Melbourne’s leading independent analysis of the property investment market.
About the Wakelin Property Reports
The Wakelin Property Reports are a series of in-depth analyses of Melbourne’s property investment landscape, published by Wakelin Property Advisory since 2021.
Each report draws on Wakelin’s frontline data – a focused lens on investment sentiment where broader market shifts often begin. This is combined with expert on-ground insights from Wakelin’s team of property advisors, as well as wider market indicators, to deliver early signals of where Melbourne’s investment market is heading – and what it means for investors.
The reports are authored by Jarrod McCabe, Director of Wakelin Property Advisory and a recognised authority on Melbourne property investment.
Methodology
- Wakelin’s market data: Wakelin Property Advisory is a buyers’ agent specialising in Melbourne’s inner and middle ring suburbs. Our data tracks investor activity across the segments we operate in – a sample of considered, capitalised purchasers who typically move before the broader market.
- On-ground insights: Wakelin’s team of property advisors works directly with buyers and sellers across Melbourne’s established suburbs. The reports incorporate qualitative insights from this frontline experience – what buyers are targeting, what vendors are expecting, and where competition is forming.
- Market data integration: Wakelin’s signals are mapped against broader market data from Cotality, Domain, PropTrack, and the Real Estate Institute of Victoria. This synthesis often reveals patterns that single-source analysis misses.
Why the reports matter
The Wakelin Property Reports have consistently identified shifts in Melbourne’s investment market before they became apparent in mainstream data.
Setting the agenda:
- The Australian Financial Review – “Something unprecedented is occurring in the Melbourne property market” (September 2025)
- The Australian Financial Review – “These Sydneysiders spent $3.8m betting on a Melbourne property rebound” (September 2025)
- realestate.com.au – “Melbourne auctions: Brighton house sells for $1m lower than it fetched 12 months earlier”
- Domain – “Six months behind: What property prices will do in 2025”
About Jarrod McCabe
Jarrod McCabe is a Director of Wakelin Property Advisory and the author of the Wakelin Property Reports.
With over 15 years advising investors on Melbourne property, Jarrod combines deep market knowledge with Wakelin’s frontline data to identify emerging trends and opportunities.
Jarrod is a regular commentator in The Australian Financial Review, Herald Sun, The Age, and more. He hosts the Rewarding Property Decisions podcast and is recognised as one of Melbourne’s foremost independent voices on property investment.
Our latest report
Melbourne is at a defining inflection point.
Wakelin’s proprietary data reveals a 87% surge in investor enquiries through 2025, with interstate buyers leading the charge.
But we now face a new test. The early year rate rise has challenged that sentiment just as it was consolidating.
So, where does that leave the market in 2026?
In the Wakelin Melbourne Property Report, we look past the daily headlines to answer the six defining questions that should shape your investment decisions this year and beyond.
- Will Confidence Consolidate or Waver? The push and pull between strong fundamentals and fragile interest rate sentiment.
- How are Policy and Politics Shaping Investor Sentiment? Have the tax and regulatory shocks finally been absorbed? And what’s next on the horizon?
- Rent vs. Buy: Will the Math Shift the Market? Rental pressure meets new pathways to ownership.
- Can Apartments Finally Catch Up? Why the search for value is turning to low-rise apartments on scarce land
- Will Infrastructure Shift Demand? How new transport links and activity centre planning are reshaping Melbourne’s property map.
- How Are AI and Socials Reshaping Property Discovery? The emerging tools changing how the next generation finds value.
