With Australians staring down the barrel of a fifth interest rate hike this year, the family that sticks together increasingly stays together.
New Domain research finds buyers are looking for homes capable of accommodating multiple generations as rising mortgage costs encourage parents, adult children and sometimes grandparents to pool their housing resources.
The Domain’ Spring Homebuyers Report found that from June to August 2026, “dual living” was the second most popular key search term for Brisbane buyers on the Domain website. The most popular key search term was “pool”.
Dual living homes are generally built to accommodate two households under one roof, with separate kitchens, bathrooms and living areas, allowing for privacy and independence while sharing a single property.
“Granny flats” ranked highly as a key search term in other capital cities, including Sydney, Adelaide and Perth, suggesting buyers elsewhere are also seeking homes suited to multigenerational living or additional income opportunities.
The report shows housing demand remains strongest in Brisbane’s inner and middle-ring markets, but buyers searching for more flexible homes are increasingly willing to look beyond the traditional inner-city footprint to find them.
This includes the outer suburban growth corridors, particularly the Australian Bureau of Statistics SA3 regions of Caboolture Hinterland, Capalaba and Springfield-Redbank
Deron Wang, an agent at Brisbane Real Estate, says cost-of-living pressures are driving demand for dual-living homes.
He says that could include multistorey properties where one generation can live downstairs, or single-level homes with separate access and living areas.
Wang says young people are often remaining at home with their parents because of soaring rental costs.
Another trend is home owners renting out part of their property to help cover their mortgage costs.
A fifth rate increase this year would add another $100 a month to repayments on a typical $600,000 mortgage, taking the cumulative impact to about $6000 a year.
Source: The great Australian housing squeeze is bringing families back together, Glen Norris, Domain