TV personality and property expert Andrew Winter has slammed an Australian property tactic he says is disadvantaging everyone.
Compare the Market found the majority of Aussie home buyers were “buying blind” with new research revealing that almost two thirds of listings do not indicate a price.
Mr Winter called for greater price transparency amid expanded first-home buyer incentives.
“Many Australians trying to take advantage of new first-home buyer incentives are being left in the dark wondering, is this actually eligible and under the price threshold?”
Just one of many vague listings without a price
The research found 63 per cent of the 400 samples of three and four-bedroom property listings in Brisbane and Sydney did not provide a price indication for prospective buyers – using generic terms such as “contact agent”, “for sale” and “submit offers”.
Of the 37 per cent of listings that did indicate a price tag, it varied from providing an indicative price, a price range or asked for offers above or under a certain figure.
Mr Winter said “enough is enough”.
“The lack of pricing transparency continues to be what’s wrong with Australia’s modern-day real estate market, prohibiting consumers from easily shopping around for properties and buying blind.”
“Australians have no way to tell upfront whether they can afford to purchase a home when almost two-thirds of the sampled listings analysed by Compare the Market don’t indicate any price guide at all – unless they enquire directly.”
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TV personality and Compare the Market’s property expert Andrew Winter has again called for greater price transparency amid expanded first-home buyer incentives. Picture: Supplied
With Compare the Market’s 2025 Household Budget Barometer report revealing that the average salary-earning single is priced out of 99 per cent of locations in Australian capital cities as of September 2025, Winter said price transparency is imperative to set realistic expectations.
“Home buyers lose confidence in the property market, while it’s a disservice for sellers who may miss out on otherwise great offers,” Mr Winter said.
“It’s like trying to purchase a new or used car blind when the price tag is blank until you walk in the showroom and ask the salesperson directly.
“At that point, there’s added pressure to buy when it may end up being entirely unaffordable, wasting effort and time for both sides.
“If you were buying anything else – a TV, a desk or a beer at the pub – you’d be appalled if a price wasn’t quoted.
“It’s time to stop playing pricing games and give us back a free market.
“Policymakers need to be asking: what will ensure a fairer and more transparent property market for both house hunters and property owners?
“We are again calling for agents to clearly and transparently price properties all across Australia and to remove any legislation that could prohibit this.”
For Sale? It is anyones guess
The call for pricing transparency comes after research revealed that househunters earning the nation’s average wage were now priced out of every Brisbane suburb.
“This research confirms a brutal reality — that the great Australian dream of owning your own home has officially decoupled from the average Australian wage in many locations,” Canstar.com.au’s data insights director Sally Tindall said.
.“The gap between the income required to buy into many housing markets and what Australians actually earn is widening.”
Canstar Data Insights director Sally Tindall. Picture: supplied
In Sydney, buyers need around $300,000 a year to buy a median-priced house with a five per cent deposit.
The RBA, which meets this week, is also tipped to raise interest rates in yet another blow to buyers and homeowners.
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