Housing values fall a sixth straight month as RBA flags more hikes

1. 01 prices

   Values down 5.2% since March as 97% of suburbs fall

   Cotality's National House Price Index fell 1.1 per cent in September 2026, the sixth monthly decline in a row and taking the cumulative fall since March to 5.2 per cent. Over the September quarter, every capital city except Darwin recorded a decline, and 97 per cent of capital city suburbs saw values go backwards across the three months.

   That suburb-level figure is the one to sit with. Earlier in the cycle, falls were concentrated in the most expensive and most rate-sensitive pockets, which left plenty of places for buyers and sellers to tell themselves their own market was different. On Cotality's September quarter read, almost nowhere in the capitals was spared.

   Read the full story at Metropole →
2. 02 notable sale

   $1m house listed at $2 — and the buyer can't go inside

   A house valued at close to $1 million is heading to auction with a $2 price tag, after what realestate.com.au describes as a backyard disaster. The catch is substantial: whoever buys it is legally barred from setting foot inside the property. One observer called the situation a "real shame".

   Read the full story at REA Group →
3. 03 rates

   RBA minutes leave another rate rise on the table

   Minutes from the Reserve Bank's September meeting indicate the board sees scope for further tightening if inflation risks keep building, meaning borrowers cannot assume the latest increase was the last.

   For anyone holding a variable mortgage or sizing up a purchase, the signal matters more than the minutes themselves. Borrowing capacity has already been cut by the rises delivered so far, and lenders assess new applications on the expectation of higher repayments, not current ones.

   Read the full story at InfoChoice Group →
4. 04 lending

   Home loan demand falls for a sixth month as first home buyers step back

   Home loan demand declined for the sixth consecutive month in September, with first home buyers and younger borrowers leading the retreat, according to the latest figures reported by InfoChoice.

   The pullback is happening despite the expanded deposit support available to first home buyers, which suggests the binding constraint is now repayment capacity rather than the deposit hurdle. Fewer first home buyers in the market also removes a reliable source of competition at the entry-level price points that normally hold up best in a downturn.

   Read the full story at InfoChoice Group →
5. 05 prices

   Brisbane auction clearance rate slumps to about 20%

   Brisbane's early clearance rate fell to roughly 20 per cent last week, with Real Estate Business attributing the drop to the most recent interest rate rise further squeezing what buyers can borrow.

   A clearance rate at that level means four in five Brisbane homes taken to auction failed to sell under the hammer. Sellers in the city should expect longer campaigns and more negotiation after auction day, and buyers have considerably more room to move than they did a year ago.

   Read the full story at Real Estate Business →
6. 06 supply

   20,000 homes zoned in Sydney's outer south-west, half without sewerage

   Sydney's outer south-west is zoned for 20,000 new homes, but realestate.com.au reports that around half of them cannot be connected to working sewerage. Residents say decades of unmet infrastructure promises have pushed the region to breaking point, with commuters bearing the brunt.

   It is a concrete example of the gap between planning approvals and deliverable housing. Rezoning adds to the headline supply pipeline, but homes cannot be occupied without water, wastewater and transport connections — which is why announced dwelling targets and completed dwellings keep diverging.

   Read the full story at REA Group →
7. 07 policy

   One in 10 Victorian auctions disrupted as new rules take effect

   New Carroll government laws came into force in Victoria this week and, according to realestate.com.au, around one in 10 scheduled auctions have been affected in the first week alone, with dozens of Melbourne vendors forced to change their plans.

   Vendors with campaigns already underway are the ones exposed, and agents will be fielding questions about whether listings can proceed as advertised. Buyers tracking a particular property should confirm the auction is still going ahead before turning up.

   Read the full story at REA Group →
8. 08 lending

   5% deposit scheme backs 102,594 buyers in its first expanded year

   The federal government reports that 102,594 Australians have been supported under the expanded 5 Per Cent Deposit Scheme since the changes took effect on 1 October 2025. Income caps were scrapped, property price limits were raised and the cap on the number of places was removed.

   Metropole's point is that the leg-up comes with a cost: buying with a 5 per cent deposit means borrowing 95 per cent of the purchase price and carrying a larger mortgage for longer. For renters struggling to save while paying rent, the scheme shortens the wait — but it does not reduce what has to be repaid.

   Read the full story at Metropole →
9. 09 rentals

   Rent-tech platforms add fees and 'memberships' after surcharge ban

   Online property management platforms are introducing new charges and pushing tenants towards paid "memberships" to recover card processing costs, following the Reserve Bank's ban on credit card surcharges, Guardian Australia reports.

   Renters have been encouraged to query or avoid the extra charges and look for free payment options, particularly in Victoria, where fees on rent payments are banned outright. Tenants paying through a platform are worth checking what is actually being deducted each month and on what basis.

   Read the full story at Guardian Australia →
10. 10 policy

    SA landlords face jail over illicit tobacco sold by tenants

    A proposed South Australian crackdown would hold landlords more accountable when illicit tobacco is sold from a tenant's business premises, with significantly higher fines and longer jail terms attached. The change would shift more responsibility onto commercial property owners for what happens inside their buildings.

    Read the full story at ABC →

This brief is compiled automatically from Australian news sources and reviewed before publication. Each item links to the original reporting, which remains the work of the publisher credited. General information only — not financial or investment advice.