Property analyst Michael Matusik says that buying residential property in Australia is “big business’ amd says investors account for a substantial proportion of that business.
With one quarter of Australia’s housing held by private investors, Matusik has conducted research to paint a picture of what those investors look like.
He says most are aged 34-35; most buy apartments as investments rather than houses and, on average, the typical Australian investor holds 1.5 residential investment properties.
“They buy close to home, with half buying in the same city or same suburb.” he said. “Nine out of ten investors stick to buying in their own state or territory and two-thirds buy within a capital city, with inner-city locations the most favoured.
“Three our of five investors borrow money to buy investment properties and most of those negatively gear their properties.
“More than eighty percent buy for long-term capital gain and most investors expect property values to double every ten years.”
Portrait of an Investor – source Gold Coast Bulletin 28.08.10
