The weighted average capital city median price is well up for houses and other dwellings.
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Australian house prices are rising at the highest quarterly rate in 10 years, according to the latest Real Estate Market Facts report from the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA).
According to REIA President, Adrian Kelly, the weighted average capital city median price increased by 6.8% for houses and by 2.7% for other dwellings.
“Over the March quarter, the weighted average median house price for the eight capital cities rose to $873,911 with all cities increasing except Canberra. At $1,309,195, Sydney’s median house price continues to be the highest amongst the capital cities, 49.8% higher than the national average. At $500,000, Perth has the lowest median house price across Australian capital cities, 42.8% lower than the national average.
“Over the 12 months to the March quarter, the weighted average capital city median house price increased by 11.1%.
“The weighted average median price for other dwellings for the eight capital cities increased to $621,313, a quarterly increase of 2.7%,” said Mr Kelly.
Mr Kelly also added that median prices for other dwellings increased in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Hobart and Darwin, remained steady in Brisbane and Canberra but decreased in Adelaide.
The median rent for 3-bedroom houses increased in all capital cities over the March quarter to a median of $452.50 per week.
“Over the past 12 months, the median rent increased in all capital cities except Melbourne where it remained steady. Darwin had the highest annual growth at 17.3% and now has the second highest rent at $538.50 a week with Canberra the highest at $570 per week.
According to the report, the national capital city vacancy rate is at 3.3% primarily up due to Melbourne’s rate of 6.1%.
Mr Kelly concluded the growth coincides with the April 2021 Lending to Households and Business figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics which show that the value of new loan commitments for housing rose for the second consecutive month after a brief fall in February which came after eight consecutive months of growth.
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The US housing market remains under pressure as high mortgage rates continue to weigh on affordability and demand. Industry leaders say 2026 has been one of the toughest years for home sales, with slower price growth, weaker mortgage activity, and fewer buyers entering the market. However, experts say reduced competition and more price cuts could create opportunities for well-prepared buyers.
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The typically busy spring season for the housing market was a dud, and the summer isn’t looking much brighter.
Housing services companies like Zillow Group and Rocket RKT +3.78% were loud and clear last week on earnings calls: Rocket CEO Varun Krishna called the quarter through June “one of the toughest spring housing markets in years.”
Jeremy Hofmann, Zillow’s chief financial officer, said on a conference call that the company predicted earlier this year that the market for mortgages would be flat. “We actually now think it’s going to be down low-to-mid-single digits,” he said.
The rest of 2026 will remain challenging for mortgage origination volume, says KBW analyst Bose George. The question now is what happens in 2027. “If mortgage rates remain [around] 6.75%, I think that’s going to be challenging even for next year,” he says.
But what’s bad news for mortgage companies could be a positive for bargain hunters. Buyers can expect prices to grow more slowly—or mildly decline—with less competition as long as mortgage rates remain unpredictable.
Mortgage rates at the beginning of the year were solidly below year-ago levels, notes Zillow senior economist Kara Ng. But they surpassed last year’s levels recently, she adds, referencing Freddie Mac’s weekly survey of 30-year fixed mortgage rates. Last week’s reading, at 6.69%, was higher than year-ago levels for the first time in 2026.
“From the affordability point of view, it’s going to get more challenging in the second half of the year,” she says. “And when affordability gets more challenging, that impacts sales and home price appreciation.”
Mortgage application data tracked by the Mortgage Bankers Association has cooled since the beginning of the year. The trade group expects that the number of mortgage originations in the remaining two quarters will lag behind last year’s levels, after exceeding 2025 levels in the first half.
Rocket’s early-stage data—which the company told Barron’s it derives from its brokerage Redfin, demand for its mortgage products, and signs in its servicing portfolio that a homeowner is preparing to refinance or move—“leads us to expect the third quarter mortgage market to be smaller than the second,” Chief Financial Officer Brian Brown, said on the company’s call. He added that such an occurrence is “something the industry has not seen since 2022.”
Prices will be about flat nationally, Ng says. Zillow’s most recent forecast, which shows how values are expected to change in the year ending June 2027, show them dropping in roughly half of the 100 largest U.S. metros for which data is available.
Buyers aren’t rushing in at a time when mortgage costs are rising and unpredictable. But those with the right combination of patience and cash could stand to benefit. “If you are financially qualified to buy a starter home, you are facing less competition and you’re more likely to get a price cut,” Ng says.
