Formerly the “Property Planner, Buyer and Professor” podcast
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Capital City Highlights
The national market saw a modest rise in June, with all capital cities recording gains except for Hobart, which slipped by 0.2%.
Darwin’s Stellar Growth
Darwin stood out, leading the way with a 1.5% increase in dwelling values, while house prices climbed 1.8%, a sign of growing investor interest.
Still, just 31% of Darwin’s suburbs are currently at their peak, indicating that growth is likely concentrated in select areas rather than being broadly spread.
Cate and Mike marvel at Darwin’s growth, however they chat about the surprising percentage of suburbs within the star-capital that are yet to reach their peak for capital growth. What does this mean?
Source: Cotality
Unit Surge or Blip?
Cate and Mike unpack a surprise in the data – units outperformed houses in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Adelaide. Is this a turning point for apartments, or just a one-month spike? Cate shares boots-on-the-ground experience from Melbourne, where yields over 5% are tempting investors back into the unit market. Affordability, lifestyle trade-offs, and post-COVID sentiment shifts are driving demand.
Another key find is the stratification of sales prices in the various capital cities. This month, Canberra defies the ‘norm’ and exhibits stronger growth in the highest price quartile. What is going on in our nation’s capital? Tune in to find out.
Source: Cotality
Rental Yields & Investor Trends
Rental growth has steadied nationally, with gross yields at 3.7%. Darwin is the standout with 6.5% yields and regional NT pushing a massive 7.7%. Cate suggests investors may be pushing up rents post-renovation or after long-standing leases end. Meanwhile, Melbourne’s rental growth remains sluggish at just 1.2% annually – possibly a story more about the past exodus of investors than current conditions.
Source: Cotality
Listings Drop, Pressure Builds
New listings are down 11.7% compared to last year, with Hobart and Darwin seeing declines over 30%. Cate explains why tight listings don’t always mean easy buying – buyer fear of missing out leads to irrational behaviour, and competition ramps up even when the market feels slow. She also highlights the buyer activity driving Melbourne’s numbers, even if it’s not yet obvious in CoreLogic’s top-line data.
Source: Cotality
Segmented Market Action
The trio (duo) dive into price segmentation and why it matters. Melbourne’s heat is coming from the $600k–$800k range, particularly in suburbs like Frankston, Werribee, and Sunbury. It’s a case of high activity in lower-price markets dragging down median figures – which might explain why data lags what buyer advocates see on the ground.
Another key find in the stratification of sales prices in the various capital cities relates to Canberra. This month, Canberra defies the ‘norm’ and exhibits stronger growth in the highest price quartile. What is going on in our nation’s capital? Tune in to find out.
Source: Cotality
Consumer Sentiment Takes a Hit
They wrap up with macro themes: inflation, global uncertainty, interest rates, and shifting sentiment. The RBA’s rate pause caught many off guard, impacting buyer confidence. But with bond markets still pricing in cuts and global instability nudging investors toward bricks and mortar, the property market remains in motion.
Resources
The Property Planner’s Monthly Market Update
And if you’ve enjoyed this show, take a listen to these eps:
- 19 TIME IN the market v TIMING the market
- 21 Why price point should determine location and strategy
- 129 What is contrarian investing and how can you make it work for you?
- 158 How interest rate cycles have impacted the property market since 1990 when the RBA first started targeting the cash rate and some predictions on what will happen this time
- 164 Analysing regional locations – What investment principles can be gleaned from the highest performing regions in each state? Comparing capital city vs regional performance from 2003 – before and after covid
