Ray White Croydon

Whether you are a first-time buyer, a property veteran, or just looking for your next step in the market, purchasing at auction can be an exhilarating or a daunting ride.

Here are 7 top tips to reach success on auction day.

Learn how here: https://ow.ly/g7wt50YpYB4

Starting this month, Ray White Now will include new market insights: Rent price movements, open home attendance and sales activity, all the data you need to know if you're in the market to rent or buy. Be the first to know. 

Read more here: https://www.raywhite.com/news-and-market-insights/ray-white-now/ray-white-now-volume-87-march-2026



The latest inflation data show housing costs rising 5.5% annually, outpacing headline inflation. The RBA's response - raising rates - targets inflation broadly, but the underlying housing problem sits largely outside monetary policy's reach.

Read more here: https://ow.ly/6Mt050YpYzW

Swimming pools are making a comeback in the property market. From a low of 54 pools per 1,000 listings in late 2022, the share has climbed to 70.5, approaching the 2019 peak of 81 and reflecting renewed buyer appetite for lifestyle amenities.

Are swimming pools still in or out?

Read more here: https://ow.ly/uyCu50YpYrr

Price-to-income ratios show housing affordability at record lows, yet buyers continue transacting, and first-home buyers remain active. The disconnect suggests the metric captures pressure but not how participation is being sustained.

The drivers of high housing prices are well understood. Supply constraints, planning systems, population growth, construction costs and tax settings have all been extensively analysed. The more relevant question is not why housing is expensive, but how buyers are still able to transact at these levels.

Read more insights here: https://ow.ly/sWcV50YpYtB

Has the market changed since the 0.25% RBA increase?

Despite the recent rate rise, prices continued to increase across Australia, with the annual growth now back at levels last seen in mid-2022.

🏡 National house prices are now +14.0% higher than a year ago, the strongest annual growth rate since June 2022.

🏢 Apartment prices also increased, with annual gains well above long-term averages, driven primarily by construction cost increases and limited development.

With listings still low and housing supply struggling to keep up with population growth, the imbalance between supply and demand remains. The rate rise has begun to moderate momentum in some markets, but it hasn't reversed growth nationally.

We’re not entering a falling market; we’re navigating a resilient one, and adjusting to higher costs.

Read more now here: https://ow.ly/Kj4x50YnPaY

Price growth moderates in February, but annual gains are at their strongest levels since mid-2022.

Interest rate rises typically slow housing market activity over time, but the lag between policy change and measurable impact means monthly and annual trends can diverge significantly. Understanding which timeframe matters requires context.

Read more: https://ow.ly/MLAl50YmNEm

How did buyers in the market respond to the recent interest rate rise?

While price data shows where the market has been, open home attendance provides a real-time read on behaviour.

This month, we are introducing a new dataset that captures that activity, and it shows that buyer numbers shifted immediately following the Reserve Bank’s February rate rise.

Read more here: https://www.raywhite.com/news-and-market-insights/economic-updates/buyers-respond-immediately-to-rate-rise-as-open-home-attendance-softens



We need to talk about capital gains tax. Why? While the changes focus on improving access to homeownership, there’s one group not being considered: renters.

Find out what happens to rental supply when investor participation falls.

Read more here 👇https://ow.ly/U1f950YiBXk