Australian Property Podcast

In this episode of Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates break down the latest property-market shake-up and what it means for buyers, investors and borrowers. The conversation centres on the Federal Budget fallout, the ban on SMSF lending into property, weaker auction conditions and the way sentiment has turned across key housing markets. Pete and Chris unpack why Sydney and Me...

In this episode of Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates ask whether Australia’s housing market has moved from nerves to peak fear. They unpack weaker auction results in Sydney and Melbourne, falling prices, softer new-home sales and why investor sentiment keeps deteriorating even as hopes build for lower rates later in 2026. A key focus is policy risk: how proposed negative ge...

In this episode of Australian Property Podcast, Amy Lunardi and Chris Bates unpack the psychological traps that can quietly cost property buyers money, momentum and confidence. The conversation starts with a simple idea: a buyer’s market should feel easier, but in practice it can feel even harder because lower sentiment, softer prices and more choice often create more doubt. Amy explains why buyin...

In this episode of the Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack a housing market that is trying to stabilise after the Budget shock, without much conviction that the hard part is over. They start with the Reserve Bank holding the cash rate at 4.35%. Bond yields are off their peak, some fixed rates are edging lower, and buyers are asking whether confidence can rebuild. Pete...

First home buyers are finally getting a bit more breathing room, but that does not mean every scheme is a green light. In this Australian Property Podcast episode, Chris Bates sits down with Jack Elliott, National First Home Buyer Specialist at Alcove, to unpack what changed after the Budget and how buyers should think about grants, guarantees and shared-equity options in 2026. Jack explains why s...

In this episode of the Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates step back from the panic that followed the federal Budget and ask what is actually changing in Australia’s housing market. The headlines have turned hard, sentiment has cooled quickly and buyers are suddenly hearing talk of weaker auctions, falling prices and a tougher road for investors. Pete and Chris explain why th...

In this 2 Sense episode of the Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack what the post-Budget property reset is starting to look like in real time. The initial panic has eased, but the aftershocks are now showing up in buyer behaviour, lending conversations and market turnover. Pete and Chris explain why first-home buyers are suddenly seeing less competition at open homes, w...

This episode was originally featured on the Australian Investors Podcast. In this episode, Owen Rask sits down with Senator Andrew Bragg for a wide-ranging conversation about the Federal Budget, housing supply, tax, productivity and why so many Australians feel the country has become harder to get ahead in. Rather than getting stuck in party talking points, they focus on the practical questions in...

In this 2 Sense episode of the Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack what the post-Budget property reset is starting to look like on the ground. Even before any policy changes are fully legislated, sentiment has shifted: investors are turning cautious, lenders are tightening around serviceability, asking prices are easing in parts of Sydney and Melbourne, and nervous sel...

Chris Bates sits down with James O’Reilly to unpack what the latest Federal Budget proposals could mean for Australian property investors at three very different life stages: wealth accumulators, pre-retirees and retirees. They break down how proposed changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and trust taxation may change the numbers for investors who have relied on property for growth, cashf...

Is property investing dead, or is Australia just entering an uncomfortable reset? In this 2 Sense episode of the Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack the post-Budget aftershocks now rippling through the housing market. They start with the investor side of the equation. With Sydney auctions rattled, negative gearing changes looming, and Macquarie already cutting investor...

In this 2 Sense episode of the Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates react to a Federal Budget that could reshape Australia’s housing market faster than many investors expect. Recording the morning after the announcement, they break down the headline changes: negative gearing being restricted to new builds from 1 July 2027, a tougher capital gains tax regime, and a new minimum...

Why does it cost so much to build in Australia right now? In this week’s 2 Sense episode of the Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack a fresh construction squeeze just as the housing market heads into a Budget week that could reshape investor behaviour. They break down the build-cost blowout, including the sharp rise in the cost of delivering a dwelling since 2019, and e...

Most buyers approach property search the same way regardless of what the market is doing. Pete Wargent and Amy Lunardi argue that this is exactly where buyers go wrong. In this episode of the Australian Property Podcast, they break down how to identify the market you are actually in and how your strategy needs to change when conditions shift. Rather than relying on broad headlines, they explain ho...

This episode was originally featured on The Australian Finance Podcast. Discover why the traditional path to buying your first home no longer works, the trade-offs modern buyers must make, and how to rethink home ownership in today’s market. In this Australian Property Podcast episode, your host Gemma Mitchell is joined by Lucinda Hartley, author of Finding Home, to unpack what’s really changed wh...

Pete Wargent and Chris Bates break down what potential changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing could mean for investors and renters, then zoom out to the bigger forces shaping the property market. Key topics: Possible CGT and negative gearing reforms, and the flow-on to investor demand, rents and buyers Oil prices, bond yields, sticky rents, and shaky confidence in Sydney and Melbourne T...

Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack how long the Sydney and Melbourne property downturn could last, why build costs may rise again, and what buyers, sellers and investors should do next. They cover weak auctions, slowing construction, tight rental markets, and the practical decisions facing first-home buyers, upgraders and investors in a softer market. Resources for this episode Ask a question (se...

This week on the Australian Property Podcast, we’re sharing a great past conversation originally published on The Australian Finance Podcast. In this episode, Gemma Mitchell is joined by Ben Kingsley, one of Australia’s leading property investment advisers, founder of Empower Wealth, and Chair of the Property Investors Council of Australia. Ben, alongside long-time business partner Bryce Holdaway,...

Pete Wargent and Chris Bates break down the latest fuel shock, rising inflation risk and shifting rate expectations, and what it means for the Australian property market. They connect the macro pressure to what is happening on the ground — tighter listings, rising build costs, weaker sentiment and the early signs of a split market — and outline how buyers, sellers and investors can navigate what c...

Oil prices up, construction costs up, confidence down! Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack a fast-moving week for property: surging fuel costs, rising inflation risk, collapsing confidence, and what all of that means for rates, building activity, listings, and buyer behaviour. The episode matters because the pressure is no longer theoretical — it is already hitting development feasibility, rental...

Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack the RBA’s latest rate hike, what higher mortgage rates could mean for borrowing power and sentiment, and why Australia’s housing shortage is still intensifying. They move from the macro picture into the real pressure points on the ground: tighter rental markets, a split housing cycle, and the conditions that may create both risk and opportunity over the next 12...

In this week’s episode of the Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack a volatile week in global markets and what it might mean for Australian housing. From oil price shocks and inflation fears to population shifts and investor behaviour, they explore why short-term uncertainty rarely changes the long-term structural drivers of property markets Together, they discuss: - Sud...

The market is splitting in two. Buyers who stay selective will do better. Pete Wargent and Chris Bates break down why inflation risks are rising again after renewed global instability, how that’s feeding into rate expectations and buyer sentiment, and why construction is still failing to deliver enough supply. They also unpack the latest noise around negative gearing and capital gains tax, and wha...

Inflation is still running hot. Construction can’t keep up. And the Olympics are coming. Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack what is really driving Australian property in early 2026 — sticky inflation, renewed rate risk, construction bottlenecks and Olympic-driven labour demand. With approvals rising but delivery lagging, they examine how supply constraints, first-home buyer momentum and rising bu...

Listings are tight. Rents are tighter. And policy might be about to test both. Pete Wargent and Chris Bates to break down the forces shaping Australian property in 2026 — from capital gains tax reform chatter and rental market stress to financing resilience and where momentum still exists. The focus: what actually changes behaviour, and what just makes headlines. Together, they discuss: - Unemploy...