Granny flats seem like a smart investment idea, don’t they? You build a modest dwelling in your backyard, rent it out, and voilà — a little extra income stream. But before you dive into the idea of building a granny flat on your property, let’s take a closer look. The reality is that granny flats…
For years, millennials have been the punching bag of public debate. They’ve been criticised for delaying marriage, accused of spending too much on travel and avocado toast, and blamed for changing workplace culture. Depending on who you listen to, they’re either financially irresponsible or victims of a system that became harder to navigate just as…
The Federal budget on May 12 changed the rules for property investors in ways that most people are still working through, and Westpac’s economics team has now put some concrete numbers around the likely market impact. If you’ve been wondering how to think about the combination of the tax changes and rising interest rates, I’ll…
For years, young Australians have been told to work hard, save harder, sacrifice more and somehow find a way into a housing market that keeps moving faster than their wages. And many of them have done exactly that. They have stayed at home longer with their parents, taken second jobs, delayed having children, invested in…
House prices have always been a talking point in Australia, but lately the conversation has shifted from concern to alarm. And for good reason. Tom Crowley explained this well in a recent article on ABC. He said… Think back to 2001. A typical nurse-and-electrician couple could save for around six years and buy a modest…
It doesn’t matter whether you own an investment property, whether you’re renting, or whether you’re desperately trying to buy your first home. This Federal Budget has just made your situation harder. If you’re a tenant, rents are already punishing. Vacancy rates are near record lows and there simply aren’t enough rentals to go around. The…
Every time the government tinkers with property tax settings, a wave of investors ends up making decisions they later regret. I’m worried we’re about to see it happen again, and on a fairly large scale. The 2026 federal budget has, quite deliberately, made new build properties the most tax-friendly residential option available to investors. If…
You’ve found the right property. The numbers stack up. The location ticks all the boxes. Then your solicitor comes back with a simple comment: “There’s a caveat on the title.” Most investors freeze at that point. Some walk away immediately. Others ignore it and hope for the best. But the truth is… neither response is particularly…
Australia’s property market has just been hit by a fresh wave of uncertainty. Last week, Dr Andrew Wilson and I discussed the Federal Government’s major property tax changes, and as we said at the time, these changes matter because they alter the rules for investors, but they don’t magically fix the deeper problems in our…
It feels like the year has barely begun, and already our housing markets are under pressure. An interest rate rise. Talk of tax reform. Political instability here and overseas. If you only listened to the headlines, you’d think the foundations of Australia’s property market were starting to crack. They’re not. In fact, we’ve just been…
