The PropTime score is built on 10 publicly sourced demand and supply indicators, combined with 5 proprietary signals derived from infrastructure, employment, and risk data. We are fully transparent about what we measure and what each factor means. The specific combination and weighting of these factors is proprietary — that's our edge, and it's what makes the score genuinely predictive rather than just descriptive.
We do not take commissions from developers, agents, or anyone with a financial interest in any suburb we score. PropTime is independent. The score reflects only what the data says.
Every factor in the PropTime model measures one thing — whether demand for property in a suburb exceeds supply, or vice versa. Where demand persistently exceeds supply, prices and rents rise. Where supply exceeds demand, they fall.
This sounds simple because it is. Most property "research" drowns investors in noise — proximity to cafés, school catchments, suburb vibes. PropTime strips all of that away and measures only the structural forces that actually determine whether a suburb performs over a 3-7 year hold period.
Each of these is independently sourced from publicly available Australian property data. We assess both the current level and the trend direction — a metric moving in the right direction carries more weight than one that is static.
How many rental properties are sitting empty. Lower means stronger tenant demand and less risk of your property sitting vacant.
Tight vacancy means tenants are competing for properties. That protects your yield and signals future price pressure.
How quickly properties are selling. Fast turnover means buyers are competing — a reliable signal of demand exceeding supply.
When properties sell fast, buyers outnumber sellers. Fast DOM is one of the most reliable signals of a hot market.
Proportion of total dwellings currently listed for sale. Low stock means sellers have leverage and prices are likely to hold or rise.
Low stock means fewer choices for buyers, which pushes prices up. High stock means sellers are competing and discounting.
Annual rent as a percentage of purchase price. Higher yield improves cashflow and provides a buffer against vacancies or rate rises.
Higher yield means the property pays for more of its own costs. Below 3.5% in most scenarios means the property costs you money every week.
How much below asking price properties actually sell for. Low discounting means sellers have the upper hand — a strong demand signal.
Small discounts mean sellers have leverage. Large discounts mean the market is slow and buyers have the upper hand.
How much rents have grown over the past 12 months. Strong rental growth typically leads price growth by 6-12 months.
Rising rents improve your cashflow and almost always precede property price growth. It's one of the earliest leading indicators.
Capital appreciation over the past 12 months. A key indicator of momentum, but assessed alongside sustainability metrics.
Steady double-digit growth is sustainable. Above 20% often signals a market approaching its peak. Negative growth signals structural problems.
Change in new dwelling approvals. Falling approvals mean future supply is constrained, which supports price growth.
New supply coming onto the market competes with your property for tenants and buyers. Less new supply means your property holds value better.
Annual population increase in the area. Sustained population growth is the most reliable long-term driver of property demand.
More people means more demand for housing. Population growth is the most reliable long-term demand driver.
Median property price divided by median household income. Lower ratios mean more people can afford to buy, supporting the buyer pool.
When prices get too far ahead of incomes, the pool of people who can buy shrinks. That limits further growth and creates fragility.
Beyond the 10 core factors above, the PropTime model incorporates 5 additional signals derived from infrastructure pipeline data, employment advertising trends, auction market dynamics, rental yield trajectory, and climate and geographic risk. These factors are computed from multiple data sources and their derivation methodology is proprietary.
All 15 indicators are combined into a single composite score from 0 to 100. Each indicator is assessed against its threshold levels, normalised to a 0-10 scale, and combined according to PropTime's proprietary weighting model. The weighting reflects the historical predictive relationship between each factor and 5-year suburb performance across Australian markets.