The Gold Coast market has softened. If you are selling and buying, a lower sale price could still help you move into a better home. Check the price of the next home as well as your own.

How far have prices fallen?

Published Gold Coast price measures — different methods and property groups
Source	Measure and period	Reported movement
PropTrack	All dwellings, September quarter 2026	−0.7%
Cotality / HTW	Houses, three months to September 2026	−4.6%
Cotality / HTW	Units, three months to September 2026	−1.8%

These reports do not use the same methods. Neither percentage is an amount to take off every home. Their shared direction is softer prices. Reported longer campaigns, price reductions and fewer offers also point to buyers having more room to choose.

Cotality's annual figures to September still showed gains of 2.8% for houses and 3.7% for units. This change in conditions has not suddenly wiped out everyone's gains. An individual owner's position depends on what they bought, when they bought and what they owe.

What about homes above $2 million?

Fields Real Estate's independent house-sales panel recorded median selling times of 56 days for $2–3 million houses and 68 days for $3–5 million houses in the 90 days to 30 September. The groups contained 91 and 25 sales respectively. These are panel medians, not a verified average for every Gold Coast sale.

That is roughly eight to ten weeks. A high price does not mean a quick sale. Exceptional properties can still attract strong offers, while other owners need more time or a different price.

Worked upgrade example: the price gap falls from $600,000 to $550,000 before costs — Hypothetical upgrade example. Prices are illustrations, before costs.

A lower sale price can still fund a cheaper upgrade

Say you expected $1.2 million for your home and wanted to buy for $1.8 million. The gap was $600,000, before costs.

Hypothetical example — before buying, selling, duty and finance costs
	Old expectations	Example today
Your sale	$1,200,000	$1,150,000
Your purchase	$1,800,000	$1,700,000
Amount needed on top	$600,000	$550,000

The upgrade costs $50,000 less before costs. You sold below your old expectation, but the next owner reduced their price by more. These are example numbers, not a forecast or an offer.

The extra bedroom, easier home or move closer to family is the goal. A price expectation was not cash in your bank account. Compare the full move before calling it a loss or abandoning the plan.

My outlook for the next 90 days

I expect buyers to stay selective and prices to remain under pressure. That is my view, not a promise of a set percentage fall. HTW's November commentary also expects further short-to-medium-term softness, while limited new housing supply remains a longer-term support.

I will watch whether older listings start selling, selling times shorten and buyers begin competing again. More unsold homes and further cuts would weaken the outlook; better sales and fewer long campaigns would improve it.

Markets fluctuate. A future recovery is not guaranteed by a particular date. Make sure the move works if prices soften further, including your repayments and the time you expect to own.

Keep your next step in sight

There are good reasons to wait: finance, income uncertainty or no suitable home available. But if you have found the right home, covered the full costs and can comfortably afford it, an old sale target need not keep your life on hold.

Work through the sale-and-purchase example before deciding to wait. Compare your local figures in Robina, Merrimac and Varsity Lakes.

Sources checked 8 November 2026

Statistics are group measures and may be revised. Worked examples are hypothetical. This article does not value an individual home.