Australia’s buyer heat map is shifting, with fresh enquiry hotspots emerging that could reshape pipelines for mortgage brokers working with first-home buyers and property investors.
According to new realestate.com.au data, “Australia’s most in demand suburbs are changing, with a number of new suburbs on the rise,” based on enquiry volumes per listing in the year to March 2026.
REA Group senior economist Angus Moore (pictured) says the surge in interest is being led by buyers hunting value.
“We've seen solid increases in demand, in terms of enquiries per listings, for homes across Australia. That's been particularly true for more affordable areas, which dominate among the areas seeing the biggest increases in enquiries per listing, as well as regional areas,” Moore said.
He says the pattern of demand aligns with the constraints many buyers now face.
“That's consistent with buyers responding to the very challenging state of housing affordability by looking in more affordable areas,” Moore said. “The deterioration in affordability we've seen in the past few years has been driven by strong growth in home prices in the smaller states, coupled with rapidly rising interest rates in 2022 and 2023.”
Investor behaviour is also playing a role in reshaping enquiry patterns.
“Increased buyer demand in more affordable regions is also consistent with the high level of investor activity we've been seeing in the past couple years, because investors tend to skew towards more affordable homes,” Moore said. “The share of loans going to investors is at its highest level since 2017 nationally, and near-record levels in many states.”
The shifting heat map is also unfolding against a tougher macro backdrop, with two consecutive RBA cash rate hikes taking the OCR to 4.1%, rising fuel costs squeezing household budgets, talk of changes to the capital gains tax discount, and the psychological shock of conflict in the Middle East all feeding caution into parts of the market even as enquiry surges in others.
On a national basis, houses in Woodstock in Victoria, Risdon Vale in Tasmania and Sebastopol in Victoria saw the sharpest annual uplift in buyer interest, with enquiries per listing more than tripling in Woodstock. Units in Portland (VIC), Ropes Crossing (NSW) and Howrah (TAS) recorded the strongest growth among attached dwellings.
The report finds that, at a national level, houses in Woodstock (VIC), Risdon Vale (TAS) and Sebastopol (VIC) recorded the largest annual increases in enquiries per listing, while Portland (VIC), Ropes Crossing (NSW) and Howrah (TAS) saw the strongest growth for units. These pockets are likely to see heightened pressure on prices and serviceability as mortgage rates and living costs continue to bite.
Alongside the fastest improvers, a different set of markets dominated total buyer interest. Houses in Rocklea in Queensland, St Marys in New South Wales, and West Tamworth in New South Wales attracted the highest number of key enquiries per listing nationally, suggesting deep pools of active buyers.
For units, Rochedale South and Spring Hill in Queensland, along with Girraween in New South Wales, led the country on enquiry volumes, pointing to strong investor and entry-level demand in these areas.
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