Contact us
Contact us
While landlord insurance is important, we add true value with our service and support. Our claims specialists can guide you through the maze of insurance jargon and answer any questions you have about your policy.
Insurance insights
10 insights into the investment property market
Each month we pull together 10 insights impacting the investment property market.
Property price outlook
Realestate.com has released their property market outlook for June 2026. The report expects flat prices to continue through 2026, before beginning to grow again in 2027. Growth is forecast at 5.5% for 2027, following changes in the Federal Budget and reduced investor demand.
Cotality data from July indicates housing value growth has decelerated to 7.3% over the last 12 months, and is expected to see further moderation throughout the second half of the year.
Units forecast to outperform houses
Domain released its Forecast Report for 2027, drawn from a suite of models that project median house and unit prices and rents. Overall, units are forecast to outperform houses across capital cities. Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra are forecast to decline, while Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth are forecast to grow, reflecting a two-speed market.
Affordability and rate rises are considered key influences, alongside structural shifts from the Federal Budget. Gradual recovery is expected mid-2027, contingent on forecast rate cuts.
Changes in AML laws impact real estate compliance
Amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Act 2024 came into effect this month. Some of the key actions real estate agents are required to do include:
- Enrol with AUSTRAC and develop an anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing compliance program
- Identify and report suspicious activity when carrying out transactions for clients
- Appoint a compliance officer.
The changes aim to reduce money laundering in the real estate industry.
Rents continue to grow
Data by PropTrack shows rents hit an all-time high in the June quarter of this year. Median rent prices were up 3.1% nationally, reaching $670/week. That’s 6.4% higher than this time last year. Based on the median weekly advertised rent, Perth (+10.3%), Hobart (+9.1%) and Darwin (+7.7%) recorded the strongest growth.
Vacancy rates remain tight
Data from SQM shows the national residential vacancy rate has risen to 1.3% in June, increasing from 1.2% in May. No capital cities have vacancy rates above 2%, underscoring the ongoing rental shortage across Australia.
Darwin holds the lowest vacancy rate at 0.3% with 64 recorded vacancies in June. SQM data is based on rental listings advertised for three or more weeks online, against the total number of established rental properties.
Labour shortages remain a housing supply challenge
BuildSkills Australia, the national Jobs and Skills Council for the built environment sector, has released the Residential Construction Mobility study. It found more people are leaving residential construction than entering the sector.
Recommendations focused on making it easier for people to move between projects, jobs and regions as demand shifts. Improving workforce mobility will be critical to addressing labour shortages and increasing housing supply under the National Housing Accord.
Developers adapting to changing buyer demand
Designing projects for first home buyers, with a greater emphasis on the liveability and practicality of new residential stock can support developers to make the most of the housing reset, writes Greg Devine, CEO Griffin Group for Australian Property Investor. Developers that adapt projects to meet the needs of owner-occupiers and first home buyers may be better positioned to respond to changing market demands.
Market signals for investors
Reporting on the last 30 years, the Domain Price Cycle explores eight full housing cycles to draw insights on the current one. Mapping peak-to-trough corrections since the mid-1990s, the report shows that interest rates are a key recovery catalyst. Other signals to look out for include open-home attendance rates, auction clearance rates and listings. Read the report.
Residential property remains largest store of household wealth in Australia
Cotality’s July data shows residential real estate leads superannuation and Australian listed stocks in wealth value. Over 50% of household wealth is held in housing, with gross sales per annum recorded at $583.7 billion. Cotality listed $2.6 trillion in mortgage debt from 11.5 million homes.
In case you missed it
A creative project by ANU lecturer Amelie Dale transformed real estate listings into poetry, highlighting the language and storytelling techniques often used in property marketing.
Fantastic views of the beach, ocean,
headland and hinterland,
you can see the Haven,
you look straight up
the green grass of the Skillion
Research suggests well-crafted property marketing can influence buyer perception and support stronger sales outcomes.