Things are looking up for homebuyers. New listings are on the rise, and that can mean more choice and less FOMO pressure for buyers. Here’s how the shift in today’s market could benefit your homebuying plans.
It wasn’t so long ago that FOMO (‘fear of missing out’) was a driving force in Australia’s housing market.
Property listings were at multi-year lows, prices were rising rapidly, and a report by Finder revealed almost two-in-five first homebuyers had purchased a property based on concerns they’d be priced out of the market.
Today, the FOMO factor has largely faded away. And that’s a plus for homebuyers.
We look at how the market has shifted, and why today’s homebuyers could be well-placed to take advantage of opportunities we haven’t seen for some time.
More homes listed for sale
As recently as early 2026, homebuyers faced a tight supply of properties listed for sale.
In January, for example, the number of homes advertised for sale was 25% below the 5-year average.
The dial has shifted dramatically though, with new listings up 13.3% nationally in June 2026 compared to 12 months ago.
This likely reflects property owners looking to cash in on the significant price gains of recent years, according to realestate.com.au.
Whatever the cause, it seems buyers now have more properties to choose from, and that may well increase your chances of finding a home that ticks all your boxes.
Fewer properties being sold at auction
Auction clearance rates have fallen to the lowest level since 2020.
With fewer homes being sold at auction, we’re seeing a growing preference for private treaty sales.
The beauty of private treaty sales is that they can give buyers more scope to negotiate directly with the seller.
A tip: having your home loan pre-approved can potentially give you extra leverage to negotiate on price.
Talk to us about pre-approval – it can let sellers know you’re a serious buyer.
Buyers face less competition
Earlier in 2026, investors accounted for two-in-five new mortgages.
However, tax changes announced in the Federal budget are set to reduce this.
Westpac expects the tax reforms to drive a “sharp and sustained pull-back” in investor demand.
That’s a plus for homebuyers who are likely to face less competition from investors, which could further strengthen their negotiating clout with sellers.
Buyers are scoring bigger discounts
In more good news for homebuyers, sellers are increasingly open to discounting.
And who doesn’t love a discount, especially on a purchase worth several hundreds of thousands of dollars?
Across the nation’s capitals, the median discount on sale has climbed to 3.6%, up from 3.0% in March.
Regional homebuyers are looking at a median discount of about 3.5%.
These discounts may look small, but they can add up quickly.
On the median home value of $903,000 nationally, a 3.6% discount could see buyers save more than $32,000.
Farewell FOMO, hello buyer opportunities
Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions many of us will ever make, and it definitely shouldn’t be based on FOMO.
Buying based on a sense of urgency can mean compromising on your choice of home or stretching your buying budget.
With many of the drivers of FOMO easing, today’s homebuyers may have more time to research the market and greater scope to negotiate on price.
Even so, there’s no room for complacency.
Well-priced homes in good locations have a habit of attracting plenty of buyers, and holding out waiting for the market to fall could lead to disappointment.
Talk to us to see how you could benefit from a market that – for now at least – seems to be working in many buyers’ favour.
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