Media Release | March 2026 Index: Adelaide Land Market Rolls On Despite Supply Issues

• Oliver Hume Land Index and Residential Outlook is Australia’s first and only quarterly, multi-market analysis of the land sector and draws on Oliver Hume’s decades of proprietary data.
• Adelaide’s overall Land Index score fell from 6.5 to 6.1 in the March quarter, but remains well above long-term average levels across most measures.
• Ongoing infrastructure-related supply issues mean that supply is likely to remain constrained in the next 12 months.

Adelaide’s greenfield land market saw significantly lower levels of sales activity in the March quarter compared to those experienced over recent years, with supply constraints and slower population growth expected to moderate price growth, according to the latest Oliver Hume Land Index and Residential Outlook.

Adelaide’s overall Land Index score fell from 6.5 to 6.1 in the March quarter, but remains well above long-term average levels across most measures.

Recent demand indicators are still strong, but ongoing supply constraints held back total sales volumes in the quarter, falling by 33%. This was the key driver of the fall in the overall Index score and the Supply & Demand sub-Index.

Market sentiment fell due to a slight increase in the cancellation rate and a slight easing of production levels relative to sales rates . Price growth remains extremely high, rising in the March quarter leading to house and land prices being relatively more expensive compared to the local established market.

The Oliver Hume Land Index and Residential Outlook is the first comprehensive quarterly analysis of Australia’s major land markets and draws on decades of data and industry expertise to spotlight opportunities and risks in Australia’s $16 billion new land market.

The Index is produced by Oliver Hume’s team of research analysts, led by Chief Economist Matt Bell. It draws on the company’s unparalleled internal land sales data and third-party information to provide insights on key markets in Melbourne, Sydney, South-East Queensland, Perth and Adelaide.

Adelaide Price Growth To Ease Back

Oliver Hume Chief Economist Matt Bell said the Adelaide land market would continue to be impacted by ongoing infrastructure-related supply issues for the next 12 months.

“We expect demand to ease as population growth slows,” he said. “Volumes are likely to remain largely stable in the face of this easing demand and ongoing supply challenges.”

“Price growth will remain high but is expected to ease closer to current levels of established market price growth and the relatively high prices of new house and land.

“The outlook for established house price growth is for some easing in price growth as Adelaide is currently historically expensive compared to other national housing markets and is producing new dwellings at a relatively high level compared to underlying demand.

Oliver Hume Property Group CEO Julian Coppini said the price differential between new homes and established homes may begin to have a greater impact on the Adelaide market over the next 12 months.

“More than 30% of the increases in land prices in the last year have made new house and land relatively expensive compared to the established market, and an easing of price growth in the existing market could worsen that comparison.”

About The Index

The Oliver Hume Land Index and Residential Outlook is designed to provide greater understanding and transparency into Australia’s $16 billion a year land sales market. The quarterly Index has two core components.

State of Key National Land Markets

Provides a systematic assessment of the current condition of major land markets around the country. It allows users to compare relative performance across regions and identify the current phase of the cycle in each market.

Each market receives a score calibrated to 5 as the benchmark for a balanced market. A reading above 5 indicates conditions operating above the long-term average, while a reading below 5 signals a market performing below trend. This normalised approach enables direct comparison across cities and regions and allows the research team to systematically rank performance nationwide.

Residential Market Outlook

A 12-month outlook for the key market metrics of land sales volumes and price growth and an outlook for established market house price growth for each market.

ENDS

Media enquiries to:

Mitchy Koper
Oliver Hume
M.koper@oliverhume.com.au 
0417 771 778

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Lilly Mackay
Oliver Hume
l.mackay@oliverhume.com.au