Queensland’s most in-demand suburbs of 2025 have been revealed, and they range from flood-prone locales to working class postcodes and sought-after school catchment zones.
Driven by FOMO amid soaring house values, buyers are flocking to affordable suburbs that were once considered no go zones for investors due to market volatility or due to an unsavoury reputation, but these same areas are enjoying in influx of demand as buyers look to get a foot on the property ladder.
REA Group senior economist Anne Flaherty said that, overwhelmingly, the most in demand suburbs across most of Australia’s capital cities were in more affordable pockets, typically in outer suburban areas.
“This highlights the fact that more buyers have been priced out a growing number of established suburbs in the inner and middlerings,” she said.
Realestate.com.au economist Anne Flaherty
The team at realestate.com.au crunched their data to reveal the most in-demand suburbs of 2025 based on key enquiries, as opposed to views per listing.
Key enquiries refers to the number of actual enquiries made by potential buyers rather than clicks per listing.
In Brisbane, Rocklea was the most popular with potential buyers, fielding an average of 153 views per listing despite being a flood-risk.
39 Inskip Street, Rocklea, sold for $870,000
Forestdale in the Logan-Beaudesert area was the second most popular with 125 enquiries per listing.
Redbank Plains, another flood-prone suburb, also made the top 10 most in-demand suburbs across Brisbane with 123 enquiries per listing, followed by Waterford (122), Hillcrest and Darra (116), Woodridge and Gailes (115) and Logan Central (114).
4 Beaver Crescent, Redbank Plains, sold for $890,000
Marsden, home to the sought-after Marsden State High School, came in 9th with 114 enquiries per listing.
Marsden State High School. Picture: Liam Kidston
For units in Brisbane, the top suburbs were Herston (130), Graceville (118), Berrinba (111), Meadowbrook (109), Upper Mount Gravatt (106), Goodna (105), Doolandella and Dutton Park (102), Logan Central (100) and Spring Hill (99).
Elsewhere, the most in-demand suburbs on the red-hot Gold Coast market were Bilinga and Stapylton (houses, 101) and Molendinar (units, 98).
Stapylton is the Gold Coast’s second cheapest suburb for house with a median of $420,000.
1 Cypress Crescent, Stapylton sold for $432,800
Up north in Cairns, the most popular suburbs were White Rock (houses, 65) and Earlville (units, 52).
3 Yates Court, White Rock, sold for $675,000
In Townsville, the top suburbs were Condon (houses, 63) and Cranbrook (units, 70).
Suburbs in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Cairns and Townsville were named in the 2024 No Go Zones report by national investment advisory group Positive Property, which included a mix of mix of high-density inner city areas, regional coastal towns and suburbs that boomed after the pandemic.
There were 13 in the Gold Coast region, seven in Cairns, three in Townsville and three in Brisbane.
But continued high demand and lack of supply has continued to fuel those Queensland regions, with Townsville consistently named as one the nation’s strongest markets.
34 Hodges Crescent, Vincent, sold for $550,000
The latest REA Market Trends report shows that of the Queensland regions analysed, median values have increased by as much as 23.4 per cent for units in Townsville in the year, and 21.6 per cent for houses.
It is a similar story in Cairns where median unit values have jumped 10.4 per cent and houses by 10.1 per cent.
Gold Coast prices have increased by 9 per cent (houses) and 8.5 percent (units) respectively.
Brisbane’s median house price hit a new high in November, with values increasing $136,300 in 12 months to sit at $1.15 million.
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Brisbane home prices continue to soar. Source: iStock
Ms Flaherty said that similar factors that were driving buyers in the southeast corner were also impacting the performance in regional markets.
“In the case of Townsville, its relative affordability, population growth and solid economy are attracting owner occupiers and investors, many of whom have been priced out of Queensland’s more expensive regions,” she said.
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Townsville has been a hot spot for owner occupiers and investors Picture: Supplied
And that competition is forcing more hopeful buyers to engage with experts.
Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) president Melinda Jennison said that it was no longer just wealthy clients reaching out to buyers agents for help to crack the market.
They now range from first home buyers to investors, interstate and overseas buyers, and even time-poor locals trying to get a grasp on the fast-moving market.
“Properties can be under contracts within days and, on top of that, a lot of people don’t really understand the market,” MsJennison said.
“A recent report found that a lot of buyers are shopping behind the market and are looking for something that no longer exists.
“They don’t understand market value and are looking for help to get some alignment to make sure they can actually get intothe market.”
REEBA president and Streamline Property Buyers managing director Melinda Jennison
Ms Jennison said the problem facing buyers now was that a lot of properties were being listed without prices in southeast Queensland, or with price ranges that don’t align with buyer demand.
“Agents love high volume enquiry as it makes them look good to their clients, but it is making it hard for buyers to understand the tricks some agents use to create competition, especially in an environment where listings are scarce,” she said.
“And it is only going to get tougher due to high demand and lack of supply, which is creating FOMO (fear of missing out) as buyers fear that if they don’t act fast, in a months time, the prices will just rise further, especially given that the supply pipeline is not keeping up.
“The problem with that (FOMO) is that it can kead to buyers making irrational decisions that can put them at financial risk.”
Ms Jennison said that the parents of many first home buyer clients were engaging buyers agents to help them get into the market, avoid overpaying and understand the risks of certain property purchases such as buying into body corporate schemes.
“Undoubtedly we will see further price growth due to supply shortages, and the reality is that prices are growing quickly,” she said.
“And buyers are worried that buying a home will only get further out of reach.”
Canstar’s latest Consumer Pulse Report has also laid out those fears, with the cost of housing the top financial concern heading into 2026.
It is the fourth year in a row that housing costs, which includes mortgages and rents, have been the biggest fear factor for Aussies.
“Despite three cash rate cuts this year, the cost of housing is still the nation’s biggest financial pressure,” Canstar datainsights director Sally Tindall said.
“The RBA relief has helped, but not nearly enough to unwind years of surging mortgage repayments and escalating rents.”
The RBA kept the cash rate on hold at 3.6 per cent at its December meeting.
But with inflation and consumer spending coming in above expectations, money markets have flipped and now expect the next interest rate move to be a hike.
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TOP 10 SUBURBS FOR ENQUIRIES
BRISBANE (houses and units): Rocklea (houses, 153), Herston (units, 130), Forestdale (houses, 125), Redbank Plains (houses, 123), Waterford West (houses,122), Graceville (units, 118), Hillcrest and Darra (houses, 116) and Woodridge and Gailes (houses, 115).
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GOLD COAST (houses and units): Bilinga and Stapylton (houses, 101), Molendinar (units, 98), Coomera (houses, 94), Canungra (houses, 88), Pimpama (houses,84), Kingsholme (houses, 83), Yatala (houses, 82), Coomera (units, 82) , and Helensvale and Currumbin (houses, 81).
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TOWNSVILLE (houses and units): Cranbrook (units, 70), Condon (houses, 63), Vincent (houses, 61), Aitkenvale and Kirwan (units, 60), Stuart and Thuringowa (houses, 55), Garbutt (houses, 54), Mundingburra (houses, 53), Kirwan (houses, 51) and West End and Garbutt (units, 51).
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CAIRNS (houses and units): White Rock (houses, 65), Barrine (houses, 57), Earlville (units, 52), Cairns North and Bungalow (units, 51), Mooroobool (houses, 50), Aeroglen, Manoora and Edmonton (houses 49), Mount Sheridan (houses, 47) and Smithfield (units, 47).
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