Home values 5.2% off peak as big four pass on rate rise in full

1. 01 prices

   Values 5.2% below March peak, with Brisbane falling faster than Sydney

   Cotality data released on Thursday shows median house prices fell again in September, leaving national values 5.2% below their March peak and back where they were a year ago. Prices are now falling in almost every suburb of the largest capitals, and Cotality has values dropping faster in Brisbane than in Sydney as the slowdown picks up pace.

   Guardian Australia reports the driver is interest rates eating into borrowing capacity, which caps what buyers can bid regardless of how motivated they are. For owners, a fall that has spread across most suburbs rather than concentrating in a few pockets means fewer places to hide; for buyers, it means the price guide set three months ago is unlikely to hold.

   Read the full story at Guardian Australia →
2. 02 rates

   Five biggest lenders pass rate rise on in full, two lift savings rates

   Australia's five largest home lenders have passed the latest cash rate increase through to borrowers in full, Nine reports, but only two of them committed to lifting the rates they pay savers at the same time.

   For mortgage holders on variable rates, the increase lands in repayments within weeks. The split treatment of borrowers and depositors is the sort of gap that usually prompts refinancing conversations, and brokers should expect calls from clients comparing their mortgage rate with what their offset or savings account is actually earning.

   Read the full story at Nine →
3. 03 prices

   Melbourne house prices back at 2021 levels after $63,500 fall

   Melbourne house prices have retreated to where they sat in 2021, with realestate.com.au putting the decline at $63,500 and reporting values are still heading down as higher Reserve Bank rates make mortgages harder to service.

   That effectively erases several years of gains for anyone who bought near the top. Owners who purchased in 2022 or later with small deposits are the most exposed, while buyers who have been priced out of Melbourne for years are now looking at asking prices they last saw before the pandemic-era run-up.

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

   RBA: fewer than one in 100 borrowers underwater, recent buyers most at risk

   The Reserve Bank says households are generally well placed to handle rising rates and falling prices at the same time, estimating that fewer than one in 100 borrowers owe more than their home is worth. Its analysis singles out recent borrowers who took out large loans — including first home buyers — as the group most likely to slip into negative equity, with the price slump concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne.

   Negative equity does not force a sale on its own, but it removes options: refinancing, topping up, or selling and walking away clean all get harder. Brokers with clients who bought recently on high loan-to-value ratios in the two biggest capitals are the ones who should be checking in.

   Read the full story at Guardian Australia →
5. 05 policy

   Victorian sellers must now have their sale prices made public

   New Victorian laws taking effect this week require sold property prices to be disclosed publicly, realestate.com.au reports, ending the ability of vendors to keep a result private. The publication says the change has prompted "outrage" from homeowners who regarded the figure as a personal matter.

   More complete sold data narrows the information gap that has long favoured agents over buyers, and makes it harder to run a campaign off selective comparable sales. In a falling market, it also means recent results in a street are visible to everyone pricing the next listing.

   Read the full story at REA Group →
6. 06 notable sale

   Fig Tree Pocket riverfront block, home to horses for 30 years, hits the market

   A riverfront block at Fig Tree Pocket in Brisbane's west has been listed, having had no residents other than horses for more than three decades. Clive Palmer and developer Tim Forrester own trophy homes nearby, and the listing is being pitched as the "best address in Brisbane".

   Large undeveloped riverfront holdings in established Brisbane suburbs rarely come up, and the sale will be a useful read on whether the top end of the Brisbane market is cooling at the same rate as the broader city.

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

   Victorian mortgage stress service closes its books as demand surges

   A free Victorian service for homeowners in mortgage stress has temporarily stopped taking new clients, the ABC reports, with rate rises and inflation pushing demand beyond what it can handle. Several Melbourne suburbs rank among the most mortgage-stressed in the country.

   Hardship services shutting their intake is a leading indicator worth watching, because it usually shows up well before arrears data does. It also leaves struggling borrowers with fewer free options at the point where early intervention matters most.

   Read the full story at ABC →
8. 08 rates

   Inflation jump puts a fifth rate rise on the table

   A day after the fourth rate hike, fresh inflation figures came in higher than expected, and Real Estate Business reports the market is now weighing the prospect of a fifth increase. Buyers are caught between the risk of paying more to borrow and the possibility of prices falling further while they wait.

   That combination tends to thin out auction crowds and stretch days on market, because the cost of waiting looks low when values are sliding. For sellers, it argues for meeting the market early rather than chasing it down.

   Read the full story at Real Estate Business →
9. 09 policy

   ATO fines foreign landlord $508,000 over land banking

   The Australian Taxation Office has issued a $508,000 penalty to an overseas landlord who failed to build a residential dwelling within the required timeframe, Real Estate Business reports. It is the second such fine as the ATO presses on with its crackdown on foreign investors sitting on vacant residential land.

   The rules exist to stop approved foreign purchases being held undeveloped while housing supply stays tight. The size of the penalty signals the ATO is prepared to make non-compliance more expensive than simply holding the land and waiting.

   Read the full story at Real Estate Business →
10. 10 policy

    AUSTRAC issues first fines to unregistered real estate agencies

    AUSTRAC has issued its first infringement notices to real estate businesses that have not registered under the new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime, with unregistered agencies now accruing daily fines. The regulator has warned further notices are coming.

    Agencies that have treated registration as a back-office task now have a direct financial reason to complete it. Principals should confirm their enrolment status before the daily penalties start compounding.

    Read the full story at Real Estate Business →

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.