With Trump administration’s Aug. 1 deadline looming, new readings on consumer confidence show would-be homebuyers may be getting less fearful that tariffs will tank the economy.
A 2024 Inman AI Award winner, Rexera offers customizable AI agents that automate workflows on condo sales by obtaining HOA documents and public records, extracting data and flagging potential issues.
Reality stars Heather El Moussa and Christina Haack seem unbothered in their bikinis after HGTV pulled the plug on their shows.
“What happens in Vegas … ends up on Instagram,” Heather captioned her photo dump that included a bikini shot with her husband’s ex-wife.
El Moussa wore a pink bikini with a matching sarong while holding a glass of champagne.
Haack wore a black bikini with silver, circle details and large black sunglasses.
“Too much fun and perfect song choice,” Haack commented on El Moussa’s post, shouting her out for using Katy Perry’s “Waking Up In Vegas”.
In one of the photos, Haack was seen wearing a birthday sash that said, “I’m 21 bit — es.” The TV personality turned 42 on July 9.
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Heather El Moussa and Christina Haack posed in bikinis during a trip to Las Vegas. Picture: Instagram
TV show The Flipping El Moussas was cancelled after two seasons and the network also axed Haack’s Christina on the Coast.
Christina appeared to joke about the cancellation in a separateInstagram post, writing: “Summer so far. Basically just eating and laughing. Cancelled looks good on me …. Only kidding only kidding.”
However, Heather and Christina will continue to appear alongside Tarek El Moussa in their HGTV series, The Flip Off, which was recently renewed for a second season.
Earlier this month, El Moussa told Fox News Digital how she’s able to maintain a bikini body after welcoming her son, Tristan, with Tarek in early 2023.
“Well, I’m vegan. I’ve been vegan since I was in my 20s. So, I eat very clean. I think that’s a big part of it,” she said.
Heather Rae El Moussa and Christina Haack are still set to star in HGTV’s The Flip Off. Picture: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for HGTV
Christina Hall, Tarek El Moussa and Heather El Moussa as seen on The Flip Off, season 1. Picture: HGTV
The 37-year-old revealed that it had taken time to find her rhythm again after giving birth.
“After Tristan, it took me a little bit to get back into my workout routine, having a newborn and figuring out the balance of that,” she explained.
“I would walk a lot. And then I met my trainer, Paulina, and she started coming to my house.
“We would do workout routines at home. We added in weights.”
For the reality star, weight training was a game-changer.
“I was never a weights girl,” she admitted. “I was always like Pilates or running and cardio … I restricted carbs … I was really strict with what I ate.
“And after I started lifting weights and after I had Tristan, I really just needed — I wanted — to nourish my body … I just needed calories.
“I wanted healthy calories … I wanted to feel strong and empowered.”
In a social media video, El Moussa showed off her transformation and some of her routine.
“I have 3 meals and 2 snacks, all with some sort of protein,” she shared in the caption.
“Smoothies are my [go-to], or I love rice cakes with avocado and hemp hearts! I eat a [balanced] diet with healthy carbs.”
Parts of this story first appeared in Fox News and was republished with permission.
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Jason Oppenheim and Ivan Sher participated an intense debate about Clear Cooperation at Inman Luxury Connect. The issue remains among the most polarizing real estate has seen in years.
One of the most persistent lies about U.S. economics post-COVID-19 is that Wall Street has been a major buyer of homes in America and that’s the reason home prices have escalated out of control. The role of investors in the housing market is back in the news again, but I want to look at this topic from a different angle.
Cotality data recently showed investors making up over 30.7% of home sales — the highest share on record. On the other hand, the latest existing home sales report from the National Association of Realtors shows the percentage of investors falling year over year from 16% to 14%. What I want to discuss today isn’t about the exact percentage; instead, it’s about identifying the major player in the investment landscape. Surprisingly, it isn’t BlackRock, Blackstone or any other Wall Street firm. It’s actually the everyday individual investors, often referred to as “mom and pop” investors.
Unfortunately, these smaller investors rarely receive the recognition they deserve for their financial contributions to the housing market.
Mom-and-pop investors run the show
Mom-and-pop investors have run the show as the highest percentage of investors for as long as I can remember. Just imagine if we didn’t have these smaller investors increasing supply in the marketplace. The CPI inflation data that we are all trying to contain could have been higher for decades, as shelter is over 40% of the index. As we can see in the data below, the percentage of large institutions buying homes has always been small, but mom-and-pop investors have been the largest share of investor buyers for years.
However, with higher mortgage rates, even mom-and-pop investors can feel the pinch as they finance some of their purchases.
Primary-residence mortgage buyers run the show in America, so even though the percentage of investors has grown with this data line, the housing market is more impacted by primary-residence homebuyers than investors. Housing inventory has returned to the low levels of 2019 in the latest existing home sales report, as mortgage demand from primary residence homebuyers has been suppressed.
Also, the homeowner vacancy rate percentage grew recently as well.
Investor percentage share
Cotality’s investor percentage data line differs from other sources, as I cited above. However, you can see an increase in the last few years in the percentage of investors. I would personally chalk this up to a denominator issue, meaning we just have fewer primary-residence homebuyers, and this is why this data line has grown to over 30% while the NAR’s data is down toward 14%.
Now, one of the positive stories in America is that with the growth in rental supply, the rental vacancy data has increased, as we can see below. Over 40% of CPI inflation is shelter, and the best way to deal with inflation is always supply, which means real wages get better for Americans when the growth rate of rent decreases.
You can see the improvements we have seen below, even with the outdated CPI shelter index. We have made progress here, folks.
One question I have always gotten for years is: Why don’t we give tax breaks to investors so they can sell all those homes and add inventory to the marketplace? The reason this never happens is that you would be kicking renter families out of their homes into a lower supply rental market, which by itself is very inflationary. The remaining landlords would get to charge higher rents. You can see why I love seeing rental supply from investors!
Conclusion
It’s easy to blame investors for the low inventory in the housing market, but the reality is that the largest group of homebuyers in America — Millennials — are the ones who have been responsible for taking homes off the market. Since 2013, Millennials have consistently accounted for the most significant percentage of homebuyers in the United States, except when mortgage rates have been at 7% or higher.
Additionally, a growing rental vacancy rate can help combat inflation, which is why I support a class of people who contribute to the supply in the marketplace. So, while headlines that say investors are buying over 30% of homes can spook people, this narrative isn’t necessarily doom and gloom. After all, how can we blame our neighbors for adding rental supply to the market and helping to keep inflation in check?
RE/MAX’s total agent count grew 2.5 percent from a year ago, to 147,073. But a growing proportion of those agents work outside of the franchisor’s main markets, the U.S. and Canada.
The two-speed property market is levelling out as momentum in many of the fastest growing regions starts to fade.
Price growth so far across 2025 has been a lot more consistent across the country than has been the case for some time.
Unlike last year, prices are growing consistently in Sydney and Melbourne, and the smaller capitals are recording slower growth this year after very strong growth over the past five years.
But this is true even at smaller scale.
Analysis of ABS SA3 regions – which is a region containing 30,000-130,000 people, typically clustering a handful of related suburbs – has found the gap between the fastest- and slowest-growing areas of our capital cities is around the narrowest it’s been since 2020.
Similarly, the momentum seems to be fading from many of the fastest growing regions.
In 2025, the fastest growing regions were, on average, the regions that had grown very strongly over the preceding few years.
Much of that relationship was explained by city-level factors. Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide consistently outperformed Melbourne and Sydney throughout much of 2020 through 2024.
But it was true even within cities: outperforming areas continued to grow faster than the city-wide average.
In contrast, how a region has performed over 2025 so far has very little relationship to how that region has performed over the past few years.
Rather, most of the country is seeing consistent, but unspectacular growth – particularly relative to the pace we’ve seen in some areas in recent years.
Whether this convergence continues remains to be seen.
Home prices are likely to continue to grow this year, on the back of further interest rate cuts and easing mortgage costs. However, the pace of growth is likely to remain modest, as it has been in much of the county this year, given affordability remains stretched.
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As a nation built on suburbs, Australia’s neighbourhoods have been a way of fostering community values since the late 1800s.
What makes a community, and how homeowners and residents want to interact with that community, is constantly evolving.
The communities of the past were made up of insular quarter-acre homes that depend on long car rides into the city.
The pressures of the housing market and the desire for more connection in a post-pandemic world, however, are changing the communities of modern Australia.
“With affordability driving demand for smaller homes, homeowners are looking for communities that offer more within their immediate surroundings,” says Tony Gallagher, Chief Operating Officer at Peet, one of Australia’s leading residential developers.
With 130 years of experience in creating large-scale residential neighbourhoods, Peet has seen this change first-hand and adapted their master-planned communities to create the modern neighbourhoods that Australians are looking for.
What Australia’s first neighbourhoods looked like
Australia’s earliest suburbs were prized for their privacy compared to the more bustling inner-city neighbourhoods, as well as a way that like-minded communities could come together.
In the 20th century, community values started to play more of a structured role in shaping Australia’s suburbs, with new ideas from overseas changing what urban planners saw as the ideal neighbourhood.
The British ‘garden suburb’ movement of the early 20th century, and the American-style ‘Radburn principles’ that influenced urban planning after World War I, saw more focus on green spaces and quiet suburban streets.
Rather than building public parks into the design, Radburn-inspired neighbourhoods included green spaces with large street-facing front yards that were still ultimately privately-owned.
These streets allow for local walkability but often required dependence on cars for work, shopping and leisure due to their city-fringe locations.
Neighbourhoods today have had to evolve to reflect the Australia of today, with housing affordability and evolving community values becoming important to homeowners.
With changing ideas of what community means, and the need for affordable housing, neighbourhoods have had to change to reflect the changing face of modern Australia.
The communities of today and tomorrow
Data has shown that community values are shaping the look and feel of developments more than ever, with the desire for connectedness and a vibrant neighbourhood atmosphere more important to homeowners.
“We’ve seen a clear shift in urban planning across Australia, where community values now drive the design of master-planned developments,” says Mr Gallagher.
“It’s no longer just about housing—it’s about creating walkable neighbourhoods with integrated parks, cafes, schools, and shared spaces that foster connection.”
Instead of the large yards that dominated earlier visions of the Australian neighbourhood, residents are prioritising communal green spaces like parks and walking trails where they can interact with their neighbours and nature.
With data showing work commutes increasing, buyers are also looking for neighbourhoods where everything else is within reach, giving rise to the idea of the 20-minute neighbourhood—communities where most of a resident’s daily needs are within a 20-minute return-trip walk.
Creating these connected communities isn’t just about design and construction, explains Mr Gallagher.
It also means the best developers focus on community engagement to build sustainable communities that continue to thrive once the development is finished.
“Through initiatives like community grants, programs, and regular events, we help transform housing developments into thriving, inclusive neighbourhoods built on shared identity and meaningful relationships,” says Mr Gallagher.
Especially post-pandemic, nurturing the community spirit of a neighbourhood is more important than ever and Peet helps to do this by hosting welcome events and supporting local sporting teams to help communities come together from the start, Mr Gallagher adds.
Why buyers should care about walkable neighbourhoods
Property seekers are looking for communities that allow them to connect with not only nearby amenities, but also with each other.
While the idea of a 20-minute neighbourhood is more popular than ever, walkability is another way that communities can be more connected.
“Walkable spaces are a cornerstone of building strong communities in master-planned developments,” says Mr Gallagher.
To make a community truly walkable, it’s not enough to locate necessary amenities close to housing.
Good planning encourages the use of this form of transport, making walking not only practical but also preferrable.
Data also shows that residents in walkable neighbourhoods tend to have healthier and more active lifestyles.
“Features like shaded footpaths, seating areas, and safe pedestrian routes make these journeys enjoyable, inviting people to spend more time outdoors and engage with their neighbourhoods,” says Mr Gallagher.
Community-led design
Bringing locals into the design process and ensuring their voices are heard is a major way that modern Australian neighbourhoods are changing.
Making sure that the infrastructure and plan of the community is based on what that unique community values and needs is integral to creating the communities of the future.
“At Peet, we believe that the best communities are shaped by the people who live in them,” says Mr Gallagher.
“That’s why we actively involve residents from the very beginning—through structured Community Development programs, collaborative design processes, and ongoing engagement.”
This can mean residents and community groups can help shape the design of parks and playgrounds in their area, or they can apply for community grants to champion local initiatives.
By engaging with residents, Peet enables the community to grow and develop on their own terms and according to the individual character and culture of their neighbourhood.
A modern community in action: Golden Bay, WA
One project where community values, walkability and resident engagement come together is Peet’s vibrant Golden Bay development in Perth’s growing southern corridor.
“Golden Bay exemplifies Peet’s vision of walkable, interconnected communities,” says Mr Gallagher.
Designed for connection
Home to more than 1,000 residents, the coastal community is designed to be cohesive and connected, aligning with Peet’s vision for the communities of today and tomorrow.
“With parks, schools, cafes, and the beach all accessible by foot, the community’s network of shared pathways connect residents to essential services,” says Mr Gallagher.
Community engagement and events
Golden Bay is a stand-out example of how the best developers make building community connection a core part of the development process.
“The estate promotes active living and social interaction, reinforced by regular community events that foster a strong sense of belonging,” says Mr Gallagher.
These community events include community fan days in partnership with the Perth Scorchers, tree planting initiatives, BMX events, and more.
The community was also shaped through direct engagement with residents, allowing them to leave their mark on the parks within the neighbourhood they call home.
“Spaces like Golden Bay’s Shipwreck Cove and Treehouse Cove were developed through extensive consultation, giving residents a real voice,” said Mr Gallagher.
Recognised for excellence
Golden Bay has also won multiple awards for its design, including the 2025 WA Property Council Award for Best Masterplanned Community.
It also won the Urban Development Institute of Australia WA’s 2022 Excellence in Social & Community Infrastructure, with the judging team highlighting its engagement with the local community and its inclusive amenities.
“Its award-winning masterplan showcases a future-oriented, community-centred development approach,” says Mr Gallagher.
The post Why community has always been at the heart of Australian housing appeared first on realestate.com.au.
A rare slice of one of Canberra’s most exclusive, historically significant and tightly held enclaves is up for grabs.
It has long been one of Australia’s most unique addresses and now a rare chance has arisen to move into the prestigious heart of the nation’s diplomatic district.
The leafy blue ribbon address at 122 Empire Circuit, Yarralumla is set on a sprawling 4,557m2 corner block, counting over 40 embassies and High Commissions as direct and close neighbours.
“It’s certainly ‘embassy alley’. There’s embassies all along the street,” said Colliers agent Paul Powderly.
The property, featuring eight bedrooms and six bathrooms over two levels, is being offloaded by the Jesuits, who purchased it 40 years ago and used as the ‘Jesuit embassy’ until 2019, when the community of priests left the nation’s capital.
“It’s pretty quiet, you’ve got big blocks. It’s a very secure area with a lot of mobile patrols of the Australian Federal Police roaming around, keeping everyone safe,” Mr Powderly added.
There are currently 112 diplomatic missions in Canberra according to the National Capital Authority (NCA) which manages planning and development on behalf of the Australian government.
A total of 65 of the 112 have built or are developing in the diplomatic estates of Yarralumla, Deakin and O’Malley while the rest are renting commercial spaces or have bought or rented residential premises.
Uniquely, Australia requires that foreign governments design their missions here to reflect their country’s national architectural style.
Taking a drive around the diplomatic precinct, you can see the High Commission of Canada decorated with striking red cedar eaves and framed by two Canadian maple trees, and the Embassy of Finland and Estonia inspired by the legendary ship ‘Illmarinen’ which sank in WWII, while the design also includes the traditional Finnish sauna.
Mexico’s embassy features the Mexican national emblem and Aztec calendar, while the Embassy of Greece features elegant columns crafted from the same marble used to build the Parthenon in Athens.
In fact, you can do a self-guided driving tour to observe the varying styles of architecture used to develop each nation’s embassy. The Diplomatic Estate Tour map is available on the NCA’s website and is one of its most popular pages.
Surrounded by such diverse architecture in the heart of Yarralumla, 122 Empire Circuit is being touted for its redevelopment potential, whether for an embassy or executive’s residence or someone’s dream home.
“It’s in that best part of the suburb, really,” Mr Powderly said.
“It’s just a nice big block of dirt with a reasonable home that you could live in, but I suggest the person who will buy it would look to build their own dream home there.
“It’s a pretty tightly held area, because there are not a lot of blocks.”
Just 26 hours into the Expressions of Interest campaign, Mr Powderly had already fielded over 40 inquiries. The ballpark range is probably around $5-6 million, he said.
As well as being home to dozens of diplomatic offices, Yarralumla is bordered by the scenic Lake Burley Griffin, home to the historically significant Government House, and close to the Parliamentary Precinct and Canberra CBD.
A spokeswoman from the National Capital Authority says the diplomatic precincts are not only of special significance to the national capital, but a symbol of Australia’s international cooperation.
“Expressing nations’ culture through architectural design contributes to the distinct character of the Canberra diplomatic estate and reflects the national and international significance of these areas,” she said.
According to Australian National University’s Noam Maitless – a practising architect and teacher of design thinking – an embassy is “more than a building”.
“It’s a nation’s physical presence abroad,” he said.
“The National Capital Authority’s encouragement for embassies in Canberra to reflect their home country’s architecture isn’t just about visual diversity; it’s about enabling nations to communicate their identity through the language of architecture: material, scale, detail, light, and symbolism.
“Its design speaks volumes about how a country wishes to be perceived: confident or modest, innovative or traditional, open or secure. When done well, embassy architecture embodies cultural meaning and conveys values in ways that transcend language.”
Mr Maitless said these embassies offer glimpses into other cultures through built form and in doing so, enrich our city.
“In a city like Canberra – purpose-built as the seat of government – these diplomatic buildings contribute something special: a civic layer of international presence. Whether through a façade inspired by vernacular traditions, a distinctive construction technique, or a garden that recalls a home-country landscape, Canberra’s embassies remind us that we are uniquely connected to a global community.
“This is more than an aesthetic gesture – it’s a strategic one. Architecture operates as a form of soft power: projecting national identity, shaping perception, and making space for understanding.
“When we walk through the diplomatic precinct in Yarralumla or Deakin, we’re not just moving past a set of buildings; we’re moving through an ongoing conversation between nations.”
Expressions of Interest for 122 Empire Circuit close August 21 at 4pm.
The post Embassy alley: Rare opportunity in Canberra’s diplomatic pocket appeared first on realestate.com.au.
New data has revealed just how much home values have surged in 70 of the hottest housing markets across the price spectrum.
Affordable suburbs across Australia have experienced some of the fastest rates of price growth in recent years as buyers have grappled with high interest rates and sought lower-priced areas.
But the latest PropTrack data shows that there are dozens of suburbs where home values have lifted by hundreds of thousands of dollars in just a year across every price range.
The PropTrack data examines the suburbs where median house prices grew most in the past year across a range of price brackets.
In these suburbs, the data suggests property owners have reaped huge equity gains in a short space of time due to the supply and demand balance tipping in their favour.
In lower price brackets, suburbs in booming regional cities of Queensland and Western Australia such as Townsville, Gladstone and Bunbury recorded the strongest growth.
In multi-million dollar markets, premium suburbs of Perth and Brisbane notched the biggest gains.
But when it came to the upper echelons of the property market where homes typically trade for $3 million or more, almost all the top growth suburbs were in Sydney, Australia’s largest and priciest city.
In some of these high-end suburbs, all that’s required to make $1 million in a year — on paper at least — is owning a typical house.
Jump ahead to see the top growth suburbs priced:
- Under $500,000
- $500,000 to $750,000
- $750,000 to $1 million
- $1 million to $1.5 million
- $1.5 million to $2 million
- $2 million to $3 million
- $3 million-plus
Booming but affordable
The most rapid house price gains in the past year have largely been recorded in suburbs of affordable regional cities experiencing increased interest off the back of strong rental demand.
Three of the top 10 suburbs for house price growth under $500,000 were found in Townsville, one of the top booming regional markets in the country, while two were in Gladstone and one was in Rockhampton.
Top growth suburbs under $500,000
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12 month change ($) | 12 month change (%) | |
| 1 | Beachlands | WA | Western Australia – Outback (South) | $491,000 | $171,000 | 53% |
| 2 | Vincent | QLD | Townsville | $466,000 | $141,000 | 43% |
| 3 | Garbutt | QLD | Townsville | $500,000 | $140,000 | 39% |
| 4 | South Gladstone | QLD | Central Queensland | $500,000 | $130,000 | 35% |
| 5 | Gladstone Central | QLD | Central Queensland | $465,000 | $127,500 | 38% |
| 6 | Boddington | WA | Western Australia – Wheat Belt | $440,000 | $127,500 | 41% |
| 7 | Dundee Beach | NT | Northern Territory – Outback | $410,000 | $125,000 | 44% |
| 8 | West Rockhampton | QLD | Central Queensland | $500,000 | $125,000 | 33% |
| 9 | Heatley | QLD | Townsville | $473,000 | $123,000 | 35% |
| 10 | Rasmussen | QLD | Townsville | $490,000 | $120,000 | 32% |
Regional Queensland has been the third-fastest growing regional market in the past year, with four of the top five regional cities by house price growth found in the Sunshine State.
Competitive conditions in these cities, which have pitted interstate investors rushing to buy high-yield rental properties against locals battling to get into the market, have helped push values to new highs.
Townsville real estate agent Jools Munro of Explore Property Munro & Co said prices in several rapidly-growing lower-priced suburbs were reaching the limits of affordability.
“A lot of growth has come from our more humble older suburbs, for example Vincent and Heatley,” she said. “We feel that those suburbs may be close to their ceiling.”
Top growth suburbs between $500,000 and $750,000
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12 month change ($) | 12 month change (%) | |
| 1 | Girards Hill | NSW | Richmond – Tweed | $528,000 | $203,000 | 63% |
| 2 | Lismore | NSW | Richmond – Tweed | $550,000 | $180,000 | 49% |
| 3 | Cannington | WA | Perth – South East | $700,444 | $175,444 | 33% |
| 4 | Tivoli | QLD | Ipswich | $646,000 | $173,100 | 37% |
| 5 | Ridgewood | WA | Perth – North West | $715,000 | $172,500 | 32% |
| 6 | Pimlico | QLD | Townsville | $560,000 | $170,000 | 44% |
| 7 | Aitkenvale | QLD | Townsville | $530,000 | $160,000 | 43% |
| 8 | Bullsbrook | WA | Perth – North East | $750,000 | $160,000 | 27% |
| 9 | St Clair | SA | Adelaide – West | $710,000 | $152,750 | 27% |
| 10 | Middle Swan | WA | Perth – North East | $622,500 | $152,000 | 32% |
The next price bracket up, $500,000 to $750,000, featured more Perth suburbs, with typical prices jumping as much as $175,000 in 12 months even as the city’s booming market slows.
A typical house in Cannington in Perth’s south now costs about $700,000, with values rising at a brisk 33% in the past year alone.
Most of the top-growth suburbs with median prices between $750,000 and $1 million were found in Perth and Adelaide, and all were priced at the top of that range.
Top growth suburbs between $750,000 and $1 million
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12 month change ($) | 12 month change (%) | |
| 1 | Madeley | WA | Perth – North West | $955,000 | $242,500 | 34% |
| 2 | Wondunna | QLD | Wide Bay | $900,000 | $222,500 | 33% |
| 3 | Darch | WA | Perth – North West | $995,000 | $221,675 | 29% |
| 4 | Port Elliot | SA | South Australia – South East | $990,000 | $212,500 | 27% |
| 5 | Gulfview Heights | SA | Adelaide – North | $960,000 | $209,000 | 28% |
| 6 | Wattle Grove | WA | Perth – South East | $932,000 | $202,000 | 28% |
| 7 | Noranda | WA | Perth – North East | $940,000 | $201,000 | 27% |
| 8 | Marion | SA | Adelaide – South | $960,000 | $197,500 | 26% |
| 9 | Tralee | NSW | Capital Region | $977,500 | $195,500 | 25% |
| 10 | Hamersley | WA | Perth – North West | $947,500 | $195,000 | 26% |
The median house prices in both capitals is now above $900,000, according to the latest PropTrack Home Price Index, with values in many of the top growth suburbs under $1 million increasing by more than $200,000 in just a year.
REA Group senior economist Anne Flaherty said suburbs in more affordable parts of Perth and Adelaide had been among the nation’s best performing markets for several years.
“Affordability is a major factor in these markets,” she said. “We’ve seen the median price of a home escalate more rapidly in those areas than any other part of the country.”
“It makes sense that the more affordable pockets of those cities have seen great growth because they attract a larger pool of potential buyers.”
Aspirational areas on the rise
In the $1-1.5 million range — a segment more favoured by owner-occupiers than investors — homes in the top growth suburbs now sell for about $300,000 more than a year ago.
Top growth suburbs between $1 million and $1.5 million
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12 month change ($) | 12 month change (%) | |
| 1 | Woodville | SA | Adelaide – West | $1,125,000 | $469,000 | 72% |
| 2 | South Brighton | SA | Adelaide – South | $1,500,000 | $450,000 | 43% |
| 3 | Bateman | WA | Perth – South West | $1,277,500 | $355,000 | 39% |
| 4 | Clapham | SA | Adelaide – South | $1,273,000 | $324,500 | 34% |
| 5 | Semaphore | SA | Adelaide – West | $1,192,500 | $312,500 | 36% |
| 6 | North Ward | QLD | Townsville | $1,150,000 | $310,000 | 37% |
| 7 | Riverton | WA | Perth – South East | $1,200,000 | $299,000 | 33% |
| 8 | The Vines | WA | Perth – North East | $1,175,000 | $295,000 | 34% |
| 9 | Alfred Cove | WA | Perth – South West | $1,500,000 | $290,000 | 24% |
| 10 | Maleny | QLD | Sunshine Coast | $1,235,650 | $285,650 | 30% |
Top performers include the coastal Adelaide suburbs of South Brighton and Semaphore, and the riverfront Perth suburbs of Alfred Cove and Riverton.
Semaphore real estate agent Kate Smith said the suburb’s beachside location, character homes and “country town feel” draw buyers, while its conservation zoning restricted development and supported house values.
“It’s very hotly contested,” she said. “A lot of people that move into the area are buying a lifestyle not just a property, and they’re hanging on for the long term.
“It’s tightly held, and when there’s low stock anything that comes to the market gets maximum buyer attention, so we achieve maximum prices.”
Top growth suburbs between $1.5 million and $2 million
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12 month change ($) | 12 month change (%) | |
| 1 | Ardross | WA | Perth – South West | $1,740,000 | $490,000 | 39% |
| 2 | West Leederville | WA | Perth – Inner | $1,810,000 | $480,000 | 36% |
| 3 | Kensington Gardens | SA | Adelaide – Central and Hills | $1,835,000 | $470,000 | 34% |
| 4 | Oakville | NSW | Sydney – Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury | $1,599,000 | $469,000 | 42% |
| 5 | Kensington Park | SA | Adelaide – Central and Hills | $1,705,000 | $460,000 | 37% |
| 6 | Sherwood | QLD | Brisbane – West | $1,730,000 | $432,491 | 33% |
| 7 | Wilston | QLD | Brisbane Inner City | $1,845,000 | $382,500 | 26% |
| 8 | Wembley Downs | WA | Perth – Inner | $1,900,000 | $380,000 | 25% |
| 9 | Gilberton | SA | Adelaide – Central and Hills | $1,507,000 | $367,000 | 32% |
| 10 | East Hills | NSW | Sydney – Inner South West | $1,590,000 | $362,500 | 30% |
Homeowners in premium inner suburbs of Adelaide, such as Gilberton and Kensington Park, and Perth, such as Ardross and West Leederville, were the big winners in the $1.5-2 million range.
In six suburbs, median house prices rose by almost half a million dollars in 12 months.
Premium price push
They say it takes money to make money, and that’s no more evident than in the top end of the market.
In $2 million-plus price categories, pricier NSW suburbs begin to dominate for growth. These include inner and waterfront suburbs of Sydney, such as Darlinghurst and Dee Why.
Coal Point on Lake Macquarie has been catapulted into the $2 million club – a result of high strong results for waterfront properties.
Top growth suburbs between $2 million and $3 million
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12 month change ($) | 12 month change (%) | |
| 1 | Minyama | QLD | Sunshine Coast | $2,775,000 | $870,000 | 46% |
| 2 | Coal Point | NSW | Newcastle and Lake Macquarie | $2,037,500 | $707,500 | 53% |
| 3 | Applecross | WA | Perth – South West | $2,800,000 | $545,000 | 24% |
| 4 | Enfield | NSW | Sydney – Inner West | $2,294,250 | $469,250 | 26% |
| 5 | Darlinghurst | NSW | Sydney – City and Inner South | $2,575,000 | $400,000 | 18% |
| 6 | Kingsford | NSW | Sydney – Eastern Suburbs | $2,850,000 | $399,500 | 16% |
| 7 | Aberfeldie | VIC | Melbourne – Inner | $2,010,000 | $384,000 | 24% |
| 8 | Sylvania Waters | NSW | Sydney – Sutherland | $2,932,500 | $380,500 | 15% |
| 9 | Brookfield | QLD | Brisbane – West | $2,097,000 | $377,000 | 22% |
| 10 | Dee Why | NSW | Sydney – Northern Beaches | $2,828,000 | $353,000 | 14% |
Meanwhile, Sunshine Coast suburb Minyama has stormed towards $3 million status, with its median house price now $870,000 higher than a year ago.
In Sydney $3 million-plus suburbs such as Warrawee and Bronte, as well as Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, a typical house now sells for about $1 million more than a year ago.
Most of the top growth high-end suburbs were clustered around Sydney’s eastern suburbs, lower north shore and northern beaches – Australia’s priciest real estate markets.
Top growth suburbs above $3 million
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12 month change ($) | 12 month change (%) | |
| 1 | Warrawee | NSW | Sydney – North Sydney and Hornsby | $4,900,000 | $1,375,000 | 39% |
| 2 | Surfers Paradise | QLD | Gold Coast | $4,000,000 | $1,000,000 | 33% |
| 3 | Bronte | NSW | Sydney – Eastern Suburbs | $6,202,500 | $965,000 | 18% |
| 4 | East Lindfield | NSW | Sydney – North Sydney and Hornsby | $4,190,000 | $770,000 | 23% |
| 5 | Balgowlah Heights | NSW | Sydney – Northern Beaches | $4,520,000 | $670,000 | 17% |
| 6 | Dover Heights | NSW | Sydney – Eastern Suburbs | $7,000,000 | $550,000 | 9% |
| 7 | Portsea | VIC | Mornington Peninsula | $3,752,000 | $502,000 | 15% |
| 8 | Bayview | NSW | Sydney – Northern Beaches | $3,392,500 | $472,500 | 16% |
| 9 | Cammeray | NSW | Sydney – North Sydney and Hornsby | $3,500,000 | $462,500 | 15% |
| 10 | North Curl Curl | NSW | Sydney – Northern Beaches | $3,725,000 | $460,000 | 14% |
Ms Flaherty said interest rate reductions had the potential to spur even bigger price moves in pricey areas, although that would depend on how far cuts go.
“Typically speaking we see a relatively greater impact of interest rates on the top end of the market,” she said.
“The average loan size is going to be higher for suburbs where you have a higher median price.”
“Lower interest rates are going to have an impact on all markets, but potentially in the higher end, the impact would be greater.”
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