Brisbane’s most affordable and liveable suburbs have been revealed, but there is some bad news for buyers.

Melbourne is officially more affordable than Brisbane, with the southern capital now offering more suburbs at accessible prices.

Now, Brisbane’s most affordable and liveable suburbs are those that only a few years ago would have been largely avoided by buyers but with home values continuing to rise, these once maligned suburbs are taking their turn in the spotlight.

The latest PRD Smart Moves report for Brisbane shows that median property prices in the River City rose 6.8 per cent between Q1-2024 and Q1-2025, albeit it at a slower level quarter-on-quarter.

“For the first time, Melbourne eclipsed Brisbane and Hobart in terms of having the highest percentage of affordable suburbs for units,” the report by PRD chief economist Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo said.

“Melbourne recorded 42.9 per cent of affordable suburbs, much higher than Brisbane’s 38.7 per cent and slightly higher than Hobart’s 41 per cent.

“Compared to the 2nd Half 2024 report, the percentage of affordable suburbs has declined for all capital cities and almost all stock types.

“The largest decline is in Brisbane units. In the 2nd Half 2024 report, there were 60.3 per cent affordable unit suburbs.

“This proportion has dramatically declined to 38.7 per cent.”

To be considered both affordable and liveable, the chosen suburbs needed to have a median sales price below that of the city median, while also offering amenities, lower crime rates, an a lower unemployment rate.

The report noted that the decline in Brisbane “suggests a clear undersupply for both property types, as there is reduced sales volume and continued price growth”.

It noted that $21.3 billion of projects are planned in Brisbane Metro in 2025, focusing on mixed-use and infrastructure developments, some of which are aimed at increasing supply.

“However, there is an emphasis on constructing more townhouses (2262), units (10,108), and residential lots (13,194) rather than stand-alone houses (186),” the report said..

“This suggests that the undersupply of stand-alone houses will persist, which will drive up median property prices further for all stock types.”

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The report also looked at top growth suburbs where median prices have soared.
In the inner ring, the top performers were Lutwyche (houses, 21.8% growth) and Balmoral (units, 41.8% growth).

In the city’s north, Virginia ruled for houses (+35.8%) and Boondall for units (+35.5%).

The top performers in the city’s south were Rocklea (houses, 34.4%) and Woodridge (units, +43.4%).

To the east, Birkdale was the winner for houses (+28.3%), while for units it was Alexandra Hills (+39.9%).

And to the west, Moggil reigned supreme for houses (+28.9%), while for units, Mitchelton came in tops with 38.6 per cent growth.

“The average vendor discounts between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025 have swung from a premium to a neutral zero per cent for houses, indicating a balanced house market where neither buyers nor sellers hold a clear advantage,” the report said.

“Units are still attracting a premium, but it has lessened to a premium of 1.4 per cent.

“The unit market still favours sellers, mostly because house buyers need to re-route their

preferences.

“But a swing away from high premiums suggests a market shift – one that is ideal for buyers.”

The median sales price for houses in Brisbane is now $989,000, while for units it is $698,000.

The report revealed that the dominant proportion of homes sold in Brisbane Metro across 2024/25 were in the most affordable price bracket of less than $849,999 (43.8%) for houses and less than $549,999 (33.1%) for units.

“This presents an encouraging opportunity for home buyers,” the report found.

“Strong sales were also seen in the premium price point, with 30 per cent of houses sold at $1.15 million and above and 19.7 per cent of units sold at $850,000 and above, signalling positive prospects for owners of both property types.”

The report found that both the house and unit markets in Brisbane Metro had yet to reach their peak of the market.

For renters, house rental yields in Brisbane Metro sat at 3.2 per cent as of March, outperforming Sydney (2.7%) and Melbourne (3.1%).

The vacancy rate in Brisbane (0.9%) was also lower than that of Sydney (1.3%) and Melbourne (1.5%).

***

TOP 10 AFFORDABLE AND LIVEABLE SUBURBS

BRISBANE

HOUSES: Coopers Plains, Springwood, Taigum, Griffin, Slacks Creek, Lawnton, Inala, Alexandra Hills, Logan Central, Zillmere

UNITS: Bowen Hills, Albion, Upper Mount Gravatt, Nundah, Springwood, Griffin, Slacks Creek, Lawnton, Zillmere, Spring Hill

***

GOLD COAST

HOUSES: Pimpama, Coomera, Nerang, Upper Coomera, Jacobs Well, Pacific Pines, Labrador, Southport, Arundel, Parkwood

UNITS: Nerang, Southport, Biggera Waters, Labrador, Pimpama, Pacific Pines, Coomera, Surfers Paradise, Parkwood, Robina

***

SYDNEY

HOUSES: Condell Park, Guildford, Sefton, Chester Hill, Punchbowl, Greenacre, Granville, Lakemba, Auburn, Merrylands

UNITS: Sefton, Roselands, Belmore, Punchbowl, Narwee, Granville, Lakemba, Auburn, Merrylands, Harris Park

***

MELBOURNE

HOUSES: Williams Landing, Heidelberg West, St Albans, Sunshine North, Thomastown, Epping, Tullamarine, Truganina, Lalor, Sunshine West

UNITS: Maribyrnong, North Melbourne, Kensington, Williams Landing, South Yarra, Ormond, St Albans, Hawthorn, Epping, Carlton

***

ADELAIDE

HOUSES: Northfield, Bowden, Blair Athol, Salisbury North, Ridgehaven, Salisbury, Woodville Gardens, Taperoo, Para Hills, Modbury North

UNITS: Para Hills West, Adelaide, Royal Park, Seacliff, Daw Park, Para Hills, Glynde, Keswick, Northfield, Alberton

***

HOBART

HOUSES: Goodwood, Mornington, Lutana, Warrane, Clarendon Vale, Geilston Bay, Berriedale, Rokeby, Risdon Vale, Glenorchy

UNITS: Moonah, Goodwood, Mornington, Lutana, Mount Nelson, Clarendon Vale, Berriedale, Risdon Vale, Glenorchy, New Town

(Source: PRD Smart Moves Capital Cities 1st Half 2025)

The post Tanked: Where Brisbane’s affordable, liveable suburbs are now appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Melbourne is officially more affordable than Sydney and Brisbane, with the southern capital offering more suburbs at accessible prices.

The stunning revelation was made in the latest PRD Smart Moves: Capital City Editions report for the first half of this year, which found that the number of affordable unit suburbs in Brisbane had tanked.

“For the first time, Melbourne eclipsed Brisbane and Hobart in terms of having the highest percentage of affordable suburbs for units,” the report by PRD chief economist Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo says.

“Melbourne recorded 42.9 per cent of affordable suburbs, much higher than Brisbane’s 38.7 per cent and slightly higher than Hobart’s 41 per cent.

“Compared to the 2nd Half 2024 report, the percentage of affordable suburbs has declined for all capital cities and almost all stock types.

“The largest decline is in Brisbane units. In the 2nd Half 2024 report, there were 60.3 per cent affordable unit suburbs.

“This proportion has dramatically declined to 38.7 per cent.”

PERCENTAGE OF HOMES DEEMED AFFORDABLE AND LIVEABLE

HOUSES (No. of suburbs/% Affordable)

SYDNEY: 322 7.8%

BRISBANE: 218 25.2%

MELBOURNE: 224 24.6%

HOBART: 49 42.9%

ADELAIDE: 338 46.7%

GOLD COAST: 63 34.9%

UNITS (No. of suburbs/% Affordable)

SYDNEY: 312 36.9%

BRISBANE: 199 38.7%

MELBOURNE: 224 42.9%

HOBART: 39 41%

ADELAIDE: 267 49.4%

GOLD COAST: 56 53.6%

(Source: PRD Smart Moves)

***

But the report found that units continued to provide the best hope for buyers in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Hobart, with stark contrasts in affordability across houses and units.

In Sydney, the number of affordable house suburbs sits at 7.8 per cent compared to 36.9 per cent for units.

A suburb was deemed affordable and liveable if its median sales price was below the capital city average.

Suburbs deemed both affordable and liveable for houses in Greater Sydney were all located in the west, and included Condell Park, Guildford, Sefton, Chester Hill, Punchbowl, Greenacre, Granville, Lakemba, Auburn and Merrylands.

Nine of the top 10 unit suburbs in Sydney were also in the west.

But it was Brisbane that proved the hardest to choose suburbs that were both affordable and liveable due to property price growth in most of the city’s suburbs, and a low level of new residential stock planned, the report warned.

“Sydney and Melbourne proved easier, as many suburbs are still experiencing negative or low-price growth, yet with a higher level of new residential stock in the pipeline.”

It was revealed that of Brisbane’s 218 suburbs for houses, only 55 were MOW considered affordable.

Suburbs that made that benchmark for houses included Coopers Plains, Springwood, Taigum, Griffin, Slacks Creek, Lawnton, Inala, Alexandra Hills, Logan Central and Zillmere, with median prices ranging from $516,500 (Logan Central) to $822,500 (Taigum).

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For units, affordable and liveable suburbs included Bowen Hills, Albion, Upper Mount Gravatt, Nundah, Springwood, Griffin, Slacks Creek, Lawnton, Zillmere and Spring Hill.

Of Melbourne’s 224 house suburbs 55 were affordable, while across Hobart’s 49 suburbs, just 21 met the benchmark.

The affordable Melbourne suburbs included Epping, Sunshine West and St Albans, while for Hobart, Berriedale, Rokeby and Risdon Vale made the list.

“Hobart still has the most affordable chosen suburbs for houses, followed by Melbourne,” the report said.

“Brisbane is now the second most expensive city for houses, especially for those that are also looking for liveability and the possibility of new housing stock.

“The prospect of this price growth slowing down is unlikely, due in part to the concentrated nature of new stock.

“That is, they are mostly found in suburbs that have a median house price closer to or higher than the Brisbane Metro median house price.”

Meanwhile, chosen suburbs for units show median prices that are approximately on par between all four capital cities.

“That said, Brisbane’s most affordable unit prices are at times pricier than Sydney’s, due to ensuring there is a reasonable amount of ready-to-sell stock planned for construction in 2025,” it noted.

“This is the same pattern as the 2nd Half 2024 report series, which suggests that to access new stock, Brisbanites must sacrifice affordability for availability.”

Listings on real estate portals also make it tough with buyers, with many not listing a price, merely saying “make an offer”, “expressions of interest” or simply “for sale”.

Others are scheduled to go to auction.

In Brisbane, a three bedroom house at Bald Hills is listed for sale for best offers over $699,000 by June 30.

The median house price in the River City is now $989,818.

In Sydney, a three bedroom cottage in Hazelbrook is listed with a price guide of $1.2 million to $1.28 million.

Hazelbrook is about 85km from the city centre.

The median house price in Greater Sydney is $1,474,343.

In Melbourne, a two bedroom Victorian cottage in South Melbourne is listed for offers between $850,000 and $900,000.

The median house price in Melbourne is now $934,500, approximately $55,000 less than the Brisbane median house price.

Meanwhile, in Hobart, a Kingston home is listed for offers over $650,000 – $57,506 below its median house price of $707,506.

It comes after the latest PropTrack Home Price Index revealed that the median house price across Australia was now $1 million.

The research found that there are 106 suburbs across the capitals where 100 per cent of houses are valued at less than $1 million, the vast majority of which are located in outer areas where land is less scarce and properties are much more affordable as a result.

On the other hand, the suburbs with the lowest proportion of houses under $1 million are found in the priciest pockets of the capitals, such as Sydney and Melbourne’s eastern suburbs or the inner suburbs of Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

The report revealed that national home prices hit a new record high last month.

***

TOP 10 AFFORDABLE AND LIVEABLE SUBURBS (Top picks in bold)

SYDNEY

HOUSES: Condell Park, Guildford, Sefton, Chester Hill, Punchbowl, Greenacre, Granville, Lakemba, Auburn, Merrylands

UNITS: Sefton, Roselands, Belmore, Punchbowl, Narwee, Granville, Lakemba, Auburn, Merrylands, Harris Park

***

BRISBANE

HOUSES: Coopers Plains, Springwood, Taigum, Griffin, Slacks Creek, Lawnton, Inala, Alexandra Hills, Logan Central, Zillmere

UNITS: Bowen Hills, Albion, Upper Mount Gravatt, Nundah, Springwood, Griffin, Slacks Creek, Lawnton, Zillmere, Spring Hill

***

MELBOURNE

HOUSES: Williams Landing, Heidelberg West, St Albans, Sunshine North, Thomastown, Epping, Tullamarine, Truganina, Lalor, Sunshine West

UNITS: Maribyrnong, North Melbourne, Kensington, Williams Landing, South Yarra, Ormond, St Albans, Hawthorn, Epping, Carlton

***

ADELAIDE

HOUSES: Northfield, Bowden, Blair Athol, Salisbury North, Ridgehaven, Salisbury, Woodville Gardens, Taperoo, Para Hills, Modbury North

UNITS: Para Hills West, Adelaide, Royal Park, Seacliff, Daw Park, Para Hills, Glynde, Keswick, Northfield, Alberton

***

HOBART

HOUSES: Goodwood, Mornington, Lutana, Warrane, Clarendon Vale, Geilston Bay, Berriedale, Rokeby, Risdon Vale, Glenorchy

UNITS: Moonah, Goodwood, Mornington, Lutana, Mount Nelson, Clarendon Vale, Berriedale, Risdon Vale, Glenorchy, New Town

***

GOLD COAST

HOUSES: Pimpama, Coomera, Nerang, Upper Coomera, Jacobs Well, Pacific Pines, Labrador, Southport, Arundel, Parkwood

UNITS: Nerang, Southport, Biggera Waters, Labrador, Pimpama, Pacific Pines, Coomera, Surfers Paradise, Parkwood, Robina

(Source: PRD Smart Moves Capital Cities 1st Half 2025)

The post Where the affordable and liveable pockets are now in each city appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Baird & Warner has named Bill White Jr. as its new vice president of broker relations for mortgage and title services, marking his return to the firm after several years at Compass.

In his new role, White will act as the primary liaison between real estate agents, attorneys and loan officers to support coordination across Baird & Warner’s brokerage, mortgage and title service divisions.

“Coming back to Baird & Warner feels like a true homecoming,” White said. “I’m looking forward to helping the company in its mission of putting agents and clients first by connecting our brokerage, mortgage and title services in a way that builds strong relationships and simplifies the transaction process.

“I know what agents need to succeed because I’ve been in their shoes, and now I get to advocate for them in a new and rewarding way.”

White previously served as vice president and designated managing broker at Baird & Warner’s Glen Ellyn, Illinois, office before departing in 2021 to join Compass.

During his time at Compass, he helped its Hinsdale and Glen Ellyn offices become high-performing operations. He also contributed to development of the company’s mortgage and title initiatives in the region, and he implemented process improvements tied to sales capture rates.

White’s return brings him back to the company where he built much of his real estate career — and continues a family legacy. His father, Bill White Sr., was one of the producing agents at Baird & Warner in Naperville, Illinois.

“Having Bill return to Baird & Warner is a full-circle moment for us, and a major step forward for the company and the Baird & Warner way,” said Laura Ellis, the company’s chief strategy officer and president of residential sales.

“Bill’s passion for helping agents succeed, combined with his proven ability to drive results, makes him the ideal person to champion the connections and relationships that define our family of real estate services.”

Founded in 1855, Baird & Warner remains the largest independent real estate services company in the Chicago area.

The housing market continued to cool in May, with buyer leverage increasing across many regions of the country, according to a new survey from The Real Brokerage.

Real’s May 2025 Agent Survey — which polled more than 260 real estate professionals across the U.S. and Canada — points to softening transaction activity and a shift in market power toward homebuyers.

Nearly 60% of agents remain optimistic about their local market outlook over the next 12 months, although overall sentiment has declined since April.

“Based on our survey, the spring market is clearly tilting toward buyers, with more inventory and greater pricing flexibility emerging across many regions,” said Tamir Poleg, chairman and CEO of Real. “But even with this shift in leverage, affordability remains a key hurdle.

“Until mortgage rates ease or wage growth catches up, we expect this dynamic of increased supply yet more selective demand to define the market in the near term.”

Slower sales, rising inventory

Real’s Transaction Growth Index — which measures year-over-year changes in agent-reported home sales activity — dropped to 44.2 in May, down from 47.8 in April. A reading below 50 signals contraction.

In the U.S., the index declined from 49.0 to 43.9. Canada showed some improvement, climbing from 36.3 to 46.7.

Agents reported that affordability remained the top concern for buyers, cited by 50% of respondents. Economic uncertainty is also growing as a perceived barrier, rising to 28% in May — the highest share since the survey began.

Inventory shortages and buyer competition were seen as less pressing issues.

Power in the market is shifting, with 43% of agents saying conditions now favor buyers, compared to 28% who reported a seller’s market. Another 29% said the market is balanced.

Agents pointed to increased inventory, extended time on market and more room for negotiation as evidence of the shift.

Real’s Agent Optimism Index dropped to 57.0 in May, down from 65.8 in April. While the reading remains in positive territory — above 50 — the downward trend reflects growing caution.

Among those surveyed, 38% said they felt more optimistic about their local market compared to the previous month, while 22% reported greater pessimism and 31% saw no change.

Branding takes back seat to economics, culture

Survey findings suggest that brand reputation plays a limited role in how agents choose a brokerage.

Only 6% of respondents cited brand recognition as a top-three factor in choosing their current company. Most agents instead pointed to economic considerations (64%), company culture and values (55%), and technology and tools (38%). Other considerations included flexibility (32%), equity ownership (28%) and leadership quality (26%).

“This month’s survey reinforces what we hear from agents every day: they’re choosing brokerages based on what truly moves their business forward: economics, culture and technology,” said Dre Madden, Real’s chief marketing officer.

Clients focus on agent, not brokerage

When it comes to how clients select a real estate agent, survey respondents said personal trust and communication far outweigh brokerage branding.

A total of 89% of agents cited personal relationships and referrals as the most important drivers for client decisions. Responsiveness (60%) and professional reputation (54%) were also frequently mentioned.

Most agents believe their clients place little importance on brokerage brand. Fifty-eight percent said it’s either “not very important” or “not at all important,” while 27% called it “somewhat important.” Only 15% said it was highly important.