The city’s higher-priced suburbs are leading the national slump, with buyers spooked by tax changes and a surge in borrowing costs.

Cotality data signals the start of a market downturn, but agents push back on reports of 5 per cent drops in value in key precincts

In Sydney, the average residential property is now worth almost $100,000 less than at a February peak, with rate rises and Labor’s tax changes taking a toll.