Melbourne's property market has started 2026 at a defining inflection point.

The momentum has been undeniable. 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 February 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 is Policy 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 might finally favour period units.
• Will Infrastructure Shift Demand? How new transport links like the Metro Tunnel are rewriting the map of ‘accessible’ Melbourne.
• How Are AI and Socials Reshaping Property Discovery? The emerging tools changing how the next generation finds value.