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Why Australians are still buying and selling property
Ray White Chief Economist Nerida Conisbee said that during policy changes or market downturns, demand doesn't disappear, it shifts to different buyer groups and asset classes.
“Budget changes haven’t affected owner-occupiers at all,” Ms Conisbee said.
“So we expect more people to invest in their own properties, primarily because the family home remains tax exempt, and is probably one of the few asset classes that does so.
“Some investors will go to new property while it continues to be negatively geared, but investing in established property has become far less attractive.”
Ray White United Group sales agent Amber Boumelhem sees this every day, with most of her buyers and sellers making decisions based on genuine lifestyle needs rather than market sentiment.
“Most of the properties I have on the market - they’re looking at upsizing or downsizing. They’re sitting in a big, five-bedroom house and the kids have moved out,” she said.
“One of my clients has already bought another property, for example. So we need to get it sold for them. Buying and selling doesn’t simply stop just because market growth has slowed.”
Why local market knowledge matters
Understanding what the housing market numbers actually mean has become more important than simply following the headlines.
While clearance rates often dominate market commentary, leading indicators such as buyer registrations, active bidders and open home attendance can provide an earlier signal of confidence returning. Unlike preliminary clearance rates, buyer registrations and active bidders remain unchanged as auction results are finalised, making them a more reliable indicator of underlying buyer demand.
For buyers and sellers, that means looking beyond the headlines and understanding what's happening in their local market. Conditions may shift, but every suburb, every campaign and every property tells its own story.
The factors behind market demand are influenced by interest rates, policy changes and economic sentiment, but time and time again it's the realities of everyday life that continue to drive property decisions.
Markets move through periods of confidence and caution, but life's milestones don't stop.
People change jobs, grow their families, downsize, upsize and begin new chapters. As Avi Khan says, people buy and sell when it suits them. As long as life keeps moving, so will the Australian property market.
