Unusually strong home value increases in the month of October coincided with the expansion of the Federal Government’s 5% Deposit Scheme. The policy enables eligible first home buyers to secure a low-deposit home loan without lender’s mortgage insurance. From October 1, it was scaled up to unlimited places and income eligibility, and the price caps…
SQM Research released its latest data on residential property vacancy rates. Australia’s national residential vacancy rate remained steady at 1.2% in October 2025, unchanged from September. The total number of residential vacancies rose slightly to 36,152 dwellings, up 106 from the previous month, suggesting that while rental market conditions remain tight, some cities are showing…
Imagine a world where Australians could work just four days a week, without a pay cut, without a drop in productivity, and still deliver the same results. It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Yet mounting evidence from around the world shows that the four-day workweek isn’t just a feel-good idea; it may…
Capital city rental markets have reported generally tightening rental markets over October with vacancy rates falling in most capitals reflecting rising seasonal demand. Most capitals however again recorded steady house rents over October compared to the previous month, however rents were higher in Darwin by 2.0% with Adelaide and Hobart house rents falling by 0.4%…
Rates are on hold. Inflation is picking up again. Rents are still squeezing tenants. If you are feeling that something does not quite add up, you are not alone. In this week’s Property Insider chat, I speak with housing economist Dr Andrew Wilson about two things that matter enormously to every property investor and home…
Property investors have somehow become Australia’s favourite scapegoat. The media paints us as greedy landlords. Politicians use us as an easy target for the housing crisis. Social media commentators accuse us of locking first-home buyers out of the market. In over 50 years of property involvement, I’ve never seen the “us versus them” divide so…
If a picture paints a thousand words, then this collection of charts should do a pretty good job of painting the landscape as it affects our economy and our property markets. Each month the RBA summarises macroeconomic and financial market trends in Australia by providing a detailed chart pack. World Economy Australia’s economy doesn’t operate in…
While it’s not typically required by law, most financial products such as ETFs and managed funds report historical investment returns over 1, 3, 5, and 10 years, as well as since inception. This data is incredibly useful, as it allows investors to assess performance over the short, medium, and long term, all of which are…
“What do you want your retirement to look like?” Most people pause when I ask that. Then they give vague answers: I want to travel more” or “spend time with the grandkids.” Nice ideas. But vague answers don’t lead to meaningful action. At Metropole, we’ve learned that the best way to help our clients build…
Nationally, asking prices rose 1.9% for houses and 1.4% for units over the month, with combined dwellings up 1.6% month-on-month and 9.7% year-on-year, according to SQM Research’s Weekly Asking Prices Index for the week ending 28 October 2025 which revealed a continued upward momentum. Sydney house asking prices eased marginally (-0.04%) to $2.1 million yet…
