House prices may ease, but rental growth could create opportunities for property investors

For the first time in years, more Australian valuers expect house prices to fall than rise. But for property investors, the full picture is more complex.

According to CBRE's Q2 2026 Residential Valuer Insights survey, 41% of valuers now expect house prices to decline over the next 12 months, a significant increase from just 2% last quarter. Most are forecasting falls of less than 5%, and Adelaide and Perth remain the exceptions, with valuers in both cities still expecting meaningful growth.

For investors, the more telling finding is on rent. Following the Federal Budget's negative gearing changes, 72% of valuers expect rents to rise over the long term. Softer prices combined with rising rental income could improve yields, particularly in markets like Sydney where values have cooled but rental demand remains tight.

Markets like this tend to reward preparation. Understanding your finance options before conditions shift is worth doing sooner rather than later.

About the author – Alex Veljancevski is a Sydney Mortgage Broker with Eventus Financial, which assists first home buyers, investors, upgraders and borrowers seeking to refinance to a better deal on their home loan.