Brisbane Property Market Update June 2025

Brisbane’s Growth Trajectory and Market Dynamics

Brisbane’s property market demonstrated continued upward growth trajectory through June 2025, bolstered by ongoing strong buyer confidence, favourable economic indicators, and targeted state government incentives.  According to Cotality (formerly CoreLogic), Brisbane recorded a 0.7% increase in median dwelling values for the month, a slight acceleration from May’s 0.6% gain.  This places Brisbane among the top-performing capital cities alongside Perth and Darwin, continuing a consistent upward trend that underscores the city’s attractiveness to a wide range of property buyers.

Over the past quarter, dwelling values in Brisbane rose by 2.0%, while annual growth now stands at an impressive 7.0%.  The city has firmly established itself as a growth leader in the national housing landscape, with value growth since the pandemic surpassing many of the traditionally dominant capital cities.  Compared to Sydney and Melbourne, Brisbane’s relative affordability, coupled with strong economic fundamentals and lifestyle appeal, has made it an increasingly popular choice for both owner-occupiers and investors.

One of the key features of Brisbane’s ongoing growth is the pronounced shift toward more affordable housing segments.  The lowest 25th percentile of dwelling values has seen the fastest pace of growth, indicating heightened activity among first-home buyers and investors who are seeking high value at more accessible price points.  This affordability-driven momentum is helping to diversify the city’s buyer base and create broader market strength.

Brisbane’s unit sector continues to outperform houses, with units showing stronger monthly, quarterly, and annual growth.  This trend reflects changing buyer preferences, particularly among younger professionals and downsizers who value convenience, amenity access, and affordability.  Well-located units and townhouses within inner-city precincts are seeing particularly high levels of demand.

Days on market increased slightly from 22 days in May to 25 days in June, suggesting a modest slowdown in transaction speed.  However, this is still relatively low in historical terms and continues to indicate strong underlying demand.  Similarly, auction clearance rates rose to 59.1% in June, up from 56.5% the previous month.

Nationally, dwelling values rose by 0.6% in June, with Brisbane’s 0.7% monthly growth and 2.0% quarterly uplift placing it ahead of Sydney (+0.6%), Melbourne (+0.5%), and Adelaide (+0.5%).  Only Perth (+0.8%) and Darwin (+1.5%) achieved stronger monthly gains, reaffirming Brisbane’s position among the top-performing markets in the country. Over the past five years, Brisbane values have grown by 75.1%, with a 92.5% increase recorded over the past decade.

The broader economic backdrop in June was also supportive.  The ABS Monthly CPI Indicator showed inflation easing to 2.1% annually, its lowest level since October 2024, suggesting that cost-of-living pressures are easing.  Coupled with weak GDP data and soft labour force numbers, this has strengthened market expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will lower the cash rate by 25 basis points in July, potentially to 3.6%.  Lower interest rates not only reduce borrowing costs but also lift buyer sentiment and increase borrowing capacity.

In Queensland, labour market data was particularly encouraging.  Job vacancy rates increased by 6% year-on-year, the highest growth among all Australian states. This trend suggests continued employment demand and economic stability, both of which underpin buyer confidence in the property market.  Additionally, the ongoing strength in rental markets, especially for units, is providing investors with reliable income streams, making Brisbane a highly attractive investment destination.

The Queensland State Budget 2025-26 delivered further positive news for the housing sector.  Key initiatives included the Boost to Buy Scheme, which offers equity contributions of up to 30% for new homes and 25% for existing homes (up to a $1 million cap).  With income limits of $150,000 for singles and $225,000 for couples, the scheme is designed to support first-home buyers into the market.  The extension of the $30,000 First Home Owner Grant and a $500 million annual commitment to deliver 53,500 social and community homes by 2044 will also increase housing demand and supply across the state.

Adding further depth to Brisbane’s housing story is the city’s emergence in the prestige property market.  According to the Westpac Prestige Property Report 2025, Brisbane recorded 139 sales over $5 million in the past year, a new record and a 25% increase year-on-year.  High-value transactions were concentrated in elite suburbs such as Hamilton (14 sales), New Farm (12), and Ascot (10), known for their riverfront locations and luxury appeal.  This surge in prestige sales places Brisbane on par with more established luxury markets and signals growing recognition of the city as a premium lifestyle destination for affluent buyers.