Where Queensland is moving: Autumn 2026

If you’re thinking about buying a new home in Queensland - whether that’s a first place to call your own, a fresh start in a new chapter, or simply somewhere that fits your life better than where you are now - you’re in good company. 

Last quarter (1 January 2026 to 31 March 2026), the number of people searching on a-d.com.au across Queensland’s new home market stayed strong, with people zeroing in on a handful of suburbs and a very clear sense of what they’re willing to spend. Here’s what the data is telling us.

The suburbs people are choosing

Queensland has a long coastline and a lot of great places to live, but the data is pretty clear about where people are looking right now.

Maroochydore led the state in search popularity this quarter - which makes sense. The Sunshine Coast has grown up a lot in recent years, and Maroochydore sits at the centre of it. SOL by Walker, a standout place to call home in the precinct, was the most popular development in Queensland for the quarter.

Broadbeach continues to draw strong interest on the Gold Coast, with people attracted to the lifestyle, the infrastructure investment, and the relative value compared to Sydney or Melbourne equivalents.

In Brisbane, the inner-ring suburbs are doing the heavy lifting. West End, South Brisbane, Newstead and Cannon Hill all featured in the top 10 most popular suburbs. These are established, well-connected neighbourhoods with genuine community around them - and new developments in each are offering something that feels considered rather than generic.

A few names worth noting further out: Nundah, Redcliffe and Bilinga all made the top 10, which suggests people are thinking beyond the inner city when weighing up value, space, and lifestyle.

Where people are searching from

The suburbs generating the most search activity on a-d.com.au tell one story. Where those searches are coming from tells another.

Highgate Hill, Brisbane City, Surfers Paradise, Carina, Broadbeach, Norman Park, Teneriffe, Ascot, Fortitude Valley and Indooroopilly - together, this list reads like a who's who of Queensland's most established and well-loved neighbourhoods. These aren't people stumbling across something new. They're people who know Queensland well, love where they live, and are ready for a home that reflects that.

What's striking is the mix. Riverside suburbs sitting alongside coastal ones. Inner-city postcodes alongside leafy, established ones. It suggests the appetite for a new home in Queensland right now is coming from all corners of the state - not one type of person, not one kind of life.

The homes people are looking at

The most popular developments this quarter tell a consistent story: people are searching for quality, not just address.

SOL by Walker in Maroochydore topped the list - a large, design-led development with a genuine sense of place. Vila Residences in Cannon Hill came in second, offering a quieter, more residential feel. ORO Newstead and Rivara West End were popular in Brisbane’s inner south, while Flourish Symphony in South Brisbane attracted significant interest from people ready to move.

On the Gold Coast, Bilinga House and Monarch Place Southport both attracted attention from people searching - two very different developments that speak to how varied the Gold Coast really is.

Further afield, One Redcliffe and Tydal Woody Point show that the Moreton Bay region is attracting people who are genuinely ready to buy, not just browse.

Who’s buying right now

This is where the data gets genuinely interesting.

Queensland's market is being led by people buying a home to live in themselves - not to rent out. Those ready to trade their family home for one that better fits their lifestyle made up 23% of all people searching on a-d.com.au. People upgrading to a new home to simply live in came in at the same share. Together, that's nearly half the market. These aren't speculative decisions. They're considered ones.

People looking to grow their property portfolio made up 19% of searchers, down slightly from the previous quarter. That shift is worth noting. It suggests the Queensland new home market is increasingly being shaped by the people who will actually live in it, which tends to create stronger, more connected communities in newer developments.

People buying their first home dropped to 15% this quarter, down from 19% the previous quarter. That’s likely connected to the shift in spending we also saw in the data - more on that below.

Window shoppers increased 5% from the previous quarter - people simply getting a feel for what’s out there. That’s not a bad place to be. It means more people are in the early stages of a decision, doing their research, and taking their time. 

What people are spending

The story here is a significant one. Half of all Queenslanders searching on a-d.com.au this quarter was from people spending between $1m and $2m - up from 42% last quarter. That’s a meaningful concentration, and it tells you something about the confidence in this market right now.

At the same time, people spending between $750k and $1m dropped sharply, from 29% to 14%. The middle ground is thinning. People are either stretching further than they expected to, or they’re taking more time to get there.

People with deeper pockets of between $2m-$5m held steady at 22%, which suggests those spending more aren’t going anywhere - they’re just as active and confident as last quarter.

What this means practically: if you’re looking at homes in the $1m-$2m range in Queensland right now, you’re in the most active part of the market. Knowing what’s available - and moving when you find the right home - matters more than it might in a quieter window.

How long people are taking to buy

One of the most telling signals in the data is how long people are taking before they commit. And Queensland is showing a clear shift: people are giving themselves more time.

The share of people looking to buy within 1-3 months dropped from 27% to 23%. Meanwhile, the 3-6 month and 6-12 month windows both grew slightly.

This isn’t nervousness - it’s deliberateness. Buying a new home is one of the most significant decisions most people will make, and, in Queensland, more people are giving themselves space to get it right.

That said, nearly a quarter of people are still looking to decide to move within three months. And in a market where the best homes move quickly, being prepared matters.

What this means if you’re thinking about buying

A few things stand out from this quarter’s data.

Queensland’s new home market is being led by people who want to live in the homes they’re buying. That creates a different kind of community - one that tends to be more engaged, more settled, and more invested in the neighbourhood around it.

More people are spending between $1m and $2m than ever before. If that’s where you are, you’re buying into the most active part of the market. The strongest homes in that range - places like SOL by Walker, Vila Residences, Flourish Symphony - are generating real competition.

Maroochydore, West End, Cannon Hill: these aren’t just popular suburbs. They’re places where infrastructure, lifestyle, and design quality are coming together. That’s worth paying attention to when you’re thinking about long-term value.

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