Home lending lifted again in June, continuing an upward trend that has been steady since the beginning of the year, 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 1.2 per cent in June 2013, in seasonally adjusted terms.
The value of loans for owner-occupied housing rose 2.1 per cent while loans for investment housing fell by 0.5 per cent.
The seasonally adjusted estimate for the total number of owner-occupied housing commitments rose 2.7 per cent in June.
The number of loans rose in Queensland (up by 4.4 per cent), New South Wales (1.0 per cent), Victoria (1.9 per cent), South Australia (2.8 per cent), the Australian Capital Territory (5.4 per cent), the Northern Territory (1.3 per cent) and Tasmania (1.2). Western Australia was the only state to record a drop (of 1.6 per cent).
Commitments rose 3.2 per cent for the purchase of established homes, 0.2 per cent to buy new homes and 0.9 per cent to build homes.
In original terms, the number of first home buyer commitments as a percentage of total owner-occupied housing finance commitments rose to 15.1 per cent in June 2013 from 14.6 per cent in May 2013.
Between June 2013 and May 2013, the average loan size for first home buyers fell $1,500 to $288,500. The average loan size for all owner-occupied housing commitments rose $2,100 to $304,300 for the same period.