Blog post by Empower Wealth

Is Now a Good Time to Buy a House? What Home Buyers Should Know This Spring

Just last week, one of our Buyers Agents flew to Adelaide for an auction with a rather unusual brief.

The clients had worked with us before, using our Buyers Agent service to purchase an investment property. But this time, they weren’t looking for another investment.

They wanted to buy the property next door to their existing rural home. (Yes, our Buyers Agents buy those too.)

Before auction day, our Buyers Agent assessed the property, valued the land and spoke with the selling agent before flying interstate to bid on the clients’ behalf.

And this wasn’t your typical suburban home purchase either. Rural properties can come with their own considerations — from zoning and access rights to water entitlements, septic systems, land boundaries and bushfire risk. And with the property going to auction, much of that due diligence needed to happen before bidding, because auction purchases in South Australia generally don’t come with the usual cooling-off protections.

The forecasted sale price was around $750,000.
Then auction day arrived — along with 11 registered bidders.

After some strong competition, we successfully secured the property for $761,000.

It’s a great example of two things we think are particularly relevant this spring.

First, for people looking to buy their first or next home, current conditions are becoming more favourable, with softer prices, more choice and potentially more room to negotiate. We’ll unpack why below.

And second, while Australia’s property market has softened, that doesn’t mean good property has suddenly stopped attracting competition.

So if you’re thinking about buying a home, here’s why this might be the best time to do it.

A Different Kind of Spring Property Market

Spring is traditionally one of the busiest times for Australian property. But this year, buyers are entering the season with a noticeably different backdrop.

According to Cotality:

National dwelling values fell 3.1% over the three months to August.
Homes are taking a median 39 days to sell, compared with 28 days a year ago.
Vendor discounting across the capitals has widened to 4.2%.
The number of properties listed for sale is 18.1% higher than a year ago.

This is also very clearly proven by our own Research Team last month. If you missed it, make sure to download our August 2026 Property Market Update here >

For buyers, that can mean more choice, more time to make decisions and potentially more room to negotiate.

What’s Taking the Heat Out of the Market?

There isn’t one single cause, but two major changes have played a role:

Higher interest rates: The RBA has lifted the cash rate three times in 2026, from 3.60% to 4.35%. And there’s potentially two more rises before the end of the year. Higher repayments and reduced borrowing capacity mean some buyers simply can’t compete at the same price point they could before.
Property tax reforms: In May, the Federal Government announced changes to negative gearing and Capital Gains Tax that will largely take effect from 1 July 2027. While they haven’t fully commenced yet, they’ve changed the outlook for investors considering established property.

We’ve already seen investor lending pull back, with the number of new investor loans falling 8.6% in the June quarter — the largest quarterly fall since September 2022.

Add affordability pressures and reduced borrowing capacity into the mix, and it’s created a very different buying environment from the one many Australians have become used to.

So, Is Now a Good Time to Buy a House?

There’s no universal best time to buy a house, and trying to perfectly pick the bottom of a property cycle is incredibly difficult. As Ben always said on the podcast…

The best time to buy is when you can afford it.

So if you were already planning to buy, can comfortably afford the purchase and have appropriate financial buffers in place, a softer market may give you:

More choice when looking for the right property.
More time to complete your research and due diligence.
More negotiating power than you may have in a rapidly rising market.

But remember our Adelaide auction: 11 registered bidders still showed up. A softer market doesn’t automatically make every property a bargain — or a good purchase.

The fundamentals still matter.

What are you trying to achieve? Does the property fit your needs? What is it actually worth? And when negotiation or auction day arrives, how far are you prepared to go?

That applies to any kind of property whether you’re buying an investment property or your home.

Thinking About Buying This Spring? Start With P.R.E.

If buying a home is on your radar, preparation should come before falling in love with a listing.

That’s why The Property Couch, Australia’s #1 Property Podcast recently released its free P.R.E. Purchase Series, hosted by Couch Crews, Ben Thompson and Shane Pope.

P.R.E. stands for:

Prepare — understand your finances and build the right property brief.
Research — know your market, inspect properties and complete your due diligence.
Execute — negotiate, bid at auction and navigate the path through to settlement.

The short series walks buyers through the whole process step by step, including a dedicated episode on buying at auction. Watch the full series here >

And if you’d prefer someone in your corner to help with the property search, assessment, negotiation and bidding, that’s where an Empower Wealth Buyers Agent can help.

Because ultimately, the best time to buy a house isn’t determined by spring — or by someone declaring that the market has finally hit the bottom.

It’s when your finances are ready, your plan is clear and the right property comes along.

Ready to Start Your Property Search?

If you’re considering buying a home and would like to understand how our Buyers Agent team could help, request a complimentary initial consultation with Empower Wealth via the form below.

Whether it’s your first home, next home, investment property — or perhaps even the farmhouse next door — we’d love to hear what you’re looking for.

Which professional would you like to meet with?

Interested in speaking to *

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone Number *

First heard about us

Categories: Buyers Agents

Tags: Buyers Advocate, Buyers Agent, Cash Rate, First Home Buyer, Home Buyers