Schizophrenic market movements in the likes of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are wreaking all sorts of havoc among buyers, struggling to pin down anything close to an accurate price point for property in certain postcodes.

Around the beginning of each year, it’s interesting to take stock of where we’ve been and where forecasters predict we might be headed in the sometimes-tempestuous world of Australian residential real estate commentary.

Australia’s property markets have benefited greatly from the record low interest rate environment of the past eighteen months. But the perpetual question property investment pundits are faced with – around this same time each month! – is how long will our environment of ‘cheap’ debt continue?

Australia’s lending landscape is fast becoming a minefield of mortgage products, as the big banks and remaining handful of second tier lenders do battle for your business in the wake of a property market upswing. Borrowers are currently in an excellent position, with low rates on offer everywhere you turn and eager mortgage managers keen to negotiate if it means retaining your custom. But how do you know when you’re getting a good deal, as opposed to an average one? How do you compare apples and oranges with apples and apples and is it enough to do your own homework these days?