This Month
Rush to buy before rate rise pushes house $300k over guide
Buyers scurried to make offers on this family home, fearing they’d lose financing power after the Reserve Bank’s impending meeting.
Disclosing reserve boosted the price of this $750,500 unit
There’s a change coming that will force some vendors to show their hand before an auction. But one deal shows that’s not necessarily bad for them.
What this $4.6m sale tells us about the downsizing market
The vendors moved from a family house into an apartment. But they were looking for four years until the penthouse was built – 100 metres from their home.
Why a neighbour jumped to buy this $3.4m home
Locals often provide the strongest buyer pool for a property and will hustle to make a deal work, if a listing is the right one for them.
February
$1.9m sale rewards gamble in a weakening market
In the heady pre-Christmas period, an upsizing family paid $2.55 million for a new home. Two months – and a rate rise – later, it was time to sell their first.
They wanted to buy land and build. They bought a $715,000 unit instead
The real winners of the federal government’s 5 per cent first home buyers deposit scheme could tap it immediately. The second wave faces fast-rising prices.
Why higher rates didn’t touch this $5.618m sale
In Sydney’s eastern suburbs, there are extra sources of wealth that are not affected by an extra quarter of a percentage point on the cash rate.
A $725k sale bad for first home buyers – and the investor selling it
By selling their unit with a long lease in place, the vendor cut most first home buyers from the pool of bidders. Watch out for more of it, agents warn.
December 2025
The $3.8m purchase that shows luxury market has passed its low point
Such homes on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula slumped after the excesses of the pandemic, travel restrictions and cheap money. But the hangover is wearing off.
The $460,000 sale that screams danger for listings portals
An agent has sold 42 of his 106 properties this year by social media, avoiding realestate.com.au and Domain. He reckons his vendors saved a collective $350,000.
The $1.35m ‘bargain’ opportunity for first home buyers that won’t last
The expanded 5 per cent home deposit scheme is driving new entrants into the market, but it has yet to reach full speed. That is giving an edge to some.
In an inline sale of 8 units, one vendor managed to get $50,000 extra
Multiple homes sold together can free up land for development and give all sellers more. But what happens when an owner holds out?
November 2025
Investor pays $1.3m for a property he owned 23 years ago
The tale of one house – two purchases and the two decades in between – sums up the state of Australia’s current housing market.
This home was a tough sell. And not because of the $8.9m price
A former test cricketer and a Wallabies captain had lived in this Sydney property. But a different part of history was a hurdle for buyers this year.
Investor cleans up on first home buyer surge in $700,000 sale
The federal government’s boost to the home guarantee scheme for such purchasers is a big win – for vendors, as this apartment in Brisbane shows.
72-hour time limit creates slo-mo auction for $817,000 property
A ticking clock gave a fixed window for first home buyers and their rivals chasing a popular lifestyle block. Spoiler: It went to the one offering the most.
October 2025
Buyers secure $1.45m off-market Coogee unit (with sea views) in a week
In a low-listings market, good properties are still available – for those who know how to look. This had a glimpse of the ocean and a footpath to the beach.
The $3.8m sale that shows investors are back
After a period of questioning the merits of holding real estate, appetite for Sydney property is strong again. This harbourside unit sold in just five hours.
Buyer spends $5m on property he wasn’t planning to buy
A bidder lost out in the race for a Sydney home. He immediately bid on the larger neighbouring house and got it – for $1 million more than its neighbour.
An unexpected inheritance and ‘life-changing’ $2.25m sale
The “worst house on the best street” came up for sale after the long-term owner died and left it to a surprise recipient – his cleaner.
