Agents in the Sunshine State have been keeping busy despite the national downturn as interstate relocators flock to the regions, making a proactive selling strategy essential.
Recent data has shown that Queensland has seen high levels of interstate buyer relocations, drawn to its lifestyle, economy, and opportunities, presenting new opportunities for agents.
According to the Regional Australia Institute’s latest Regional Movers Index, the Sunshine Coast remained the top regional migration hotspot, attracting 8.8 per cent of the nation’s total net internal migration over the 12 months to March 2026.
Belle Property Maroochydore principal, John Stamp, said that while there had always been strong migration to the Sunshine Coast, he had seen an uptick in people moving to the region and “tipping the scales”.
“That’s definitely been represented on the market every weekend when we’re out there on Saturdays,” he told REB.
Stamp said the most demand had been for upper-market properties, particularly from older demographics looking to retire later on.
“Naturally, the age bracket is a little bit higher, but I think rather than 65 plus, it’s more likely to say 50 plus is a more common marketplace for us.”
For out-of-state buyers, Stamp said there was often much more interaction required of agents, as purchasers couldn’t simply go out to look at houses and become immersed in the suburbs.
“They do really rely on the time and effort of the agent to produce those opportunities for them to purchase.”
“We need to be sensitive to that and make sure we’re putting up all of the opportunities that they may not even immediately consider, just so people can make a decision that’s fully informed.”
He said that agents should show interstate buyers suburbs similar to the ones they were searching in to ensure they got a decent idea of the region.
According to the data, Fraser Coast ranked third nationally for regional migration at 3.9 per cent.
Meanwhile, Toowoomba and Townsville were among the fastest-growing destinations for capital city movers, with annual growth in net capital-to-regional migration of 236 per cent and 159 per cent, respectively.
Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) CEO, Antonia Mercorella, said Queensland’s overall population growth of 1.6 per cent had outpaced NSW’s 1.2 per cent, proving to be a strong magnet for interstate migrants.
“In 2025, Queensland gained 16,528 people from interstate migration, while NSW lost 21,465 people,” she said.
“The only other state with positive net interstate migration was Western Australia with 10,410, so Queensland comes out on top again.”
Data has also shown that NSW residents have made up the bulk of interstate migrants to Queensland in recent times.
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed that people relocating from NSW contributed around 60.3 per cent of Queensland’s net gain, or approximately 13,000 of 21,600 people in 2024–25.
With a projected national downturn in property values, Mercorella said it was likely that Queensland would defy the national trend due to its significant supply shortfall, sustained demand pressures and strong long-term growth drivers.
“It’s hard to see how that wouldn’t be the case, with all that’s on the horizon for the city and the state – namely, just a little thing called the Olympics,” she said.
“Our lifestyle is hard to beat, and when you look at the migration figures, it’s clear which way the cockroaches are scurrying.”
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