For generations, Australians have responded to housing affordability pressures in a predictable way – when the home they wanted became too expensive, they moved further from the city. But something important is changing. Australia’s affordability problem has become so entrenched that many buyers are making a different compromise. Rather than simply changing where they live, they…
Australia desperately needs more homes, yet the latest building approval figures show how difficult it will be to deliver them. National dwelling approvals fell 2.7% in July, with approvals for detached houses dropping 4.2% and units declining 0.4%. At the same time, the cost of building a new home is rising again, placing further pressure…
Are you looking to build greater wealth but unsure which investment vehicle is right for you? When it comes to building wealth, few debates are as enduring as property versus shares. Recently, I sat down for a live conversation with Louise Bedford – one of Australia’s most respected trading educators, a bestselling author of six…
Australia is entering the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in its history, yet many families are preparing for it with little more than a signed will and a vague promise that everything will work itself out. And that is a risky assumption because wealth rarely moves neatly from one generation to the next, particularly when the…
Something interesting is happening in Australia’s property market, with auction clearance rates only telling part of the story. Auctions work best when several motivated buyers compete for the same property, creating urgency and pushing prices higher. But as buyer demand has softened in 2026, that competition has become harder to generate. New Domain research shows…
Everyone says they want housing to be more affordable. Politicians campaign on it, journalists write about it, and young Australians desperately need it. But after watching our housing markets for over five decades, I’ve come to believe that most of the people saying it don’t actually mean it – at least not when they understand…
Thinking of hiring a Buyers Agent to see you through these difficult times? Think again…. For most of the last five years, property investing in Australia has been forgiving. You could have picked a suburb almost at random — Melbourne aside — and still come out ahead. In that kind of market, the order you…
Australians are regularly told that inflation is running at a certain annual rate, yet many households look at their mortgage payments, rent, electricity bills, council rates, and insurance premiums and wonder whose cost of living the official figures really measure. Their experience feels very different because the headline Consumer Price Index is an average across…
SQM Research’s Weekly Asking Prices Index for the week ending 1 September 2026 showed relatively subdued monthly price movements nationally, while annual growth remained positive. Nationally, house asking prices eased 0.1% over the month, while unit asking prices increased 0.2%. Combined dwelling asking prices declined 0.1% month-on-month and remain 5.0% higher year-on-year. Sydney combined asking…
Australia’s housing market has clearly entered a downturn, and prices are likely to fall further in some markets. Higher interest rates have reduced borrowing capacity, confidence has weakened and the Federal Budget has changed the investment equation for established residential property. Sydney and Melbourne are already recording meaningful declines, transaction volumes have fallen sharply and…
