Brisbane keeps building: what new supply means for buyers

Why the cranes are back

Anyone driving through Newstead, Woolloongabba or the northern growth corridors lately will have noticed it: Brisbane is building again. Apartment towers, townhouse projects and new land estates are moving from hoardings to handovers, helped along by the infrastructure push ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

After several tight years where buyers often felt they were fighting over the same small pool of listings, more stock coming through changes the feel of the market. It doesn't rewrite the rules overnight, but it does give buyers something they've been short on: choice.

What more choice means in practice

When supply improves in a suburb or a segment, a few things tend to follow:

• Less pressure to rush. When there are three suitable properties instead of one, you can do your due diligence properly, order the building and pest report, and negotiate with a cooler head.
• More room to negotiate. Developers with stages still to sell, and vendors competing with brand-new stock nearby, are often more open to a conversation on price or inclusions.
• Segments move differently. New apartment supply doesn't do much to the market for renovated character homes on big blocks. Knowing which segment you're actually buying in matters more than the headline stories.

Buying new or off the plan? A few things to weigh up

New stock brings its own homework. If you're considering an off-the-plan apartment or a house-and-land package, keep these in mind:

• Lender treatment varies. Some lenders take a more conservative view of certain postcodes, high-density buildings or small apartments. The same property can be straightforward with one lender and hard work with another.
• Valuations happen at settlement, not signing. With off-the-plan purchases there can be a long gap between contract and completion, and the valuation at the end needs to stack up.
• Construction loans work differently. If you're building, the lender pays your builder in stages rather than in one lump sum. We've written a plain-English guide to how progress payments work.
• Government support may apply. First home buyers purchasing or building new homes may have grants and concessions available depending on the state and the price. Our stamp duty calculator shows the concessions state by state. Eligibility rules change, so check the current settings before you count on them.

What we'd suggest

More supply is good news for buyers, but the fundamentals don't change: know your budget before you fall in love with a floor plan, get your finance organised early, and choose a lender that suits the property you're actually buying. That's where we can help. We'll look at your situation, search across our panel of lenders for options available to you, and walk you through the trade-offs in plain English.

Book a free chat or start with our calculators to explore some numbers first.

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