SQM Research’s Weekly Asking Prices Index for the week ending 1 September 2026 showed relatively subdued monthly price movements nationally, while annual growth remained positive. Nationally, house asking prices eased 0.1% over the month, while unit asking prices increased 0.2%. Combined dwelling asking prices declined 0.1% month-on-month and remain 5.0% higher year-on-year. Sydney combined asking…
Have you ever looked at the latest inflation figures and wondered whether economists are living in the same country as you? We’re told inflation is running at three or four per cent, yet electricity bills have surged, council rates keep climbing, insurance costs more, rents have risen sharply and mortgage holders are paying thousands of…
Australia’s housing market has clearly entered a downturn, and prices are likely to fall further in some markets. Higher interest rates have reduced borrowing capacity, confidence has weakened and the Federal Budget has changed the investment equation for established residential property. Sydney and Melbourne are already recording meaningful declines, transaction volumes have fallen sharply and…
Cotality’s national Home Value Index fell 0.9% in August, marking a fifth consecutive month of decline and taking national home values 3.6% below the market peak recorded in March. The downturn is becoming more widespread, with 93% of capital city suburbs recording a value decline through winter. Every month, investors, homeowners, and would-be buyers turn…
Home value declines spread sharply across Australia’s housing market through winter, with home values falling across 93% of capital city suburbs and every capital city except Darwin recording a decline over the past three months. Cotality’s national Home Value Index fell 0.9% in August, marking a fifth consecutive month of decline and taking national home…
Does it feel like your money isn’t working as hard as it used to? Costs are up, growth has stalled, and the “just wait and it’ll go up” strategy has gone quiet – you’re not imagining it. We may not be staring down a repeat of the 1970s, but we are living through the same…
You’ve finally found it. The property that ticks every box, the one you can picture yourself living in for years or the investment property you still want to own in 10 years’ time, and now your heart is pounding because you have absolutely no idea what happens next. Do you just call the agent and…
Australia’s labour market is beginning to show clearer signs of cooling, with unemployment rising slightly, employment falling and wage growth remaining subdued. This matters because the Reserve Bank has repeatedly highlighted the strength of the labour market and the risk of persistent wage and services inflation when explaining its cautious approach to interest rates. The…
Every property downturn since I started investing decades ago has brought the same prediction. Someone, somewhere, tells us this is the one that finally breaks the market. Higher rates, a cost of living crunch, gloomy headlines about mortgage stress. All the ingredients seem to be there for a proper collapse. And yet here we are…
Australia’s housing debate has become dominated by ambitious targets, planning announcements and promises to unlock more land. However, the latest evidence suggests we may be focusing too much attention on the number of homes being approved and far too little on the number that can actually be built. Of course, that distinction matters because an…
