- Australian property sellers are reaping profits at levels not seen in over decade
- 96% of national house sales made a profit in the last financial year, along with 90.7% of unit sales
- Brisbane was the best capital city performer with the city's best profit figures on record
Amid record property prices, 96% of Australian houses and 90.7% of units sold for a profit in the last financial year.
It's the highest level for houses since 2008 and 2011 for units, according to Domain's annual Profit and Loss Report.
It's also the first time since 2009 that a higher proportion of regional house owners reaped a profit on house sales compared to city dwellers, edging them out by just 0.1% at 96.1%.
The gap was far greater for regional units with 94.6% of sellers walking away with a profit compared to 89.4% of people selling units in capital cities.
In dollar terms, the median profit made across the combined capital cities was $395,000, well up on the median loss of $73,000.
Brisbane steals the show
Brisbane was the standout market in the last financial year with 99.5% of houses and 95.6% of units selling at a profit for their owners - the city's highest figures on record.
Melbourne was not too far behind at 97.9% for house sale profits but lagged most other capital cities with 14.7% of units selling at a loss.
The capital cities all comfortably came in above the 95% mark for house sale profits except for Darwin at 88.4%.
Only Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, and Hobart cracked the 90% threshold for unit sale profits.
Source: Domain Profit and Loss Report
Record property prices
Domain's chief of research and economics Nicola Powell said it's unsurprising the pool of profit-making sales has risen given record property prices in Australia.
"This trend is more pronounced for houses than for units and various factors contribute to these differences, including house preferences, development cycles, and tenure as units are typically held for shorter periods," she said.
She said the profits reiterate how valuable it is for Australians to be able to get into the property market if they can.
"We need to ensure that buying a home is affordable and accessible to everyone as having an asset that increases in value can really help financial stability in the future," Dr Powell said.
Dollars to be made
Understandably, there was a wide variation in profit and loss dollar amounts recorded for the various markets, reflecting property prices.
The most expensive city, Sydney, saw houses making the biggest median dollar gains at $655,000 while unit sellers made $202,000.
Canberra was the next most lucrative market for house profits with sellers reaping a windfall of $435,000 while Hobart was next in the unit market, netting a median gain of $198,000 for sellers.
Sydney and Adelaide showed the greatest percentage returns on houses, selling at roughly double their original purchase prices.
Domain data shows Generation X (those born 1965-1980) and older Millennials (born 1981-1996) were the primary beneficiaries of the current market conditions.
The suburbs leading house profits were skewed to more affluent demographics, while unit profits spanned diverse income brackets.
Regional market still hot
The data also showed the regional market continuing to outperform urban centres in profitability.
The trend, which began in 2021, saw regional units selling at higher profit margins than city units, reversing a 12-year trend.
This shift is attributed in part to housing affordability with regional units having lower upfront costs.
It also reflects greater pricing resilience in the regions and a structural change in buyer preferences driven by the pandemic, Domain analysis found.
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| Lender | Home Loan | Interest Rate | Comparison Rate* | Monthly Repayment | Repayment type | Rate Type | Offset | Redraw | Ongoing Fees | Upfront Fees | Max LVR | Lump Sum Repayment | Extra Repayments | Split Loan Option | Tags | Features | Link | Compare | Promoted Product | Disclosure |
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| Promoted | Disclosure | ||||||||||
5.89% p.a. | 5.80% p.a. | $2,962 | Principal & Interest | Variable | $0 | $0 | 80% |
| Promoted | Disclosure | ||||||||||
5.99% p.a. | 6.02% p.a. | $2,995 | Principal & Interest | Fixed | $0 | $0 | 60% |
| Promoted | Disclosure | ||||||||||
5.93% p.a. | 5.93% p.a. | $2,975 | Principal & Interest | Variable | $0 | $395 | 70% | Disclosure |
