Housing affordability could get a boost in coming months, with the Brisbane and possibly Perth markets likely to join Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra in a downturn that is expected to receive only a modest lift from interest rate cuts this year, economists say.

The pressures from nearly three years of high interest rates and soaring costs of living have prompted more home owners to sell, resulting in a substantial rise in available stock in Sydney and Melbourne, and also in Perth and Brisbane.