QUEENSLAND has emerged as Australia’s strongest property market for the first time, with every major sector recording positive conditions despite a national slowdown.
The state scored 6.6 in the Australian Property Institute’s (API) Q3 2026 Property Market Index, overtaking Western Australia to claim the top position after scoring 7.5 in the previous quarter.
The result was driven by the strength and diversity of Queensland’s property sectors, with residential, industrial, agricultural, retail and office markets all remaining above neutral.
Residential property led the nation with a score of 6.6, followed by industrial at 7.0, agriculture at 5.9, retail at 5.8 and office at 5.7 – the strongest office result recorded nationally.
API Chief Economist Dr Sherman Chan said Queensland’s performance stood out because no sector had fallen into negative territory. “Every state slowed this quarter, including Queensland. The difference is that nothing in Queensland is below the line,” Dr Chan said.
“It is the only state where residential, office, retail, industrial and agricultural are all in positive territory, and that breadth is exactly what you want to see entering a more uncertain period.”
Dr Chan said population growth and infrastructure investment continued to support the Queensland market, particularly amid ongoing shortages of housing and available land.
Industrial property has also benefited from limited stock and a lack of suitably zoned land, while office and retail markets remain closely tied to business and consumer confidence.