Regional housing prices continue to outstrip the state’s metropolitan and tourism areas in the Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s (REIQ) latest quarterly figures.
And the REIQ says its June 2025 quarter (April–June) figures show that continual price growth is redefining the meaning of ‘entry level’ properties.
Quarterly price growth in Rockhampton, Townsville, Gladstone and Mackay easily outstripped that in Brisbane, Ipswich and Gold Coast.
REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella says the figures reveal the stamina in the state’s housing market especially with the Olympic Games coming to Brisbane in 2032.
“Particularly in our regional housing markets, first home buyers are seeing more opportunity and relative value while investors are attracted to the strong rental yields compared to capital cities.
“The latest quarterly data shows the property market continues to perform strongly – good news for those in the market but potentially quite daunting for the next generation.”
She admits first home buyers need to stretch their financing further and often needed help from parents or government schemes to enter the housing market.
“While it’s important to remember these are median prices, that may offer little comfort for first home buyers who feel the first rung of the property ladder is slipping out of reach,” Mercorella says.
HOUSING QUARTERLY FIGURES
- Median sales prices for houses over that period rose 3.66% to $850,000 while units rose 3.41% to $698,000.
- Brisbane’s quarterly house prices rose 4.10% (to $1.27 million) but Ipswich prices grew 4.19% to $771,000.
- Gladstone (up 3.64% to $570,000), Gold Coast (up 3.36% to $1.23m), and Logan (up 3.14% to $820,000) rounded out the top five for houses.
- That growth was easily surpassed in regional areas, the REIQ says – Rockhampton recorded a 24.25% growth in prices followed by Townsville (24.18%), Gladstone (24.14%) and Mackay (23.47%).
- The annual median house sales growth for Greater Brisbane is 8.98% and for Queensland it is 10.96%.
- With units, Toowoomba led the quarter with an 11% surge in median prices (up to $540,000) with Fraser Coast showing 10.35% growth and Bundaberg (7.34%).
- On annual unit price growth, Townsville led with 26.04% ($380,000) followed by Logan (23.81%) and Gladstone (22.86%) with Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Moreton Bay and Ipswich all around 20%. Source: REIQ
She also sounded a note of optimism for those wanting to enter the market.
Mercorella pointed out that the stamp duty concession threshold had been raised, in full, for existing homes to $700,000, and partially up to $800,000, while stamp duty for first home buyers was abolished and the $30,000 First Home Owner’s Grant for new builds extended.
“And there’s more hope on the horizon,” she says.
A state shared-equity home ownership program called Boost to Buy has been oversubscribed and the federal Home Guarantee scheme is due to start early, on October 1, with property price caps in Queensland rising to $1 million for Brisbane and regional centres, and $700,000 outside these areas.
Despite growth in first home buyer loans (up 5.7% or 22,817 new loans for the year ending June compared to the year before that) and cuts in the RBA cash rate, a “shortage of new homes continues”, she says.
Mercorella says supply remains a choke point despite federal and state efforts to streamline red tape reductions.
“Levers are being pulled but we’re still waiting to see this reflected in dwelling completions data,” she says.
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