For decades we’ve celebrated rising house prices in Australia. If your home was worth more this year than last, life felt a bit easier.
Politicians were happy, banks were happy, homeowners were happy. 
But after 50 years of almost uninterrupted price growth, we need to ask a harder question: Is it actually good for us if housing just keeps getting more expensive?
The answer, of course, depends on who you are.
Because rising prices have created a lot of winners in Australia: homeowners, investors, banks, governments, tradies, and retailers.
But they’ve also created a growing group of losers – renters, younger Australians, essential workers, small businesses, and even the future middle class.
So today leading demographer Simon Kuestenmacher and I discuss the question question almost no one in property likes to touch – not “will housing prices keep rising?” but “how expensive do we actually want housing to be?”
Takeaways
- House prices double every decade.
- Homeowners and banks benefit from rising values.
- First home buyers face hidden costs.
- Government policies sustain high prices.
- Demographics reshape housing market.
- Property prices are political choices.
- Sustainable growth beats boom cycles.
- Baby boomer exits affect prices.
- Wealth disparity impacts society.
- Strategic planning ensures property wealth.
Links and Resources:
Answer this week’s trivia question here - https://www.propertytrivia.com.au/
• Win a hard copy of How to grow a multi-million dollar property portfolio in your space on.
• Every entry receives a copy of a fully updated Michael Yardney Property Report.
Join Michael Yardney, plus a team of experts, at Wealth Retreat 2026 on the Gold Coast in May. Find out more about it here and register your interest. It's Australia's premier event for successful investors and business people.
Get the team at Metropole to help build your personal Strategic Property Plan. Click here and have a chat with us.
Simon Kuestenmacher: Australia’s leading demographer and partner in the Demographics Group
Get a bundle of eBooks and Reports at: www.PodcastBonus.com.au
Also, please subscribe to my other podcast Demographics Decoded with Simon Kuestenmacher – just look for Demographics Decoded wherever you are listening to this podcast and subscribe so each week we can unveil the trends shaping your future. Or click here.
Subscribe & don’t miss a single episode of Michael Yardney’s podcast
Hear Michael & a select panel of guest experts discuss property investment, success & money related topics. Subscribe now, whether you're on an Apple or Android handset.
Need help listening to Michael Yardney’s podcast from your phone or tablet?
We have created easy to follow instructions for you whether you're on iPhone / iPad or an Android device.
Prefer to subscribe via email?
Join Michael Yardney's inner circle of daily subscribers and get into the head of Australia's best property investment advisor and a wide team of leading property researchers and commentators.





