Australia's property market is navigating headwinds and opportunities shaped by both global and domestic forces. The recent equity market correction, which began before the announcement of new U.S. tariffs, was sparked by major tech-stock selloffs. These developments underscore rising uncertainty, which is quickly reverberating through financial markets, consumer sentiment and housing fundamentals.

We’ve explored the five critical factors driving the outlook for Australia's property market.

Understanding housing sub-markets and lifestyle or behavioural shifts are important when planning and designing your next project. We’re shining a light on Digital Nomads, and exploring the implications of this growing segment on the housing market.

A thriving economy doesn’t happen by chance - it starts with a well-informed strategic policy framework. We explore the strategic planning implications that local economic development plans should consider in order to maximise economic growth.

The 2025 Australian federal budget places an emphasis on addressing the nation’s housing supply challenges, introducing a range of measures designed to increase affordability and availability. However, reactions to these initiatives have been mixed, with some supporting the measures overall while others argue that they fall short in addressing the structural reforms needed to solve the housing crisis. We’ve reviewed the key initiatives and their implications, you can read our assessment here.

Australia is on the brink of a significant demographic shift known as the "Silver Tsunami." Increased life expectancy, declining birth rates, and Baby Boomer’s entering retirement en masse will have widespread effects on healthcare, the workforce, housing, and government policies.

This shift in population profile is reshaping the country’s housing market and urban planning priorities, requiring a rethink of how cities and towns accommodate and support our senior residents.

Strategic urban and regional planning is at a turning point.  The rapid technological advancements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) are fundamentally reshaping how cities and regions evolve, presenting both opportunities and challenges for policymakers, planners and the real estate sector. 

Australia’s regional markets are continuing to attract the attention of buyers and new residents, outpacing capital city counterparts. While there are cyclical factors that can affect price growth, such as the level of interest rates and markets correcting after a period of sustained growth, there continues to be a range of underlying and long-term structural factors driving growth/decline.

A new research paper released by the Australian Productivity Commission has found that productivity in Australia’s housing construction sector has declined, in contrast to strong productivity growth in the broader economy. With housing supply in the spotlight and construction rates falling behind the National Housing Accord targets, this is not welcome news.

The UK’s housing crisis is a well-documented issue, with increasing demand outstripping supply in both urban and rural areas. The pressure to provide affordable housing, coupled with a desire for sustainable and community-focused living spaces, has fuelled calls for a dedicated task force to steer urban growth: the New Towns Taskforce.

New population data released by the ABS shows a welcome downturn in population growth due to falls in both net overseas migration, and natural increase across most states. Interestingly, the massive growth in some states is a notable contrast to what is happening in the property market.

Read the full article for a look at the trends.

Earlier this week, the NSW Productivity and Equality Commission (PEC) released their 'Review of Housing Supply Challenges and Policy Options for New South Wales' report, addressing the critical housing supply shortage in New South Wales (NSW). It proposes a comprehensive plan to overcome barriers that hinder housing development and offers recommendations for boosting productivity and equality in the housing market. The report highlights current challenges, such as the construction sector's capacity issues, high costs, and economic feasibility concerns, and provides policy suggestions aimed at increasing housing supply quickly and sustainably.

Our economic advisory work extends beyond analysis, to support you with evidence-based insights to identify opportunities and inform strategic decisions. With experience across both private sector and government, our team bring expertise in trend forecasting, understanding economic indicators and their implications, property research, modelling, and evaluating policy implications. We are here to help you navigate the complexities of the current economic landscape.

Solve Property Group’s Northern Rivers Housing Forum has been featured by Australian Property Investor Magazine.

An article by Craig Francis.

Marked by an ageing population and with a determination “not to be the Gold Coast”, the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales has found itself with an affordability problem, housing shortages, soaring rents and something of an identity crisis.

At the recent Northern Rivers Housing Forum held in Kingscliff, acclaimed demographer Bernard Salt AM, and Gary White, former Chief Planner for the Queensland NSW state governments and now Chief Planner at Solve Property Group, addressed some of the biggest issues confronting the region.

We recently hosted the Northern Rivers Housing Forum, an initiative aimed at tackling the housing crisis in the region. The forum brought together key stakeholders, counsellors, community leaders, and experts to discuss the housing challenges faced by communities in the region.

The forum highlighted the growing concern over housing affordability, availability, and delivery in the Northern Rivers area. A report completed by Solve Property Group found that housing affordability has significantly declined, with rental costs increasing in excess of 35-50% across the region, while the cost to service mortgages continues to grow. With limited options for affordable housing, the need for innovative strategies and collaborative efforts has become increasingly urgent.

The NSW Productivity Commission has warned in a new housing paper that Sydney is losing some 7,000 people aged 30 to 40 a year. “Sydney is at risk of becoming a city with no grandchildren if we don’t meaningfully address the housing crisis”. The paper found that between 2016 and 2021, Sydney lost twice as many people aged 30 to 40 as it gained. 35,000 came to Sydney, but 70,000 left. It also found that while Sydney has among the highest average wages in Australia, over recent years it has consistently lost population to other states and regional NSW. Approximately two out of every three departures are from the working-age population – that is, those aged between 25 and 64, it’s not only ‘grey nomads’ who leave Sydney.

Solve Property Group was asked to consider on the back of this housing paper, is there a disparity in dwelling sizes and household demographics? Here is a snapshot of our insights.

The Queensland State Government recently released their Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2023 Update for public consultation, signalling that South East Queensland’s recent strong growth is expected to continue over the coming decades.