Housing markets in the world’s leading economies continue to recover, says the Global Property Guide's summary of housing statistics for the year to end-Q3, 2009. (www.globalpropertyguide.com)
Many housing markets in leading economies remain distressed. Of the 27 countries which have already published their Q3 data, more countries have experienced house price falls (17 countries) during the year to date, than have enjoyed price rises (10).
In addition, the house price falls in several countries have been much larger than house price rises anywhere, and include unprecedentedly severe falls in Latvia (-59.7% year to date), the UAE (-48.1%), Bulgaria (-28.7%), Iceland (-21.2%), Russia (-19.5%) and Slovakia (-15.3%) (all figures inflation-adjusted).
However the annual data is somewhat like a car’s rearview mirror. During the latest quarter, price rises have occurred in 16 countries, and falls in only 11, of the 27 countries (both major US indices were nominally positive, but adjusting for inflation puts the FHFA index still in negative territory). Quarter-on-quarter house price changes in the UK, Canada, Germany, Singapore, and South Africa are back in positive territory, after these countries suffered during the global financial crisis.
So the trend is toward recovery. More broadly, the world seems polarized between the Asian economies, which are enjoying strong economic growth and high residential property price rises (Thailand excepted), and Eastern Europe and the UAE, where growth has stalled and property markets have crashed. Even there, figures for the latest quarter offer hope.