Australia’s migration boom is losing momentum, and that raises some important questions for our property markets. Migration has been a major driver of housing demand in recent years, particularly in our capital cities, where most new arrivals initially settle. However, the latest ABS figures confirm that the extraordinary post-pandemic surge is continuing to ease. At…
Most Australians know they need to save for retirement, but very few have worked out what their retirement will actually cost. They may have a superannuation target in mind, yet that figure often bears little relationship to the lifestyle they hope to enjoy once they stop working. After all, there is a big difference between…
The slingshot effect is about to occur and that it has the potential to deliver strong price growth in many areas where prices are falling right now. This is how it works. We all know that housing demand increases in line with population growth, but doesn’t translate into price growth during times of uncertainty or…
In this episode I speak with Scott Chapman, Managing Director of Opteon, about the signals shaping Australia’s property markets. We examine how the current downturn compares with previous cycles and why Sydney and Melbourne are experiencing different conditions from other markets. We explore how interest rates, lending restrictions, buyer sentiment, open-home attendance and auction results…
Australia’s property market continues to adjust, and the latest data reinforces something I’ve been saying for some time: there is no single Australian property market. One of the key developments this week was confirmation that the post-pandemic migration surge continues to ease. Net overseas migration fell to 292,100 in the year to March 2026, although…
For years, auctions have been the preferred selling method in Australia’s largest property markets, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney. When buyer demand is strong, an auction can create urgency, competition and fear of missing out, encouraging emotional buyers to push the price beyond where a private negotiation may have ended. However, auctions rely on one…
From 1 October, Australians will notice a welcome change when they tap their card at the checkout. Merchants will no longer be able to add a surcharge to debit or credit card payments, potentially saving consumers around $1.6 billion a year, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia. Considering Australians made $475 billion in credit…
In the world of investing, there’s no shortage of noise. Everyone from the new band of “property experts” on the internet to your neighbours has an opinion on where the market is heading, where the next big opportunity lies or when the market will crash. But if you’re serious about building lasting wealth through property,…
There’s something psychologically powerful about a suburb joining the “million-dollar club”. Crossing that seven-figure threshold attracts headlines and creates the impression that property values have permanently moved to a higher level. Yet property markets don’t move in straight lines, and the latest figures are just another reminder that median prices can move backwards. According to…
A year from now, most investors won’t remember the exact percentages in the new capital gains tax rules. What they will remember is whether they kept building wealth while everyone else got distracted by the headlines. Because right now, that’s exactly what’s happening. Property investors up and down the country are fixated on one question….
