Flood of new listings over May reinforces renewed market confidence
Following last month’s federal election, a surge in new listings in May signalled renewed consumer confidence and fresh opportunities for property investors nationwide.
Recent findings from SQM Research revealed that nationwide residential property listings increased by 4.2 per cent over May 2025 to 256,628 listings, marking a 1.5 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2024.
The data showed that the outcome was driven by a broad-based rise in listings across all major cities, enabling the 69,021 total listings across the capital cities to register 4.2 per cent higher than levels recorded in April 2025.
Sydney recorded a significant monthly rise of 8.9 per cent to 35,111 total listings, which resulted in the amount of property on the market in May 2025 registering 9.8 per cent higher than the 31,976 listings recorded in May 2024.
Melbourne and Brisbane both recorded monthly increases of 8.6 per cent each, with 41,862 and 17,166 properties being listed in each city, respectively.
At the opposite, the Melbourne market is 0.6 per cent lower than one year prior, while Brisbane’s listings are 3.8 per cent lower than May 2024 levels.
While Adelaide recorded the largest monthly increase of 10.2 per cent to 9,072 total listings, the number of properties on the market sits just 3.8 per cent higher than levels from the year prior, marking the smallest year-on-year growth across the capital cities.
Although Perth market notched up a slightly lower monthly increase of 8.1 per cent to 16,883 total listings, it registered the largest year-on-year increase, with the city’s May 2025 levels sitting 20.5 per cent above levels from the previous year.
The Darwin market recorded a modest monthly rise of 3.7 per cent to 1,135 total listings, but also reported the largest year-on-year decline, 28.4 per cent lower than the 1,585 listings recorded in May 2024.
SQM Research managing director, Louis Christopher, said the national rise in listings was driven by a 4.2 per cent increase in newly listed properties, on the market for less than 30 days, reaching 69,021 across the country in May.
Christopher said that Sydney and Canberra led in monthly gains for new listings through increases of 17.9 per cent and 16.2 per cent respectively, while increases in Melbourne (14.1 per cent) and Brisbane (10.7 per cent) followed not far behind.
The only decline in new listings was observed in Hobart, where the 20 per cent reduction from the 650 new properties listed in April 2025 resulted in just 520 properties being brought to market during May 2025.
Christopher said the post-election lift in new listings across major capitals was expected, but the 8.8 per cent rise in older stock signals persistent market challenges.
“The bounce in new listings indicates renewed confidence, and yet older stock continues to accumulate in cities like Sydney and Melbourne, suggesting that many vendor pricing expectations may still be out of step with the market,” he said.
SQM Research’s data also showed that the number of properties listed under distressed conditions nationwide fell by 4.2 per cent over May 2025 to 4,592, which registered 9.9 per cent lower than May 2024 levels.
Most states and territories recorded monthly declines in distressed listings over May 2025, with Western Australia and Queensland registering the sharpest falls of 9.6 per cent and 5.5 per cent, respectively.
On the other end of the spectrum, the ACT was the only jurisdiction to report a significant monthly rise in distressed properties, 36 per cent higher than the month prior, and 13.3 per cent higher compared to May 2024.
Christopher said the nationwide drop in distressed listings shows the property market has weathered past economic challenges and is now well-placed for growth in the second half of 2025.
“The further drop in distressed listings nationally is a positive indicator, pointing to a still-benign environment despite the elevated interest rates environment from 2022 to 2025,” Christopher said.
“The recent cuts in interest rates followed by another highly probable rate cut in July should continue to see only moderate levels of distressed selling activity,” he concluded.