Stale property listings pile up across Brisbane

The Brisbane real estate market is undergoing a profound correction, with property values declining by 5.7% and 28-day run rate tracking at -1.2%. Auction clearance rates in Brisbane are the weakest among the three largest capital cities, with clearance rates below 40% for 19 consecutive weeks. Despite a 3.9% decrease in new listings over the past year, total listings have surged by 60.4%.

This listing accumulation is occurring amid a 26.3% drop in property sales across Brisbane, according to Cotality. The federal budget's alterations to negative gearing and capital gains tax are expected to disproportionately affect Brisbane's property values, as the city's gross rental yield is only 3.5%, the lowest in the nation. With negative gearing eliminated, investors will need higher yields to justify property investments in Brisbane.

The outlook for property values in the Gold Coast is even more dire. Median house prices have fallen 8.6% since March, while unit prices have plummeted 16.4% since February, according to SQM Research. Mackenzie Scott of the Australian reported that the Gold Coast home values are falling "at a rate of knots". SQM Research managing director Louis Christopher stated that the higher property prices climb, the harder they are likely to fall.

The Gold Coast has been a speculative boom-and-bust market, and given the scale of the boom and the level of overvaluation, the bust will be severe. While Brisbane is less speculative, it is also facing a significant decline in property values.