The top Australian suburbs on the east coast where buyers are paying for property in cash

Almost three in 10 homes purchased on the East Coast last year were bought with cash, contributing to the historically unusual situation of growing home values alongside rising interest rates. The demographics of cash buyers include high income earners buying in blue-ribbon city suburbs, downsizers in all locations, retirees purchasing in seachange and treechange areas and local and overseas investors buying inner city apartments.

Digital property exchange platform PEXA has released its 2023 Cash Purchases Report covering residential property settlements across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The proportion of cash-funded purchases increased by 1.5 percent in 2023 and totalled$129.6 billion. In 2022, cash sales totalled $127.7 billion. Cash buys accounted for 28.5percent of all residential settlements last year, up from 25.6 percent in 2022.

NSW recorded the highest total value of cash purchases at $54.9 billion and 27.7 percent of purchases. QLD cash purchases totalled $39.4 billion and 29.6 percent of purchases, and Victoria cash buys were worth $35.3 billion and represented 25.2 percent.

PEXA’s chief economist Julie Toth said: “Cash-buyers are changing the dynamics of the residential property market and exerting a greater influence on overall property demand. The relatively large size of this group helps to explain the property market’s resilience in 2023, despite rapid rises in interest rates.

“Our research found the demographic profile of cash buyers is different to mortgage buyers – cash buyers tend to be older and more likely to be retired. They tend to have lower household incomes, but they also have fewer dependents and are more likely to be ‘asset-rich’, with accumulated property, savings and superannuation to fund their next purchase. If they have interest-earning savings, then they may even have benefited from rising interest rates,” she said.

The report found regional buyers form the largest cohort of the growing cash-buyer market, followed by inner city buyers. “Regional cash property purchases are likely being driven by retirees and downsizers looking for a ‘tree change’ or ‘sea change’ which has become a popular trend in recent years,” Ms Toth said.

The largest proportion of cash purchases across the East Coast was in regional Queensland, with 33,055 homes bought without a loan. Renowned retirement destinations such as Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Hope Island and Port Douglas were among the most popular locations with cash buyers.

“In contrast, the inner-urban cash buyers are likely a combination of affluent owner-occupiers who are relocating, plus domestic and international investors buying rental properties,” Ms Toth said. Melbourne and Sydney are among the postcodes with the highest total value of cash buys, likely reflecting a large proportion of local and overseas investors buying apartments.

Top 10 postcodes by value of cash buys

QLD 4217 ​Surfers Paradise $1.43 billion

NSW 3000 ​Melbourne $1.32 billion

QLD 4218 ​Broadbeach $1.2 billion

NSW 2765 ​Marsden Park $971.9 million

NSW 2088 ​Mosman $944.2 million

NSW 2065 ​St Leonards $789.3 million

QLD 4551 ​Caloundra $737.5 million

QLD 4212 ​Hope Island $710.9 million

NSW 2000 ​Sydney $709.2 million

NSW 2027 ​Darling Point $703.3 million

Top 10 postcodes by proportion of cash buys

QLD 4421 ​Tara 86% (median price $82,500)

QLD 4184 ​Russell Island 76% (median price $85,000)

QLD 4671 ​Gin Gin 72.3% (median price $275,000)

QLD 4819 ​Magnetic Island 68.2% (median price $365,001)

QLD 4877 ​Port Douglas 66.4% (median price $445,000)

QLD 4615 ​Nanango 65.0% (median price $292,500)

NSW 2422 ​Gloucester 63.9% (median price $530,000)

QLD 4852 ​Mission Beach 60.9% (median price $307,500)

QLD 4850 ​Ingham 60.7% (median price $188,500)

QLD 4660 ​Childers 59.6% (median price $385,000)