House prices head for historic 10% drop as fourth interest rate hike looms

Cotality data reveals property prices are now falling in more than 90% of Australian suburbs, while analysts expect market downturn to continue

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The prospect of the steepest property market downturn in history will not stop the Reserve Bank from delivering a fourth interest rate hike as it battles to bring inflation back under control, economists say.

New data from Cotality revealed house prices are now falling in more than 90% of Australian suburbs, amid a perfect storm of higher borrowing costs, a weak economy, and a once-in-a-generation change in the tax treatment of property investors.