November 2025

Policy Shifts Reshape Housing A series of policy shifts is quietly reshaping the housing landscape and amplifying an already-tight market. On the demand side, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme is allowing more first home buyers to purchase with deposits as low as five per cent, effectively adding an extra wave of buyers into price brackets […]

Affordable Hubs Drive Growth Away from the blue-chip suburbs, a growing share of the market’s momentum is coming from affordable hubs where buyers can still secure homes at price points well below capital city medians. Recent data show combined regional values rising at their fastest pace in more than three years, led by centres that

Apartment Recovery On Horizon After years of underbuilding, Australia’s apartment sector is finally poised for a recovery. Industry forecasts suggest multi-unit starts will begin lifting meaningfully from 2026, rising from around 70,000 commencements in 2025 towards roughly 100,000 by the end of the decade. This shift reflects a combination of rapid population growth, record tight

Listings Remain Critically Low Listing levels remain critically low with only about 128,000 properties listed for sale throughout Australia – 18% below an already depressed five-year average. In many suburbs, especially family-friendly areas in the major capitals, buyers are facing very little genuine choice, with quality homes attracting multiple offers as soon as they hit

Investors Back In Force Investors are once again a major driver of the housing cycle, with loan data showing their share of new lending grew roughly three times faster than owner-occupier lending. Victoria has emerged as the standout comeback story, with investor loans up strongly over the year and the state close to regaining second

Builders Chase Productivity Gains Under the surface of the housing debate, a quiet revolution is under way in the building sector. New-generation firms like Buildlab in Victoria and Avia Homes in Queensland are importing ideas from the United States and leaning heavily on technology, data and standardised product to close the productivity gap. Instead of

FOMO Keeps Market Moving Despite higher-than-expected inflation and fading hopes of further rate cuts this year, the housing market is still being propped up by a solid dose of FOMO. Around seven in ten properties taken to auction last week sold, according to preliminary national figures, with Sydney and Melbourne both posting clearance rates just

Regional Housing Squeeze Deepens Housing pressures in regional Australia continue to intensify, with industry groups warning that shortages are no longer just a capital-city story. In regional New South Wales, builders report a familiar mix of problems: planning delays, high material costs, a shortage of serviced land and ongoing difficulty finding skilled trades. A recent

Turnkey Beats Fixer-Uppers At the upper end of the market, buyers are increasingly paying a premium to avoid renovation risk. Advocates report that prestige purchasers are actively shunning homes that need major work, even when the discount looks tempting on paper. The backdrop is important. Residential construction costs have risen by more than 40 per

GenZ Buyers Step Up Gen Z are fast becoming the engine room of Australia’s next demand wave, despite the brutal entry costs. New Westpac research shows more than one in three young Australians plan to buy their first home within five years, up five percentage points since January. Independence and financial security are the main