Median Prices Can Be Misleading

From Chris Joye at Rismark:

“In the first quarter of 2009, some median index providers reported misleading results, claiming that house prices were falling when in fact they were rising rapidly. The medians were being dragged down by a surge in first time buyers purchasing cheap homes in the first three months of 2009. The RP Data-Rismark Hedonic Indices, in contrast, reported strong growth of circa 3 per cent in the first quarter in 2009.

“Since the first quarter, the RP Data-Rismark Hedonic Index has shown stable growth. In comparison, the median price indices are being artificially boosted by the fading of first time buyers and the return of upgraders buying more expensive homes, which drag the medians upwards. At the current time, the true rates of capital gains across Australia are likely to be substantially less than those reported by median price suppliers.”

From Chris Joye