First published 11 Nov 2026, 5:00am
Vendors are accepting offers well below their asking prices, buyers agents say
Aussie homebuyers are scoring savage discounts of up to $271,000, wiping out years of capital growth in a single blow.
New analysis of sales data reveals where buyers have the upper hand around the country, with desperate vendors forced to slash their asking prices or risk languishing amid a growing pile of stale listings.
Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) has pinpointed Australia’s 20 most negotiable suburbs, where vendor discounting ranges from 8.7 per cent to a staggering 14.1 per cent below asking prices.
The discounts wiped years of capital growth from the price in some cases
In some lifestyle pockets, the discounts being scored at the negotiation table are completely eclipsing local market gains.
Culburra Beach on the NSW South Coast recorded the heaviest discounts, with vendors slashing an average of 14.1 per cent ($132,038) off asking prices — a markdown equal to more than double the suburb’s 6.3 per cent annual capital growth since 2025.
New South Wales was Australia’s negotiation capital, claiming nine of the top 20 spots, followed by Queensland with five and Victoria with four.
In Sydney, vendors handed back six-figure sums to clinch a deal.
Vendors are willing to negotiate as listings pile up
Buyers in leafy Killara in the city’s blue-chip Upper North Shore scored an average discount of 9.9 per cent discount, or $271,184 off the suburb’s $2.74m median, while in the Hills district suburb of Glenhaven, a 9.5 per cent discount wiped $218,606 off the $2.3m median.
REBAA President Zoran Solano said the findings reinforced the importance of understanding local market dynamics, rather than relying on broad housing trends.
“While national property prices may tell one story, conditions on the ground can vary significantly from suburb to suburb,” Mr Solano said.
“The data shows there are many markets where sellers are becoming increasingly negotiable, which is creating opportunities for buyers who do their research and enter the market well prepared.
Daylesford was one of four Victorian suburbs where sellers gave big discounts
“In many markets, buyers who negotiate effectively may be able to secure a property for considerably less than the advertised price.”
A trend emerged across lifestyle locations and prestige pockets, where stock was piling up as soaring price growth hit an affordability ceiling.
In Victoria, Daylesford recorded an 11.5 per cent cut ($85,223), while Mornington Peninsula suburbs Tootgarook (-9.7 per cent) and Blairgowrie (-9.5 per cent, saving $106,186) also had big price tag drops.
In Queensland, Gold Coast sellers were accepting much less in Paradise Point, where an average of 9.0 per cent ($155,691) was cut from advertised prices, and Ashmore, which recorded discounts of 9.4 per cent ($118,004).
The Gold Coast had three suburbs where vendors are dropping their prices
Cotality head of research Tim Lawless said lingering stock had pushed the power back to buyers.
“Although the flow of new listings coming to market is tracking almost 20 per cent below average for this time of the year, advertised supply levels have accumulated as homes take longer to sell,” Mr Lawless said.
“Higher inventory levels are giving buyers more choice and greater negotiation power, which is in stark contrast to a year ago when advertised supply was tight and sellers held most of the leverage.”
The top 20 suburbs for vendor discounting included lifestyle locations and prestige suburbs
AUS TOP 20 SUBURBS FOR VENDOR DISCOUNTING
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