The market isn’t quiet. Buyers are getting more selective.

Article by Alison Cheung Communications Manager 24 August 2026

With higher interest rates, affordability pressures and ongoing market uncertainty, it’s easy to assume buyers are simply stepping back.

But look a little closer and a different picture emerges. Buyers are still looking, but they’re becoming more considered about where they look, what they’re prepared to pay and when they’re willing to make a move.

For Agents, understanding and preparing for this shift is important. The broader market may be facing plenty of headwinds, but buyer behaviour can tell a more nuanced story.

Buyer interest is growing where affordability makes sense

Affordability has become a key driver of buyer interest. Buyer enquiries for houses and units have surged particularly in areas with median values of less than $1 million over the 12 months to July, realestate.com.au data shows.

In the national house market, the biggest increases in buyer enquiries were concentrated in Tasmania.

The same pattern was evident for units, with three Victorian suburbs recording particularly strong growth.

Smaller cities and more affordable locations dominated the list, suggesting buyers are paying close attention to where their money can go further.

The takeaway isn’t that every buyer is moving towards cheaper markets. It’s that affordability is increasingly influencing where buyers choose to look.

More choice is changing the way buyers behave

At the same time, buyers aren’t necessarily feeling pressured to act quickly. Property listings across the country surged by 12.4% in July 2026 while new listings were up by 5.1%, according to SQM Research. That gives buyers more choice and more reason to take their time.

In fact, new apartment buyers are spending an average of 11 months monitoring the market and searching for properties before they even start attending inspections, according to a realestate.com.au survey conducted between February and March 2026. That’s two months longer than in December 2024.

It suggests that buyer interest can be strong without buyer urgency being high.

Buyers are taking their time to ask more questions and reassess their finances before deciding whether to make a move. They may be actively searching, monitoring listings and enquiring about properties but still be prepared to wait for the right opportunity. This may help explain why the market can feel quieter from a transaction perspective, even when buyers are still actively engaged.

What this means for Agents

Not every agency has affordable stock and not every buyer is driven by price. The bigger opportunity is understanding what buyers in your market are waiting for, whether that’s price, location, property type, condition or a particular lifestyle feature.

With buyers having more choice and less urgency, local buyer behaviour matters more than broad market headlines. Tracking enquiry patterns and understanding what is causing buyers to act or walk away can help Agents have more informed conversations with vendors.

In a market where buyers are prepared to wait, the question isn’t simply how many buyers are out there?

It’s what will make them act?

Disclaimer: The information enclosed has been sourced from SQM Research and realestate.com.au and is provided for general information only. It should not be taken as constituting professional advice.   

PropertyMe is not a financial adviser. You should consider seeking independent legal, financial, taxation or other advice to check how the information relates to your unique circumstances.       

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