Australia’s residential property market slowed in April, with new listings dipping amid public holidays and broader market conditions, according to the latest REA Group Listings Report.
Despite the monthly decline, overall stock levels remain stable year-on-year, suggesting that sellers are maintaining their presence in the market.
Australia’s national property market saw a dip in new listings in April, largely due to seasonal holidays.
“National new listing volumes were down in April compared to March (-12.7%), with the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends cooling activity,” said Angus Moore (pictured), REA Group senior economist.
Compared to the same time last year, new listings across the country were down 10.6%. However, Moore noted that “Easter fell in April this year, along with Anzac Day, while Easter was in March last year,” adding a significant seasonal factor to the year-on-year comparison.
Major capitals recorded substantial declines, with Sydney and Melbourne both down 16% and Darwin seeing the steepest drop at 23.8%. Hobart bucked the trend slightly, growing 0.7% year-on-year.
“Across March and April this year, new listings in the capitals were in line with the volumes seen in the same period last year,” Moore said, indicating stability when viewed across a broader timeframe.
Regional areas were not spared, although the declines were milder. New listings in these regions dropped 6.7% compared to April 2024, according to REA Group, which recently noted that a growing number of Australians are eager to improve home energy efficiency but encounter significant obstacles.
Reflecting the slowdown in new supply, total property listings were down 3.7% from March. However, they were slightly higher than the previous year, rising 0.4%.
Separate analysis by SQM Research also attributed the decline in listings to the dual impact of the Easter holidays and the NSW and Queensland elections, reinforcing the seasonal lull observed across the board.
