market-insights
Australian Property Valuation Statistics 2026 — Market, Industry & Cost Data
Property valuation in Australia sits at the intersection of a $12.8 trillion residential asset base, hundreds of thousands of annual property transactions, and a relatively small professional workforce of accredited valuers. This article aggregates the most recent 2025-26 statistics that describe the size of that market — the value being measured, who orders valuations and why, what they cost, and how long they take.
Every numeric claim below is anchored to a primary or authoritative source — the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), PEXA, state Valuer-General offices, or the valuer professional institutes. Where a figure is a demand proxy (for example, deaths registered as an indicator of probate-valuation demand) rather than a direct count of valuations, that is stated explicitly. Government statistical releases are revised regularly; the reference period for each figure is noted, and readers relying on a figure should confirm it against the linked source.
Australia at a glance — the 2026 valuation market
| Metric | Figure | Reference period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total value of residential dwellings | $12.77 trillion ($12,772.6 billion) | Mar quarter 2026 | ABS |
| Number of residential dwellings | 11,495,200 | Mar quarter 2026 | ABS |
| Mean residential dwelling price | $1,111,100 | Mar quarter 2026 | ABS |
| Quarterly increase in total dwelling value | +$315.9 billion | Mar quarter 2026 | ABS |
| Residential + commercial property settlements / year | ~722,000 ($726.6bn settled) | FY25 | PEXA |
| New housing loan commitments / year | ~548,000 (~$379.6bn, ex-refinancing) | CY2025 | ABS Lending Indicators |
| Practising valuers in Australia | ~5,000–5,200 | 2024-25 | API / Jobs and Skills Australia |
| Valuation services industry revenue | $732.2 million (2,068 firms) | 2025-26 | IBISWorld |
| RBA cash rate target | 4.35% | as at 17 Jun 2026 | RBA |
The asset base being valued
Australian residential real estate reached a total value of $12,772.6 billion — roughly $12.8 trillion — in the March quarter 2026, a single-quarter increase of $315.9 billion, according to the ABS Total Value of Dwellings release. The stock comprises 11,495,200 residential dwellings at a mean price of $1,111,100.
The mean dwelling price varies widely by jurisdiction. The ABS figures (March quarter 2026) place New South Wales highest and the Northern Territory lowest:
| Jurisdiction | Mean dwelling price |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | $1,324,800 |
| Queensland | $1,123,700 |
| Western Australia | $1,103,500 |
| Australia (national) | $1,111,100 |
| Australian Capital Territory | $1,018,000 |
| South Australia | $973,100 |
| Victoria | $947,100 |
| Tasmania | $750,300 |
| Northern Territory | $597,300 |
The notable structural shift in this data is that Queensland and Western Australia mean dwelling prices now sit above Victoria's — a reordering of the traditional state hierarchy driven by strong Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide growth through 2024-26. For valuers, this matters because comparable-evidence availability and the pace of value movement differ sharply between a fast-moving Perth market and a flatter Melbourne one.
The valuation profession
Independent valuation is performed by a comparatively small accredited workforce. The Australian Property Institute (API) — the dominant professional body — reports over 5,000 professional valuers among roughly 7,336 members, and Jobs and Skills Australia independently counts 5,200 employed valuers (occupation code 224512). A defensible figure is therefore around 5,000-5,200 practising valuers nationally — a small profession relative to the $12.8 trillion asset base and ~722,000 annual transactions it underpins. The workforce is male-dominated (about 25% female), has a median age of 41 (2021 Census basis, via Jobs and Skills Australia), and — contrary to a common narrative — is not rated as being in national shortage. Valuers are concentrated in capital-city metros and thin on the ground in regional and remote areas, which is one reason regional and remote fees carry a premium.
As an industry, Real Estate Valuation Services generated $732.2 million in revenue across 2,068 businesses in 2025-26 (IBISWorld), having contracted at roughly 3.7% a year since 2021 as higher interest rates slowed transaction volumes. The largest firms are CBRE, Opteon Solutions and Herron Todd White.
Regulation is state-based and inconsistent — there is no single national valuer licence:
- Queensland and Western Australia require mandatory registration or licensing (the Valuers Registration Board of Queensland; WA's Land Valuers Licensing Act 1978).
- New South Wales abolished compulsory valuer registration in 2016 (repeal of the Valuers Act 2003); work is now done by a "suitably qualified" valuer.
- Victoria, the ACT and the Northern Territory have no statutory licensing and rely on API / RICS membership as the de-facto standard.
Two standards frameworks govern the work itself: the RICS Valuation – Global Standards 2025 (the "Red Book") and the API's Australia and New Zealand Valuation and Property Standards (aligned to International Valuation Standards). A formal valuation accepted by a bank, court, the ATO or an SMSF auditor must be prepared to one of these standards by a valuer carrying professional indemnity insurance. The difference between a Red Book report and a "kerbside" or automated estimate is a recurring source of confusion — see RICS vs API valuation standards in Australia for the accreditation distinctions.
What drives valuation demand
No single agency counts how many property valuations are performed in Australia each year. The demand can, however, be sized through the underlying events that trigger a valuation. The table below pairs each major valuation purpose with its most recent demand indicator:
| Valuation purpose | Demand indicator (latest) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage / lending | ABS Lending Indicators, CY2025 | |
| Sale & transfer | ~722,000 property settlements/yr ($726.6bn) | PEXA, FY25 |
| Deceased estate / probate | 187,268 deaths registered | ABS Deaths, 2024 |
| Family law settlement | 47,216 divorces granted | ABS Marriages and Divorces, 2024 |
| SMSF compliance | $177.6bn property held in SMSFs (663,867 funds) | ATO SMSF report, Dec 2025 |
| Capital gains tax | $40.6bn net capital gains reported (real estate the largest source) | ATO Taxation Statistics, 2023-24 |
| Statutory / rating (NSW alone) | 2.6 million+ land parcels valued/yr | NSW Valuer General |
A few points of interpretation:
- Lending is the largest single driver. ABS Lending Indicators recorded $108.3 billion of new housing loan commitments in the December quarter 2025 alone (149,434 commitments, seasonally adjusted, excluding refinancing). Most lender-ordered valuations are desktop or panel valuations rather than full independent reports, but the volume sets the scale of the broader valuation market.
- Deaths and divorces are proxies, not valuation counts. Not every one of the 187,268 deaths registered in 2024 produces a valuation — but every deceased estate holding real property typically needs a date-of-death market valuation for probate and CGT cost-base purposes (see deceased estate valuation). Similarly, the 47,216 divorces granted in 2024 underpin demand for family law / Family Court valuations.
- SMSFs hold $177.6 billion of property. The ATO's December 2025 SMSF report puts residential real property at $60.9 billion and non-residential (commercial) at $116.7 billion across a sector of 663,867 funds — all of which require independent valuation support at each reporting date (see SMSF property valuation).
- Statutory valuation dwarfs everything by count. The NSW Valuer General alone values over 2.6 million land parcels every year for council rating and land tax — a reminder that "valuation" spans a statutory mass-appraisal function as well as the bespoke independent reports most property owners commission.
What a valuation costs
Independent (non-lender) valuation fees in 2025-26 cluster by property type and report depth. The headline ranges:
| Property type | Typical fee range (independent Red Book report) |
|---|---|
| Residential — metro standard | $400 – $700 |
| Residential — regional / remote | $500 – $900+ |
| Commercial — small (single tenant) | $1,500 – $3,000 |
| Commercial — investment grade | $3,500 – $8,000+ |
| Industrial — standard warehouse | $2,000 – $4,500 |
| Rural — lifestyle / small holding | $1,500 – $3,000+ |
| Family Court / expert witness | $1,500 – $4,000+ |
State-level variation on identical assignments runs roughly 20-35% between the cheapest and most expensive jurisdictions. For the full property-type and state-by-state breakdown, plus what is and isn't bundled into a quoted fee, see property valuation cost by state and type.
Turnaround and report validity
| Stage | Typical timeframe |
|---|---|
| Lender desktop / automated valuation | 2 – 3 business days |
| Full independent Red Book report | 5 – 7 business days after inspection |
| Priority / urgent turnaround | 1 – 3 business days (surcharged 25-50%) |
| Practical validity of a valuation report | ~90 days (lender convention, not a statutory rule) |
A valuation reflects market value at a specific date. Because most lenders treat a report as current for only about three months, timing a valuation to the transaction — rather than commissioning it too early — is part of getting value from the fee.
Key 2025-26 changes
- The dwelling base hit a record ~$12.8 trillion, rising $315.9 billion in the March 2026 quarter alone (ABS).
- Mean dwelling price passed $1.1 million nationally for the first time, ranging from $1.32M (NSW) to $597k (NT).
- State value leadership reshuffled — Queensland and WA mean prices now exceed Victoria's, reflecting strong Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide growth.
- The RBA cash rate climbed to 4.35% across the first half of 2026 (increases in February, March and May, held in June), a higher-rate environment that has tempered new-lending growth.
- The 1 July 2027 CGT main-residence reform is approaching, which is expected to lift demand for retrospective and transitional valuations dated to the changeover — see our capital gains tax valuation flagship.
Methodology
Figures are drawn from the most recent release of each primary source as at June 2026 and labelled with their reference period. Asset-base figures (total value, dwelling count, mean price, per-state means) are ABS Total Value of Dwellings, March quarter 2026. Transaction figures are PEXA Property Insights FY25; lending figures are ABS Lending Indicators. Demographic proxies (deaths, divorces) are ABS vital-statistics releases for the 2024 calendar year. SMSF and CGT figures are from ATO statistical reports and should be confirmed against the ATO's published tables, which were not directly machine-readable at the time of writing. Valuer-workforce numbers combine the API's reported professional-valuer count with Jobs and Skills Australia's employment figure, and the valuation-industry size is IBISWorld's 2025-26 estimate. No figure on this page is an estimate produced by Landmark Valuations; each traces to the cited body.
When you need an independent valuation
Most arm's-length sales and refinances are handled by the lender's own valuation process. You typically need an independent valuation — to RICS / API standards — when the figure has to satisfy a third party other than a bank:
- Probate and deceased estates — a date-of-death valuation for estate administration and beneficiary CGT cost base.
- Family law settlements — an independent, court-admissible Family Court valuation.
- SMSF compliance — SMSF property valuations at each reporting date for the fund auditor.
- Capital gains tax — retrospective or current-date CGT valuations, including for the 1 July 2027 transition.
- Related-party transfers and stamp duty — a stamp duty valuation establishing dutiable value where the price is not arm's length.
For any of these, request a quote — Landmark Valuations covers all eight states and territories.
Disclaimer
This article aggregates general statistical information about the Australian property and valuation market. It is not financial, legal, or tax advice, and the figures are point-in-time data that the source agencies revise. Confirm any figure against its linked source before relying on it. For a valuation tailored to your property and purpose, contact Landmark Valuations.
Sources:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics — Total Value of Dwellings, March quarter 2026
- Australian Bureau of Statistics — Lending Indicators, December quarter 2025
- Australian Bureau of Statistics — Deaths, Australia 2024
- Australian Bureau of Statistics — Marriages and Divorces, Australia 2024
- PEXA — Property Insights FY25
- Australian Taxation Office — SMSF quarterly statistical report, December 2025
- Australian Taxation Office — Taxation Statistics 2023-24
- NSW Valuer General — Why land valuations matter
- Reserve Bank of Australia — Cash rate target
- IBISWorld — Real Estate Valuation Services in Australia
- Jobs and Skills Australia — Valuers (224512) occupation profile
- Australian Property Institute — API; RICS — Valuer Registration; Valuers Registration Board of Queensland — VRBQ
Last verified: 29 June 2026. This article is reviewed and updated as the source agencies release new data — ABS dwelling values quarterly, ATO and PEXA reports on their own cycles. If you spot an outdated figure, contact info@landmark-valuations.com.au.
See also
- Property Valuation Cost by State and Type — Australia 2025-26 — the full fee breakdown behind the cost figures above
- Stamp Duty Rates by State Australia — 2025-26 Data — the largest transaction cost after the price itself
- Council Rates by Capital City Australia — 2026 — the statutory-valuation flip side of property ownership
- Land Tax by State Australia — 2025 Thresholds & Rates — the recurring state tax driven by land valuations
- RICS vs API in Australia — which valuer accreditation banks, courts and the ATO accept
About the author
Tajinder Dhillon
Principal Valuer
Tajinder Dhillon is the Principal Valuer at Landmark Valuations, a RICS-regulated property valuation firm. He leads independent valuations across residential, commercial, industrial and rural property throughout Australia.
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