Property Intelligence
750 Intelligence pieces published
APF Intelligence publishes original market analysis covering Australian residential property, investment strategy, interest rates, and housing policy. Reports are written using RBA cash rate decisions and minutes, ABS dwelling and lending statistics, CoreLogic Home Value Indices, SQM Research vacancy data, and weekend auction clearance rate feeds from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra. Each piece is datestamped, sourced, and written in plain English without spruiker tone or vendor bias.
Coverage is organised into five streams: RBA & Macro for monetary policy and economy-wide signals; Sydney & Melbourne for the two largest capital city markets; National Property for cross-capital and regional trends; Property Finance for mortgage strategy, LVR and serviceability analysis; and Property Insurance for landlord and building cover. Use the category filters to focus on the topics most relevant to your situation, whether you're a first home buyer timing your entry, an investor rebalancing a portfolio, or simply tracking where the market is heading this cycle. New Intelligence is published only after verification.
Property Tax & FinanceWhy Cheaper Australian Homes Are Now Falling Faster Than Pricier Ones
Ray White data shows cheaper Australian homes are now falling faster than luxury properties as the Budget's negative gearing and CGT changes drive investors out of the affordable end, a dramatic reversal from early 2026.
27 Oct 2026
negative gearingcapital gains tax
RBA & Macro169 Queensland Suburbs Shut to First-Home Buyers as Rates Bite
A year after Canberra loosened its 5% deposit scheme, 169 Queensland suburbs have breached eligibility caps and the RBA's 4.35% cash rate has pushed first-home buyers out of the market they helped inflate.
25 Oct 2026
Queensland propertyfirst home buyers
National Property53-Bid Surry Hills Auction Defies Sydney's 24% Listing Drop
A Surry Hills terrace sold for $1.945m after 53 bids and a 30-person crowd, even as Sydney auction volumes fell 24% year-on-year and the suburb's median value dropped 11.2% over 12 months.
24 Oct 2026
Sydney auctionsSurry Hills
Sydney & MelbourneMelbourne Auctions Fall 56% But Advocate Flags $80k Savings Window
Melbourne auction listings have dropped 56% year-on-year to 774 this week, yet a buyers advocate claims early movers could save $80,000 on an $800,000 home before November's state election.
24 Oct 2026
Melbourne auctionsVictoria land tax
Property InsuranceChina Leads $4.7bn Foreign Investment in Australian Housing Despite Ban
Treasury data shows $4.7 billion in approved foreign residential investment in 2025-26, with Chinese buyers dominant — but the shift toward new-build purchases and permanent-residency buyers raises fresh landlord insurance and strata insurance questions for a changing ownership mix.
24 Oct 2026
landlord insurancestrata insurance
RBA & MacroMcGrath: Property Market Correction Nearing Its Bottom After Sharp Falls
McGrath Estate Agents founder John McGrath says big-city property markets are "close to the bottom" after falls of 10-20% on the ground, a call that lands squarely on whether the RBA's 4.35% cash rate stays put or moves in the months ahead.
24 Oct 2026
RBA cash rateJohn McGrath
Property FinanceOutback SA Tops State for Housing Affordability, AFMS Research Finds
New AFMS Group research shows couples can buy mortgage-stress-free in every suburb of outback South Australia, while Adelaide Central and Hills locks buyers out of 45 per cent of its suburbs.
23 Oct 2026
South Australiaborrowing capacity
National PropertyPerth's $105m Water Upgrade to Unlock 60,000 Homes
WA's $105 million Subiaco Water Resource Recovery Facility upgrade is designed to unlock 60,000 new homes across Perth's infill precincts over 25 years, as national house prices fall across every capital for the first time in 15 years.
23 Oct 2026
Perth propertyWA housing supply
Property Tax & FinanceSA Investor Loan Lodgements Fall 39% as Loan Lodgements Drop Overall
South Australian investor loan lodgements have fallen 39 per cent since January as borrowing capacity shrinks, pushing surviving investors to lean harder on depreciation schedules and other tax deductions to preserve returns.
23 Oct 2026
South Australianegative gearing
Sydney & MelbourneLysterfield's $3.59m Garden Estate Tests Melbourne Prestige Market
A Lysterfield estate with a Chelsea gold medallist's garden goes to auction with a $3.59 million guide, offering a live test of Melbourne's top-tier market after Domain data showed prices falling across all eight capitals.
23 Oct 2026
Melbourne auctionsLysterfield
Property InsuranceJudge Judy's $A18.8m Greenwich Mansion: Purchase, Demolition and Rebuild
The $18m Greenwich mansion owned by Judge Judy's Judith Sheindlin highlights a growing problem for Australian high-value homeowners: standard building insurance rarely covers the true rebuild cost of architecturally significant or extensively renovated properties.
23 Oct 2026
landlord insurancebuilding insurance
RBA & MacroWestern Sydney Suburbs Tipped to Hit $3m Median House Prices by 2030s
New modelling tipping $3m house prices across western Sydney suburbs by the 2030s raises a harder question: how does the current RBA tightening cycle, anchored at 4.35%, compare with past cycles, and what does history say about when cuts arrive?
23 Oct 2026
RBA cash rateSydney property
National PropertyRay White Sets $50k Goal to Support Homelessness Charities
Ray White has set a $50,000 fundraising target for homelessness charities this year, a corporate gesture that lands against a backdrop of record mortgage stress and a shrinking pool of investor landlords across Australia.
22 Oct 2026
Ray Whitehomelessness
Property Tax & FinanceInvestor Lending Figures Tell a Different Story Than Tax Policy Intended
New figures show investor borrowing has dropped by as much as 44 per cent in some markets even as negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions remain intact, raising questions about whether tax settings still drive investor behaviour.
22 Oct 2026
negative gearingcapital gains tax
Sydney & MelbournePoint Piper Waterfront Mansion Akuna Relisted for $55m, Down $5m From Purchase Price
A Sydney waterfront owner has cut his asking price by $5 million below what he paid three years ago, a stark marker of a downturn that has pushed the city's median house price down to $1.66 million.
22 Oct 2026
Sydney property marketmedian house price
Property Insurance$4 Duct Tape Cuts Flood Water Leakage by Up to 98 Per Cent: Study
University of Hull laboratory tests found ordinary duct tape reduced water leakage through doors by 97–98 per cent, outperforming sandbags. Researchers stress it is a temporary measure, not a substitute for professional flood protection.
22 Oct 2026
landlord insuranceflood insurance
RBA & MacroInvestor Retreat Meets a Refinancing Rush
South Australian investor loan lodgements have plummeted under the RBA's 4.35% cash rate even as refinancing activity surges to record levels, a split that reveals how existing owners and prospective investors are responding very differently to rate pressure.
22 Oct 2026
RBA cash rateSouth Australia property
Property FinanceJellis Craig's $25k Homelessness Gift Highlights Housing Gap
Jellis Craig has donated $25,000 to A Home For All Foundation as the RBA's 4.35% cash rate keeps first home buyer loan approvals subdued and housing stress climbs across Australia.
21 Oct 2026
first home buyershomelessness
National PropertySuburbs Reveal Biggest Price Gains Since Rates Last Hit Current Highs
New realestate.com.au analysis finds some Australian suburbs have grown as much as 417% since interest rates were last at today's levels, with Queensland and WA regional markets leading national gains.
21 Oct 2026
interest ratesRBA cash rate
Property Tax & FinanceKochie Warns 'All Bets Are Off' Ahead of Make-or-Break RBA Rates Call
Kochie's warning that "all bets are off" on the next RBA rates call has sharpened focus on how property investors should time capital gains, depreciation claims and loan structuring before the decision lands.
21 Oct 2026
RBA rates decisionnegative gearing
Sydney & MelbournePort Melbourne House with Designed Crack Fetches $1,252,000 at Auction
A Melbourne home marketed around its architecturally designed crack sold for $1,252,000 after four bidders competed, defying a broader run of soft auction clearance rates across the city.
21 Oct 2026
Melbourne propertyauction results
Property InsuranceForklift Mechanic Sells Rebuilt Bundeena Beachside Home After Fire, Health Scares
A forklift mechanic's beachside rebuild after losing his home to fire highlights how underinsurance and slow claims processes leave Australian property owners exposed when disaster strikes.
21 Oct 2026
landlord insurancebuilding insurance
RBA & MacroTermite-Riddled Qld Home Heads to Auction Despite Inspection Ban
A Queensland home so termite-damaged that inspections were banned on safety grounds still drew a bidding frenzy at auction, a signal that buyer demand is absorbing the RBA's 4.35% cash rate better than headline caution suggests.
21 Oct 2026
RBA cash rateQueensland property
Property FinanceOne $20 Rent or Mortgage Rise Could Break Aussie Budgets, Report Finds
A new housing stress report finds many Australian households are just one $20 weekly rent or mortgage increase away from cutting food, medication and essential bills.
20 Oct 2026
mortgage stressrental affordability