Windfall gains scooped up by Australian property sellers have hit an all-time high with those who own making hundreds each week, eclipsing what renters pay to keep a roof over their heads.

The median profit for property resales in the September quarter came in at $295,000 over 95,000 sales.

It’s the highest quarterly gains recorded by property data analysts at CoreLogic, which has monitored resales since the mid-1990s.

Over an average holding period of nine years, that works out to more than $32,700 a year, or about $630 a week, the data published on Wednesday shows.

It’s similar to the national median weekly rent, which reached $627 a week in CoreLogic data released in May.

While not everyone makes a profit, the percentage of vendors making a loss fell to five per cent, which was the lowest level in more than 15 years and a rate not seen since early 2008.

The median loss remained steady at $40,000.

All up, the almost $34 billion resellers booked in profits eclipsed the $270 million in losses.

Amid strong demand for housing, vendors were able to hold onto properties, but some who struggled to keep up with the mortgage had no other choice, CoreLogic research head Eliza Owen said.

“There are still clearly pockets of pain where home sellers need to offload their property in spite of weak market conditions, or values remaining substantially below previous record highs,” Ms Owen said.

Interest rate rises in recent years were a potential contributor to those making a loss being more likely to have held the property for a shorter period of time.

“This may be reflected in the relatively strong bump in homes sold which were held between two and four years,” Ms Owen said.

The median hold period for loss-making sales was eight years.

Brisbane recorded its second quarter leading the firm’s Pain and Gain report, with 99.4 per cent of properties being resold for a profit, up from 97.4 per cent a year earlier.

The rate of loss-making sales increased in Darwin and Melbourne.

Units were three times more likely to sell for less than they were bought for compared to houses, which attracted a median profit of $345,000, compared to $200,000 for units, in line with long-term trends.

 

Jack Gramenz
(Australian Associated Press)