Auctions Slow, Buyers Gain Ground: What July’s Property Data Means for You
If you’ve been eyeing off the market lately, you’ll have noticed something’s changed. Fewer auctions, longer selling times, and sellers facing more pressure to negotiate. According to Cotality’s latest Housing Chart Pack, this isn’t just a winter lull; it’s a genuine shift in how the market is behaving.
What’s Actually Going On
Auction activity has continued to slow across the capital cities, with Sydney and Melbourne leading the pullback. Both cities saw home values soften again in June, while Perth kept its title as the country’s strongest performer for annual growth. New listings are still sitting below their historic averages, but total listings have crept up, mainly because homes are taking longer to sell.
That combination is doing something interesting: vendor discounting has increased across every capital, and clearance rates remain under pressure. In plain terms, sellers are having to work harder, and buyers are getting more room to negotiate. Market performance is also playing out very differently city to city, so what’s true for Sydney won’t necessarily hold for Brisbane or Perth.
What This Means If You’re Buying
A quieter market can actually work in your favour, but only if your finances are ready to move when you are. This is exactly why getting pre-approved before you start house-hunting matters so much right now. It tells you what you can genuinely afford, and it means you can act with confidence the moment a good opportunity comes up, rather than scrambling once you’ve found “the one.”
It’s also worth reviewing your borrowing capacity under current lending conditions, since it can shift more than people expect. And with vendors more open to negotiating, buyers, especially first home buyers, have a genuine chance to secure better terms than they would have twelve months ago.
What This Means If You Already Have a Loan
If you haven’t checked your home loan in a while, now’s a sensible time. Reviewing your existing loan for better value, and planning repayments around what’s realistically affordable long-term, puts you in a stronger position no matter which way the market moves next. We touched on this in our recent piece on the EOFY home loan review, worth a read if you haven’t already.
Headlines will keep talking about clearance rates and falling values. But the smartest move isn’t reacting to headlines; it’s building a finance strategy around your own goals. As more listings return to the market over the coming months, being finance-ready will be what separates buyers who move confidently from those who miss out.
Want to make sense of what this means for you?
At OM Financials, we make the loan process simple and guide you every step of the way. Speak with our brokers today to understand your borrowing power and the options available to you. Book your free consultation or contact us anytime on 0478 876 967. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.