From backyard to boomtown
Moreton Bay Ready Reckoner out now
Moreton Bay has officially come of age. With more than 535,000 residents and another 12,500 newcomers arriving each year, it’s no longer Brisbane’s northern backyard — it’s a city in its own right, now growing faster than most of Southeast Queensland.
But behind the impressive headline numbers lies a serious story about housing supply, affordability, and what happens when approvals don’t translate into actual builds.
My latest Ready Reckoner Report on Moreton Bay lays it all out — 26 pages and 25 charts worth of detailed local intelligence. It’s the clearest snapshot yet of a market that’s booming, but beginning to strain.
Despite nearly 4,800 new dwellings approved in 2025, only 2,280 were registered — barely half of what’s needed to meet demand. The result?
• Detached house prices up 116% over the decade to a median $910,500
• Apartment and townhouse prices up 87%, now $640,000
• Typical rents pushing $660 a week for a family home
• Vacancy rates below 1% — the tightest in years
At the same time, household incomes have flatlined around $156,000 per annum, leaving the average home now costing more than six times household income. By my affordability benchmarks, that’s firmly unaffordable — and getting worse.
Yet Moreton Bay’s economy is powering ahead. There are 168,000 local jobs, a $24 billion GRP, and billions in new infrastructure underway — from the Waraba Priority Development Area and Redcliffe Hospital expansion, to the Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre and major road upgrades like Youngs Crossing and Old Gympie Road.
The city sits squarely in the upswing phase of my Property Clock, alongside Brisbane and Perth — markets defined by confidence, migration, and momentum. But it’s also approaching the turning point. Without more diverse, timely, and feasible housing delivery, that momentum could stall under its own weight.
My Ready Reckoners help guide smarter development and planning decisions by providing clear, data-driven insights into local housing demand, supply gaps, market trends, and feasibility conditions.
If you’re active in the SEQ housing market — developer, planner, builder, or financier — this report will sharpen your strategy and help you see what’s really going on beneath the surface.
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