Property news
16 articles, newest first. Every one is dated and names who wrote it.
- Are House Prices Crashing in Australia?Headlines ask whether Australian house prices are crashing. Cotality's September data shows a sustained correction (values fell 1.1% in the month, the sixth straight decline, and sit 5.2% below the March 2026 peak with flat growth over the year), not a sudden collapse. Here is what the numbers mean for buyers and sellers.Bec Ramirez8 min read
- Home values post their biggest monthly fall since 2022 — and the market has split in twoNational home values fell 0.4% in June, the largest monthly drop since December 2022, with Sydney down 3.2% for the quarter while Perth, Brisbane and Darwin kept climbing. Here is what the mid-year data says about where the market is heading, city by city.Bec Ramirez7 min read
- Negative gearing and CGT reform is now law: what changes on 1 July 2027, and what to do before thenParliament passed the federal budget's investor tax package on 25 June, and the ATO has confirmed the measures are law. Negative gearing narrows to new builds, the 50% CGT discount is replaced with indexation, and a late amendment bans new SMSF property borrowing. Here is the full picture and the 11-month runway.Andy McMaster7 min read
- Queensland keeps the $30,000 grant, and Help to Buy just opened to more buyersThe step-down never came: Queensland's 2026-27 Budget locked the $30,000 First Home Owner Grant in for another four years and made zero stamp duty on new homes permanent. Add the federal Help to Buy expansion from 1 July and winter has quietly been a very good season for first home buyers.Ellie Johnston6 min read
- Queensland’s $30,000 first home grant: the 30 June deadline that never cameUpdate: it didn't close. Days after this article ran, the 2026-27 Queensland Budget locked the $30,000 grant in for another four years. The original deadline story is below, with the update up top.Ellie Johnston5 min read
- NSW bets on prefab and modular homes to build fasterNew South Wales is rewriting its building rules to recognise prefab and modular homes in law, aiming to lift housing completions and deliver faster, potentially cheaper new homes. Here is what the changes mean for buyers and builders.Andy McMaster7 min read
- Auction clearance rates slump to 47%, the weakest result since 2020Just 47.4% of homes taken to auction nationally last week sold, the softest preliminary clearance rate since April 2020, as three rate hikes this year cool buyer demand.Bec Ramirez7 min read
- Rents climb toward record highs as vacancies stay tightNational advertised rents are up about 7.8% over the year and forecast to hit record highs in every capital city in 2026, as vacancy holds at 1.2%. Here is what tight, rising rents mean for renters, investors and first home buyers.Bec Ramirez7 min read
- APRA Holds the 3% Buffer, Flags New Limits on High-DTI and Investor LendingAPRA has kept the mortgage serviceability buffer at 3 percentage points, but signalled it will soon talk to banks about new caps on high debt-to-income and investor lending. Here is what that means for your borrowing power.Andy McMaster6 min read
- Help to Buy: First Buyers Are Already Moving Into Shared-Equity HomesThe federal Help to Buy shared-equity scheme has its first residents: of more than 2,300 places approved since launch, 278 households have already bought and moved in, with around 2,078 more gearing up to purchase.Ellie Johnston7 min read
- Building approvals fall again, deepening Australia's housing supply squeezeTotal dwelling approvals fell 3.4% to 16,710 in April 2026, deepening a supply shortfall that is leaving Australia well short of its 1.2 million home target.Andy McMaster6 min read
- RBA Holds the Cash Rate at 4.35%: What the June 2026 Decision Means for BuyersThe RBA held the cash rate at 4.35% on 16 June 2026, pausing after three straight hikes this year that fully reversed last year's cuts. Here is what the decision means for what you can borrow.Andy McMaster7 min read
- The 5% Deposit Scheme Is Now Open to Every First Home BuyerThe federal First Home Guarantee has been expanded and renamed the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme. It is now open to all first home buyers with no income caps, no annual limit on places, and higher property price caps. Here is what changed and the price effect to weigh before you buy.Ellie Johnston9 min read
- Federal Budget 2026: What It Means for Australian PropertyTreasurer Jim Chalmers handed down the 2026-27 federal budget on 12 May 2026, with the biggest changes to property tax in a generation. Negative gearing is being limited to new builds, the 50% CGT discount is being scrapped, and $6.3 billion is going into housing-enabling infrastructure. Here's what every owner, investor, renter and first home buyer needs to know.Bec Ramirez14 min read
- Negative Gearing Changes 2026: What Every Property Investor Needs to KnowThe 2026-27 federal budget restricts negative gearing to new builds from 1 July 2027 for properties purchased after 7:30pm on budget night. Existing investors are grandfathered. Here's exactly what's changing, who is affected, and what it means for your strategy.Ellie Johnston13 min read
- Capital Gains Tax on Property: How the 2026 Budget Changes the RulesThe 2026-27 Budget's CGT change is now law. From 1 July 2027 the 50% discount gives way to cost base indexation and a 30% minimum tax for individuals, on gains that accrue from that date, including on property you already own. New builds keep a choice. How it works, with worked examples.Andy McMaster12 min read