Runaway Bay Sellers: Why a Strong Median Can Hide Very Different Buyer Behaviour

Runaway Bay is another suburb where a seller needs to be careful with the phrase “the market”.

There is not simply one Runaway Bay property market.

Houses and apartments occupy different price brackets. Two, three and four-bedroom properties can behave differently. Individual properties can also have very different features, condition and positions.

That matters when buyers become more selective.

What the current Runaway Bay numbers show

Realestate.com.au reported a house median of $1,830,000 for September 2025 to August 2026, up 18.1% annually.

There were 108 house sales, 25 houses available during the past month and a median selling time of 36 days.

The unit median was $1,100,500, up 19.6%, based on 160 reported sales. Units had a 41-day median selling time.

However, the bedroom categories provide more detail.

Three-bedroom houses recorded annual median growth of only 0.8%, while four-bedroom houses recorded 0.7%. Two-bedroom houses showed a much larger median increase, but that category had only six reported sales.

Again, composition matters.

Be careful with large percentage changes from small sales groups

Where very few transactions occur, a change in the type of properties sold can have a large effect on the median.

Six transactions do not provide the same depth of evidence as hundreds of closely comparable sales.

For an individual Runaway Bay property, the closest actual transactions are therefore more important than simply quoting the suburb’s percentage growth.

Ask for a comparison based on the property itself.

What similar homes have sold recently?

What was their condition?

How long were they marketed?

What features separated the stronger and weaker results?

Longer selling periods are not unusual in the current environment

Cotality’s September Housing Chart Pack reported that the national median selling period had increased to 39 days, compared with 28 days a year earlier.

It also recorded a 4.2% median vendor discount across capital cities and total listings 18.1% higher than a year before.

Runaway Bay’s local figures show a 36-day house median and 41 days for units.

That does not mean every seller should expect those exact periods.

It does suggest that an owner should be prepared for buyers to take time to compare their options.

A buyer looking at a $2 million property may have several alternatives

The more money a purchaser is committing, the more closely they may compare what else that budget can buy.

This does not mean expensive homes cannot sell.

It means the comparison set may extend beyond the property immediately next door.

A seller therefore needs to understand the alternatives available within the buyer’s budget and desired area.

If your property has advantages, identify them accurately.

If it has disadvantages compared with the competition, recognise those as well.

A strong campaign does not require pretending every feature is superior.

Online interest is not an offer

Sellers sometimes see substantial listing activity and conclude that an offer must be imminent.

That is not necessarily the case.

A purchaser can view multiple properties online before contacting any agent.

They can attend several inspections before deciding which property deserves further investigation.

And they can genuinely like your home but still decide that another property offers better overall value.

Track how interest progresses.

Enquiry is the beginning of the process, not the end.

What if the first few offers feel too low?

Do not automatically accept them, but do not automatically dismiss the information either.

Compare each offer against the best current evidence.

Is the buyer simply testing the seller?

Or are several independent purchasers arriving at a similar range?

Have comparable properties recently sold around that level?

Are competing listings offering materially more for the same money?

Repeated evidence should trigger a review even if it is uncomfortable.

Conversely, one opportunistic offer should not be treated as a valuation.

Interest rates matter at higher purchase prices

Australia’s cash rate currently stands at 4.35%, following three increases during 2026.

Higher financing costs can influence borrowing capacity and purchaser confidence.

Again, this is broader context rather than proof of an individual buyer’s finances.

Sellers should avoid assuming that a buyer who previously had a certain budget still has the same borrowing capacity today.

Market the individual property, not just Runaway Bay

Runaway Bay’s published annual medians remain strong.

That is useful context.

But a seller needs a strategy for their particular property in September 2026.

Use recent comparable sales, genuine buyer feedback and a clear understanding of competing properties.

That provides a stronger basis for decisions than assuming a positive annual suburb median guarantees an immediate sale.

Request a Runaway Bay market review

If your Runaway Bay home or apartment is attracting interest without producing the result you expected, Norton’s Real Estate can review your campaign and current market position.

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

Disclaimer: General information only. Market data was checked on 22 September 2026 and reflects the reporting periods identified. Median-price growth and median selling times are not individual valuations, guarantees or forecasts. Small transaction samples can produce volatile median movements. Obtain independent professional advice before making financial, legal or property decisions.