There is welcome certainty for property investors this week, with Parliament passing the tax reform bill that closes the so-called “widow tax” loophole. Under the earlier changes, a jointly owned investment property transferred to a single co-owner after a death or divorce risked being treated as a change of ownership, stripping away negative gearing entitlements. That will no longer be the case. The reforms also confirm that new builds retain access to negative gearing and concessional capital gains tax treatment, with a property generally considered “new” where it genuinely adds to housing supply and was acquired within 24 months of a certificate of occupancy being issued.

Supply, meanwhile, faces a fresh pressure point. The Housing Industry Association warns that Australia’s data centre construction boom is triggering a bidding war for electricians and specialist trades, pulling them away from residential building. HIA chief executive for industry and policy Simon Croft says “when a major project can pay significantly more for electricians, the rest of the economy feels the impact, including residential construction.” For South East Queensland owners, it is another reason new stock is slow to arrive, and why well-presented established homes continue to attract strong interest.

On values, realestate.com.au senior economist Angus Moore has mapped where houses still sell for under the $1 million national median. Greater Brisbane has just two suburbs where every house sits below that mark — Leichhardt and One Mile, both in the Ipswich council area — compared with a much longer list in Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. It is a useful gauge of how far SEQ prices have travelled, and worth knowing where your own property sits against that line before you make any decision to sell or hold.

Johnson Real Estate covers sales and rentals across South East Queensland. Call 1800 SELL SMARTRE, or email sellsmartre@johnsonre.com.au.