Increase in housing loan commitments for Qld

HOUSING loan commitments in Queensland rose for the third month in a row in April, indicating a positive recovery, Master Builders says.

HOUSING loan commitments in Queensland rose for the third month in a row in April, indicating a positive recovery, Master Builders says.

Figure released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed owner-occupied commitments rose 1.3% in Queensland during April.

The increase came after rises of 1.9% in March and 3.8% in February this year - a trend figure showing an overall rise in commitments of 2.2% in Queensland since April last year.

Master Builder director of housing policy Paul Bidwell said the rises were a strong signal of more building activity in the coming months.

But he said the proportion of first home buyers remained low, at 10.3% of all loan commitments, compared to 18%.

Originally published as Increase in housing loan commitments for Qld