Negative Equity

The share of homes with mortgages worth more than the property's value increased at the end of last year as the housing market stalled and prices turned lower. The rise suggests an increase in negative equity, where a mortgage can be worth more than the value of a house. Property information group RP Data said that 6.4 per cent of homes were valued at less than their purchase price in the December 2011 quarter, rising from 4.9 per cent of the market in the September quarter. By city, Brisbane fared the worst with 9.2 per cent of property deemed to be "underwater" in financial terms, followed by fellow mining state capital Perth at 7.4 per cent.
See Brisbane Times, Smart Company and Business Spectator