What the Finder Housing Affordability Survey Reveals About Policy Failures
Hotspotting
Is negative gearing really to blame for Australia’s housing crisis? A new Finder survey asked 22 leading economists, academics, and property experts how to make housing more affordable — and their answers may surprise you. Not one pointed to negative gearing, and only one mentioned capital gains tax. Instead, the focus was on boosting housing supply, cutting red tape, rethinking demand-side incentives, and even considering the impact of migration. In this episode, we unpack what the experts actually said, why the usual media narratives miss the mark, and what solutions could really make a...
info_outline
What the Numbers Reveal About Australia’s Rental Crisis
Hotspotting
Why are property prices across Australia still on the rise when affordability is already stretched? 🤔 In this episode, we dive into the latest SQM Research data showing housing listings have dropped across every capital city, tightening supply just as demand continues to surge. With migration, population growth, and poor housing policy all adding fuel to the fire, what does this mean for buyers, sellers, and investors? Tune in as we break down the trends city by city, explore why listings are falling, and unpack how this could shape the property market in 2025.
info_outline
How We Predicted the Hottest Market in Australia Before It Made Headlines
Hotspotting
Why are property prices across Australia still on the rise when affordability is already stretched? 🤔 In this episode, we dive into the latest SQM Research data showing housing listings have dropped across every capital city, tightening supply just as demand continues to surge. With migration, population growth, and poor housing policy all adding fuel to the fire, what does this mean for buyers, sellers, and investors? Tune in as we break down the trends city by city, explore why listings are falling, and unpack how this could shape the property market in 2025.
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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.
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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.
info_outline
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.
info_outline
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.
info_outlineIf you’re confused about what’s happening with rents in Australia, you can be forgiven.
That’s especially so if you use news media as your main source of information about residential real estate.
The information – or perhaps more correctly, misinformation – in news media is highly confusing and in many cases contradictory, with one headline saying the complete opposite to another.
Here are two headlines that appeared on the same day, the 10th of January:
The worst is over: slowest rise in rents in four years
Affordability crisis: tenants feel the pinch as rents surge
So, as usual, Australian real estate consumers need to look elsewhere, somewhere other than mainstream media, to find out what’s really happening in housing markets.
One of the strange things about residential rents, which pops up regularly in news media, is the bizarre notion that if the latest stats suggest that the rate of growth in rents is slowing, then tenants across the nation are celebrating.
They’re apparently popping champagne corks because the rate of rental growth currently is less than it was last year.
Let’s be clear: the greatest wish of tenants is NOT slower growth in rents. It’s NOT for rents to stop growing. And contrary to the apparent belief of The Greens, they don’t want a rental cap. What they want is for rents to FALL.
People who rent in Australia, about a third of households, want to see a bigger choice of places to live in – in other words, they want higher vacancies. And they want rents to come down.
There are two main reasons why that isn’t happening and cannot happen:
(1) because vacancies are at historic lows, as they have been now for three years, and there are no remedies in sight; and
(2) because interest rates are persistently high and the owners of rental properties need high rents to cover their costs.
Having said that, it’s clear that - in some locations - rents have reached a ceiling and are unlikely to go much higher in the short term. Tenants cannot keep paying higher and higher rents – and higher and higher proportions of their incomes – on rental accommodation.
That is why the rate of growth in rents has slowed in SOME – but certainly not all – locations across Australia.
But the true wish among tenants – for rents to decline – is highly unlikely to happen any time soon.
SNIPPET:
There’s a lot of confusing and conflicting information in mainstream media about what’s happening with residential rents.
Some headlines have declared that the worst is over for tenants because the rate of growth in rents is slowing down – as a national average.
But other headlines have claimed that rents continue to surge higher and tenants continue to be in a world of pain.
The reality is that rents are still rising, although in SOME locations the rate of growth is slowing down.
But with vacancy rates continuing to be at historic lows in most places across Australia, and interest rates stubbornly high, we don’t have the conditions for rents to fall any time soon – particularly as there are no solutions in sight for the shortage which is causing rents to be high and rising.