Property Intelligence
754 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 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
National PropertySA Buyers Most Rate-Sensitive as Nation Splits on Confidence
South Australian buyers are pulling back from the market over interest rate concerns more than any other state, according to realestate.com.au, even as WA suburbs post double-digit growth and investors chase yield through SMSF structures.
20 Oct 2026
South AustraliaAdelaide property
Property Tax & FinanceWhich Commercial Property Sector Suits Your SMSF? A Guide to Industrial, Retail and Office
With SMSF residential borrowing effectively shut down, Your Investment Property's new sector guide shows trustees weighing industrial, retail, office and medical property to meet super fund compliance and return targets.
20 Oct 2026
SMSF propertycommercial property
Sydney & MelbourneDoncaster East Buyer Pays $4.3m as Melbourne Market Splits
A Doncaster East buyer paid $4.3m for an unusual home after repeated inspections, underscoring how Melbourne's prestige pockets are still attracting strong competition even as clearance rates elsewhere sink.
20 Oct 2026
Melbourne propertyDoncaster East
RBA & Macro500,000 Borrowers Chase Refinance as Rate Hits 15-Year High
Nearly half a million Australian mortgage holders plan to refinance as the cash rate sits at 4.35%, its highest level in 15 years, squeezing household budgets and reshaping lender competition.
20 Oct 2026
RBA cash raterefinancing
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
National PropertyAdelaide's Top Investor Suburbs Revealed in New PropTrack Report
Realestate.com.au's new ranking of Adelaide's best investor suburbs lands as REAStats data shows WA markets like Nedlands and South Perth clearing stock in under 20 days, pointing to a national supply squeeze outside the big two capitals.
19 Oct 2026
Adelaide propertyPerth property market
Property Tax & FinanceTermite-Damaged Mermaid Waters Home Sells for $2.648m at Auction
A practical guide to the three pillars governing SMSF property investment in Australia — limited recourse borrowing arrangements, the sole-purpose test, and the in-house asset rule — and what trustees must get right to avoid ATO penalties.
19 Oct 2026
SMSF propertyLRBA
Sydney & MelbourneWhat It Signals About Prestige and Regional Pricing
A 140-year-old Gippsland Lakes homestead with private lake access and botanical gardens has hit the market for $4.4m, landing at a moment when Victoria's broader auction market is split between prestige resilience and record-low clearance rates.
19 Oct 2026
Victoria propertyGippsland Lakes
Property InsuranceRebuilt Woolloongabba Home on Fire-Ravaged Block Hits Market Amid Tight Supply
A new home built on a fire-ravaged Woolloongabba block has hit the market amid tight Brisbane supply, highlighting how building insurance and rebuild costs shape outcomes after a total loss.
19 Oct 2026
building insuranceWoolloongabba
RBA & MacroInflation Data to Decide RBA's Next Move Off 4.35%
With the RBA cash rate holding at 4.35%, forthcoming inflation prints will determine whether Australian borrowers face further pain or finally see relief into 2027.
19 Oct 2026
RBA cash rateinflation
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
National PropertyWorking-Class Regions Named Australia's Best Property Buys: Hotspotting
Realestate.com.au's ranking of Australia's best-performing property regions has crowned a run of working-class hubs, highlighting a widening gap between capital city price ceilings and regional affordability.
18 Oct 2026
regional propertyaffordability
Property Tax & FinanceDerelict Rural Victorian Home Sells for $110,000 in Leitchville
A practical breakdown of how Division 40 (plant and equipment) and Division 43 (capital works) depreciation deductions work for Australian property investors, including the key date thresholds and record-keeping rules that determine eligibility.
18 Oct 2026
depreciation schedulesDivision 40
Sydney & MelbourneA Sharp Sale in a Soft Market
An industrial-style modernist home in Port Melbourne drew 120 inspection groups and sold for $1.252m within 10 days, a signal that distinctive, well-presented stock is still cutting through a patchy Melbourne auction market.
18 Oct 2026
Melbourne propertyPort Melbourne
Property InsuranceFire-Damaged Merrylands Home Draws Six Bidders, Sells Above Expectations
A boarded-up, fire-ravaged western Sydney home sold above reserve with buyers unable to inspect inside, exposing gaps in how building insurance, disclosure and auction risk intersect.
18 Oct 2026
building insurancefire damage
RBA & MacroUS House Price Falls Test Australia's 4.35% Rate Resilience
US single-family home prices have fallen as much as 26% in 16 major metros, raising questions about whether Australia's property market can keep absorbing a 4.35% cash rate without a similar correction.
18 Oct 2026
RBA cash rateUS housing market
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
National PropertySydney Buyer Secures Home $150,000 Below Reserve
A single-bid auction in Sydney's inner west sold $150,000 under reserve as a buyer hit her rate-constrained ceiling and a vendor chose certainty over price, a pattern now showing up in days-on-market data nationally.
17 Oct 2026
Sydney propertyauctions
Property Tax & FinanceNew Build vs Established: Comparing Investment Returns After Budget Tax Changes
Your Investment Property's post-budget modelling compares new builds and established homes on depreciation, land tax and growth, finding the tax changes have shifted the maths for Australian investors.
17 Oct 2026
negative gearingproperty depreciation
Sydney & MelbourneMelbourne Auction Market Hits Worst Run as New Laws Bite
Victoria's new auction laws took effect this week amid the weakest Melbourne auction conditions in years, compounding buyer confusion and testing vendor confidence across the city.
17 Oct 2026
Melbourne auctionsVictoria property law
RBA & MacroSpending Up, Relief Down: The Core of the realestate.com.au Report
New data shows almost two million Australians remain trapped in poverty despite government spending that has fuelled inflation and kept the RBA cash rate at 4.35%, raising questions about whether fiscal stimulus is reaching the households it is meant to help.
17 Oct 2026
RBA cash ratewelfare payments
National PropertyMelbourne Million-Dollar Suburb Count Could Nearly Double
New modelling cited by realestate.com.au suggests Melbourne's million-dollar house suburb count could almost double, with cheaper outer suburbs tipped for six-figure gains even as national sales volumes slide.
16 Oct 2026
Melbourne propertyhouse prices
Property Tax & FinanceLauryn Hill's Unpaid US Property Taxes Led to Foreclosure Threat
Lauryn Hill's collapse from millionaire property owner to a $750,000 net worth after unpaid tax offers a stark warning for Australian investors facing ATO scrutiny on rental income and capital gains.
16 Oct 2026
ATOtax debt