Australian property, explained.
Capital city market reads, RBA decisions, suburb data refreshes, and the guides our readers are turning to right now. Sourced and dated.
Capital cities
2026 market outlooks.
6 May 2026
Sydney Property Market 2026: Where Prices, Yields and Demand Are Heading
6 May 2026
Melbourne Property Market 2026: A Slower, More Selective Recovery
6 May 2026
Brisbane Property Market 2026: Still Running, But Less of a Sprint
6 May 2026
Perth Property Market 2026: After the Boom, Where to Now?
Latest
Recent articles.
20 September 2026·Market Update
House price forecasts for 2026 and 2027 by capital city: what CBA, Westpac, NAB, ANZ and Domain expect, and what has happened so far
Every major forecaster cut its 2026 house price outlook between March and August 2026. The current numbers for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra and Darwin, each dated and sourced, set against what Cotality's index actually recorded to August, and how to read them if you are deciding whether to sell.
20 September 2026·Selling
Agency agreements by state: exclusive vs open listings, the term, cooling-off and how you get out (NSW, Vic, Qld, SA, WA)
The agency agreement is the contract that decides what you pay, for how long you are locked in and whether you owe commission if someone else sells. What each state's law requires it to contain, the term limits, the cooling-off rights and the clauses to change before you sign.
20 September 2026·Selling
Underquoting laws by state: what an agent may advertise, the penalties, and how to report it (2026)
Underquoting is advertising or quoting a price below what the agent has told the seller the property should fetch. The rules and penalties in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA and WA, the 2026 changes in NSW and Victoria, what buyers can check, and where to report it.
20 September 2026·Selling
Real estate agent complaints: the red flags, what the regulator can and cannot do, and the Fair Trading route in every state
The warning signs that an agent is working for themselves rather than you, the evidence to keep, how to complain to the agency first, and then the exact route to Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs, the OFT, CBS or Consumer Protection in each state and territory, with what each can actually do.
20 September 2026·Selling
Changing real estate agents mid-campaign: when you can, what it costs, and how to avoid paying two commissions
You can leave an agent during the agreement in some states and not others, and leaving badly can cost a second commission. When the agreement lets you go, when the law does, the tail-clause trap, what the first agent can still charge, and a step-by-step way to switch cleanly.
20 September 2026·Selling
Fixed-fee vs commission real estate agents: what each model costs, where the break-even sits, and which one to choose
A fixed-fee agent charges a set amount, typically $3,000 to $10,000; a commission agent charges 1.6% to 3.25% of the sale price. The dollar comparison at different price points, the incentives each model creates, the hybrid and tiered options in between, and the questions that decide it for your sale.
20 September 2026·Selling
Selling or transferring the house after separation or divorce: time limits, consent orders, stamp duty exemptions and the CGT rollover
After a separation the family home is either sold and the proceeds divided, or transferred to one former partner. Which one, and how it is documented, decides whether the transfer is free of stamp duty, whether capital gains tax is deferred, and whether the settlement can be unwound later. Here are the Family Law Act time limits and the 2025 changes to how property is divided, the ways to formalise an agreement, each state's duty exemption, the ATO's relationship-breakdown rollover and how it interacts with the main residence exemption, and the practical steps for selling a home two people no longer share.
20 September 2026·Selling
Reserve price at auction: how it is set, how it relates to the price guide, and what changes in Victoria from October 2026
The reserve is the lowest price a seller will accept at auction. How it is set, whether it stays secret, how it relates to the advertised price guide, and how many vendor bids the auctioneer may make all depend on the state. Here are the rules from each state's legislation, including Victoria's new requirement that the reserve be published at least seven days before the auction, plus how to set a reserve that sells and how buyers should read a guide.
20 September 2026·Selling
Selling a house with tenants in Australia: notice periods by state, open homes and photos, and capital gains tax on an investment property
You can sell a tenanted property with the tenant in place or with vacant possession, but the lease, the state's notice rules and the tax position decide which is realistic. Here are the current rules in every state and territory for ending a tenancy because of a sale, for showing the property to buyers, for open homes and advertising photos, and for what happens to the lease and bond on settlement, followed by the CGT rules for an investment property: the cost base, the six-year rule, the 2027 discount change and the clearance certificate every seller now needs.
20 September 2026·Selling
Selling a deceased estate property in Australia: probate, who can sign, CGT on inherited property and the two-year rule
Australia has no inheritance tax, but an inherited home can still attract capital gains tax if it is sold late or handled badly. Here is the order of events for an executor or beneficiary: getting the grant of probate, who can sign the contract and when, the family-provision time limits in every state, what the ATO's two-year rule and its 18-month safe harbour actually require, how the cost base is set, and the practical decisions about clearing, insuring, presenting and selling the property.
20 September 2026·Selling
Contract of sale in Western Australia: the offer and acceptance, no cooling-off period, and what the seller must still get right
Western Australia has no vendor statement for a house and no statutory cooling-off period: the offer and acceptance binds both sides the moment the seller's acceptance reaches the buyer. Here is how the REIWA and Law Society contract works, the conditions that do the buyer's protecting, the seller warranties in the 2022 General Conditions, the strata disclosure a unit seller must give, the RCD and smoke-alarm rules that must be met before title transfers, and the mistakes that catch WA sellers out.
20 September 2026·Selling
Contract of sale in South Australia: the Form 1 vendor's statement, the two-day cooling-off period, and what happens if it is wrong
South Australia does it differently: the buyer usually signs first, the seller then serves a Form 1 vendor's statement, and the buyer's two-clear-business-day cooling-off period runs from whichever comes later. Here is what the Land and Business (Sale and Conveyancing) Act and its 2025 Regulations actually require in the Form 1, who prepares and certifies it, the $100 deposit rule, when the cooling-off period does not apply, the buyer's right to walk away up to settlement if the Form 1 is defective, and the mistakes that catch SA sellers out.