Australian Property Market 2026: Why Preparation Beats Prediction for Buyers and Investors
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It's the Real Estate Podcast, brought to you by ANZ Home Loans for financial well-beings.
And it's your real estate breakfast back for the weekend. Yes, breaking down for you the Australian property market. I can't believe that we are more than halfway through the month of Jan already. It is such a write-off month, isn't it, January? And many of you will be heading back to work on Monday. That is going to be hard. No doubt about it. Got to recalibrate your mind and spirit. You got to will yourself almost back into work mode. Not always easy. And then there's going to be some of you that have retired at the end of last year.
Is 2026 a year where preparation matters more than prediction for Australian property buyers?
That is a completely different sort of recalibration. Fortunately, I'll never retire because I work in creative industries, but those working in physical jobs like being a builder and then retiring, that must be such a great feeling getting off those tools. So if you have already retired, maybe you're still listening to the podcast. Thank you very much. And here in Australia, it's the birthday of Steve Waugh and AFL icon Nathan Buckley. So happy birthday to you. A question here. Is 2026 shaping up to be a year where preparation matters more than prediction? Rather than trying to time the market, smart buyers are learning how to move within it strategically and confidently. Now, whether you're buying your first home, upgrading or investing, how you buy in 2026 matters just as much as what you buy.
And joining us for the very first time this year is Anthony Landau from Equilibria Finance. Good morning to you, Anthony. Welcome back on to the Real Estate Breakfast. Great to have you back. How did you spend your break? That's got to be the first question. And 2025 finished at a pretty intense pace. How did the year wrap up from your side of the fence?
Yeah, good morning, Craig, and everybody out there. It's fantastic to be back. And yeah, great to have had a nice three-week break. As usual, I enjoy going up the north coast of New South Wales for some rest and recreation. And to your point, 2025 finished up at a very intense pace. It felt like we were running until about the 23rd or 24th of December, wrapping a lot of stuff up. The market ended strong. National growth was at 8.6%. Sydney grew at 5.8% as at the end of last year. supply remaining a key issue. And we left last year with uncertainty around interest rates. There was a big shift in sentiment in the last couple of months. That's where we kick off 2026, relaxed, refreshed and ready to go.
Yeah, you talk about the rates. At the moment, there's still plenty of uncertainty around rates and affordability. What should buyers from your vantage point realistically be preparing and prepping for this year?
Yeah, look, there was a big shift in sentiment with the inflationary data at the end of last year that has now brought discussion around, will we in fact get an interest rate rise as early as February? Will there be one or two interest rate rises as distinct from interest rate drops in this calendar year? That very much shifts the thought process. That very much shifts the emotions of buyers. Notwithstanding that, affordability and supply are absolutely key issues that are going to shape the property market in 2026. This year, as you intimated at in your introduction, is preparation around your finance, preparation around understanding what you can afford, and preparation to act when the right property comes up.
It's not about the frenzy. It's not about fear of missing out. It's not about trying to beat or time the market. It's about being ready to get into the market when the opportunity comes up.
Yeah, and rents are back at record highs across every Australian capital city except Melbourne. Sydney remains the most expensive, not any surprises there, while Brisbane is the only city seeing rental growth accelerate. According to Domain, most other markets are slowing as tenants hit clear affordability ceilings. And affordable rentals are almost a thing of the past. I think that's fair to say. And it's so important, too, for people to get rents that they can afford to have enough to save for that wretched deposit.
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