What the ACTU Campaign Overlooks About Housing Affordability
Hotspotting
Sally McManus and the ACTU want to scrap negative gearing and the capital gains tax “concession” for property investors, arguing it will fix housing affordability. But does the evidence actually stack up? In this episode, we dive into the history of negative gearing in Australia, the real impact of CGT rules, and why blaming property investors might miss the bigger picture. From rental shortages to soaring construction costs, we unpack the policies that have shaped today’s housing crisis — and what really needs to change. Perfect for anyone interested in Australian property, housing...
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Lessons in Real Estate, Leadership & Sales with Adam Horth
Hotspotting
In this episode, Terry Ryder, Founder of Hotspotting, sits down with Adam Horth — a seasoned real estate professional, trainer, and Operations Director at Smartre Group. Adam’s journey began at just 19 years old, starting out as a salesperson and eventually building his own highly successful agency in Ipswich, QLD. Within six years, his office was the number one agency in the area, supported by a team of high-performing agents. Today, Adam combines his passion for real estate with training and leadership, helping agency principals and salespeople across Australia and New Zealand through...
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What Our Early Analysis Revealed About Darwin’s Strong Growth
Hotspotting
Everyone’s suddenly talking about the “Darwin boom” as if it came out of nowhere – but did it really? In this episode, we unpack why the media has only just noticed what was obvious months ago. We reveal how forward-looking data pointed to Darwin’s rise well before prices surged, and why the so-called exodus to affordable lifestyle is anything but new. If you want to spot the next growth markets before the headlines do, this one’s for you.
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Regional Victoria Property Market Shows Signs of a Strong Comeback
Hotspotting
After two quiet years, Regional Victoria’s property market is showing clear signs of a strong revival. Our latest Hotspotting analysis reveals a surge in sales activity across key cities including Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton, Wodonga and Ballarat – with sales volumes now at their highest since the Covid boom of 2021. In this episode, we unpack what’s driving the comeback: The surge in buyer demand and sales growth across regional centres Why Melbourne residents are making the move to more affordable regional lifestyles The role of affordability and infrastructure in fuelling...
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Melbourne Property Outlook Brightens After Years of Decline
Hotspotting
Melbourne’s property market is making a comeback — and the data confirms it. After lagging behind other capitals, the city is now cheaper than Brisbane and Sydney, with sales activity surging to its highest levels since the 2021 boom. Backed by population growth, new infrastructure, and rising demand for affordable units, Melbourne is shaping up as one of the best value markets in the country. In this episode, we reveal the suburbs leading the charge, why buyer interest is climbing fast, and what this means for investors and home-buyers looking to get in ahead of the next growth cycle.
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How We Predicted the Hottest Market in Australia Before It Made Headlines
Hotspotting
Why do media commentators keep declaring ‘new’ trends that have actually been brewing for years? In this episode, we unpack the so-called “Darwin boom” — the one the headlines claimed nobody saw coming. Spoiler: we called it back in January. Discover how forward-looking indicators, like our Price Predictor Index, spot market surges months before they hit the news, and why knowing early can make all the difference when investing.
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Why Timing Is Everything in Picking Property Winners
Hotspotting
Where not to buy can be just as telling as where to invest. In this episode, we dive into the thinking behind our latest National Top 10 Best Buys report – and why some of Australia’s strongest recent performers, like Perth, Adelaide, and the Gold Coast, are no longer on the list. We explain why these booming markets have now passed their peak, and shine a light on the emerging "second wind" locations – early-stage markets with the right ingredients for future growth. If you want to spot the next wave before the crowd catches on, this is the insight you’ve been waiting for.
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COMO: The Latest Acronym in Real Estate – or Just History Repeating?
Hotspotting
From FOMO to COMO – but is it really new? The media says we’ve entered the “COMO era” – Compromise Or Miss Out – as buyers face affordability pressures and tight supply. But is this a fresh trend or simply a rebrand of a long-standing reality? In this episode, we explore why compromising to get on the property ladder has always been part of the journey, and why catchy acronyms don’t tell the full story. From rentvesting to regional moves, discover the truth behind the headlines – and what it really takes to build your way to that dream home.
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Uncovering the Real Winners of FY2025 Property Growth
Hotspotting
Think Australia’s property market only grew 5% last year? Think again. In this episode, we unpack why the national average is a misleading headline – and reveal the hundreds of markets across Australia that outperformed by two, three, even four times that figure. From regional boom towns to affordable pockets in smaller capitals, these are the places we've been calling out for years in our Hotspotting reports – and they’ve delivered. Tune in for a deep dive into the real growth stories of FY2025, backed by data from over 4,500 suburbs, and discover where property values are doubling in...
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What the Olympic Games Means for Brisbane’s Property Boom
Hotspotting
Brisbane is booming — but it’s not just houses leading the charge. In this episode, we dive into why Brisbane has become one of Australia’s strongest-performing property markets, recently crossing the $1 million median house price mark. But here’s what’s even more interesting: it’s the unit market that’s outpacing houses in many suburbs. With massive infrastructure investment, Olympic momentum, and affordability tipping the scales, we unpack the suburbs showing standout growth — and why buyers are increasingly turning to apartments and townhouses in 2025. Tune in for...
info_outlineThe biggest paradigm-changing trend in Australian real estate, the rise and rise of apartments, is confirmed by the latest price data from the usual suspects – and is reflected in our choices for the latest edition of our most popular report, the National Top 10 Best Buys report.
The latest price data from CoreLogic shows that unit prices are rising faster than house prices.
While news media, in its predictable fashion, focussed on the perceived negatives in the CoreLogic Home Value Index published in October, my analysis of the figures is that they provide further evidence that rising demand for attached dwellings is creating out-performance on price growth.
Perth still leads on growth in house prices, but the numbers for growth in unit prices are considerably stronger, both for the past month, the past quarter and the year to date.
According to CoreLogic, Perth prices rose 1.6% in September for houses but 2% for units.
In the September quarter, Perth house prices increased 4.6% but unit prices were up 6.2%.
And, for the first nine months of 2024, house prices are up 17% but unit prices more than 20%.
It’s the same for one of the other hot city markets, Adelaide.
House prices in Adelaide has recorded strong rises in the month of September, the September Quarter and the year to date, but unit prices have increased more in each of those time frames.
The price outcomes are even more emphatic in Brisbane: house prices rose 2.4% in the September Quarter, but unit prices rose 4.8%, exactly twice as much. And the year to date growth numbers are 10% for houses but 14% for units.
In both Sydney and Melbourne, which have not been matching the smaller cities on growth, the numbers are nevertheless stronger for units than for houses.
And nationally, median prices grew 0.4% for houses but 0.6% for units in September, while in the September Quarter houses were up 1% but units 1.2%.
The differential is greatest in the Combined Regional markets, with units outperforming houses in the month, the quarter, the year to date and in the past 12 months.
And that holds true for most of the individual state regional markets, notably Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia. In Regional Queensland, where many regional cities have highly active markets, the numbers are fairly even.
Overall, these numbers are the latest piece of evidence that the old paradigm of real estate, that houses always outperform units on capital growth, is changing and in many locations HAS changed.
As we comment in the report we recently published with marketing company Nuestar, the one we call The Rise and Rise of Apartments, there is growing buyer demand for attached dwellings across Australia.
Units now accounts for more than half of all sales in the Sydney market and they have a growing market share in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra as well.
In the booming Perth market, where houses are no longer the cheapest in capital city Australia following massive price growth recently, more and more buyers are pivoting to the more affordable and often better located unit products in the market.
And now this compelling trend in national real estate is a big influence on our choices to the nominated locations for the new edition of the National Top 10 Best Buys.
Many of the nation’s strongest locations for unit demand are prominent in this report – as well as some of the most vibrant house markets in key locations across Australia.