Winter has turned on some of Brisbane’s best weather and the property market has quietened along with the cooler mornings. The changes announced in the May budget are now law, buyers have adjusted their expectations and for the first time in a couple of years the person doing the buying holds most of the cards. Here’s my Brisbane property market July 2026 update: what the figures say, how each price bracket is behaving and why the next few weeks could be some of the better buying I’ve seen in a while.
Brisbane Market Snapshot
The June figures from Cotality had Brisbane dwelling values up 0.2% for the month and 17.4% over the year, with the median dwelling at about $1,118,000, houses at about $1,225,000 and units at about $885,000. PropTrack read the same month as slightly negative, which tells you how flat things really are. Either way Brisbane held up better than Sydney and Melbourne, which both went backwards through late autumn.
The bigger change is stock. Total listings are up around 13.6% on a year ago, so buyers finally have real choice and homes are taking longer to sell.
The RBA held the cash rate at 4.35% in June after three rises earlier this year, though it kept the door open to going again if inflation stays sticky. The May budget measures passed Parliament in late June: negative gearing on established homes ends for purchases made after 12 May 2026, taking effect from July 2027. Tucked into the same deal came a ban on super funds borrowing to buy residential property and contracts need to be signed before the 10th of August to get in under it. I covered the background in my May update.
How’s the Brisbane Property Market in July 2026?
It depends which price bracket you’re standing in.
In the entry market, roughly $850,000 to $1.5 million, owner occupiers and first home buyers are still turning up and the good homes still sell. The change is on the investor side. Buyers who relied on negative gearing have largely stepped back while they digest the new rules. The exception is super fund buyers, who have a deadline to beat. I’d expect a busy fortnight in that corner of the market, then a quieter spell once the window closes. Those buyers mostly chase investor stock, so the effect will be felt here rather than in family homes.
The mid market, around $1.5 million to $2.5 million, has clearly softened. Buyers are more selective, in less of a hurry and comfortable walking away from anything that feels a stretch. Some selling agents are talking about a five to seven per cent pullback in parts of the market over the past month or two. I’d treat those numbers as anecdote rather than gospel, but the direction is real.
The prestige market above $2.5 million remains measured, much as it has been all year. The right home still finds a buyer quickly. Everything else waits.
Here’s the part I’d focus on. Periods like this often prove, in hindsight, to have been good times to buy. Vendors are more open to a conversation, competition has thinned and prepared buyers can negotiate properly for the first time in a while. The catch is that buying on fundamentals matters more than ever. The right street, the right land, no flood, no compromise. A rising market covers mistakes. A flat one doesn’t.
On the Ground
Alongside the usual family home and investment briefs, I’m assisting a number of downsizers at the moment. For some that means finding a home better suited to their needs, often a townhouse or a well located unit. For others it extends to exploring retirement village options.
I’ve also spent a fair bit of time working in The Gap recently and turned the research into a full suburb guide. And people keep moving to Brisbane from interstate and overseas regardless of what Canberra does, which is worth remembering whenever the commentary turns gloomy.
Until Next Time
The date I have circled is the 10th of August. Once the super fund window closes I expect that corner of the market to go quiet. The weeks that follow could present some real opportunity for the buyers still standing, particularly if spring brings its usual lift in listings.
If you’re thinking about making a move or simply want to talk through what I’m seeing, I’m always happy to share my view.
Take care,
Sam Price.
Buyer’s Agent and Registered Property Valuer, Brisbane.