% price drops predicted by the end of September against just under 5% for houses.