Overview
- The national average new mortgage reached $736,000, with NSW at a record $873,000 and every state and territory now above $500,000.
- In the December quarter, first‑home buyer loan counts rose 6.8% from Q3 and their value jumped 15.5%, lifting the average first‑home loan 8.5% to $607,624.
- Investors took out a record 60,445 mortgages in Q4 2025 worth $43 billion, roughly 23% higher than a year earlier.
- Refinancing climbed 20% in 2025 to 640,137 loans, with about 64% of borrowers switching lenders as banks competed aggressively.
- RBA deputy governor Andrew Hauser said interest rates are not the main driver of property prices and urged a bigger housing build, as new lending limits and a recent rate rise aim to cool the market.