Loans for investment housing lifted again in January, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The figures show that the total value of dwelling finance commitments excluding alterations and additions rose 2.4 per cent in January 2013, seasonally adjusted. Owner-occupied housing commitments 1.3 per cent, while investment housing commitments rose 4.4 per cent.
The number of commitments for owner occupied housing finance fell 1.5 per cent to 44,383 in seasonally adjusted terms.
The number of loans to buy new homes rose 2.3 per cent but loans to buy established dwellings or build new ones fell by 1.9 per cent and 0.2 per cent respectively.