Property Intelligence
161 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.
Mortgage strategy, lending conditions, LVR changes, and serviceability analysis.
Property FinanceReality Star Honey Boo Boo Buys First Home at 21
Former reality television star Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, 21, has bought her first home, a Colorado property she purchased with boyfriend Dralin Carswell, realestate.com.au reports.
10 Nov 2026
celebrity homesfirst home buyers
Property FinanceConstitution Hill has NSW's highest mortgage arrears rate at 2.42%
According to The Age , 2.42% of borrowers in Constitution Hill, west of Parramatta, are behind on mortgage repayments — the highest proportion in NSW and the second-highest in Australia, according to S&P Global Ratings data. The figure comes after the RBA lifted the cash rate for the fifth time in 2
7 Nov 2026
mortgage arrearsRBA cash rate
Property Finance24,546 Households Face Mortgage Default Risk, Highest on Record
Digital Finance Analytics data shows 24,546 households across 70 postcodes risk mortgage default in the next year, a record reading, as the RBA weighs a fifth hike to 4.84%.
3 Nov 2026
mortgage defaultRBA cash rate
Property FinanceCraigieburn Family's $690k Upsize Shows Mortgage Math Squeeze
A Craigieburn family selling their $660,000-$690,000 home to upsize illustrates how inflation risk and a possible RBA hike are squeezing "trade-up" buyers, even as Toorak prices fall 25.2% and cheaper suburbs like Riddells Creek rise 16.3%.
30 Oct 2026
mortgage stressMelbourne property
Property FinanceMelbourne Prestige Suburbs Weaken as Affordable Areas Rise
The Age reports contrasting price movements across Melbourne, with prestige suburbs weakening while more affordable areas attract demand.
30 Oct 2026
Melbourne property marketToorak
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
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
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
Property Finance500,000 Borrowers Plan Refinance as Rates Hit 15-Year High
Nearly half a million mortgage holders are planning to refinance as the cash rate sits at a 15-year high of 4.60%, with lenders bracing for a wave of switching among stressed borrowers.
19 Oct 2026
refinancinginterest rates
Property FinanceLVR, LMI and Genuine Savings for First Home Buyers
A practical explainer on how Australian lenders assess first-home-buyer applications through loan-to-value ratio, lenders mortgage insurance and the genuine savings rule, set against this week's volatile Victorian auction results.
18 Oct 2026
LVRLMI
Property FinanceThe Princes Hill Sale and What It Reveals About Borrowing Power
A Princes Hill first home buyer's $752,000 purchase under Victoria's new reserve laws highlights how APRA's serviceability buffer still shapes what borrowers can actually spend at auction.
17 Oct 2026
APRAserviceability buffer
Property FinanceInvestors Flock to Non-Bank Lenders After Negative Gearing Shake-Up
Property investors are shifting to non-bank lenders at higher interest rates following the budget's negative gearing changes, reshaping how leveraged purchases get funded.
15 Oct 2026
negative gearingnon-bank lenders
Property FinanceMortgage Stress Hits 450,000 Households, Defaults Loom
Mortgage stress has surged to 450,000 Australian households as a key default indicator flashes red, with fresh RBA signals of a possible pre-Christmas rate rise adding further pressure on borrowers already stretched by the 4.60% cash rate.
14 Oct 2026
mortgage stressRBA cash rate
Property FinanceFirst Home Buyer Loan Demand Falls for Third Straight Month: Equifax
First home buyer loan demand has dropped for a third consecutive month despite May budget tax reforms designed to help them, as the 4.60% cash rate and rising entry prices outweigh any policy relief.
13 Oct 2026
first home buyersloan demand
Property FinanceInvestor Outbids FHB for $666k Sydney Unit at Auction
A portfolio investor paid $666,000 for a renovated unit in an iconic Sydney building, beating a first home buyer at auction — a sharp reminder that cashed-up investors still dominate when the stock is right, even as the broader investor cohort retreats under a 4.60% cash rate.
12 Oct 2026
Sydney propertyfirst home buyers
Property FinanceMelbourne Buyers Locked Out of 62 More Suburbs Despite Price Falls
Falling Melbourne house prices have failed to restore affordability, with mortgage rates pushing 62 more suburbs out of reach for average-income couples in 2026.
11 Oct 2026
Melbourne propertymortgage rates
Property FinanceOffset Accounts vs Redraw: Which Saves More at 4.60%?
With the cash rate at 4.60%, the gap between an offset account and a redraw facility has become a meaningful decision for borrowers. Here's how each structure works and when one beats the other.
10 Oct 2026
offset accountsredraw facility
Property FinanceSA Vendors Slash Prices in Panic Selling as Rates Bite
Adelaide homeowners are discounting heavily to exit mortgages under rate pressure, but realestate.com.au reports the same market downturn has already eroded the equity they hoped to protect.
9 Oct 2026
Adelaide propertymortgage stress
Property FinanceDistressed Listings Jump 30% as Mortgage Stress Bites
Distressed property listings have surged almost 30 per cent nationally in a year, with realestate.com.au data pointing to mortgage stress and rising living costs as the key drivers of forced sales.
8 Oct 2026
mortgage stressdistressed listings
Property FinanceHickinbotham Doubles First Home Buyer Boost to $20,000 in SA
Hickinbotham Group has doubled its first home buyer contribution to $20,000 through a HomeStart partnership in South Australia, but APRA's serviceability buffer still determines how far that cash stretches on a home loan.
7 Oct 2026
first home buyersAPRA
Property FinanceFixed vs Variable Home Loans Across the Rate Cycle
With the RBA cash rate at 4.60% and developer sales like Fortis's $67m Sydney surge showing pockets of confidence, Australian borrowers face a fresh round of the fixed-versus-variable decision across a full rate cycle.
6 Oct 2026
fixed vs variablehome loans
Property FinanceThe Richmond Sale in Detail
A Richmond investment property sold for $1.22 million below its published reserve, $220,000 less than its purchase price six years ago, as a first home buying couple capitalised on an investor's exit.
5 Oct 2026
Richmondinvestment property
Property FinanceRefinancing in Australia: When Cashback Deals Cost You More
With the RBA cash rate sitting at 4.60% and lenders competing hard for refinance business, many Australian borrowers are chasing cashback offers without checking the fine print — often paying more over the life of the loan than they save upfront.
4 Oct 2026
refinancinghome loans
Property FinanceA First Test Case for Victoria's New Disclosure Rules
A first home buyer couple outbid an experienced buyer's advocate to secure an architectural Collingwood apartment for $1,106,000, the first weekend Victoria's new reserve and sale-price disclosure laws applied.
3 Oct 2026
first home buyersVictoria property law