Tim is Research Director at Cotality (formerly CoreLogic), analysing real estate markets, demographics and economic trends across Australia. Visit www.corelogic.com.au
![Melbourne housing market update [video] | April 2026](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/melbourne-1-270x200.jpg)
Melbourne’s housing market recorded a 0.2% decline in March, marking the fourth consecutive month of falling dwelling values. This persistent weakness has resulted in a cumulative decline of 0.9% since November 2025. The downturn is primarily concentrated in the detached housing sector, while units have shown a relatively milder contraction during this period. The market…
The national housing market recorded a 0.7% rise in March, taking the quarterly growth to 2.1%. While values continue to trend higher, the pace of appreciation is gradually losing steam compared to the 2.8% lift seen in the final quarter of last year. This national average, however, masks a significant and growing divergence between the…
Cotality’s national home value index rose 0.7% in March, taking dwelling values 2.1% higher over the first quarter of the year. At the national level, the pace of gains is easing, reducing from a 2.8% increase in Q4 last year, but housing outcomes are increasingly diverse from city to city and across the pricing spectrum….
Two months into 2026, and we have seen a clear divergence in housing trends, with Sydney and Melbourne values flatlining while the mid-sized capitals continue to record a solid rate of gain at more than 1% month on month growth. Perth is showing the strongest trend, with home values jumping 2.3% in February, adding more…
Australian rents have surged almost three times faster than wages over the past five years, pushing rental affordability to record lows and stretching household budgets across the country, according to Cotality’s latest Chart Pack. Cotality’s analysis shows national rents have jumped 43.9% over the five years to September 2025, compared with a 17.5% rise in…
Australian home values rose by 0.8% in January according to Cotality’s Home Value Index, a subtle acceleration from the 0.6% increase recorded in December. While every capital city and broad rest of state region recorded an increase in home values through the month, the start of the year returned a mixed result. Sydney and Melbourne…
Confidence across Australia’s housing market remains strong entering 2026, but the mood is splitting along state lines as affordability and interest rate jitters reshape the landscape, new Cotality research shows. Findings from the Decoding 2026 report, based on responses from real estate agents and financial professionals across the property and finance sectors, show 87% of…
New analysis from Cotality shows that since September last year, lower-priced homes – that is those under the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme price caps – have generally recorded stronger growth than higher-priced homes. Growth in home values has diverged based on whether properties fall under or above the scheme’s price caps. Quarterly Growth Trends Homes under…
Renters saw some welcome relief in December, with the rental vacancy rate rising from 1.5% to 1.6% through the month. However, the vacancy rate is still close to record lows, and the subtle rise could have more to do with seasonal factors through December than an actual loosening in rental conditions. The higher vacancy rate…
Cotality Home Value Index surged 8.6% higher in 2025, adding approximately $71,400 to the national median dwelling value. But recorded the smallest gain in five months in December, with value rising 0.7%. Sydney and Melbourne were the biggest drag on the headline growth outcome with values sliding -0.1% lower. The subtle decline in values across…
