Property Intelligence
119 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 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 FinanceWhat the Newport Result Reveals About Buyer Capacity
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 FinanceFortis Notches $67m in Sydney Apartment Sales in Two Weeks
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
Property FinanceFortnightly Repayments Could Ease 4.60% Rate Pain
realestate.com.au says switching to fortnightly mortgage repayments can trim years and interest off a home loan, a small-print lever borrowers are turning to as the cash rate sits at 4.60%.
1 Oct 2026
mortgage affordabilityRBA cash rate
Property FinanceQueensland Mortgage Repayments Hit 66% of Income
Queensland borrowers are now handing over 66 per cent of income to home loan repayments after another rate hike, as CBA and Westpac follow Macquarie in lifting variable rates despite the RBA holding at 4.60%.
30 Sept 2026
mortgage stressQueensland
Property FinanceRBA Rate Hikes Deliver Five-Figure Blow to First Home Buyer Budgets
Four RBA cash rate rises in 2026 have pushed the cash rate to a 15-year high of 4.6%, and realestate.com.au reports more than a third of young Australians have given up on buying a home as borrowing power evaporates.
29 Sept 2026
RBA cash ratefirst home buyers
Property FinanceWhat the Buffer Actually Does
APRA's serviceability buffer forces lenders to test every mortgage applicant against rates 3 percentage points above the loan rate, quietly shaping how much Australians can borrow regardless of what the RBA does next.
27 Sept 2026
APRAserviceability buffer
Property FinanceEpping Knockout Bid Shows $760k Buys Less Than Expected
A five-bidder knockout auction for a three-bedroom Epping home settled at $760,000, illustrating how competitive first-home buyer demand collides with low-deposit scheme risks flagged elsewhere in the market.
26 Sept 2026
first home buyersSydney auctions