Who wins when house prices are high in Australia? Plus other stories

For PropertyGuru’s news roundup, find out why the ­Australian housing market created way more winners than losers. In other news, before deciding to invest in Singapore property, consider the following factors. Lastly, China’s solar industry is a global powerhouse facing challenges, from tariffs abroad to a price war at home.

Australians ask: Are there more winners than losers when the prices of houses are high?

For a long time, the ­Australian housing market created way more winners than losers. Rising house prices benefited more people than they hurt.

The list of stakeholders who benefit from higher house prices is long. Two-thirds of Australian households who live in a home they own want their asset to be highly-priced. The same is the case for the 2.3 million mum-and-dad type property investors.

Banks can sell bigger and longer mortgages if prices are up, according to realcommercial.com.au. Also preferring higher prices are commission-based property professionals (real estate agents, mortgage brokers, auctioneers, and property spruikers come to mind).

For property developers a profit margin of maybe 15 percent on the cost of the build is more fun on expensive builds. State governments grab buckets full of money with every property transaction in the form of stamp duty – the bigger the transaction value, the more money for the state. Local governments also have their hands in your pocket as they charge council rates.

Property investment in Singapore: 6 Important factors to consider before buying

Property investment is something many consider in Singapore. With 89.7 percent of Singaporeans who own at least one property in 2023, the city-state has one of the highest homeownership rates in the world, and many homeowners consider purchasing a second as a property investment.

According to our Singapore Consumer Sentiment Study H1 2024, 52 percent of homeowners aged 22 to 29 want to buy another property while keeping their current one, and 44 percent of those aged 30 to 39 indicated interest in real estate investing.

The desire to have property investments remains strong, especially among younger Singaporeans. But before diving into the world of real estate investing, the first question you have to ask yourself is this: can you afford it?

If you’re deciding to invest in property, then you need to consider several important factors, according to PropertyGuru Singapore.

China’s solar supremacy has become a cause for concern, both for global competitors and domestic companies

Strong state support and huge private investment have made China’s solar industry a global powerhouse, but it faces new headwinds, from punitive tariffs abroad to a brutal price war at home.

Officials meeting in Baku next month for the COP29 summit hope to agree on new finance targets to help developing countries respond to climate change, including ditching fossil fuels.

Last year, countries agreed to triple global installed renewable energy capacity by 2030.

China is installing almost twice as much solar and wind power as every other country combined. And it dominates the market. It makes eight out of every 10 solar panels and controls 80 percent of every stage of the manufacturing process. It is also home to the world’s top 10 suppliers of solar panel manufacturing equipment, and its related exports hit a record US$49 billion last year, according to Wood Mackenzie in HKFP.

That supremacy is not accidental: Chinese state support has been key, analysts say.

The Property Report editors wrote this article. For more information, email: [email protected].