Investors have backed off the housing market. But will you benefit?
SBS News
β’Sat, 15 Aug 2026 09:12:11 +0000
π° What Happened
Investors have pulled back sharply from the housing market. New Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows investor loans fell 8.6 percent in the June quarter, the biggest decline since September 2022. Treasurer Jim Chalmers called it an encouraging sign that the government's changes to negative gearing and capital gains rules are working. But experts warn investors leaving does not automatically mean first-home buyers will fill the gap.
π The Backstory
The tax changes to negative gearing and the capital gains discount were announced in May as part of a plan to cool the property market. The retreat in investors may be an early reaction to those reforms. But experts say the drop has not yet translated into the wave of first-home buyers the government hoped to create. The gap could instead leave the market softer while affordability problems remain.
π― Why It Matters
Housing is the biggest financial decision most people make. Whether investors stay or leave affects prices, rents and whether first-home buyers can finally get on the property ladder.
Investors have pulled back sharply from the housing market. New Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows investor loans fell 8.6 percent in the June quarter, the biggest decline since September 2022. Treasurer Jim Chalmers called it an encouraging sign that the government's changes to negative gearing and capital gains rules are working. But experts warn investors leaving does not automatically mean first-home buyers will fill the gap.
The tax changes to negative gearing and the capital gains discount were announced in May as part of a plan to cool the property market. The retreat in investors may be an early reaction to those reforms. But experts say the drop has not yet translated into the wave of first-home buyers the government hoped to create. The gap could instead leave the market softer while affordability problems remain.
Housing is the biggest financial decision most people make. Whether investors stay or leave affects prices, rents and whether first-home buyers can finally get on the property ladder.