276,000 unsold homes stall the spring selling season

1. 01 prices

   Unsold stock hits 276,000 as vendors trim asking prices

   The traditional spring selling run has stalled, with realestate.com.au reporting 276,000 homes sitting unsold across the country and asking prices being cut to shift them. Forced sales are running close to 30 per cent above where they sat a year ago.

   For buyers, a market with that much unsold stock means more choice and more room to negotiate, particularly where vendors have already been on the market for weeks. For owners who need to sell, the same numbers are a warning that the queue is long and that pricing to the market, rather than to last year's comparable sales, is doing the work.

   Read the full story at REA Group →
2. 02 prices

   Cotality records sixth straight monthly fall in dwelling values

   Cotality's national Home Value Index fell 1.1 per cent in September, the sixth consecutive month of declines. On Metropole's reading of the data, national dwelling values are now 5.2 per cent below the record highs set in March 2026.

   A run of six months takes this beyond a seasonal wobble, and it reframes the arithmetic for anyone who bought at the peak. Recent buyers with small deposits are the most exposed to equity slipping, while those watching from the sidelines are getting the first sustained reset in median prices in some time.

   Read the full story at Metropole →
3. 03 rates

   CBA's Matt Comyn says the RBA has probably finished hiking

   Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn told the ABC's Alan Kohler that the bank believes the Reserve Bank is likely done raising the cash rate, while stressing the call rests on the inflation figures due late this month.

   It is one bank's view rather than a settled outcome, but it is the country's largest mortgage lender saying it. Borrowers weighing whether to fix, refinance or sit tight have a clear date to watch: if that inflation print comes in hot, the "probably" in Comyn's assessment does a lot of work.

   Read the full story at ABC →
4. 04 rates

   NAB lifts fixed rates again, a week out from its variable rise

   NAB has increased its fixed home loan rates for the second time in three weeks, according to InfoChoice. The move lands a week before the bank's 0.25 percentage point increase takes effect across its variable home loans.

   Fixed rate repricing usually runs ahead of the market's expectations rather than behind them, so two rises in three weeks sits awkwardly alongside the view that hikes are finished. Borrowers chasing certainty should expect the window on current fixed pricing to keep narrowing, and brokers should be checking how long existing rate locks hold.

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

   Queensland falls 30,000 homes short across 222 suburbs

   Queensland has become the country's biggest housing black spot state, according to realestate.com.au analysis, missing approval targets badly enough to leave the state roughly 30,000 homes short of what its growth requires. The shortfall spans 222 suburbs.

   Approvals are the leading indicator for supply two and three years out, so a gap of that size points to continued pressure on Queensland prices and rents well beyond this cycle. It also sharpens the question for the state government of where the missing approvals are meant to come from.

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

   Fig Tree Pocket riverfront block, home to horses for 30 years, listed

   A riverfront block at Fig Tree Pocket, described in the listing pitch as the "best address in Brisbane", has come to market after more than 30 years in which its only occupants have been horses. Billionaire businessman Clive Palmer and property developer Tim Forrester own trophy homes nearby, realestate.com.au reports.

   Undeveloped riverfront acreage this close to the Brisbane CBD rarely trades, and sales like it set the reference points for the city's prestige tier. It is also a reminder that the top end runs on its own logic while the broader market absorbs six months of falling values.

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

   Western Sydney owners 'battening down the hatches' as values slide

   Residents across Western Sydney told the ABC they are cutting back as interest rate rises and higher petrol prices collide with falling house values, with households describing the squeeze on making ends meet.

   Western Sydney is where the mortgage belt is thickest and where loan sizes were stretched furthest, so it tends to register rate pressure before the rest of the market does. Falling values at the same time removes the equity cushion that would normally let stressed owners refinance their way out.

   Read the full story at ABC →
8. 08 development

   Launceston neighbours question Firmus datacentre float

   Firmus Technologies is on track for what Guardian Australia reports would be the second-biggest IPO in Australian history, built on "AI factory" datacentres including one under construction in Launceston. Resident Kayla Thompson said she and neighbours only learned of the plan after building had started. Some investors have described the company's forecasts as "a little bit of a fairytale".

   Datacentres are becoming a serious competitor for serviced land, power and water in regional centres, and they arrive with little of the consultation residents expect from housing development. For anyone buying near a proposed site, the planning pathway and the lack of early notice are worth checking before contracts.

   Read the full story at Guardian Australia →
9. 09 policy

   Queensland strips councils of datacentre approval powers

   The Queensland government will take planning and assessment of datacentre applications off local councils under a system due to roll out in coming weeks, citing a need to avoid inconsistency between local government areas.

   It is a centralising move that removes the most accessible point of objection for residents near a proposed site. For developers and landowners it means one assessment pathway rather than dozens, which should shorten timelines for industrial and employment land across the state.

   Read the full story at ABC →
10. 10 policy

    AUSTRAC issues first fines to unregistered real estate agencies

    AUSTRAC has issued its first infringement notices against unregistered real estate businesses under the expanded anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime, with agencies now exposed to daily fines. The regulator has signalled more notices are on the way.

    Agencies that have treated enrolment as a paperwork deadline to be dealt with later are now accruing penalties for every day they remain unregistered. Principals should confirm their registration status and reporting obligations before the next round lands.

    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.