Australian property listings surge in January, showing robust market recovery

The beginning of 2025 has seen a notable increase in residential property listings across Australia.

According to SQM Research, total listings grew by 4.5% in January, reaching 243,642 properties – a 10.3% rise compared to the same month last year.

Regional breakdown of property listings

Most major cities experienced an increase in listings, signaling a widespread market recovery:

• Sydney: Listings rose by 7.3% over the month, totaling 29,791, marking a 19% increase from last year.
• Melbourne: Saw a monthly increase of 2.1%, with total listings at 37,873, up by 15.9% year-over-year.
• Brisbane: Led the growth with a 9.8% monthly increase, totaling 16,241 listings.
• Perth and Adelaide: Also showed positive trends, with Perth listings up by 7.9% monthly and Adelaide experiencing a 6% increase, despite a slight annual decline.

Canberra showed the most substantial yearly growth at 30.7%, whereas Darwin was the only city to see both a monthly and annual decline in listings, SQM Research reported.

New listings and market dynamics

January also witnessed a surge in new property listings:

• National growth: New listings rose by 2.9% to 53,019 properties, an 18.1% increase from January 2024.
• Sydney: Experienced a substantial 61.5% jump in new listings, while Brisbane and Melbourne also reported strong gains.

This influx of new listings reflects growing vendor confidence or possibly a rush by some to exit the market amid changing economic conditions.

Old listings and market sentiment

The number of properties listed for more than 180 days also increased, indicating a varied pace of sales across different regions.

Notably, Perth saw a significant rise in older listings, suggesting some lingering challenges in the market despite overall growth.

Market conditions and outlook

Distressed property listings increased slightly by 1.6% nationally, but remained 8.9% lower year-on-year, reflecting an improvement in financial stability for many homeowners, SQM Research data showed.

Louis Christopher (pictured above), managing director of SQM Research, commented on the market’s positive trajectory.

“2025 appears to have started strongly on the residential property listings front across the country with a 10% rise in total property listings, driven by a sharp rise in new listings,” Christopher said.

He anticipates that the upcoming RBA meeting and potential interest rate cuts could further enhance market confidence, potentially driving housing prices up by 6% to 10% for the year.

Follow this link to access the SQM Research article.