Why waiting for the market bottom could cost buyers

There is little sign that Sydney’s housing downturn is slowing, with several major banks predicting house values will continue to plummet in the months ahead but some experts are warning buyers waiting to snap up property at the bottom of the market may struggle to time it perfectly. The downturn follows three consecutive interest rate rises, changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax and continued economic uncertainty that has seen housing values plunge across the capital cities. Realestate.com.au’s latest Home Price Report shows Sydney home prices fell for the sixth consecutive month by 0.3 per cent in August, leaving values 4.9 per cent below their November 2025 peak. Commonwealth Bank Australia this week warned Sydney home prices could drop a total 13 per cent, peak to trough, echoing similar forecasts from ANZ, which forecast a 14.5 per cent average Sydney fall. Falls of this magnitude would make the current Sydney downturn the largest since 1982-83, ANZ claimed. This also follows National Australia Bank (NAB) recent claims that house price falls are only about “one-third” complete. “We think we’re about a third of the way through that, both time-wise and also prices,” ...