ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-09-15 · by Jessica Black and Claudia Williams
Cotality's latest data reveals Brisbane properties made a median profit of $525,000 at resale in the June quarter, making it Australia’s most profitable capital for sellers despite national housing price drops. In contrast, one in five Melbourne units were sold at a loss during this period. Nationally, 95.4% of over 94,000 resales still returned a profit with a median gain of $371,000, though the market downturn is expected to continue according to Cotality’s head of research Gerard Burg.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Cotality's latest sales figures show that despite national housing price drops, Brisbane remains the most profitable capital for property sellers, with a median resale profit of $525,000 in the June quarter. In contrast, one in five Melbourne units were sold at a loss during this period. Nationally, more than 94,000 resales were analyzed, with 95.4% returning a profit and a median gain of $371,000. Houses generally performed better than units, with 97.8% of houses making a profit compared to only 90.5% of units. Cotality’s head of research Gerard Burg predicts that lower property prices will persist due to the ongoing housing market downturn.
Written for “Australian Housing Market Decline” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
In short:
The latest sales figures from Cotality show Brisbane properties made a median of $525,000 profit at resale in the June quarter.
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properties → show → quarter
Cotality's head of research Gerard Burg said lower prices are likely to "persist for some time".
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prices → say → time
Brisbane is still the country's most profitable capital for sellers despite the housing downturn, while one in five Melbourne units recorded a loss, according to the latest figures from data property firm Cotality.
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units → record → Cotality
The June quarter data marks the end of record resales, after a 21-year high in March.
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data → mark → March
Brisbane resales had a median profit of $525,000, with 99.8 per cent of sales in the quarter making a gain.
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cent → have → gain
Meanwhile in Melbourne, 20.8 per cent of units were sold at a loss, and about one in 10 Sydney units went for less than their purchase price.
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units → sell → price
Houses returned a profit more reliably than units overall, with 97.8 per cent of houses making a gain compared to 90.5 per cent of units.
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cent → return → units
Nationally, sellers made a median $371,000, with 95.4 per cent of the more than 94,000 resales analysed returning a profit.
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cent → make → profit
Head of research at Cotality Gerard Burg said profitability was still "exceptionally high by historical standards" even as a softening housing market pushed down prices.
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market → say → prices
"Most sellers are still benefiting from the significant value growth accumulated over the past five years, which is providing considerable protection against the early stages of the downturn," he said.
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he → benefit → downturn
"With home values falling across more markets, that buffer will become increasingly important in determining resale outcomes."
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buffer → fall → outcomes
Mr Burg said there was a "real contrast" in the unit markets, with a "much weaker performance" in Melbourne, where CBD unit values peaked in 2017.
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values → say → 2017
"So, it's very hard to get a profitable resale in that type of environment," he said.
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he → get → environment
Brisbane real estate agent Brett Andreassen said the data confirmed what he had been seeing for months — prices have come down.
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prices → say → months
"It is probably more of a normalising of the market because the last few years were anything but,"he said.
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years → say → market
"I think because this crazy growth happened over five years, everyone thought that was the normal — when it really wasn't."
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it → think → years
Mr Andreassen said sellers whose property had been on the market for months "have still got those previous figures in their heads".
"Whereas a lot of the owners that are coming on the market now have adjusted their expectations to the current reality," he said.
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he → say → reality
Adelaide was the country's second most profitable capital, followed by Perth, with median gains of $472,000 and $470,000, respectively.
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Adelaide → follow → 472,000
Home prices in each city had jumped since COVID-19, when relative affordability had boosted interstate migration, Mr Burg said.
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Burg → jump → migration
Regions make more gains
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Regions → make → gains
Meanwhile, regional markets had higher profitable resales than the capitals, with 97.5 per cent compared to 94.1 per cent.
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cent → have → cent
Metro sellers still made a bigger gain, with a $415,000 median compared to $324,500.
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sellers → make → 324,500
Mr Burg said the downturn put more recent buyers at risk, with homes held for less time more likely to be resold at a loss.
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homes → say → loss
The median time off the market for a loss-making house was 4.4 years.
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time → make → house
"The longer that you hold the property, the less exposed you are to the fluctuations that occur in an individual housing cycle," he said.
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he → hold → cycle
Mr Burg said the trend of declining values was likely to "persist for some time", which could make a profitable sale becoming "more challenging".
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sale → say → time
"There is significant uncertainty around the short-term economic outlook, particularly the direction of interest rates and increasing pressure on household budgets," he said.
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he → be → budgets
"If housing values continue to fall, we would expect that to place further downward pressure on resale profitability over the coming quarters."
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that → continue → quarters
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