Home lending continues to improve, 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 1.4 per cent in February 2013, in seasonally adjusted terms.
Loans for owner-occupied housing rose 1.2 per cent while loans for investment housing rose 1.8 per cent.
In trend terms, commitments rose for the purchase of dwellings by individuals for rent or resale (up $63m, or 1.0 per cent), for the purchase of dwellings by others for rent or resale (up $31m, 3.6 per cent) and for the construction of dwellings for rent or resale (up $21m, 4.4 per cent).
The seasonally adjusted estimate for the total number of owner-occupied housing commitments rose 2.0 per cent in February 2013.
Loans rose in Queensland (up by 4.0 per cent), New South Wales (2.2 per cent), Victoria (1.7 per cent), Western Australia (2.1 per cent) and the Australian Capital Territory (20.3 per cent), while falls were recorded in South Australia (down 2.9 per cent) and the Northern Territory (18.3 per cent). Tasmania remained unchanged.
In trend terms, commitments fell for the purchase of established dwellings excluding refinancing (down 0.7 per cent), for the refinancing of established dwellings (down 0.6 per cent) and to buy new dwellings (down 0.7 per cent), but rose 0.5 per cent for the construction of dwellings.