Three residential construction companies headquartered in the Hunter region have secured rankings among Australia’s largest home builders in the HIA Housing 100 2025/26 report, sponsored by COLORBOND® steel. The annual Industry report ranks Australia’s top 100 residential construction firms by total dwelling commencements, highlighting regional industrial capacity across New South Wales and national markets.
Leading local results, NEX Building Group commenced 3,585 homes during 2025/26, advancing from fourth to third place among Australia’s largest residential home builders. The group’s 3,491 detached-home starts also positioned it as the nation’s second-largest detached house builder. Trading predominantly in NSW as McDonald Jones Homes and MOJO Homes, NEX Building Group commenced 1,742 homes state-wide, including 1,726 detached dwellings, ranking second overall in New South Wales and first for detached house starts.
Heatherbrae-based Hunter Homes rose to equal 53rd place nationally with 245 starts, up from 138 in the previous financial year, representing a 78 per cent year-on-year output increase, while ranking as the 15th largest builder in New South Wales. Belmont-based Montgomery Homes secured 80th position nationally, commencing 151 residential dwellings across the financial year.
Nationally, the top 100 residential builders commenced 70,553 homes in 2025/26, representing a 9.4 per cent increase from 64,481 in 2024/25 and accounting for 35 per cent of Australia’s overall new residential market. Sumitomo Forestry Australia ranked first overall nationally with 8,038 starts across its home building entities.
Executive Director of HIA Hunter, Craig Jennion stated that regional builder results reflect localised growth across the Hunter and Central Coast housing markets.
“Three leading builders based in the Hunter region have again been ranked among the nation’s largest residential builders in the HIA Housing 100 2025/26, sponsored by COLORBOND® steel,” Craig said.
“The annual report ranks Australia’s top 100 builders by the number of homes commenced and highlights the significant contribution Hunter companies make to housing supply in New South Wales and nationally. It is a fantastic achievement to see three Hunter-based builders recognised on the national stage. Their results were in response to improving market conditions, that saw new home approvals increase 5 per cent across the Hunter and Central Coast in 2025/26. Looking forward these results demonstrate the capability within our region and provide confidence that local builders are ready to respond as demand for new homes grows.”
IMAGE | Three Hunter residential builders rank among Australia’s top 100 in HIA Housing 100 report
