By Aus Investment Properties_1776213150EC5td-cover.jpg)
March 2026 Quarterly Property Report
Aus Investment Properties
Data analysed by Aus Investment Properties as at March 2026, with quarter-on-quarter comparison to December 2025 and year-on-year comparison to March 2025.
This report provides a quarterly review of pricing across current market listings analysed by Aus Investment Properties. It is designed as an investor-grade market snapshot of build pricing, land pricing and package pricing across residential investment product types and key states.
Unless otherwise stated, all standard residential analysis excludes Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), which is reported separately because specification, compliance settings and package structure differ materially from non-SDA stock.
Based on listings tracked by Aus Investment Properties, average category-level build pricing reached $2,721 per square metre in March 2026. That was +2.1% quarter-on-quarter and +7.5% relative to March 2025.
Average land pricing eased to $996 per square metre on the same category-average basis, down -3.1% from December 2025 and -4.0% year-on-year. Average package pricing was $1,049,956, which was -6.3% quarter-on-quarter but +1.4% above March 2025.
Base effects are important in this quarter. Several segments were measured against a higher December 2025 package and land base, so the March 2026 pullback in some averages should not be read as a broad fall in underlying replacement costs. Equally, where March 2026 growth appears strong, part of the movement reflects comparison with a lower prior-period base or a change in product mix rather than a like-for-like repricing of identical dwellings.
Key National Statistics
Table: National Statistics
Build Price per Square Metre by Property Category
Duplex recorded the highest March 2026 build pricing at $3,257 per square metre, while Co-living recorded the lowest at $2,320 per square metre. Dual Occupancy and Rooming House both softened quarter-on-quarter, highlighting the role of base effects and dwelling mix.
Table: Build $ per m2 by Category
Land outcomes were mixed. Dual Occupancy rose sharply from December 2025, while Co-living, Duplex and Rooming House moved lower. These changes are more consistent with shifts in lot size and location mix across current market listings analysed by Aus Investment Properties than with a single national land trend.
Table: Land $ per m2 by Category
Package pricing remained highest in Duplex and Rooming House, but both categories also show the strongest sensitivity to compositional shifts. Co-living package pricing fell well below the December 2025 average even though build pricing increased, which indicates a lower land and package base in the March 2026 listing mix.
Table: Package Price by Category
Average Build Price per Square Metre by Region
On the March 2026 listing set, Tasmania recorded the highest average build pricing at $3,561 per square metre, although that result is based on a smaller listing count than the larger eastern-state samples. Victoria recorded the lowest at $2,248 per square metre and remained the largest current-quarter sample.
Table: Build $ per m2 by Region
State comparison is limited to the four states available in the supplied December 2025 comparison tables. March 2026 results show particularly strong build and package pricing in Western Australia and New South Wales, while Victoria remained the lowest-cost state across all three pricing measures.
Table: Build $ per m2 by State
Table: Land $ per m2 by State
Average Package Price by State
Table: Package Price by State
SDA is reported separately because it can materially distort broader residential averages. Based on listings tracked by Aus Investment Properties, the March 2026 SDA subset was concentrated in Victoria, with smaller representation in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Average March 2026 SDA build pricing was $4,193 per square metre, materially above standard residential category averages. The March 2026 average SDA package price was $1,240,725, with an observed package range of $908,000 to $1,764,320.
Base effects are particularly important in SDA because each quarter can contain a small number of highly specialised dwellings. That means period-to-period movement can reflect design mix as much as market repricing.
Table: SDA Pricing Overview
The March 2026 data points to a market where construction pricing remains firm, but not uniformly higher across every segment. Land pricing is less directional than it appeared in December 2025, and package pricing continues to be influenced heavily by lot size, location and product composition.
For investors, the most important read-through is that headline package moves should be tested against the underlying build and land components. Where package prices have fallen against December 2025, the move often appears linked to a lower comparison base or a different stock mix rather than a broad decline in build cost fundamentals.
Near-term pricing risk remains more concentrated in land and in higher-specification product types such as Duplex, Rooming House and SDA. Investors should continue to assess location quality, land efficiency, dwelling specification and end-demand fundamentals before relying on aggregate averages.
Aus Investment Properties offers Australia's largest selection of off-market investment properties. Please visit www.ausinvestmentproperties.com.au to search, research and secure your perfect investment property.
Source: Aus Investment Properties www.ausinvestmentproperties.com
From 1 July 2027, two investors paying the same price for the same rent can face very different tax bills, simply because one dwelling is new.
By Aus Investment Properties
TL;DR The May 2026 Federal Budget abolished negative gearing for established properties purchased after 12 May 2026 and will replace the 50 per cent CGT discount with indexation from 1 July 2027. New builds are exempt and keep both tax benefits. With ABS data showing rents still rising and housing the biggest driver of inflation, high yield new builds such as co-living, dual occupancy and duplex homes now offer stronger cash flow and better tax treatment.
By Aus Investment Properties
TL;DR Lone-person households are Australia’s fastest growing household type and make up roughly a quarter of the nation’s three million renting households, yet most rental stock is built for families. Purpose-built co-living, rooming house and studio accommodation adds multiple self-contained dwellings to a single block, delivers strong yields and targets a tenant pool that is growing every year. The investors who win in this space will be the ones who prioritise quality, compliance and location.
By Aus Investment Properties-(1)_17762144417K00n-card.png)
Higher borrowing costs are changing the market, but smart Australian investors can still find strong opportunities TL;DR: The latest RBA rate rise means property investors in Australia need to be more selective in 2026. Higher interest rates can reduce borrowing power and place more pressure on cash flow, but they do not eliminate good investment opportunities. Investors who focus on strong locations, realistic numbers and sustainable rental demand can still make smart property decisions in the current market.
By Aus Investment Properties_1776298437p3Tbd-card.png)
Australian property market forecasts for 2026 are generally positive, with most analysts expecting moderate price growth across the country. For property investors, however, headline growth figures tell only part of the story. The real question is not whether prices will rise, but where investment property fundamentals still stack up under tighter borrowing conditions and higher holding costs.
By Aus Investment Properties_1776296186JxdiO-card.png)
A shrinking pool of listings is reshaping opportunities for Australian investors heading into 2026 Australian investors are heading into the end of 2025 with a property market that is still tight on supply but showing strong buyer activity across capital cities. New SQM Research data from November 2025 reveals a sharp contraction in national listings, continued reduction in stale stock and yet another rise in asking prices. For property investors, these conditions are creating both challenges and strategic opportunities.
By Aus Investment Properties
Capital Growth 12 months, measures the increase in a property’s value over the previous 12 months, indicating how much the investment has appreciated in that timeframe.
Capital Growth 10-year annualised, reflects the average annual increase in a property’s value over the last decade, smoothing out short-term fluctuations to show long-term appreciation trends.
Vacancy Rate, indicates the percentage of properties that are currently unoccupied in that postcode, It’s a key indicator for investors to assess the rental demand.
