Property markets, housing, and real estate
Rising property prices and higher interest rates have locked many Australians out of homeownership. But new investment methods from share-based trusts to fractional property platforms are opening alternative doors.
Sarah Cheng 
A 25-year-old saving for a home in Sydney faces seven-and-a-half years of financial discipline just to gather a 20 per cent deposit, while wage growth lags far behind surging property prices.
Andrew Marsh 
A young lawyer has secured a 51-square-metre art deco apartment in Sydney's inner city for $877,000, reflecting changing buyer preferences as competition intensifies for more affordable property at the heart of the market.
Andrew Marsh The Reserve Bank's March 17 rate hike has thrown a spanner in the works for first-home buyers despite government support schemes. Mortgage stress is forecast to surge.
Darren Ong 
Over 2700 Sydney properties passed in at auction in recent months, with more than half subsequently relisted at higher price guides, signalling that vendors are adjusting expectations slowly even as buyers grow more cautious.
Andrew Marsh 
Perth's rental market has undergone a dramatic transformation in five years, with median rents now exceeding Sydney's. But emerging signs of construction recovery could finally ease the affordability crisis.
Sophia Vargas 
New research reveals the limit of Australians' enthusiasm for urban trees when they come too close to home, with significant financial consequences for property sellers.
James Callahan Australia's property market is fracturing along geographic lines. Perth surged 2.3% in one month and 22% over the year, while Sydney and Melbourne flatlined. The real story isn't recovery—it's divergence.
Darren Ong 
Construction has begun on Brisbane's ambitious $1.5 billion Little Italy precinct in Newstead, following a successful court resolution between the developer and neighbouring live music venue The Triffid.
Ella Sullivan 
Michael and Denise Greene avoided the stress of agent shopping by enlisting a vendor advocate to handle renovations, marketing, and agent selection. But experts warn the fast-growing service remains under-regulated.
Sophia Vargas Australia's rental crisis is real, but recent state reforms have strengthened tenant protections. Renters now have rights they may not know about, from pet-friendly clauses to protection from no-grounds evictions.
Ella Sullivan Australian first home buyers now have access to five overlapping government schemes offering deposits as low as 2% and potentially saving $25,000–$42,000 in lender mortgage insurance.
Darren Ong Australia's property market shows two faces: the purchase market remains resilient with clearance rates around 60%, but the rental market is collapsing, with vacancy at 1.1% and renters spending record 33.4% of income on housing.
Darren Ong 
Two brothers promised Detroit residents a low-cost path to property ownership through cryptocurrency. What followed was systematic neglect, phantom management, and a city lawsuit described as historic.
Andrew Marsh Australia's vacancy rate has collapsed to 1.1%, rents are up 6.6% year-on-year, and renters are spending a record 33.4% of income on housing. Government policies offer promise but cannot solve the supply crisis quickly.
Daniel Kovac 
A wealthy Melbourne property owner has donated vacant land in the city's north for a women's crisis shelter, addressing a critical gap in emergency housing for women fleeing domestic violence and homelessness.
Ella Sullivan 
Acclaimed architect Ed Lippmann has rejected the oversized home trend in Sydney's affluent postcodes, choosing to renovate his parents' modest Rose Bay bungalow rather than demolish and rebuild.
Sophia Vargas 
First-home buyers are scrambling to lock in property purchases before interest rate hikes erode their borrowing capacity. The RBA's expected rate rise threatens pre-approvals that expire in 90 days.
Tom Whitfield 
First home buyers are scrambling to settle properties before their borrowing capacity shrinks. Rising rates and tighter lending conditions are forcing buyers to act now or risk being priced out entirely.
Sophia Vargas 
Theo Onisforou is pursuing legal action against the NSW Valuer General after a typo in a valuation notice allegedly cost him $1 million. The case highlights accountability questions within government property assessment systems.
Priya Narayanan