If you're thinking about selling in the next 6 to 12 months, one of the most important things you can do right now is get a clear picture of where the market actually stands. Not the headline numbers — those can be misleading — but the on-the-ground reality of what's selling, what's sitting, and what buyers are actually doing.
Here's my honest read of the Gold Coast market as of mid-2026, broken down by price bracket — because the experience is very different depending on where your property sits.
Price Band
Under $1,000,000 — Strong Demand
This segment is the most active part of the market right now. The recently updated First Home Buyer Grant has brought a fresh wave of motivated, pre-approved buyers into competition in this bracket. Properties that are well-presented and priced correctly are generating genuine enquiry and often selling quickly — sometimes with multiple parties competing.
If your property sits under the million-dollar mark, conditions are about as good as they've been. The buyer pool is real, the urgency is there, and a well-run campaign should produce a strong result. The window is open — and the First Home Buyer Grant is a genuine tailwind that could shift at any time with policy changes.
The key word, as always, is well-presented and correctly priced. Even in a healthy market, overpriced properties sit — and sitting properties lose perceived value quickly.
Price Band
$1,000,000 – $1,500,000 — Healthy, With Strategy
This bracket is still performing well, but it requires more thought and better execution. Buyers here are more discerning — they've typically got more options, more time, and more leverage. The difference between a good result and a great one often comes down entirely to how the campaign is structured from the outset.
In this range, pricing strategy is everything. Come in too high and you'll sit. Come in correctly and run a well-structured campaign — the right marketing, the right campaign method, the right buyer targeting — and you'll achieve a strong result.
I'm seeing consistent success with offers-over campaigns in this bracket right now. Done properly, they create the right psychological environment for buyers to compete while still giving them the price indication they need to engage seriously. More on this in a separate post.
Price Band
$1,500,000 and Above — Patience Required
The luxury end of the Gold Coast market is softer than it was 18 months ago. Buyer pools are thinner, campaigns are running longer, and the days of premium properties selling in the first week are largely behind us for now. That doesn't mean you can't achieve a strong result — it means you need to be realistic on price and very strategic about timing and campaign execution.
If you're in this bracket, the worst thing you can do is enter the market with an inflated expectation, sit for 90 days, and then reduce. Days on market is visible to every buyer and their agent — and a stale listing at a reduced price signals weakness in a negotiation.
Getting the entry price right from the start is more important in this segment than anywhere else. I'd strongly recommend a conversation before you make any decisions.
What buyers across all price points want right now
One consistent theme I'm seeing regardless of price bracket is that buyers want genuine value and the opportunity to build equity.
Established properties that buyers can renovate on their own terms — rather than paying a premium for someone else's renovation choices — are genuinely popular. Buyers are comfortable with a bit of work. They want to put their own stamp on a property, and they'll pay a fair price for the opportunity to do that.
In the unit and townhouse segment, body corporate fees and management quality have become real decision factors. Buyers are doing their due diligence properly. Low body corporate levies and buildings with competent, engaged on-site managers are genuine selling points. Buildings with high levies, deferred maintenance, or poor management are experiencing extended selling periods and price pressure.
If you own a unit or townhouse in a well-managed complex with reasonable levies, that's a genuine asset worth highlighting in your campaign.
"The market isn't uniform. Your experience selling will depend on your price point, your suburb, and how well your campaign is executed. Get the strategy right from the start."
What This Means for You
If you're considering selling in the next 12 months, the most valuable thing you can do right now is get a current, suburb-specific appraisal — not a generic estimate, but a real conversation about where your property sits in today's market and what the right strategy looks like. That conversation is free. Reach out and let's have it.