Gary and Lesleigh Kacin are taking their Camp Hill home to auction for the first time since 1991, Camp Hill. Picture: Liam Kidston
Listings by homeowners aged over 60 who have owned their homes for more than 25 years have jumped 20 per cent across Brisbane in the past year, marking first signs of movement in some of the city’s most tightly held suburbs.
The shift counters a decade-long national slide in the number of homes coming to market, as tight rental conditions and limited downsizing options keep older homeowners in unsuitable family homes.
Place Advisory research shows a wave of Baby Boomers are finally handing over keys to a new generation in popular pockets including Camp Hill, Norman Park and Coorparoo, and middle-ring areas such as Holland Park, where the over-65 population has declined by up to 10 per cent over five years.
A beloved trophy home is for sale via a top offers campaign in Norman Park
Typical sellers who purchased their properties between the 1970s and 1990s are collecting up to 30 times their original price, with a Brisbane house bought for $25,000 in 1975 now valued near $900,000.
Older homeowners are capitalising on brisk market conditions to list during the traditional spring selling season, driven by cost-of-living pressures, the burden of larger homes, and a desire to unlock decades of equity for retirement.
While the decision to downsize often takes 3-4 years, policy measures like the superannuation downsizer contribution of up to $300,000 for over-55s have fuelled the trend.
This English cottage-style house was designed by renowned Brisbane architect EP Trewern and held by his own family until now
Place Bulimba agent Shannon Gordon said listings in these sought-after areas remained scarce, sparking fierce competition among younger families keen to buy into established school catchments.
“We’re seeing a genuine generational handover,” Ms Gordon said.
“The long-term owners who built these communities are finally ready to move on, and that’s creating openings for young families who never thought they’d be able to buy into these areas.
“The homes that shaped Brisbane’s character are passing to the next wave of families who will shape what comes next.”
Despite the shift, family homes remain rare. Nationally, just 470,000 homes were listed last financial year — down 20 per cent on 2016, despite population growth of more than four million.
This four-bedroom house in Wishart was under contract ahead of its scheduled auction date
LJ Hooker’s Australian Listings Report 2025 shows just 4 per cent of the country’s 11.3 million dwelings were listed in FY25, 6 per cent less than a decade ago.
In Brisbane, listings were about 10 per cent below their 10-year average, with regional Queensland 15.8 per cent short.
The shortage was attributed to a combination of cautious sellers holding onto low-rate loans and a lack of suitable new supply.
“Many homeowners are staying put due to a lack of suitable alternatives,” the report noted.
“A tight rental market and limited downsizing options are freezing turnover.”
In the inner city hotspot of Camp Hill, median house prices have almost doubled over the past five years to $1.76m, with desperate buyers stumping up a premium price.
The Kacins plan to retire by the beach. Picture: Liam Kidston
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This demand is playing out for longtime residents, Gary and Lesleigh Kacin, who are moving for the first time in 35 years after listing their Queenslander home at 32 City View Rd for auction.
Ms Kacin, a former school teacher, said she was nervous about taking the property to auction, hopeful of a result that would allow them to afford an oceanview unit on the southern Gold Coast.
“I’ve never sold a home before so I am a bit anxious but excited,” Ms Kacin said.
“But we are empty nesters now and it is time to get to the beach.
“We haven’t found our next home yet, but the plan is that whatever we get for here, we will spend on a place down the Coast so that we don’t have to dip into our super.”
32 City View Rd, Camp Hill is on the market for the first time in more than 30 years
In nearby Coorparoo, an English cottage-style house designed by esteemed Brisbane architect E.P. Trewin and held by his own family since 1931 is also going under the hammer.
Belle Property Coorparoo agent Jonathan Harper-Hill, who is marketing the four-bedroom home at 183 Chatsworth Rd, said his agency was yet to register a significant uptick in listings.
“This is a very sentimental sale of a very beloved family home,” Mr Harper-Hill said.
“For a lot of older homeowners, there is a feeling of when you are in a beautiful house in a fantastic area, why move?”
The home attracted strong interest from buyers appreciating Trewin’s traditional style, its sale sparked by the architect’s son, who had lived there his whole life and recently moved into a retirement facility.
PropTrack data shows Kenmore Hills is Queensland’s most tightly held suburb with residents staying an average 21 years.
Other sticky suburbs included Yeerongpilly (19 years), Wishart (19 years) and Battery Hill (18 years), while unit owners in Ferny Grove stayed 19 years.
PropTrack senior economist Eleanor Creagh at the Future Brisbane event. Picture: John Gass
PropTrack economist Eleanor Creagh said these long ownership patterns had helped insulate suburbs from price shocks by restricting supply.
“Longer hold periods of 19 to 21 years signal low turnover, likely of family-size homes,” Ms Creagh said.
“This can constrain supply and keep a floor under prices in desirable, well located and amenity-rich suburbs where many remain in place for longer.”
In the past 12 months, around 11 per cent of Brisbane suburbs have recorded a decline in their over-65 population, notably in Holland Park West, Geebung, and Cleveland.
Cleveland and other Redland City suburbs averaging more than 8,000 homeowners aged over-50 have seen listing times fall to around 30 days.
The capital released through downsizing was often reinvested locally, with many sellers relocating to single-level dwellings, premium apartments, or nearby lifestyle precincts such as Woolloongabba, East Brisbane, and the bayside.
It’s estimated that if just 10 per cent of Queensland’s empty-nesters downsized, around 22,000 homes could return to the market, significantly easing supply pressure.
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