Northside Market Update – August 2026
A market finding its feet
A lot's shifted over the past few months, so here's the honest picture from our team — not the headlines.
Everything below comes from what we're seeing at open homes and negotiations each week, in the suburbs around our Aspley and Strathpine offices. Not statewide reporting, not citywide averages — just what's happening on the ground where we work. Our advice hasn't changed: take the headlines with a grain of salt. They're written to grab attention, not to describe your street.
The good news: things are stabilising
Open home numbers are now landing between two and five groups typically, occasionally spiking to twenty for the right property in the right location. Still below last year's frenzy, but a clear step up from a couple of months ago.
Listings sitting for four to eight weeks are picking up fresh interest, and offer volume through our office is climbing — a solid sign buyer confidence is coming back. Buyers are still budget-conscious, but they'll move decisively when a property is priced right.
Case in point: our recent campaign at 62 Odense Street, Fitzgibbon. A standard three-open-home run followed by a deadline sale brought in five offers and a cash, unconditional contract — a result we simply weren't getting a month or two ago. We've closed more sales this month than we have in some time, as buyer and seller expectations keep narrowing.
But what are properties actually selling for?
What we're seeing now closely mirrors 2018–2019 and mid-2022: two to eight weeks on market, healthy buyer turnout, a genuinely balanced market.
Prices have come off their peak — on average around 10% below the highest results at the top of the cycle, though those record numbers were often just a handful of standout sales, not the market as a whole.
Well-presented, correctly priced homes are still moving quickly and often attracting multiple offers. Zoom out and today's prices are generally still ahead of where they sat last September — the market has really only wound back six to eight months, following an exceptional run through 2025.
Two decades in this industry tells us this is still a healthy market. We've seen genuinely tough conditions where buyers stopped making offers altogether, regardless of price. That's not what's happening now.
Buyers have more choice — so presentation matters more
With more stock on the market, buyers are being choosier. Homes that are styled well, marketed professionally and priced sensibly keep performing strongly. Homes that need work, or are hard to inspect, are taking longer and settling for less.
One thing to flag: tenanted properties with more than four months left on the lease are proving harder to move — investor demand is soft, which narrows the buyer pool. If you're an investor thinking about selling, hold off renewing any lease until you've spoken with us. The timing of a renewal can shape both your options and your final price.
Same goes for maintenance — if a building and pest inspection is likely to flag issues, sort them before you list. It's usually worth far more than it costs.
Marketing is carrying more weight than ever
Listing a property and waiting for buyers to find it doesn't cut it in this market. The properties getting the best outcomes are backed by deliberate, high-quality marketing built to reach the widest possible pool of buyers.
Premium marketing costs a little more upfront, but it's often the difference between selling and not selling — and can add anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 to your final price. This is not the market to cut corners on exposure.
The upside in slower conditions
A 10% pullback and longer selling times can sound unsettling as a seller, but there's a silver lining: more time to find the right next home. If you're selling and buying, many vendors will accept offers subject to the sale of your existing property — giving you room to line up settlements and move without the scramble.
Get in touch
Every property and every family's situation is different — there's no one-size-fits-all approach right now. If you're thinking about selling, or just want an honest read on what your home's worth today, we're happy to have a no-obligation chat.
