A buyer’s agent has revealed how to navigate the surging unit market, with slashing competition emerging as the key to securing stronger results for clients.
With recurring supply shortages across the country, units have become more common among investors seeking continuous growth and higher yields.
Recent REA data showed that unit demand had boosted prices, with 56 per cent of apartments across the country being at $1.5 million or above.
According to Pinnacle Buyers Agents founder Michael Lezaja, while buyers usually bought detached homes that immediately appreciated, they later turned to units as housing became out of reach.
“For the first few years, people are actively buying that (well-situated house and land), and a lot of these properties grow so much that they become out of reach,” Lezaja told Real Estate Business.
“That’s why at the end of the cycle, you tend to see apartments perform really well, because people still want to get into the market and will just buy the next best asset that is affordable.”
Additionally, he said that apartments at an entry-level price point were more resilient to economic factors such as interest rate changes.
With only 11 per cent of units nationwide priced between $800,000 and $999,999 and 10 per cent priced between $600,000 and $799,999, Lezaja said it was important for buyer’s agents to minimise competition to get the best outcome for their clients.
“Getting the best possible deal comes down to not having competition; that is why we love off-market deals,” he said
With entry-level units often receiving multiple offers after a single open home, Lezaja said it was essential for buyer’s agents to locate off-market properties.
“It is my preferred method of purchase, because we try to avoid the competition on the purchase to be able to get it at a below market value. The more we avoid competition, the better,” Lezaja said.
Similarly, Lezaja said he tended to avoid auctions, as the combination of competition and emotion was likely to drive prices even higher.
“I don’t like bidding against anyone that’s emotional or could be paying more than we’re prepared to pay,” he said.
“My job is to try and not only secure them the deal ahead of all of the other competition, but to also try and get it below market value if possible.”
Recent REA Group data found that Brisbane’s apartment market had the highest percentage of units valued at over $1.5 million, whilst also having no new apartments priced below $600,000.
Lezaja said that while the data showed no new listings under $600,000, it was likely that any listings in that range had been snapped up in an off-market sale.
He said Brisbane’s unit market would likely continue to grow in 2026, supported by strong interstate and international migration and by infrastructure spending.
While many investors had previously shied away from purchasing units, as they were typically outperformed by houses, Lezaja said that was not the case in Brisbane.
“Let’s bust the myth that units don’t grow, because Brisbane units have busted that myth better than anywhere else.”
“They’ve performed incredibly well over the last few years, even outperforming houses.”
On the other side of the transaction, Lezaja said that real estate agents should seek to increase competition as much as possible for their listings to drive prices up, and that affordable properties did much of the heavy lifting themselves.
“In the affordable sector of the market, once they hit an online portal, that is where you are going to have a heap of inquiries,” he said.
“When you are looking to sell, you’d want to make sure it was marketed correctly, and then go to auction in a competitive environment.”
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