Plain-English articles to help you navigate schemes, grants, and the numbers behind buying your first home in Australia.
News and trends
NAB now expects the Reserve Bank to lift the cash rate this month, joining a growing list of forecasters as market odds of a hike climb to around 80%. Here's what it could mean for your borrowing power and repayments.
News and trends
Mortgage stress has climbed to its highest level in 18 years, with 32.5% of Australian mortgage holders now considered at risk. Here's what the data means if you're planning to buy your first home.
News and trends
Developer Bathla Group has collapsed owing an estimated $3.3 billion, mostly to private lenders, leaving thousands of off-the-plan buyers waiting on their deposits and their build. Here's what to check before signing an off-the-plan contract.
News and trends
Commonwealth Bank economists have revised their forecast to a 9% national price fall, with the downturn now reaching Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Here's what it means if you're weighing up buying now or waiting.
News and trends
A typical household can now afford only around one in ten properties sold nationally, with mortgage repayments relative to income at their highest since 1989, new research shows.
Suburb Guides
Adelaide's median house price sits around $780k, but genuine first home buyer entry points still exist under $600k across Elizabeth, Salisbury, Para Hills, Parafield Gardens, Morphett Vale and Christie Downs, plus new build corridors at Angle Vale and Concordia. How SA's abolished stamp duty on new builds, the $15,000 First Home Owner Grant, the federal 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy all stack up in 2026.
News and trends
NAB chief economist Sally Auld says the housing crisis will take a generation to fix, as a Senate inquiry hears all four major banks unanimously back a boost to housing supply.
News and trends
June quarter GDP growth beat forecasts, pushing market-implied odds of a September RBA rate rise to around 70%. Here's what that could mean for your borrowing power and repayments.
News and trends
Cotality's August 2026 Home Value Index shows national home values fell for a fifth straight month, with the downturn now reaching about 93% of capital city suburbs including previously resilient Brisbane and Perth.
Buying Strategy
Around 54% of Australian first home buyers are now considering rentvesting, but the maths only works for some. Three honest personas showing when renting where you live and buying an investment beats owner-occupier grants, when it quietly costs you six figures in forfeited support, and when it is a genuine toss-up.
News and trends
ANZ Research has sharply downgraded its 2026 housing price forecast to a 4.3% national fall, with Sydney and Melbourne facing the steepest declines. Here's what the revised outlook could mean for first home buyers.
News and trends
New listings across Australia's capitals are running about 8% below the five-year average heading into spring 2026, even as total properties for sale sit near a one-year high. Here is what the mixed signals mean if you are trying to buy your first home.