Australia Home Price Growth Accelerated in January and More APAC Real Estate Headlines

Housing markets around Asia Pacific dominate the headlines at the start of the month, with home prices in Australia climbing faster despite prospects for a rate hike. In China the market continues to head downhill as home sales fell 27 percent from a year earlier, and rising prices in Seoul are seen pushing first-time buyers from the market. 

Australia Home Price Growth Gathers Pace Despite Rate Hike Outlook

Australia’s home price growth gathered pace in January, underscoring the challenge for Reserve Bank of Australia policymakers as they weigh interest rate increases in a property market already grappling with stretched affordability.

The Home Value Index advanced 0.8 percent, accelerating from a 0.6 percent gain in December, property consultancy Cotality said Monday. Perth recorded the fastest price growth at 2 percent, followed by Brisbane’s 1.6 percent and Darwin’s 1.5 percent. Read more>>

China Home Sales Down 27% in January as Housing Slump Accelerates

China’s years-long property downturn has carried into 2026, with new home sales sliding sharply and, by some measures, deteriorating at their fastest pace in recent years.

The country’s top 100 developers reported combined contracted sales of RMB 165.5 billion ($24 billion) in January, down 27 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the China Real Estate Information Corporation. Read more>>

South Korea Housing Price Surge Seen Putting Homes Out of Reach

Bohyun Lee followed South Korea’s prescribed route to success. She entered the country’s top university to study economics, moved to Seoul in 2010 and built an adult life there — working, forging relationships and treating the capital as home.

The one thing she does not have is an actual home of her own. Over the past 16 years, Lee has packed her belongings and moved seven times, cycling through a dormitory and rental homes as two-year leases expired. The hope of owning an apartment in Seoul, once a realistic goal, has steadily slipped out of reach. Read more>>

CapitaLand India Trust Boosts Distributions by 22%

CapitaLand India Trust recorded a distribution per unit of S$0.039 for the second half of 2025, up 22 percent year-on-year. 

The REIT’s manager said the results were driven by improved operating performance and income contributions from newly completed developments, as well as prior acquisitions and higher interest income from six forward purchases that are under development. Read more>>

Brookfield to Acquire NYSE-Listed Peakstone Realty Trust at $1.2B Valuation

Brookfield Asset Management and Peakstone Realty Trust, an industrial REIT with a focus on industrial outdoor storage, have entered a deal in which a Brookfield fund will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Peakstone for $21 each. The all-cash transaction represents an implied enterprise value of $1.2 billion.

“We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Brookfield, which will deliver significant value to Peakstone shareholders,” said Peakstone CEO Michael Escalante. “Following an offer from Brookfield, our board of trustees evaluated the proposed transaction with the assistance of external advisors and determined that it achieves the best value and other terms reasonably available for shareholders and is in the best interests of the company.” Read more>>

Australia’s Star Entertainment Regained Profitability in Fourth Quarter

Australia’s Star Entertainment Group returned to EBITDA profit in the three months to 31 December — the first time it has achieved a positive EBITDA result in two years.

In a filing in which it also outlined the details of an ongoing refinancing process and the latest on disposing of its stake in The Star Brisbane, Star revealed a 6 percent improvement in total revenue compared with the September 2025 quarter to A$301 million ($210 million), while a A$6 million EBITDA profit reversed the A$13 million loss recorded three months earlier. Read more>>

Parkway Life REIT Distributions Rise After Acquisitions in Japan, France

Parkway Life REIT saw a 3.5 percent year-on-year rise in distribution per unit to S$0.0764 for the second half of 2025. 

The trust, which owns 74 healthcare-related properties in Singapore, Japan and France, posted a 7.1 percent year-on-year rise in second half gross revenue to S$78 million ($61.4 million) on contributions from a nursing home acquired in Japan in August 2024 and 11 others acquired in France in December that year. The PLife REIT also enjoyed “organic rental growth from the Singapore hospital portfolio with step-up lease agreements”. Read more>>

Hong Kong’s Hang Lung Looks to Mainland Malls for Growth as Real Estate Slump Drags On

Hong Kong developer Hang Lung Properties is pinning its medium-term outlook on a recovery in mainland Chinese consumption, even as it warned that both the city’s and China’s property markets remain under strain.

The commercial landlord, residential developer and hotel owner said it expected a “tough slog” for the broader sector despite signs of improvement in operating conditions, particularly in the second half of the year. Read more>>

Tune in again soon for more real estate news and be sure to follow @Mingtiandi on X, or bookmark Mingtiandi’s LinkedIn page for headlines as they happen.