Industry News
Breaking stories, regulatory changes, market data, and major developments across Australian and New Zealand real estate.
Seniors housing shake-up could unlock thousands of family homes across NSW
Planning reforms aimed at encouraging more seniors housing could help release thousands of established family homes onto the NSW property market, with the development industry calling for greater incentives to make downsizing a more attractive option for older Australians.
Foreign buyers commit billions to Australian housing as Chinese investors lead the way
Foreign investment approvals for Australian residential property reached $4.7 billion in 2025–26, with China remaining the largest source…
Property prices down up to 20%, but McGrath tips a market turnaround
John McGrath says Australia's housing correction is moving faster than official figures suggest, with some metropolitan markets experiencing…
Leanne Pilkington flags gaps in NSW price disclosure reforms
The Laing+Simmons CEO says the coming rules could stop sellers from legitimately lowering their price and wants NSW…
Mortgage repayments hit 50.9% of family income as property buyers grow more cautious
New PRD research reveals the mounting pressure on Australian homebuyers, with mortgage affordability deteriorating, first-home buyers taking on…
Data centres leapfrog offices and warehouses as $18.3bn construction pipeline takes shape
New research shows the building category that includes data centres has overtaken traditional commercial construction categories, with NSW…
‘We need house price growth to slow’: Housing Minister weighs in on property downturn
Federal Housing Minister Clare O'Neil says Australia's long-term house price growth is unsustainable, arguing that improving affordability must…
MA Financial freezes property fund withdrawals as residential development pressures mount
MA Financial has suspended applications and redemptions from its real estate credit fund until at least March 2027…
Farmland sales settle near 7,000 for third straight year
National farmland transactions eased 2.8 per cent in 2025/26, with Ray White Group's head of research, Vanessa Rader,…
RBA acknowledges major housing correction but warns inflation risks are worsening
The Reserve Bank has acknowledged the scale of Australia's housing downturn, but Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser says worsening…
House prices fall across every capital for first time in 15 years as market records steepest quarterly drop
House prices fall in every capital as Australia records steepest quarterly decline Australia's housing downturn has spread to…
Inflation showdown puts fifth RBA rate hike firmly on the table
A surprise rise in unemployment has reduced expectations of another interest rate increase, but Compare the Market’s David…
Property confidence crashes to six-year low as agents tip 4.2% price fall
NAB's survey finds interest rates and credit access have overtaken property prices as the main obstacle for buyers,…
Regional migration hits pandemic-era high as new Queensland hotspots emerge
Australians are moving out of the capitals at rates not seen in a June quarter since 2021, with…
Melbourne auction volumes plunge as reserve price rules begin
Victoria's new reserve price transparency rules coincide with the sharpest weekly fall in auction listings since winter, even…
WA homes are filling up five times faster than any other state, as NSW and Victoria go the other way
Years of housing undersupply have pushed Perth house prices past $1 million, even as sales volumes record the…
Apartments overtake a third of NSW property sales in Q3
New data shows NSW buyers pivoting hard towards apartments and vacant land as affordability pressures and rising rates…
Home sales fall 20.9% as spring market stalls nationally
Australia's spring property market is losing momentum, with home sales down more than 20 per cent, selling times…
Victoria moves to ease foreign investor property taxes as housing targets remain out of reach
The Carroll Labor Government has announced tax concessions for residential developers and promised a broader review of foreign…
Commercial property sales jump 21 per cent, but rate hikes threaten recovery
Australia's commercial property market has recorded a strong rebound in transactions, with industrial assets leading the recovery, although…
What downsizers actually want isn’t the smallest home on the market
GemLife and realestate.com.au research finds low-maintenance living beats price as the top downsizing motivator, with most buyers still…
Victoria bans rental application fees, tightens bond claim rules
New laws now in effect require landlords to produce evidence before claiming against a bond and mandate gas…
Quarter of Australian households delay bills to cover housing costs
Almost one in four Australians are sacrificing other household payments to keep up with housing costs, highlighting financial…
Brisbane leads Australia’s renovation boom
New analysis of building approvals reveals a widening divide in renovation activity across Australia's major property markets, while…
Income needed to buy a home keeps rising despite price falls
New Canstar research shows Brisbane buyers now need $25,000 more income than a year ago to afford a…
Why falling prices won’t make rentals easier to find
Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee says weaker investor demand since the May Budget is shrinking rental supply…
Why fresh $20 million sales are resetting Sydney’s top end
Completed transactions above $20 million are giving buyers and sellers clearer evidence of current prestige pricing, after months…
LJ Hooker partners with OHOME on backyard housing supply
The exclusive distribution deal gives LJ Hooker agents and property managers a new way to talk to landlords…
Victoria fast-tracks thousands of homes, but completions rise by just seven
New ABS data shows Victoria added just seven more completed homes over the past year, even as the…
First home buyers close the gap but loans jump $50,000
New data shows first home buyer lending has outpaced the rest of the market for the first time…
Why landlords can’t fully cash in on record low vacancies
Domain's chief economist warns investor activity is slowing just as tenant affordability limits rent growth, leaving the rental…
Accor makes first rental housing move as Freecity builds 6000-home Sydney pipeline
The partnership with Sydney developer Freecity spans build-to-rent, co-living and student accommodation, adding hospitality-style management to a growing…
Planning reforms tip housing spend from rebuilds to new builds
KPMG analysis finds investment in new homes has jumped 20 per cent in four years as knockdown rebuilds…
More owner-occupiers go interest-only to ease cash flow
Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee says owner-occupied interest-only lending has jumped 13 per cent in a year,…
Land tax data shows outer suburbs carry the biggest load
New Victorian Government figures show most people paying land tax on properties worth $50,000 to $300,000 own just…