Most calculators compare a repayment to a rent and stop there. This one tracks your full net position — cash out vs. equity in — year by year, for Melbourne buyers.
Median house ≈ $978,000. Monthly mortgage ≈ $4,688 vs. rent ≈ $2,829. Roughly 66% cheaper to rent a house in Melbourne right now.
Inner-city units are now roughly $322/month cheaper to own than rent (20% deposit, 25-year loan, ~6.1–6.4% variable) — before rates, strata and maintenance.
Whole-of-market lender comparison, plus a stress test at higher rates.
Open calculatorWhat a lender might approve — income, expenses and the APRA buffer, worked through.
Open calculatorGrants, stamp duty relief and deposit schemes — checked against your situation.
Open checkerA soft patch, not a slump — population growth and a structural undersupply are widely expected to put a floor under values.
Bank economists describe conditions as steady rather than dramatic: “higher mortgage repayments and weak confidence are likely to keep demand subdued,” while “low unemployment, population growth and construction constraints should place a floor under values.” A national shortfall of roughly 250,000 dwellings won't close within a decade.
Whole-of-market, not just the lender whose branch you walk past — plus a stress test at higher rates.
| Lender | Rate | Monthly repayment | Total interest |
|---|
Lender rates as reported late July 2026. The +3.0% scenario mirrors the APRA serviceability buffer lenders must apply when assessing whether you can afford a loan.
An estimate of the loan a lender might approve: net income, less living costs and debts, assessed at your rate plus a 3-point buffer.
Illustrative only. Income taxed on the 2024–25 resident scale plus 2% Medicare levy, split evenly for couples; a $200/month loading is added per dependent. Get a formal assessment from a lender or mortgage broker before relying on this figure.
Five Victorian and federal schemes, five different rules, scattered across as many websites.
A 2026 Finder survey of 1,010 property buyers found 27% had experienced questionable conduct from a real estate agent.
| Reported issue | Share of buyers |
|---|---|
| Inflated price expectations used to win the listing | 10% |
| Significant underquoting | 9% |
| Phantom offers (claimed rival bids that don't exist) | 8% |
| Fake bidding at auction | 8% |
| Misleading or digitally enhanced photos | 8% |
| Failure to disclose zoning or legal issues | 6% |
| Conflicts of interest | 6% |
| Misleading building & pest reports | 5% |
| Illegal cash deposits | 4% |
Finder's head of consumer research put it plainly: “Agent guide prices are often a fantasy designed to push as many buyers as possible into the system.” Regulators are responding — NSW passed a fivefold increase in underquoting penalties in 2026, and Victorian Consumer Affairs has taken agencies to court over alleged underquoting — but enforcement is reactive.
Underneath the deliberate tactics, everyday service gaps are just as common: inconsistent communication, opaque fee structures, and uneven service outside the inner suburbs. Australia's own proptech sector describes itself as “a patchwork, not an ecosystem” — no mainstream tool combines an independent price check with a transparent rent-vs-buy view and a plain-language read on agent behaviour, in one place, before an offer is made.
The practical checklist that sits alongside the numbers — most of these cost nothing to check.
Every forecaster we reviewed agrees on the trigger to watch: rate cuts, expected from around mid-2027.
| Forecaster | Call |
|---|---|
| Domain (FY27, combined capitals) | −2.5% to +1.5%; recovery expected from mid-2027 |
| ANZ Research | Capital prices ▼4.3% (2026), ▼3.4% (2027); ≈10.6% peak-to-trough |
| Melbourne houses (FY27) | ▼8% to ▼4% |
| Melbourne units (FY27) | ▼1% to ▼3% — outperforming houses |
| Oxford Economics (to June 2027) | +21% houses / +20% units — forecasts diverge sharply by horizon |
Victoria's Housing Statement targets 800,000 new homes over ten years (2024–2034) — roughly 80,000 a year — but two years in, delivery is tracking closer to 60,000 a year. That shortfall is a structural tailwind for prices even while affordability stays stretched. Negative gearing restrictions and CGT changes on established properties are scheduled from 1 July 2027, already shaping investor and vendor behaviour ahead of the deadline.
Every screen opens on the calculator or figure you came for — not a marketing headline standing in front of it.
Every estimate lists the rate, growth assumption or rule behind it, so it can be checked line by line.
Budget, eligibility and mortgage comparison read from the same inputs instead of repeating yourself.
LVR, offset accounts and stamp duty concessions get a plain explanation inline.