Sales of new homes rebounded to a five-month high in January, a sign that upgrading owner occupiers and investors may be coming back in to the market, a leading industry body says.

New homes sales rose 9.5 per cent to 8,444 in January, the Housing Industry Association (HIA) said on Monday.

Sales rebounded from December’s 11 month low and were the highest since August 2009.

HIA chief economist Harley Dale said early signs of increased new housing activity needed to be backed up by further evidence.
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New home sales fell by 4.5 per cent in September, just one month after posting their largest monthly increase in more than three years, new data shows.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) survey of Australia’s largest builders found the revival of new home sales was beginning to wane after a phased reduction to the first home buyer’s grant earlier this month.

HIA chief economist Harley Dale said that with the first home segment weakening, further gains in new home sales would depend on a return of buyers and investors who wanted to upgrade.

“The current level of new home sales points to a shallow recovery in residential building, which will lag the underlying requirement for new dwellings,” Dr Dale said.
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New home sales edged slightly higher in June as first home buyers stayed active in the market, a survey says.

A Housing Industry Association (HIA) report found new home sales rose 0.5 per cent in June.

Sales of detached or stand alone houses climbed 0.3 per cent in June, while sales of multi-unit dwellings were up 2.9 per cent in the month.

In the six months to June, total new home sales have advanced 13 per cent.

HIA chief economist Harley Dale said the lift in activity over the first half of 2009 “clearly marked a healthy turnaround” in the market after a period of weakness at the end of 2008.
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The number of new home sales declined for the first time in four months in May as fewer first home buyers entered the market, a survey says.

The number of new home sales fell 5.7 per cent in May, according to new figures released by the Housing Industry Association (HIA) on Tuesday.

New home sales had risen for the first four months of 2009.

“The small pull back in sales in May is likely to reflect a plateauing of first home buyer activity combined with continued weakness in the trade-up and investor markets,” HIA said.
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