In Conversation with Apartments & Developments

How did Apartments & Developments evolve into AD Group’s broader ecosystem, with Development ID and Showcase, and what specific gap in off-the-plan sales did each product set out to solve?
AD Group’s ecosystem includes three verticals built over the last 12 years: Apartments & Developments, Development ID and Showcase. Each evolved in response to pain points across the off-the-plan life cycle identified by developers, project marketers, agents and buyers. Development ID delivers a single source of truth for inventory management, contract administration and stock allocation, plus a marketplace where channel agents can transact. It is now used nationally and has facilitated more than $25 billion in off-the-plan transactions. Showcase grew from a tool within Development ID into standalone sales presentation technology, combining interactive stock display, CRM integration and buyer insights.

How is the buyer split tracking in 2025 between owner-occupiers vs investors vs first-home buyers, and how does that compare to previous years?
As of Q1 FY26, our Apartments & Developments data shows downsizers and other owner occupiers at 45%, investors at 10% and first-home buyers at 24%. For 2024, the split was 47% downsizers/owner occupiers, 15% investors and 21% first-home buyers, so the weighting has remained similar, with a slight softening in investor activity. This owner-occupier skew reflects the current product mix, with fewer large-scale, investor-style projects and more boutique schemes designed primarily for people buying to live in.

Which property floorplan layouts are winning the click-to-enquiry race, and how are current lifestyle preferences changing buyer behaviours?
On Apartments & Developments, configuration preferences mirror what is being delivered to market. By click-to-enquiry, 1-bedroom layouts account for 8% of demand, 2-bedrooms 37%, 3-bedrooms 46% and 4-bedrooms 9%. Our recent Path to Purchase survey of 750 enquirers shows buyers are prioritising proximity to dining, shopping and entertainment, access to family and friends, neighbourhood reputation, public transport and considered amenities or wellness facilities. Taken together, this points to a lifestyle-led owner-occupier market seeking convenience, connection and liveability.

From first view to enquiry, what does the average buyer journey look like on A&D?
Typical high-intent buyer journeys on A&D involve repeated, concentrated engagement rather than a single quick visit. In one recent multi-million-dollar Kew sale, the purchaser viewed the same project page more than 10 times on the day they enquired, as well as the Kew suburb profile. Over the following week, they compared five neighbouring projects via our site, newsletters and SMS alerts, before ultimately purchasing the original project.

Looking into early 2026, what buyer-behaviour shifts do you expect to persist (or fade)?
Any emerging micro-markets or product types you’d watch closely? Data from Development ID shows a strong resurgence in Melbourne apartments. Unconditional off-the-plan transactions have risen 110% year-on-year, with the $750,000 to $1 million band up 381%. Investors are responding to the relative value compared with Southeast Queensland and Sydney, seeing Melbourne as a discounted entry point with near-term growth potential. We expect this value-driven investor focus to persist into early 2026.

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