On 27 October 2026 I lowered the advertised price ranges on two of my listings: 18A Albion Street in Ridgehaven and 256 Hancock Road in Redwood Park. That came shortly after the Valuer-General released its September quarter figures for both suburbs on 14 October 2026. If you own a family home in either suburb and you're weighing up a sale, the two are worth reading together.

The two suburbs, September quarter 2026

These are the Office of the Valuer-General SA's median house sale prices for the September quarter 2026, published on data.sa.gov.au:

  • Ridgehaven: $905,000 from 23 sales. That's up 16.4% on the September quarter 2025, and up $10,000 (+1.1%) on the June quarter 2026 median of $895,000 from 22 sales.
  • Redwood Park: $881,500 from 15 sales. That's up 10.2% on the September quarter 2025, but down $18,500 (-2.1%) on the June quarter 2026 median of $900,000 from 16 sales.

So both suburbs are well ahead of where they were a year ago. The difference is the most recent quarter: Ridgehaven nudged up, Redwood Park eased back.

Don't read too much into a single quarter. Fifteen sales is a small number, and the Valuer-General itself says short-term suburb movements should be viewed with caution because they rest on a small number of sales. Its medians also count settled sales, so they describe deals that were agreed weeks or months earlier.

The two price changes

Both of these are advertised ranges, not sale prices. They're what buyers see when they search online.

  • 18A Albion Street, Ridgehaven first went on the market in July 2026. On 27 October 2026 the advertised range changed from $889,000 - $919,000 to $869,000 - $889,000 (my Rex listing records).
  • 256 Hancock Road, Redwood Park first went on the market in September 2026. On 27 October 2026 the advertised range changed from $899,000 - $949,000 to $879,000 - $899,000 (my Rex listing records).

Put those next to the medians. The new Hancock Road range takes in Redwood Park's September quarter median of $881,500. The whole new Albion Street range sits under Ridgehaven's September quarter median of $905,000.

A suburb median is not a valuation of any one house, though. It's the middle of every house that settled in that quarter, big and small, renovated and original. Where your home sits against it depends on the land, the condition, the layout and the street. That's why I'd never price a home off the median alone.

Why the backdrop matters: more choice, slower sales

The suburb figures look back. The city-wide listings figures show what buyers are choosing from now.

  • Across the combined capitals, the median time on market was 39 days, against 23 days a year earlier, and total listings were up 23.1% year on year (Cotality Home Value Index, September 2026).
  • In Adelaide, total listings were 10,849 in September 2026, up 39.5% on a year earlier, with new listings at 4,711, up 22.7% (SQM Research, September 2026).
  • Adelaide's median dwelling value was $928,560, down 1.3% over the month but up 6.5% over the year (Cotality Home Value Index, September 2026).

Put simply, buyers have more homes to compare and more time to compare them. A price set against last year's growth can look ambitious next to what else is listed now. That's the context for adjusting a range once a campaign has been running.

Rates: one decision done, one to come

On 29 September 2026 the Reserve Bank raised the cash rate 25bp to 4.60%. That was the fourth hike of 2026 and the highest cash rate since 2011 (RBA media release). The minutes of that September meeting, released 13-14 October 2026, hinted at further rate hikes.

The next RBA board meeting is on 3 November 2026. The forecasts are split. CBA and NAB economists forecast a hold at 4.60%. ANZ and Westpac economists forecast a 25 bp hike to 4.85% if the September quarter trimmed mean inflation figure comes in hot. As of 15 October 2026, ASX cash rate futures priced a 76-90% probability of a hold. These are forecasts, not decisions.

For a family upsizing within the north-east, this matters on both sides of the move. Rate rises squeeze what your buyer can borrow, and they squeeze what you can borrow for the next place too.

What this means if you're selling in Ridgehaven or Redwood Park

  • Price against now, not the June quarter. Redwood Park's median moved down between the June and September quarters. If a price conversation started earlier in the year, it's worth revisiting.
  • Look at the sales count before the percentage. A strong annual figure built on 15 sales is a signal, not a guarantee.
  • Sort out your buying side first. If you're upsizing, know your borrowing position before you list, because the 3 November 2026 decision could change it.
  • Ask for evidence behind any range. Recent nearby sales of comparable homes tell you far more than a suburb median.

Selling is clearly on people's minds. In the fortnight to 27 October 2026, 7 of the enquiries that came in to my office were people wanting an appraisal or to sell (my enquiry log). Homes are still selling here, too: 45 Cedric Avenue in Redwood Park, one of my listings, sold in September 2026.

If you'd like to know where your home sits against these figures, request an appraisal or book a time to talk. I'll show you the comparable sales behind any number I give you.

How I put this together

Suburb medians are from the Office of the Valuer-General SA, Metropolitan Median House Sales Q3 2026, published on data.sa.gov.au on 14 October 2026. City-wide values, days on market and listings are from the Cotality (CoreLogic) Home Value Index for September 2026 and SQM Research listings data for September 2026. The cash rate decision is from the Reserve Bank of Australia's own media release. Rate forecasts are attributed to the banks that made them (CBA, NAB, ANZ and Westpac), and the probability figure comes from ASX cash rate futures. Listing details and enquiry counts are from my own Rex records and enquiry log.

Limitations: the Valuer-General medians cover houses only, rest on small quarterly samples and count settled sales, so they lag the market. The listings and days-on-market figures are Adelaide-wide or combined-capitals, not suburb-level. Advertised ranges are not sale prices. Forecasts can be wrong.