One of the biggest changes over the time I’ve been investing in property is the abundant availability of property research data.
Today there's a plethora of statistics offered about Australia's property scene – median house prices by the year, the quarter, the month or day, median advertised rents, rental vacancy rates, auction clearance rates, days on market, and the list goes on.
While you’d think this would make research so much simpler, in fact, the abundance of confusing and contradictory information often makes it harder.
One of the things about all this real estate investing information on the internet is that it's not created equal.
Most of it is too simple, some of it is just plain wrong and some can even be dangerous to your financial health!
So, to save you much searching – and to save you from following bad advice – I've put together a list of the top property information - websites, property investment blogs, resources and podcasts out there - to ensure you're accessing the very best online property information.
Property portals
www.realestate.com.au is Australia’s largest property website where the majority of real estate for sale or rent across the country is available online.
It also has some great blogs as well as free property data.
www.domain.com.au is the second-largest property sales website in the country.
It also has solid property news and blogs, data, and auction results including commentary and blogs.
The other smaller portals such as www.OnTheHouse.com.au, www.realestateview.com.au and www.Homely.com.au all offer free property data including previous sales history and comparable properties.
Property Research
CoreLogic is Australia's most comprehensive source of property data, insights and analytics.
- It has in-depth statistics for both agents and consumers, including regular commentary from analysts Tim Lawless and Eliza Owen
- Rather than reporting median prices, CoreLogic reports a hedonic house price index, using a statistical technique known as “regression analysis” to assess the resale value of dwellings using each property’s unique individual attributes (e.g. location, land size, number of beds/baths, etc.)
SQM Research is a respected Australian investment research house, headed by Louis Christopher and specialising in providing ratings and data across all major asset classes.
- You can get a bundle of free statistical data at this website.
- SQM reports Vendor’s Asking Prices that measure seller sentiment rather than median prices.
- You can also use this website to investigate your chosen suburb and drill down to identify vacancy rates, how many properties are for sale, demographics plus a lot more.
id.com.au The Population Experts has a wealth of demographic data by suburb, including a lot of the latest Census data demystified.
McCrindle – demographer Mark McCrindle has some insightful infographics.
Microburbs – offer free reports including neighbourhood demographics, commute times, schools, crime rates, income levels and much more.
Suburb Trends - offers some excellent suburb maps and reports. Many are free but other reports and data must be purchased.
Walkscore - shows the walkability of a property or location and ranks the location compared to others in the suburb and state.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics - Here you’ll find a wealth of statistical data and plenty of graphs and numbers to download.
- ABS QuickStats is a fast, simple way for users to understand an area at a glance and is intended for anyone wanting quick summary information about an area.
The Reserve Bank – Each month the RBA puts out a Chart Pack full of useful graphs and statistics. The problem that many investors will have is interpreting all of this information, so the best resource I know for getting a variety of experts’ opinions is:
Property Commentary
Michael Yardney's Property Update is easily the best site for those interested in property investment, money and success - It's been independently voted the #1 property blog in the world for the last 6 years in a row and features daily articles from some of the most respected experts in the fields of property investment and development, analysis and statistics, property tax as well as international money success and personal development experts.
In fact, over 2.7 million readers visited Property Update last year.
And while you're at it, why not subscribe to the #1 Property Podcast - The Michael Yardney Podcast - where twice each week you'll learn something new about money, success and property investment in around 30 minutes
Pete Wargent is one of Australia’s brightest financial minds and provides real-time thoughts and analysis of the markets, economy and much more on his great blog.
Matusik.com.au features sometimes controversial insights from Michael Matusik, a property commentator of more than 25 years who is also a qualified town planner.
Your Investment Property features property data, stories and case studies.
Money and You
Rich Habits is the brainchild of Tom Corley who, driven by the desire to unlock the secrets to success and failure, spent five years studying the daily activities of 233 rich people and 128 poor people.
Behaviour Gap by Carl Richards is a blog for financial advisors but contains great real estate information for those interested in money and finance. Carl is a certified financial planner and the creator of the weekly Sketch Guy column in the New York Times.
ASIC's MoneySmart offers free financial guidance for all Australians. ASIC are a government agency so their advice isn't clouded by commercial interests.
General Business commentary
Switzer Daily is a business, finance and political commentary website founded by Peter Switzer with daily commentary from a wide range of experts.
Yahoo Finance provides a great coverage of business news and has a range of expert commentary including property commentary from Michael Yardney and economic commentary from Steven Koukoulos
www.smartcompany.com.au is one of the leading online publications in Australia for free news, information and resources catering to Australia’s entrepreneurs, small and medium business owners and business managers.
Property Update Resources
Property Update offers property information for everything from buying your first home to the psychology of becoming rich. 
Relevant articles are easily navigated through the menu categories - Michael Yardney's Commentary, Property Investment, Property Development, Success, Personal Finance and Money and You.
You might also be interested in the following resources:
Where to Buy your Next Investment Property is a free eBook offering insight on how to choose a top performing property investment.
How to Get Started in Property Development features everything you need to know about the property development process and four key mistakes you must avoid.
