News Articles
All articles and guides in the News category from the Your Property Guide research blog.
15 articles
Home values post their biggest monthly fall since 2022 — and the market has split in two
National 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.
Negative gearing and CGT reform is now law: what changes on 1 July 2027, and what to do before then
Parliament 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.
Queensland keeps the $30,000 grant, and Help to Buy just opened to more buyers
The 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.
Queensland's $30,000 First Home Owner Grant for New Homes Closes 30 June
Update: 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.
NSW bets on prefab and modular homes to build faster
New 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.
Auction clearance rates slump to 47%, the weakest result since 2020
Just 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.
Rents climb toward record highs as vacancies stay tight
National 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.
APRA Holds the 3% Buffer, Flags New Limits on High-DTI and Investor Lending
APRA 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.
Help to Buy: First Buyers Are Already Moving Into Shared-Equity Homes
The 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.
Building approvals fall again, deepening Australia's housing supply squeeze
Total 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.
RBA Holds the Cash Rate at 4.35%: What the June 2026 Decision Means for Buyers
The 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.
The 5% Deposit Scheme Is Now Open to Every First Home Buyer
The 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.
Federal Budget 2026: What It Means for Australian Property
Treasurer 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.
Negative Gearing Changes 2026: What Every Property Investor Needs to Know
The 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.
Capital Gains Tax on Property: How the 2026 Budget Changes the Rules
The 2026-27 federal budget scraps the 50% CGT discount on residential investment property, replacing it with cost base indexation and a 30% minimum tax on net gains. New builds and existing properties owned on 12 May 2026 are exempt. Here's how the new system works and what it means for your portfolio.