Hit harder by rate rises, the top-tier fell first. But now the slowdown is headed for the bottom end after the federal budget’s tax shake-up, say analysts.

Prices in Sydney and Melbourne could fall by 8 per cent by the end of the year as auction clearance rates slump to near the lowest on record.

Economists believed house prices were going to fall even before the budget’s tax changes. Now there’s a price tag on those falls – up to $100,000.