Cotality’s national Home Value Index fell 0.9% in August, marking a fifth consecutive month of decline and taking national home values 3.6% below the market peak recorded in March. The downturn is becoming more widespread, with 93% of capital city suburbs recording a value decline through winter. Every month, investors, homeowners, and would-be buyers turn…
Does it feel like your money isn’t working as hard as it used to? Costs are up, growth has stalled, and the “just wait and it’ll go up” strategy has gone quiet – you’re not imagining it. We may not be staring down a repeat of the 1970s, but we are living through the same…
You’ve finally found it. The property that ticks every box, the one you can picture yourself living in for years or the investment property you still want to own in 10 years’ time, and now your heart is pounding because you have absolutely no idea what happens next. Do you just call the agent and…
Australia’s labour market is beginning to show clearer signs of cooling, with unemployment rising slightly, employment falling and wage growth remaining subdued. This matters because the Reserve Bank has repeatedly highlighted the strength of the labour market and the risk of persistent wage and services inflation when explaining its cautious approach to interest rates. The…
Every property downturn since I started investing decades ago has brought the same prediction. Someone, somewhere, tells us this is the one that finally breaks the market. Higher rates, a cost of living crunch, gloomy headlines about mortgage stress. All the ingredients seem to be there for a proper collapse. And yet here we are…
Australia’s housing debate has become dominated by ambitious targets, planning announcements and promises to unlock more land. However, the latest evidence suggests we may be focusing too much attention on the number of homes being approved and far too little on the number that can actually be built. Of course, that distinction matters because an…
Buying a home should feel exciting, but most buyers quickly discover it’s a maze of conflicting advice, confusing jargon and “gotcha” costs no one warned them about. Whether it’s how much deposit you really need, what lenders are actually looking for, or how to avoid buying the wrong property in the wrong location, the questions…
Three months on from the federal budget changes, the verdict is in, and it isn’t pretty. Fewer first home buyers are active in the market than before the changes landed, and everyday property investors have almost entirely been swept aside. For anyone who has ever wanted to work hard and improve their position by buying…
One of the reasons I’ve always been attracted to property is that it’s an imperfect market. And I mean that in the best possible way. When I look at investments, I’m drawn to asset classes where knowledge, strategy, relationships, patience and negotiation can give me an edge. That’s why property appeals to me. It gives…
We Australians are very good at finding fault with the cities in which we live. We complain about congestion, expensive housing, crowded trains, planning delays and infrastructure that often seems to arrive years after it is needed. Sure, many of those concerns are justified, but every so often an international comparison allows us to step…
