For an Arundel homeowner, a quiet open home can be difficult to reconcile with headlines showing property prices higher than a year ago.

If the suburb has recorded annual growth, why might your property still take weeks to sell?

The answer is that annual median-price statistics and current buyer behaviour measure different things. A suburb can record strong results over a 12-month period while individual sellers face more cautious purchasers today.

What do the latest Arundel figures show?

Realestate.com.au reported an Arundel house median of $1,320,000 for September 2025 to August 2026, up 11.9% over the previous 12 months.

It recorded 121 house sales, 31 houses available in the past month and a median selling time of 36 days.

Three-bedroom houses recorded a median of $1,110,000, up 8.3%, while four-bedroom houses recorded $1,315,000, up 6.9%. Four-bedroom homes had a 37-day median selling time.

Those figures confirm that Arundel properties are still selling.

They do not mean that every property will sell in 36 days or that every homeowner has experienced an 11.9% increase in value.

Why can the market feel slower despite annual growth?

Australia’s broader selling environment has weakened during 2026.

Cotality reported that national dwelling values fell 3.1% during the three months to August, while annual sales volumes fell 2.7%.

Median time on market increased to 39 days, compared with 28 days a year earlier, and total listings rose 18.1% year-on-year.

Realestate.com.au separately reported that Australian home prices fell for a fifth consecutive month in August and were 2.7% below their March 2026 peak.

Neither statistic proves that Arundel prices have fallen.

The local rolling annual figures remain positive.

What they show is that today's seller is operating in a softer national environment than the one that produced many of the transactions included in the previous 12 months of data.

Buyers have more time to compare properties

When buyers feel less urgency, small differences between homes can become more important.

They may compare:

• condition;

• bedroom and bathroom configuration;

• parking;

• land size;

• renovation quality;

• ongoing maintenance;

• location within the suburb; and

• asking-price expectations.

A buyer may genuinely like your home while deciding another property offers better overall value.

That does not mean your property is undesirable.

It means the comparison needs to be understood.

Do not judge the campaign only by open-home numbers

A crowded inspection can look encouraging without producing an offer.

A quiet inspection can still result in a serious private buyer.

Instead of counting people through the door alone, track what happens after initial enquiry.

How many buyers requested more information?

How many inspected?

How many returned for another inspection?

How many asked about contract terms?

How many submitted an offer?

And what did unsuccessful buyers eventually purchase?

That progression tells you far more about the strength of the campaign.

Higher interest rates matter

The Reserve Bank left the cash rate at 4.35% in August after three increases during 2026 and specifically noted that financial conditions had tightened.

APRA has also retained its mortgage serviceability buffer at three percentage points.

These lending conditions do not mean buyers have disappeared.

They can, however, affect how much some purchasers can borrow or how much debt they are comfortable taking on.

That can become particularly noticeable when a buyer is comparing several properties around the same price.

Recheck the comparable sales

If the property has been on the market for several weeks without a serious offer, ask for an updated comparison.

Do not rely only on the highest Arundel sale from six or twelve months ago.

Examine properties that have sold recently and ask:

Was the land similar?

Was the house renovated?

Was the accommodation comparable?

Was there a pool?

How many car spaces were provided?

How long did it take to sell?

A useful appraisal explains the differences.

It does not simply provide several high sale prices and assume your property belongs at the top of the range.

When should you reconsider the strategy?

One quiet weekend is not enough evidence to declare a campaign unsuccessful.

Several weeks of poor enquiry, limited inspections and consistent buyer objections are more meaningful.

If different purchasers independently identify the same issue, investigate it.

That issue might be price.

It may be condition.

It could be presentation.

Or buyers may simply be finding stronger alternatives at the same budget.

Make changes for a reason rather than simply changing something because the property has not sold immediately.

Arundel's annual figures remain strong, but that does not remove the need to compete effectively for buyers in today's market.

Talk to Norton’s about selling in Arundel

If your Arundel property is taking longer to sell than expected, Norton’s Real Estate can review the current comparable sales, competition, buyer feedback and overall campaign strategy.

Contact Steven Norton at Norton’s Real Estate on 0488 496 277 for a confidential discussion.

Disclaimer: General information only. Market information was checked on 22 September 2026 and relates to the periods stated. Median prices and selling times do not represent an individual valuation or guaranteed result. Broader Australian market indicators should not be treated as Arundel-specific price movements. Obtain independent legal, financial, taxation and valuation advice where appropriate.