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Home values bounced in affluent areas.

The bellwether suburbs leading a new round of property price gains

Home values in several areas bounced last month as interest rates fell, improving sentiment and borrowing power. Will it last?

  • Elizabeth Redman

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High house prices make it hard to achieve home ownership.

How home buyers can lift their budget and slash their payments – and why they shouldn’t

High property prices mean potential home buyers are already asking about ways to make their repayments more affordable, and lenders have noticed.

  • Caroline Zielinski
Alex Armstrong has been hoping for a rate cut.

Alex’s home loan went through the roof. A rate cut is such a bonus

The Sydney home owner and all his peers have been waiting and hoping for rates to fall, and on Tuesday they got their wish.

  • Elizabeth Redman and Alexandra Middleton
A rare window of opportunity could open for home buyers thanks to new government incentives and a cooling market.

What falling interest rates will mean for the property market

Even if the cash rate doesn’t fall on Tuesday, cuts are widely tipped this year – and some punters are already trying to get ahead of the curve.

  • Jim Malo
Regional property markets are outperforming capital cities.

House prices sank under high interest rates – except where they boomed

Potential home buyers can’t borrow as much money, but that didn’t push house prices down everywhere. It has sometimes proved the opposite.

  • Elizabeth Redman
Sydney and Melbourne property markets slowed late last year, which prompted some economists to rethink their predictions of growth.

Where house prices will rise fastest during 2025

Despite the effect of higher-for-longer interest rates and already high property prices, a new forecast picks the top performers.

  • Jim Malo
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First home owners have been hit with higher mortgage repayments.

How high-income earners are coping with higher interest rates

Tree-changing, downsizing, moving back in with parents – even households on solid professional incomes can no longer keep up with mortgages.

  • Elizabeth Redman
More home buyers have small deposits.

‘Like going to a casino’: More home buyers turn to risky strategy

Home buyers are showing fresh signs of eagerness to purchase, especially if they think any interest rate cut will push up prices.

  • Sue Williams
Home values have not matched the falls in borrowing capacity.

How - and why - it just got even harder to buy a home in Australia

Would-be home buyers have been hit by a lose-lose situation since interest rates began to rise and future cuts may not act as previously expected.

  • Jim Malo and Tawar Razaghi
Consumers expect interest rates are unlikely to rise from here.

Why now could be a better time to buy a house

Prospective home buyers’ pessimism about whether the current moment is a good time to buy has dropped to its lowest level since the start of 2023. But are they right?

  • Elizabeth Redman