Tim Lawless, Cotality
There’s a version of market commentary that goes something like this: “Listings are up. Prices are falling. It’s a buyer’s market.” And technically, none of that might be wrong. But as a buyers’ agent, you already know that a summary tells you almost nothing useful. The real questions are what’s driving this, and what does it mean for my clients right now?
That’s the discipline of data interpretation, and it’s a skill that separates the best professionals from all others.
Take what we’re currently seeing in the listings data across Australian capital cities. At a headline level, total advertised stock is rising. New listings are tracking close to (and in some markets slightly above) historical averages. If you’re reading that quickly, you might assume vendors are flooding the market. But that’s not what’s happening.
The data show that homes are simply taking longer to sell. Stock is accumulating not because sellers are panicking, but because demand has eased and buyer urgency has softened. Our estimate for national home sales over the three months to May was tracking 2.2 per cent lower than a year ago and 4.1 per cent below the five-year average. In Sydney and Melbourne, estimated sales were running 17 per cent and 14 per cent below year-ago levels, respectively.
That distinction matters enormously. Distressed selling and slower turnover are very different market conditions, and they will undoubtedly call for very different strategies.
For buyers’ agents, the current environment is genuinely the most favourable it has been in several years. There is more choice, less competition at the pointy end of campaigns, and a meaningfully improved negotiating position. Vendors who previously had the luxury of holding firm on price are increasingly needing to meet the market.
Sydney and Melbourne, the markets where values have already been softening through 2026, are showing above-average stock levels. The mid-sized capitals are rising from a lower base, but the directional trend is clear: more stock is coming. Understanding that trajectory, and knowing which submarkets are leading versus lagging, is where expert interpretation of the data pays dividends for your clients.
But here’s the important caveat: none of this data should be read in isolation. Listings trends need to be considered alongside days on market, vendor discounting rates, clearance rates, and migration and lending data. Each tells part of the story. Your value as a property advisor is assembling the complete picture based on both the qualitative and quantitative evidence.
Data literacy is one of the most essential skills in a buyers’ agent toolkit. It’s not about having access to more data, but rather how to interrogate it.
At the REBAA National Conference in August, I’ll be taking delegates through the current metrics in detail and discussing what the data is showing, what it’s not showing, and how to use it practically in your work with clients.
The goal isn’t to make you a data analyst. It’s to make you a sharper, more confident adviser – one who can look at a market, understand what’s actually happening beneath the headlines, and translate that understanding into better outcomes for your clients.
In a shifting market, that ability is essential.
Tim Lawless is Executive Research Director at Cotality (formerly CoreLogic). With more than two decades of experience in property research, Tim is one of Australia’s most trusted voices on housing market trends. He will be presenting at the REBAA National Conference, 3 and 4 August at Peppers Resort, Noosa.
