Is Australia still in the midst of an investor boom? Well, investor loans are growing more than three times faster than owner-occupier loans, rising 19% annually, according to Money.com.au’s Mortgage Insights Report. In contrast, owner-occupier loans are growing at a much slower rate of just 5% annually. Let’s unpack the data from the report for…
Buying a property is not an investment strategy. Building a property investment portfolio involves much more than picking the property type and your price bracket. You need a goal in mind and a plan for achieving it. And not only that… it’s essential! After all, planning is bringing your future into the present so that…
It’s no secret that Australia’s major cities are facing a housing crisis. With affordability at an all-time low and the dream of homeownership becoming more elusive for many, there’s one crucial piece missing from our housing puzzle – the “missing middle.” This term refers to medium-density housing options like townhouses, duplexes, and low-rise apartments, which…
Has your wallet felt a bit heavier lately? Well, you’re not alone. Across the country, Australian households have seen their wealth jump significantly. As of the September 2023 quarter, the nation’s household wealth surged by $339.4 billion, a robust increase of 2.3%. Household wealth rose for the eighth quarter in a row, according to the Australian…
Understanding how Australia’s demographics will shape future housing preferences is an integral part of the strategic planning process for property investors. The “Three Peaks in Life”—family formation, midlife career shifts, and retirement—are pivotal milestones that influence where and how people choose to live, and if you want to own an investment-grade property that will outperform…
In this “Big Picture” episode of my podcast I get together with leading financial commentator Pete Wargent, who brings decades of perspective to his views, and we discuss the clues in the news as to what’s ahead for our economy and the property markets. Today we discuss the amended outlook for interest rates and what…
Australia’s middle class is no longer the robust backbone it once was. Over the past few decades, it has been hollowed out, squeezed by economic forces, structural changes, and policy decisions. What was once a bell curve society—dominated by a thriving middle class—is now becoming a U-shaped structure, with more people slipping into the lower…
Why are so many Australians left without a place to call home? The latest homelessness data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) paints a stark picture of an issue that’s no longer confined to society’s most vulnerable—it’s unfortunately becoming a crisis for everyday Australians. Over 280,100 Australians sought help from specialist…
Have you ever seen pictures or video footage of people who were in “shock” following some type of horrible accident? In most of these pictures/videos, the individuals all look like zombies. They are uncommunicative, unresponsive, and appear to be oblivious to the people who are trying to communicate with them. Their very consciousness seems to be…
Pity the man who has a favourite restaurant, but not a favourite author. He’s picked out a favourite place to feed his body, but he doesn’t have a favourite place to feed his mind! Why would this be? Have you heard about the accelerated learning curve? From birth, up until the time we are about eighteen, our learning curve…