Michael has been once again voted Australia’s leading property investment advisor by the readers of ‘Your Investment Property Magazine’, but he’s not a theorist… He has been successfully investing in property since 1971 and is a leading property commentator and Australia’s most widely read property investment blogger. Join over 115,000 others who get their updates from Michael and his group of expert guest bloggers and benefit from their perspective.
Imagine being told that there’s a very good chance you’ll celebrate your 100th birthday. Not because you’re exceptionally lucky, not because you’ll have access to some futuristic medical breakthrough. But simply because you’re living in Australia at a time when life expectancy continues to rise, and healthcare keeps improving. For most people, that sounds like…
Most property investors spend their time watching interest rates, tracking auction clearance rates, and debating where the market is heading next month. But the investors who really build serious wealth over time tend to focus on something much more fundamental, and far more predictable. They watch demographics. There’s a concept I’ve talked about for years:…
After years of rapid growth, Australia’s housing market is beginning to cool. Auction clearance rates have softened, prices in Sydney and Melbourne are easing, and economists expect further modest declines over coming months. And whenever housing slows, the same question quickly follows: will the broader economy slow with it? The answer is probably yes –…
SQM Research released its latest data on residential rental property vacancy rates. Australia’s national residential vacancy rate increased to 1.3% in June 2026, up from 1.2% in May, with the total number of residential vacancies rising slightly to 39,229 dwellings from 37,844 the previous month. While the increase suggests a modest easing in rental market…
Headline inflation has eased slightly, falling to four per cent, and normally that would be cause for celebration. But dig one layer deeper into the recent data and you’ll find the number the Reserve Bank actually cares about just hit its highest point in almost two years, and it’s still sitting well outside their target…
The reaction to the May Federal Budget changes to negative gearing has been predictable. Many commentators are arguing that investors will now flood into off-the-plan apartments because the tax incentives increasingly favour new homes over established dwellings. Maybe. But I think many are looking at the wrong end of the telescope. The fundamental question isn’t…
There’s something deeply unsettling about a tax law that could punish a widow or divorcee for circumstances entirely outside their control, and that’s precisely what’s landed in the fine print of Labor’s newly passed property legislation. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 passed both houses of Parliament on 25 June, meaning…
![[PODCAST] Why Australians Say They Want Affordable Housing, But Don’t Really Mean It with Simon Kuestenmacher](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/804_Why-Australians-Say-Youtube-cover-270x200.jpg)
Here’s a question that makes almost every Australian a bit uncomfortable if they’re honest with themselves. Do you actually want housing to become more affordable, or do you just want it to become more affordable for your kids while your own home keeps growing in value? That tension sits underneath almost every conversation about housing…
Well, winter has well and truly settled over our property markets, and I don’t just mean the weather. The Reserve Bank left the cash rate on hold at 4.35% at its June meeting and won’t sit down again until August 11, which gives borrowers a bit of breathing room. But nobody should read that as…
Have you thought about investing in commercial property? You’re not alone — faced with the prospect of more moderate returns from their residential property investments, many investors are considering this as an alternative. By this, I mean offices, shops or warehouses. Some investors are looking for diversification in their investment portfolios; others are looking for…
