Australia’s A$7.1 trillion ($5.2 trillion) housing market is facing the ultimate stress test -- the first recession in almost three decades -- and passing with flying colors for now.

Economists had predicted property prices would tumble 10% or more as Covid-19 swept Australia; now, they’re scrambling to reverse those forecasts to gains of 5-15% in the next couple of years. Policy makers have switched from worrying about plunging prices to being on guard for excessive exuberance.

Based on a new report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau -- led by solid gains in single-family production -- overall housing starts increased 4.9 percent in October 2020 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.53 million units.

• Sales of existing homes in October soared well past expectations, rising 4.3% compared with September and 26.6% annually.
• There were 1.42 million existing homes on the market at the end of October, a 19.8% drop compared with October 2019. At the current sales pace, that represents a 2.5-month supply, the lowest on record.
• The median price of an existing home sold in October was $313,000, up 15.5% annually. That is the highest median price on record and reflects the far stronger sales on the higher end of the market.

為加強保護少數土地共有人權益，內政部今(19)日部務會報通過「土地法」部分條文修正草案，針對共有土地或建物同意處分的比例，由原本持分及人數皆超過1/2，提高為皆超過2/3，且處分方式限於買賣，以減少爭議。修正草案將報行政院審查後，送立法院審議。

內政部表示，現行「土地法」規定，共有土地或建物如經所有權人持分過半或人數超過半數的同意，可以將該土地或建物全部賣出，但過往曾有地主以假交易真炒地，或以移轉給安插人頭等方式，侵害其他不同意共有人的權利。

為符合司法院釋字第562號解釋，在兼顧共有人權益前提下，達成促進共有土地或建物有效利用之目的，因此，這次修正共有土地或建物多數決適用範圍等規定，例如，將土地法第34條之1共有地的處分方式，限制只適用於買賣案件；且同意比例由原本持分及人數皆超過1/2，提高為皆超過2/3，若持分超過3/4，才不計算人數，以加強保障不同意共有人的財產權益。

另由於現行規定針對因天然流失而消滅的私有土地，於再次浮覆出來時，並未詳細規定所有權回復的方式，故這次也修法明定此類土地自回復原狀日起10年內，經證明為原有者，得向土地所在登記機關申請回復產權，倘若土地已為公用財產、移轉為私人所有，無法回復產權時，得改以金錢補償，以維護公共利益及民眾財產權保障。