A note from
Smart Property Investment
Financial headwinds are gathering pace. It is now increasingly clear that not only are interest rate cuts unlikely, but a number of financial indicators are in fact suggesting the next move could even be upward. Despite this uncertainty, the question remains: will higher rates meaningfully slow the momentum behind Australia's property market?
So far, the evidence suggests otherwise.
Thousands of Australians have already entered the market through the Commonwealth government's 5 per cent deposit guarantee, injecting hundreds of millions of dollars in additional liquidity into the market. This is now complemented by the Help to Buy shared equity scheme, under which the government will take an equity stake in up to 10,000 homes each year.
These demand-side initiatives come at a time when Australia's structural supply constraints remain firm. Record-high migration continues to collide with historically low levels of housing construction, reinforcing the imbalance between supply and demand that has underpinned price growth for much of the past decade. Even against a backdrop of tighter monetary conditions, these forces suggest there is little to meaningfully restrain property price growth in the near term.
Of course, that is just my perspective. And everyone has an opinion. From seasoned property professionals and data analysts to well-meaning friends at a weekend barbecue, views on where the market is headed are abundant and often contradictory.
So how do investors cut through the noise to identify suburbs with genuine growth potential?
Four years ago, Smart Property Investment launched the FAST 50 report to answer that exact question. Designed to move beyond speculation and hindsight, the report highlights the suburbs that Australia's leading property professionals believe are best positioned for growth.
Rather than relying solely on historical data, the FAST 50 adopts a blended approach. Insights from experienced investors, researchers, and real estate networks are combined with detailed data analysis to curate a list of 50 suburbs expected to outperform over the next 12 months. To avoid bias, the suburbs are listed alphabetically, reflecting a diverse range of locations.
These are not necessarily the suburbs dominating headlines or glossy marketing brochures, and that is precisely the point. The FAST 50 is about uncovering under-the-radar opportunities, providing investors with a credible starting point for their own research and due diligence.
Unlike broad market reports produced by major data firms, the FAST 50 is built specifically for investors. We are not interested in telling you where you should have bought last year; our focus is on where opportunity may lie next.
In closing, I would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of our principal partner, Pure Property Investment, and Paul Glossop, its chief executive and principal buyer's agent, whose insights and commitment continue to help Australian investors stay informed in a complex and evolving market.
These are not necessarily the suburbs dominating headlines or glossy marketing brochures, and that is precisely the point.
A message from
our partner
A message from
our partner
Paul Glossop
CEO
Pure Property Investment
A word from our long-term partner, Paul Glossop, Founder and CEO of Pure Property Investment:
As Chief Executive of Pure Property Investment, I’m proud to contribute to a report that continues to set the benchmark for evidence‑based, forward‑looking analysis in a rapidly evolving market.
The past year has delivered another period of significant adjustment across global and domestic markets. While equity markets have swung sharply on shifting inflation expectations and geopolitical uncertainty, Australia’s residential property sector has again demonstrated its resilience. With structural undersupply now firmly entrenched, many of our most proven long‑term markets are entering a continued upswing through 2026–27.
Last year’s FAST 50 research accurately identified the top nine fastest‑growing suburbs nationwide from over 10,000 suburbs nationally. This year, the fundamentals are even clearer. Record net overseas migration, persistently tight rental markets, a stabilising labour market, and the early stages of a normalising interest rate cycle are combining to create one of the strongest setups for capital growth we’ve seen in over a decade. Based on our analysis, the suburbs highlighted in this year’s report are positioned to outperform through both continued capital appreciation and rental growth well above long‑term averages. The opportunity for investors who act decisively in 2027 (and beyond) is significant.
Based on our analysis, the suburbs highlighted in this year’s report are positioned to outperform through both continued capital appreciation and rental growth well above long‑term averages. The opportunity for investors who act decisively in 2027 (and beyond) is significant.
FAST 50 methodology
The FAST 50 list has drawn on both expert opinion and property data, giving a report supported by qualitative and quantitative analysis.
A shortlist of suburbs was compiled using the insights from the 15 experts on the Smart Property Investment panel. Each expert on this handpicked panel was asked to identify their top 20 suburbs for property investment over the next 12 months into 2027 and provide evidence to quantify why it would be a top performer.
The emphasis of their recommendation was to identify suburbs that will give the best capital growth over the coming 12 months. These recommendations were compiled and ranked, with a matching process undertaken to identify those suburbs and locations that have universal appeal, irrespective of the unique – and often proprietary – assessment criteria used by our experts.
Smart Property Investment then analysed the performance of these shortlisted suburbs, leveraging housing data from the SPI suburb search feature.
The data for this feature is provided by CoreLogic and is the most current data as of January 2026, which is for the period ending (12 months to) October 2025.
All suburbs with fewer than 50 properties sold annually were removed from the shortlist, despite some of our experts choosing these locations.
Note: only house price data was used, not units.
Across a blended and weighted assessment of these suburbs – specifically using the data points of quarterly growth, 12-month growth, gross rental yield and 10-year average annual growth – each of the shortlisted suburbs was ranked across these metrics, with the aggregate of the combined expert and data score used to determine the FAST 50.
What does the data mean?
The CoreLogic data used to support the ranking is the most recent dataset available to SPI as of November 2025, and represents 12 months to the period ending October 2025.
The three-month lag represents a number of factors, specifically the time from exchange to settlement for private treaty. The January dataset, which forms the basis of this report, is the most up-to-date data available. The emphasis of their recommendation was to identify suburbs that will give the best capital growth over the coming 12 months.
Our panel of experts
To compile the FAST 50 2027, Smart Property Investment has enlisted the experience of the biggest hitters in Australian property and real estate.
Paul Glossop
CEO
Pure Property Investment
Michael Kowalczyk
Director
Tailored Property Group
Lena Lindley
Senior Buyer's Agent
Pure Property Investment
Aaron Findlay
Senior Buyer's Agent
Pure Property Investment
John McGrath
Founder and CEO
McGrath Estate Agents
Arjun Paliwal
CEO and Head of Research
InvestorKit
Dawn Fouhy
Director
Future Proof Property Advisory
James Nelis
Director and Lead Buyers Agent
The Nelis Group
Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo
Chief Economist
PRD Real Estate
Steve Ash
Founder
Property Strats
Nick Voegt
Director
Smash Property Investing
Scott O'Neill
Founder & CEO
Rethink Group
Sam Gordon
Director
Australian Property Scout
Phil Tarrant
CEO
Managed
Liam Garman
Managing Editor
Smart Property Investment & Real Estate Business
Editor's note
While all care has been taken in the production of this report, the FAST 50 does not constitute investment advice and should not be considered as such. The FAST 50 list is general in nature and does not consider your own personal objectives, financial situations or needs.
So what does it all mean?
Number sold
A count of all transactions over the last 12 months.
Median price
The median sale price of all transactions recorded during the last 12 months.
Median quarterly growth
The percentage change in the median sale price in the same period compared to three months ago.
3-year growth
The percentage change in the median sale price in the same period compared to three years ago.
5-year growth
The percentage change in the median sale price in the same period compared to five years ago.
Average annual growth
The average growth of a suburb each year over a 10-year period.
Weekly median advertised rent ($)
The median value of advertised weekly rents captured during the last 12 months.
Time on market (days)
The median number of days it has taken to sell those properties sold by private treaty during the last 12 months.
Gross rental yield
The indicative gross rental yield provides a guide about the gross rental return achieved during the last 12 months within the suburb, and is based on the annualised rent (median asking rent x 52 weeks), divided by the median sale price.
To view suburb data
Click the orange dot on the map, or use the search bar
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