October 2, 2023 by Dymphna

Inside Brisbane’s “home buyer hunger games”

It does have a soft spot in my heart, but the hard data doesn’t lie.

I’ve been saying for a while that I think the prospects for Brisbane’s property market, relative to the other capitals are pretty exciting.

And that’s not just because I’m a Queenslander – though I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a soft spot in my heart for Brisvegas.

But the data bear it out.

And the media is starting to cotton on too.

Last week, The Courier Mail described Queensland’s housing market as a “pressure cooker” resembling the “home buyer hunger games”:

HOMES are being snapped up within hours as Queensland’s pressure cooker housing market sparks a spring selling frenzy, with new listings failing to keep with an insatiable buyer demand.

“Records are being broken across the state as buyers start to realise the predicted market crash may not eventuate, resulting in a flurry of cash offers and a fear of missing out similar to what was seen at the height of the pandemic boom”.

“PropTrack shows new listings in Brisbane are down more than 10% and the total number of homes for sale across the city is down 14% compared to the same time last year”.

“Agents on the ground say homes are selling as soon as they list”.

“It’s pretty crazy”, Tyson Clarke of Queensland Sotheby’s International Realty said.

“They’re thinking they better get in now before it’s too late”.

Jordan Navybox of Buyers agency Cohen Handler said “population growth in Queensland is too strong and the lack of supply is too real. There’s definitely a sense of urgency again”.

“There’s just no stock”, Rebecca Cuderman of Ray White Marsden said.

They’re not wrong. They’re looking at exactly the same data I am.

To start with, CoreLogic’s daily dwelling values index has rebounded 7.0% from this year’s low and is rapidly approaching last year’s peak:

There has also been a complete collapse in stock on market. Total listings are down over 20% in Brisbane and in regional Queensland, with new stock flows also falling quickly.  

And while supply is tanking, demand is surging. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics demographic statistics shows that Queensland’s population surged by a record 124,200 (2.35%) in the year to March, driven by strong net overseas migration and internal migration:

What’s more, Brisbane is still relatively cheap. Brisbane’s median house price is only 54% of Sydney’s median price, according to Domain data:

That’s going to give it an edge going forward.

And then you add to all that the prospect of the Olympics in 2032, and you have a lot of ducks lining up for the Brisbane property market, and for Queensland in general.

So you know, I am a little biased.

But those numbers don’t lie.

DB.