New data from realestate.com.au has revealed the most popular keyword searches by property buyers, offering a useful snapshot of what features are top of mind in the current market. For renovators, these trends provide clear clues about where demand is strongest and which upgrades may add the most appeal.

According to realestate.com.au, the most searched keywords last year included ‘swimming pool’, ‘garage’, ‘ensuite’, ‘outdoor area’ and ‘balcony’. These searches highlight a continued focus on lifestyle, functionality and flexible living spaces, particularly features that enhance day-to-day comfort or extend usable space.

At the same time, some of the fastest-growing searches point to how buyer priorities are evolving. Compared to 2024, the biggest increases were seen in searches for ‘elevator’, ‘dual occupancy’ and ‘dual income’. Together, these trends suggest buyers are thinking more creatively about how properties can work harder for them over the long term.

What this means for renovators

For renovators, the popularity of features like ensuites, garages and outdoor areas reinforces the value of practical improvements that appeal to a broad range of buyers. Adding an extra bathroom, improving storage or upgrading outdoor entertaining spaces can help a property stand out without fundamentally changing its layout.

Swimming pools and balconies remain desirable, but they tend to suit specific locations and buyer groups. In family-focused suburbs, a pool may be a strong drawcard. In inner-city or higher-density areas, balconies and outdoor zones continue to matter, particularly for apartments or townhouses.

The rise in searches for elevators, dual occupancy and dual income points to a more structural shift. Buyers are increasingly looking for homes that can support multigenerational living, accessibility needs or rental income. For renovators, this may mean exploring options such as secondary dwellings, dual-key layouts or designs that allow part of a home to be leased separately.

It’s important to weigh these opportunities carefully. Not every renovation suits every property, and council rules, zoning and budgets all play a role. However, aligning renovation plans with what buyers are actively searching for can improve resale appeal and long-term value.

Planning a renovation or upgrade? We can help you find the right finance to bring it to life.

After several years of rapid rent increases, Australia’s rental market is entering a new phase. The latest Domain rental report shows rents remain high and competition is still strong, but affordability constraints are increasingly shaping outcomes. For property investors, the story in 2026 is likely to be less about across-the-board growth and more about selectivity.

During 2025, house rents rose 2.3% in the combined capital cities and 5.3% in the combined regions. Unit rents increased 3.2% in the capitals and 7.3% in the regions. Rents are now at record highs in every capital city except Melbourne, underscoring just how tight conditions have been.

However, momentum has clearly shifted. According to Domain, Australia’s rental market is adjusting as renters reach the limits of what they can afford. Rents remain elevated and competition for properties is still intense, but affordability is increasingly capping how far and how fast rents can rise.

Three rental trends in 2026

Across the capitals, three clear trends are emerging. 

1. Rental price growth has become more selective. Broad-based momentum has faded, with growth now concentrated in specific cities and dwelling types rather than evenly spread nationwide. 
2. Vacancy rates remain historically tight across most capitals, continuing to favour landlords. 
3. Slower rent growth is being driven not by weaker demand, but by renters’ reduced capacity to absorb further increases.

Domain’s Chief of Research and Economics, Nicola Powell, said the market is reaching an important turning point. “Australia’s rental market is reaching the point where renters simply can’t afford to pay much more, even though competition remains strong,” she said. “Rents are still at record highs, but household budgets are under pressure.”

In many areas, Dr Powell noted, renters now need incomes above $100,000 to rent comfortably. “The market is no longer moving in one direction,” she said. “Rent changes now depend heavily on where you live and whether you’re renting a house or a unit.”

Brisbane stands out as an exception, with rental growth reaccelerating for both houses and units. Elsewhere, growth is slowing or stabilising as tenants hit what Dr Powell described as an “affordability ceiling”.

What does this mean for investors?

For investors, conditions still broadly favour landlords, with low vacancy rates across the capitals. However, the ability to push rents materially higher is weakening. The next phase of the cycle is likely to be defined by high rent levels, slower growth and greater divergence between locations and property types, rather than the rapid, broad-based increases of recent years.

Keen to review your investment strategy? We can help you consider how rental conditions and funding options may shape your next move.

Australia is falling short of its challenging target to build 1.2 million homes over the five years to June 2029. Meeting that goal would help us catch up on the homes we haven’t built since 2007, but we currently lack the capacity to achieve it, according to Ray White Group Chief Economist Nerida Conisbee.

Even if buyer demand slowed, Ms Conisbee said we would “still need to deliver around 225,000 to 240,000 homes each year to restore balance”. Completions sit closer to 190,000, so the shortfall grows every year. The workforce needed to reach the target “simply doesn’t exist”, with the Housing Industry Association estimating a 30% increase in skilled tradespeople would be required.

Ms Conisbee said the issue is less about planning rules and more about low productivity. Traditional construction relies on many trades working on site, with limited efficiency gains. Labour productivity in construction has grown only 17% since 1995, compared to 64% across the broader market sector.

The case for modern methods of construction

The solution, Ms Conisbee argued, lies in changing how we build. Modern methods of construction – particularly modular building – move much of the work off site. “Walls, floors and entire rooms are manufactured in factories, transported to site and assembled in days,” she said. “It’s faster, cleaner and requires fewer workers on site.”

Australia’s use of modular construction is around 5%, compared with 84% in Sweden and 16% in the UK. Yet the factors that make modular building successful overseas – high wages, labour shortages and strong demand – are all present here.

Are robots the solution?

Automation and robotics also form part of the solution. “Tasks that once took crews of tradespeople days can now be done by machines in hours,” Ms Conisbee said. This shift is about using labour more efficiently, not replacing workers.

“Meeting national targets will require faster, more reliable delivery, and that won’t be achieved through traditional, site-based methods alone,” she said. Increasing the use of modular and automated building can lift supply without proportionate increases in labour or cost.

If you’re thinking about building a home in the current market, contact us to explore your options.

The federal government expanded its 5% Deposit Scheme on 1 October 2025, making it far easier for first-home buyers to enter the market. Income caps were removed, the previous limit on places was scrapped and property price caps were increased across most locations. These changes mean eligible buyers can now purchase with just a 5% deposit and avoid paying lenders mortgage insurance.

Soon after the expansion, property prices recorded unusually strong growth. National median prices rose 1.1% in October – the strongest monthly increase since May 2023, according to Cotality. “Properties with an estimated value below the new caps of the scheme did outperform in October,” Cotality noted, although this trend had been in place for some time as affordability pressures had been pushing higher-income buyers into lower-priced segments.

Cotality said some markets saw a “notable increase in values below the scheme thresholds”, suggesting possible localised impacts. However, it cautioned that a clear causal link was hard to establish and that the full effect of the expanded scheme may take time to show. “Ultimately the expansion of the 5% Deposit Scheme is one of many factors influencing strong growth at the lower-to-middle end of the market,” Cotality noted.

What the 5% Deposit Scheme means for buyers

The expanded scheme opens the door to far more first-home buyers. Key features include:

• A minimum 5% deposit.
• No income caps or waitlists.
• No lenders mortgage insurance.
• Access to a broad range of property types, provided they fall within the new price caps.

To qualify, buyers must be Australian citizens or permanent residents and apply for an eligible principal-and-interest loan through a participating lender. The home must be an owner-occupied property, not an investment.

The scheme can fast-track entry into the market, but buyers should consider repayment capacity carefully, as borrowing with only a 5% deposit means taking on a higher loan-to-value ratio.

Thinking about using the expanded 5% Deposit Scheme? We can help you understand your options and see whether a low-deposit loan suits your circumstances.

As 2025 draws to a close, three major research groups – Domain, SQM Research and Ray White Group – have released updated forecasts for 2026. While their methodologies differ, all three expect prices and rents to continue rising next year. At the same time, they emphasise that these are predictions, not certainties, with interest rates, construction activity and economic conditions likely to shape how the market ultimately unfolds.

Domain expects every capital city’s median house price to be at a new record high by the end of 2026. Across the combined capitals, house prices are forecast to rise 6%, led by gains of 7% in Sydney and 6% in Melbourne. Unit prices are also expected to rise 5% in the combined capitals, with particularly strong growth forecast in Brisbane and Perth. Domain’s Chief of Research and Economics Nicola Powell said demand remained elevated and that the unit market was expected to outperform in several cities, partly due to buyers chasing relative affordability. She noted that more housing supply was starting to come through, which could help conditions ease toward the end of 2026.

SQM Research’s base-case forecasts point to even stronger growth in some cities. It expects house prices to rise 12-16% in Perth and Darwin and 10-15% in Brisbane and Adelaide, while Sydney and Canberra are forecast to record more moderate gains. SQM also expects rents to rise in every capital city next year, with the steepest rises predicted in Hobart, Darwin and Perth.

Interest rates will be the wildcard in 2026

Ray White Group Chief Economist Nerida Conisbee said the national market was heading into 2026 with “far more momentum than most expected a year ago”, but also with an unusual degree of uncertainty. She said the affordable tier of properties was likely to continue outperforming, with limited supply pipelines supporting prices. However, she emphasised that interest-rate timing remained the “biggest wildcard”, with a delayed rate cut likely to produce steadier growth and an earlier-than-expected cut likely to “re-accelerate prices”.

While the exact outcome for 2026 will depend on how these factors play out, the consensus from Domain, SQM Research and Ray White Group is that prices and rents are more likely to rise than fall next year, although at varying speeds across different cities and segments.

Assuming that’s true, buyers who move sooner rather than later might be able to get ahead of further price rises. Reach out if you’d like to secure a home loan pre-approval.

Saving a deposit for your first home can be tough, which is why some Australians team up with a sibling or friend to buy a home together. It’s an arrangement that can make ownership more achievable, especially when combined with the First Home Guarantee.

The First Home Guarantee allows eligible buyers to purchase their first home with a 5% deposit without paying lenders mortgage insurance (LMI). The scheme can be used by two people jointly – and they don’t have to be a couple. 

You can apply with a partner, sibling or friend, as long as both applicants meet the eligibility criteria. To qualify, you must:

• Be Australian citizens or permanent residents aged 18 or older.
• Be first-home buyers (or not have owned property in Australia in the past 10 years).
• Intend to live in the property as owner-occupiers.
• Apply for an eligible loan with principal-and-interest repayments through a participating lender.

That means you can’t use the scheme to buy an investment property. You’ll need to move in once the purchase is complete and live there as your main residence. The rules don’t prohibit renting out a spare room, provided you still occupy the property yourself.

Why co-buying can make sense

Pooling your resources with someone else can help you:

• Enter the market sooner by sharing the deposit and borrowing costs.
• Access better locations or larger properties than you could afford alone.
• Share ongoing expenses such as council rates and maintenance.

However, it’s essential to plan carefully. You’ll both be on the loan, which means sharing full responsibility for repayments. It is a good idea to come to a formal agreement setting out each person’s share, responsibilities and what happens if one wants to sell or move to help prevent future problems.

Buying together – and using the First Home Guarantee – could open doors that once felt out of reach.

Despite rising prices, new analysis from PropTrack shows there are still opportunities for first-home buyers to get on the property ladder – even with a small deposit.

PropTrack has identified 111 markets across Australia where prices are not only growing strongly but where buyers using the First Home Guarantee can purchase a property with less than $40,000 upfront.

Eligible buyers can use the scheme to purchase with just a 5% deposit and avoid paying lenders mortgage insurance (LMI). All 111 markets have median prices below $800,000 for either houses or units, which means a 5% deposit equates to under $40,000.

Interestingly, these aren’t stagnant or overlooked locations. Each of the 111 markets has grown by at least 20% over the past year – showing that affordability and growth potential can go hand in hand.

Western Australia leads the way with 50 markets, followed by 34 in Queensland, 20 in South Australia, five in the Northern Territory, and one each in New South Wales and Tasmania.

PropTrack Senior Economist Eleanor Creagh said market momentum was expected to remain strong. “The October expansion of the Home Guarantee Scheme and removal of income caps will pull forward some first-home buyer demand by lowering the deposit hurdle,” she said.

“With enquiries per listing at a three-year high and search activity on realestate.com.au the strongest since late 2021, it’s clear more buyers are active.”

Top 10 house markets

Source: PropTrack

Top 10 apartment markets

Source: PropTrack

How the First Home Guarantee works

The First Home Guarantee is a federal government initiative that helps eligible buyers purchase their first home sooner. Participants can buy a property with a deposit as low as 5%, while the government acts as a guarantor for up to 15% of the property’s value. This allows buyers to avoid paying LMI – a cost that can otherwise add thousands of dollars to a loan.

To qualify, buyers must:

• Be Australian citizens or permanent residents.
• Intend to live in the property.
• Meet property price thresholds set by the scheme.

Reach out if you’re a first-home buyer wondering whether you qualify for the First Home Guarantee. 

The number of new property listings that were added to the market in August was 14.4% higher than the month before, according to SQM Research, suggesting that a lot of people want to sell their property in the next few months. That’s no surprise, because spring is traditionally the busiest season in the property market.

Warmer weather, longer days and gardens in bloom tend to attract more buyers, which is why many Australians choose this time of year to sell. If you’re thinking of putting your home on the market, these five tips can make a big difference to how quickly your property sells and your final sale price.

1. Freshen up your street appeal

First impressions matter. A tidy garden, clean driveway and freshly painted front door can set the right tone before buyers even step inside. Trim hedges, mow the lawn and add a few pots of colourful flowers to make your home feel inviting.

2. Declutter and depersonalise

Buyers want to imagine themselves living in your property. That’s easier to do when spaces feel open and neutral. Remove excess furniture, tidy away personal items and consider putting some belongings into storage. A well-organised space will make rooms feel larger and more appealing.

3. Focus on light and air

Spring is the season of light, so take advantage of it. Open curtains and blinds, clean windows and, if possible, schedule inspections during the brightest part of the day. Fresh air and natural light create a warm, welcoming atmosphere that buyers will notice.

4. Fix the small things

Minor issues can give buyers the impression that a home has not been properly maintained. Tighten leaky taps, replace broken tiles and make sure all lights are working. Small fixes can prevent bigger concerns from forming in a buyer’s mind.

5. Consider professional styling

If your budget allows, a professional stylist can help highlight your home’s strengths and downplay weaknesses. Styled homes often photograph better and attract more interest from buyers.

Selling in spring can be rewarding, but competition can also be fierce. Reach out if you’re planning a sale – we can help you prepare for your next move by reviewing your borrowing power and comparing loan options.

The Australian Government has announced it will expand its Home Guarantee Scheme to eliminate caps on number of places and income for first-home buyers. The changes are effective from 1 October 2025.

What is the Home Guarantee Scheme in Australia?

The Home Guarantee Scheme is an initiative introduced by the Australian Government to help buyers enter the property market sooner. It enables eligible buyers to purchase property with a deposit size of 2% or 5% (depending on the guarantee) without having to pay for lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), which is an additional cost often charged for deposits under 20%. The guarantees are:

• First Home Guarantee
• Family Home Guarantee

How does the Home Guarantee Scheme work?

For the Home Guarantee Scheme, Housing Australia guarantees the loans of eligible buyers. This guarantee enables the buyer to borrow up to 95% or 98% (depending on the guarantee) of the property value through participating lenders without having to pay LMI. This helps reduce the upfront costs for buyers.

Keep in mind you will still be responsible for additional costs such as stamp duty, legal fees and loan application fees where applicable.

Who is eligible?

Eligibility criteria varies depending on the guarantee, but includes the following:

– Citizenship: must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident

– Owner-occupier: must live in the property (investment properties are not included) 

– Deposit: have a minimum 5% deposit for the First Home Guarantee, or 2% for the Family Home Guarantee

– Age: Must be at least 18 years old

– Type of applicant: for the First Home Guarantee, applications can be from an individual or two applicants (with a friend, family member or partner). Applicants for the Family Home Guarantee must be a single parent or legal guardian of one or more dependent children

– Loan: the loan must be through a participating lender. It must be an owner-occupier loan paying principal and interest for a loan term of up to 30 years.

– Previous ownership: the First Home Guarantee is only available to applicants who have not owned a property in the last 10 years. The Family Home Guarantee requires the applicant to not have any other property interest once the new home is settled.

– Income: income caps do apply until 1 October for first-home buyers when these will be removed. Before this time the caps are $125,000 for individual applicants and $200,000 for joint applicants (based on taxable income from the previous financial year).

What property is eligible?

The scheme is open to new and existing residential properties in Australia, including:

• House, townhouse or apartment
• House and land package
• Vacant land with a contract to build a home
• Off-the plan apartment or townhouse

Property price caps

The property prices caps will change 1 October 2025 to the following:

Source: Housing Australia

How to apply

Speak to your broker to confirm your eligibility. We can then help you find the right participating lender for your circumstances and walk you through your loan application.

If you’re trying to enter the property market, the federal government has just potentially made it a little easier. As of 1 July 2025, another 50,000 places have been made available under the Home Guarantee Scheme for the 2025–26 financial year.

This scheme is designed to help eligible buyers purchase a home with a smaller deposit, by having part of their loan guaranteed by the government. That allows participants to buy a property without needing to pay lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), which can save thousands of dollars.

The 50,000 additional places will be allocated as follows:

• 35,000 places for the First Home Guarantee – helping eligible first-home buyers purchase a property with as little as 5% deposit.
• 10,000 places for the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee – supporting eligible first-home buyers in regional areas.
• 5,000 places for the Family Home Guarantee – assisting eligible single parents or single legal guardians with a deposit as low as 2%.

Many Australians have already benefited

Housing Australia CEO Nathan Dal Bon said the scheme “continues to play an important role in helping Australians achieve the dream of home ownership” and that it “has already helped over 160,000 people since 2020”.

To be eligible, you’ll need to meet certain criteria, including income caps and property price limits, which vary by location and guarantee type. You must also be an Australian citizen or permanent resident and plan to live in the home.

The new places are expected to be popular, so it’s a good idea to get prepared if you think you might qualify. We can talk you through getting your finances in order and walk you through the application process.