Property experts name spring market winners and losers

What will this spring hold for the property market? Picture: Jake Nowakowski Spring is finally here, but with a property downturn playing on confidence, just what will the market look like during this year’s peak selling season? Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee says much will depend on whether we see an interest rate hike to kick off the season. BUYER DEMAND Buyers have been sitting on the sidelines due to uncertainty around interest rates and falling property prices – a trend that will probably continue if interest rates rise later this month, she said. Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee. “If we don’t see a hike in September and if it looks like we won’t see another for the rest of the year, I think they will start to come back,” she says. McGrath Estate Agents founder and CEO John McGrath says buyers are already starting to return to the market due to an increase in confidence. MORE: Agent warns of $2.6tr catch with falling home prices ‘Vanishing’: new figure is horror news for tenants “Many buyers feel that the market has reached the bottom of the price correction and their window of opportunity to buy at these levels is probably around 6-12 months,” he says. CEO...