SQM Research today released its latest data on residential property vacancy rates. Australia’s national residential vacancy rate remained steady at 1.3% in July 2026, unchanged from June. The total number of residential vacancies increased to 40,771 dwellings, up from 39,229 in June, indicating a modest increase in available rental stock despite the unchanged headline vacancy…
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…
If you only looked at today’s monthly housing costs, it would be easy to conclude that buying a home in Australia no longer makes financial sense. After all, new research from Compare the Market shows that in every Australian capital city except Darwin, renting is cheaper than buying, and in some cities the difference is…
The Reserve Bank of Australia has left the cash rate unchanged at 4.35% as it assesses whether the three interest rate rises delivered earlier this year are doing enough to slow the economy and bring inflation back under control. The RBA faces a difficult balancing act. Inflation remains too high and another rate rise is…
Australia desperately needs more homes, and the latest building approval figures appear to offer some welcome news. Approvals increased in June, apartment approvals rebounded strongly, and the quarterly trend is finally moving higher. However, another set of figures tells us why Australia’s housing shortage could remain with us for years. The cost of building a…
For millions of Australian homeowners and property investors, the Reserve Bank’s decision to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.35% will come as welcome relief. After three interest rate increases earlier this year, the RBA has now kept rates steady for two consecutive meetings, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean the tightening cycle is over,…
Six months ago the conversation about Australian property was all about resilience, about how our markets kept climbing despite thirteen rate rises and a cost of living squeeze that refused to ease. That conversation has changed. Australia’s property downturn gathered sharp momentum in July, with Cotality’s national Home Value Index (HVI) falling 0.7% – the…
Australia’s property markets have entered a more challenging phase, and the latest figures confirm that the momentum of the past few years has shifted. Combined capital city dwelling values have fallen 0.9% over the past month, although they remain 3.5% higher than a year ago. However, those national figures hide a widening divide between our…
For millions of Australian borrowers, an offset account has become an important part of managing a mortgage. Salaries are paid into it, savings accumulate there and household spending flows through it, all with the expectation that every dollar sitting in the account is quietly reducing the interest charged on the home loan. However, a recent…
What’s next for interest rates? Well, it seems mortgage holders can breathe another sigh of relief, with most experts tipping the RBA to leave the cash rate where it is. According to this month’s Finder RBA Cash Rate Survey™, 38 experts and economists weighed in on future cash rate moves and other issues relating to…
