The Elephant In The Room Property Podcast | Inside Australian Real Estate

The government has framed its proposed capital gains tax changes as a way to tackle intergenerational unfairness. But what happens when the same reforms make it harder for younger Australians to build wealth, save a deposit, invest in businesses and diversify beyond property? Chris Brycki, founder and CEO of Stockspot, joins Veronica and Chris to unpack what the Treasury modelling may be missing....

Australia knows it needs to build more homes. But if construction is already operating close to capacity, where will the extra housing actually come from? HIA senior economist Tom Devitt joins Veronica and Chris to unpack the constraints holding the industry back and why simply calling for more supply misses the complexity of getting homes built. The conversation covers skilled labour shortages, p...

The latest PIPA Annual Investor Survey reveals a significant shift in investor sentiment, with more investors considering selling amid changing tax settings, rising holding costs, interest rates and concerns about property values. Chris Bates and buyer’s agent Cate Bakos unpack what the survey reveals about investor behaviour and why grandfathering existing tax arrangements may not be enough to ke...

Australia’s housing reforms aim to improve affordability and help more Australians buy homes. But could they unintentionally make it harder to build new housing? In this episode, Richard Temlett, National Executive Director of Research at Charter Keck Cramer, explains the risks facing Australia’s property market. We discuss investor and SMSF changes, development feasibility, construction costs, pl...

For decades, the path to building wealth in Australia seemed relatively straightforward: buy your home, purchase an investment property, use negative gearing to help manage the cost, and eventually focus more heavily on superannuation. But with changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and investment structures on the horizon, that traditional strategy is becoming much harder to follow—especi...

Will taxing property investors actually make housing more affordable—or simply change who owns the homes? Australia's housing affordability crisis is real, but the political response to it is anything but straightforward. In this episode of The Elephant in the Room , Veronica Morgan and Chris Bates sit down with Senator Andrew Bragg, Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, for a robust discu...

With the 2026 Federal Budget reshaping tax incentives and many investors questioning whether traditional buy-and-hold strategies still make sense, where should property investors be looking next? In this episode, Veronica Morgan and Chris Bates are joined by property developer and educator Michael Tiemens to explore why small-scale property development is becoming an increasingly attractive strate...

The buyer’s agent industry has exploded in popularity, attracting new clients and new operators alike. But rapid growth has exposed a deeper problem: experience takes years to build, while a buyer’s agent business can be launched much faster. In this episode, Bryce Holdaway joins Veronica and Chris to unpack the growing standards problem facing buyer’s agents. They explore the experience gap among...

Selling a property in a slower market is less about timing the market and more about understanding where your property truly sits within it. In this episode, Veronica and Chris unpack why so many sellers fall short of their expectations, from unrealistic price hopes to choosing the wrong approach when it comes time to sell. They explore how quickly conditions can shift, and why clarity around your...

Australia's latest housing policies are designed to make home ownership more accessible—but are they creating unintended consequences for investors, renters, and the broader property market? In this episode, property data expert Kent Lardner returns to examine what the numbers are already revealing about investor behaviour following the Federal Budget, and why the government's expectations may not...

Negative gearing is one of the most divisive topics in Australian property—and few people are willing to have a genuine conversation about it. In this episode, Chris Bates and Veronica Morgan sit down with renowned economist Saul Eslake to explore one of the biggest policy debates in housing, challenging long-held assumptions on all sides of the argument. Rather than debating who's right or wrong,...

Borderless property investing has become one of the fastest-growing strategies in real estate—but is it helping investors build wealth, or simply making it easier to sell property at scale? In this episode, we are joined by buyer's advocate and negotiation expert Scott Aggett to unpack the rise of borderless buyer's agents and the risks investors need to understand before buying interstate. With p...

For years, Australia's housing crisis has been framed as a simple supply problem: cut planning red tape, approve more developments, and housing affordability will improve. But what if we've been solving the wrong problem all along? In this episode, urban economist and town planner Tim Sneesby joins Veronica Morgan and Chris Bates to challenge one of the most widely accepted narratives in Australia...

You're about to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into building or renovating your home—but how much do you really know about the builder you're hiring? While most Australians compare quotes, browse reviews, and check licences, few dig deeper into the warning signs that could reveal financial instability, recurring disputes, or other hidden risks before signing a contract. In this episode, w...

Most people assume property presentation is just about styling. But what if presentation is actually influencing how buyers perceive value—and what they’re willing to pay? In this episode, Veronica and Chris sit down with Peter Karaoglanis, founder of Presenting Homes Australia, to unpack the psychology behind property presentation. Peter explains why styling is only a small part of the equation a...

Australia's housing crisis is usually framed as a simple supply problem: build more homes, increase density, and affordability will improve. But what if we've been asking the wrong question all along? In this episode, Ross Elliott joins Veronica and Chris to challenge some of the biggest assumptions underpinning Australian housing policy. From the belief that everyone works in a CBD to the idea th...

What happens when a property's agreed purchase price and the bank's valuation are tens of thousands of dollars apart? More importantly, who is right? In this episode, Certified Practising Valuer and Registered Tax Agent Belinda Botzolis joins us to unpack one of the most misunderstood areas of property investing: valuation. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience and over 15,000 property valua...

AI is quickly becoming the go-to tool for property research—but can it actually predict where the market is heading? In this episode, Luke Metcalfe returns to put that assumption to the test, analysing thousands of suburb predictions across multiple GPT models and real market data. The result is clear: AI doesn’t just struggle to forecast property growth—it often underperforms the market entirely....

Within 72 hours of the federal budget announcement, the property narrative flipped. Buyer’s agents who once championed established homes began pushing new builds. SMSF strategies resurfaced. High-yield “manufactured” deals came back into focus. The question is—did the fundamentals change… or just the incentives? In this episode, we break down what’s really driving this sudden shift in property adv...

Australia’s housing crisis is no longer just affecting low-income households — as rents rise faster than wages and affordability declines, more middle-income earners and essential workers are being pushed into housing stress. In this episode, we sit down with Maiy Azize from Anglicare Australia and Everybody’s Home to unpack why this shift is happening and what it reveals about the structure of Au...

The end of negative gearing for established property could become one of the biggest turning points in Australia’s housing market—not just because investors may lose tax deductions, but because of the ripple effects it could create across buyer behaviour, borrowing capacity, property values, and the types of housing that get built in the future. But if these changes are designed to improve afforda...

Melbourne is back in the spotlight, with many buyers and investors asking whether the city now offers one of the best opportunities in the country. But broad market narratives can be misleading—especially in a city where different segments are moving for very different reasons. In this episode, Jarrod McCabe joins us to unpack what’s really happening across Melbourne in 2026. From first home buyer...

Australia’s housing challenges are often reduced to a question of supply, but the reality is far more complex. In this episode, we step back to examine the broader forces reshaping housing demand—from rapid population growth and an ageing society to changing household structures. The result is not just a shortage of homes, but a system struggling to keep pace with how Australians live today. We un...

When you hire a property advisor, there’s an assumption built into that decision: you’re getting expertise, guidance, and some level of protection if things go wrong. But how much of that protection actually exists—and where does it break down? In this episode, we unpack the role of Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance in property advice, and what it really tells you about accountability, risk, a...

Capital gains tax reform and negative gearing have become central to Australia’s housing debate—but are these policies actually capable of improving affordability? In this episode, we unpack the real role of tax settings in the property market and question whether current reform discussions are addressing the right problem. The conversation explores how capital gains tax discounts work in practice...