Blaming NIMBYs Won’t Fix Broken Housing Policy
Hotspotting
Scapegoating has become Australia’s unofficial national sport — and nowhere is this more obvious than in the commentary surrounding our housing crisis. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the latest wave of finger-pointing, where so-called NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) and Baby Boomers are being blamed for everything from unaffordable housing to stalled development. But is the narrative that older Australians are refusing to downsize or that local residents are blocking new homes actually backed by evidence? Or is it a convenient distraction from deeper, more uncomfortable truths?...
info_outline
The Housing Crisis Scapegoat No One Should Believe
Hotspotting
In this episode, we challenge the growing media and political narrative blaming older Australians for the housing crisis. With new data from Australian Seniors and PropTrack, we unpack why the push to guilt Baby Boomers into downsizing is not only misguided — it's deeply unfair and factually wrong. We expose the lazy policy thinking behind the idea that empty nesters are hoarding homes, and explain why the real culprits are chronic supply shortages, failed planning systems, outdated pension rules, and a political class allergic to real reform. From rising relocation costs to a lack of...
info_outline
The Surprising City Outperforming Australia’s Major Markets
Hotspotting
In this episode, we dive deep into one of Australia’s most remarkable and resilient property markets—Adelaide. While other cities like Perth are losing momentum, Adelaide continues its upward trajectory, now entering its sixth year of steady growth. Backed by data from Hotspotting’s latest Price Predictor Index, we unpack why buyer demand remains high, which LGAs are leading the charge, and how Adelaide’s long-dismissed real estate market has evolved into a national frontrunner for capital growth. We’ll explore the suburbs showing the strongest signs of continued price increases, the...
info_outline
Beyond the Hype: Terry Ryder’s National Top 10 Best Buys | The Property Playbook
Hotspotting
With over 15,000 suburbs across Australia, how do you know where to invest next—and which markets are set to outperform? In this episode of The Property Playbook, host Tim Graham sits down with Australia’s leading property analyst, Terry Ryder, to reveal the latest insights from Hotspotting’s National Top 10 Best Buys report. Unlike media-driven “hotspots,” these locations have been handpicked for their long-term growth potential, strong local economies, and critical infrastructure investment. 🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn: Why the best investment markets aren’t the ones...
info_outline
Political Smoke & Mirrors: The Truth Behind the Housing Crisis Debate
Hotspotting
As the federal election approaches, housing policy has finally hit the spotlight — but not for the right reasons. In this episode, Terry Ryder cuts through the spin and dive into the political theatre playing out between major parties over Australia's housing crisis. From vote-chasing tax perks to demand-boosting band-aid schemes, he unpacks why both Labor and the Coalition are missing the mark — and how their policies could actually make things worse. Plus, he takes aim at the Greens’ rental rhetoric and ask the question no one seems to be answering: where are the real structural...
info_outline
Election Promises vs. Housing Reality | Tim Graham on TickerNews
Hotspotting
With housing affordability now a key battleground in the federal election, Tim Graham, Managing Director of Hotspotting, joins Ahron Young on TickerNews to unpack what the major parties are promising—and whether those policies will make any real difference. In this episode, Tim explains why most policies on offer are short-term, demand-side sugar hits that fail to address the root of Australia’s housing crisis: supply. 🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn: Why tax deductions and super-for-housing schemes may push prices up The unintended consequences of government stimulus for first-home...
info_outline
Landlords Aren’t Winning — They’re Bleeding Cash
Hotspotting
In this episode, Terry Ryder dismantles the media myths surrounding landlords and reveals a far more sobering reality — most investors aren’t profiting, they’re bleeding cash. With 65% operating at a loss and many forced to sell, Ryder explores why the rental market is under serious threat. From rising interest rates to hostile policies, he exposes how the system is pushing mum-and-dad investors to the brink — and why that spells trouble for renters too. If you're a property investor, tenant, or just someone trying to make sense of Australia's housing mess, don’t miss this episode....
info_outline
Changing of the Guard: Perth’s Peak and the New Property Leaders
Hotspotting
Perth's Property Market at its Peak: Tim Graham discusses the shift in Perth's property market as it reaches its peak. He shares insights from Hotspotting's Price Predictor Index, explaining how rising sales activity often leads to price growth, and how Perth's market is now experiencing a slowdown due to decreasing sales. Why Perth Was Doing Well: The strength of Perth's recent growth can be attributed to a proactive state government, affordability, and a resurgence after many years of stagnant prices. Tim highlights how the state's openness to investors has played a key role in this boom....
info_outline
📈 Australia’s Property Market Is Moving – Here’s Where the Growth Is Happening Now!
Hotspotting
In this update, Tim Graham from Hotspotting breaks down the key insights from the Autumn 2025 edition of the Price Predictor Index — revealing which Australian property markets are rising, which are steady, and which are slipping into decline. We analyse 14 major jurisdictions across the nation — from capital cities like Darwin, Melbourne, and Adelaide to regional powerhouses like Regional South Australia, Regional Queensland, and Regional Victoria. With detailed suburb-level insights and sales activity trends, this update highlights the suburbs and towns with real momentum behind them....
info_outline
$1 Million Homes: Australia’s Housing Crisis
Hotspotting
One of the most significant housing stories in the past year has slipped under the radar of news media, with very little commentary. The latest official data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that it now costs over $500,000 to build the average house in this country. That’s the cost of construction of the dwelling and doesn’t include the land price. Given that the price of residential land is also escalating to record price levels, the reality is that the typical house and land package in a capital city is beyond the reach of most young buyers. This, in...
info_outlineOne of the most significant housing stories in the past year has slipped under the radar of news media, with very little commentary.
The latest official data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that it now costs over $500,000 to build the average house in this country. That’s the cost of construction of the dwelling and doesn’t include the land price.
Given that the price of residential land is also escalating to record price levels, the reality is that the typical house and land package in a capital city is beyond the reach of most young buyers.
This, in simple terms, is the essence of the housing affordability problem that has created a national crisis.
Australia needs to build more homes – a lot more than the industry is currently able to build – but the obscenely high cost of building both houses and apartments is the largest single barrier to achieving it.
The latest ABS figures tell a very sad story. They show that the nation, in 2024, fell 70,000 home approvals short of the target set to fix the housing crisis – AND that home building costs have hit a grim new record high.
Latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show there were 170,719 homes approved in 2024, the second worst annual figure since 2012, with experts warning government efforts to address the housing crisis so far have failed to make a difference.
And affordability is getting worse, with the average cost of building a new house in Australia surpassing $500,000 for the first time in December, according to the ABS data, made worse by new requirements for sustainable builds.
Making a bad situation considerably worse is the soaring cost of home sites.
The Housing Industry Association says that surging land values are problematic for the struggling development sector, which is already battling soaring labour and materials costs.
Extreme housing block costs have also coincided with falling prices for established houses – making the significant premium on brand new homes a hard sell for builders.
Housing Industry Association figures showed the median price of land across Greater Sydney now stands at $2,000 per square metre. That means that even a tiny 300 square metre block of land costs $600,000.
Land prices are less – but still very expensive – in Melbourne, where that small block costs $320,000, and it’s similar in both Perth and Brisbane.
But that 300 square metre block is below the normal block size. In Sydney the median lot price is $710,000 compared to around $400,000 in both Melbourne and Brisbane.
Add on that typical cost for building a home – and it makes a new house on land over $900,000 in Brisbane and Melbourne – and around $1.2 million in Sydney.
Housing Industry Association economist Maurice Tapang said the dramatic extra costs of buying land and building, versus buying established homes, could squash demand for new homes. Tapang said the price of land was now the biggest constraint on new housing construction in Australia’s capital cities.
PropTrack economist Paul Ryan said: “It’s becoming increasingly hard to make new housing equations stack up. There’s lots of choice for established homes and the prices have gotten relatively more attractive compared to new homes, and that’s something we’ve heard a lot of from developers”.
The HIA-CoreLogic Residential Land Report showed that the median price of a capital city lot increased by 9.2% in the September quarter to $408,160 compared to a year earlier.
Tapang said: “Land prices have risen three times faster than the rate of growth in the ABS Consumer Price Index (CPI) and five times faster than growth in the cost of home building materials as measured by the Producer Price Index for the September quarter 2024.”
At the same time, the cost of building a house now averages $537,000 nationally, according to the ABS, following the hyperinflation of construction costs since the pandemic.
Add those two figures together – the median lot price and the average cost of building a house – and you have $945,160.
And that, in one sentence, is the affordability issue. But I haven’t heard a single politician in Australia, at any level, suggest a policy to deal with this ridiculously high cost for new homes.
And it begs the question: are politicians in government around Australia even aware that the cost of a new house on land is getting scarily close to $1 million?