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

Property investing has rarely looked more seductive—or more dangerous. In this episode, Veronica and Chris unpack the growing gap between how property portfolios are being sold and how risk is quietly stacking up beneath the surface. As regulators tighten lending rules and banks pull back, the question isn’t whether the rules are changing—it’s whether investors are paying attention. The conversati...

Australian property prices are often treated as a national scoreboard—up means success, down means failure. But what if that assumption is wrong? In this episode, we interrogate one of the most polarising ideas in housing today: that Australia’s obsession with ever-rising property prices is doing more harm than good. Joining Veronica and Chris is Adam Schwab , founder of Luxury Escapes and a sharp...

As 2025 comes to a close, property headlines are once again filling with bold predictions about what 2026 will bring. But rather than playing the forecasting game, this episode takes a more grounded approach — examining the forces already in motion and how they’re likely to shape buyer, seller, and investor behaviour in the year ahead. Chris Bates and Veronica Morgan unpack what’s really driving t...

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on one of the least transparent parts of Australia’s property market: sales campaign behaviour. From hidden campaign histories to shifting price guides and agent tactics designed to manufacture buyer momentum, most buyers are making six- and seven-figure decisions without the information they actually need. Today’s conversation digs into that gap — and the...

Australia’s housing market is creaking under pressure — record-low affordability, rising lower-end prices, and policies that keep boosting demand instead of easing it. In this episode, Cotality’s Head of Research Eliza Owen helps us zoom out and make sense of the contradictions shaping today’s market. We unpack why “years to save a 20% deposit” is the wrong metric, why income — not deposits — is t...

2026 is shaping up as a year of subtle indicators and big risks, and Louis Christopher breaks down the data points seasoned investors should be paying attention to right now. In this episode, Louis joins Veronica and Chris just days after releasing the 2026 edition to unpack the findings that matter most: population growth moderating sharply, supply finally catching up in pockets, and why rental p...

In this Q&A episode, Veronica and Chris unpack the real property questions investors are facing right now. From ATO debt rules to cashflow pressure and portfolio structure, this episode gets straight to the point and cuts through the myths. They break down a $5.3M portfolio spread across Logan, Townsville, Shepparton, regional WA and Melbourne’s fringe, revealing why “affordable” properties of...

The Block 2025 auctions were billed as a massive TV spectacle — but what unfolded in Daylesford turned out to be one of the most revealing auction finales the show has aired in years. Five nearly identical, fully furnished homes were pushed to market on a single afternoon, each carrying price expectations the local market was never built to support. What followed was a rare moment where real buyer...

Everyone’s talking about AI as the future of property, but what if it’s quietly distorting how we see value? Veronica and Chris sit down with Luke Metcalfe, founder of Microburbs and DataScape, to reveal why precision in property data is often just an illusion. Luke, one of Australia’s leading data scientists, reveals why many AI-driven tools sound convincing but are often wrong — and how they can...

Property investment has entered dangerous new territory. What used to be about building long-term wealth has become clouded by hype, shortcuts, and unqualified advice. Investors are being drawn into speculative schemes disguised as strategy. In this episode, Veronica and Chris sit down with Ben Kingsley , Founding Managing Director of Empower Wealth and Chair of the Property Investors Council of A...

There’s a side of the property market most Australians never see — where listings don’t make headlines, and deals happen behind closed doors. In this episode, we step into that world of discretion and discovery with William Laing, Co-Founder and CEO of Quiet List, to explore how off-market sales are quietly reshaping the real estate landscape. With nearly one in five Sydney homes now trading off-m...

Australia’s strata system was once a clever solution to urban living — a way to share land, lift homeownership, and build communities in growing cities. But decades later, that same framework is struggling to keep up with modern life. What once worked for small, low-rise communities now governs the high-density towers that house millions of Australians. The result? Costs have climbed, decision-mak...

Australia’s housing shortage isn’t just about planning approvals or red tape — it’s about money.  In this episode, commercial finance expert Jean-Pierre Gortan, Joint Founder of Simplicity Loans & Advisory, joins Veronica Morgan and Chris Bates to unpack the financial bottlenecks preventing new homes from being built, even in areas crying out for supply. Jean-Pierre draws on more than two...

Property decisions today hinge on interest rates, inflation, and housing demand — but what if the traditional signals we’ve all relied on no longer give the full picture? In this episode, we sit down with Alan Oster, former Chief Economist of NAB and one of Australia’s most respected economic voices, to unpack what really matters in a housing market under stress. Alan explains why GDP, unemploymen...

What’s really driving property investors in 2025? The latest PIPA Investor Sentiment Survey lays it bare — and the results matter for every investor, renter, and policymaker in Australia. In this episode, we’re joined by Lachlan Vidler, Chair of the Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA), to unpack the top findings. The survey shows investors are selling under pressure—with debt red...

Short-term rentals have faced caps, levies, and rising costs. Investors are asking the big question: Does the short-stay model still work? In this episode, Quirin Schwaighofer, co-founder and co-CEO of MadeComfy , joins us to unpack the state of the short-stay market in 2025. We talk about how regulations like NSW’s 180-day cap and Byron Bay’s 60-day limits are reshaping operations, where demand i...

Property management in Australia has been facing challenges for years — tenants feel ignored, landlords are frustrated, and managers are burning out. The question is: is the entire model broken beyond repair? In this episode, we sit down with Scott Bateman, strategist, innovator, and founder of property management platform Kolmeo, to unpack what’s gone wrong and what the future could look like. Sc...

Australia’s housing market has been facing growing pressures in recent years. Homeowners often sit on millions in equity but can’t easily access it, while aspiring buyers without the “Bank of Mum and Dad” struggle to get into the market. At the same time, investors chase capital growth but face the costly, stressful reality of being landlords. In this episode, we sit down with Evan Thornley, CEO o...

Australia’s housing crisis isn’t just a social problem — it’s an economic one. In this episode, Robert Pradolin, founder of Housing All Australians, argues that secure, affordable housing must be treated as essential infrastructure for the nation’s prosperity. With over 40 years in residential development, Robert brings both insider knowledge and bold solutions to a system that has been failing fo...

NIMBY vs YIMBY? Is saying “no” to change protecting community character — or blocking the homes our cities desperately need? In this episode, we sit down with Jonathan O’Brien, lead organizer of YIMBY Melbourne, to unpack what’s at stake when communities resist — or embrace — change. We dig into whether opposing development is simply selfish or a legitimat...

Commercial property isn’t just “resi with higher yields” — it’s a whole different game with its own language, rules, and risks. In this episode, we sit down with Helen Tarrant, founder of Unikorn Commercial Property, to unpack what investors really need to know before making the leap. Helen reveals why mindset is the first hurdle when moving from residential to commer...

Australia’s strata sector is under pressure — and it's no longer a niche issue. Following high-profile investigations by Four Corners and 7.30 Report, strata governance failures, building defects, and financial blowouts are now front and centre. With more Australians living in apartments and townhouses than ever before, what happens next in this space will impact millions. In this epis...

With property data becoming increasingly available, investors face a growing challenge: accurately interpreting the numbers. In this episode, Veronica and Chris speak with Matija Djolic, co-founder of HtAG Analytics, to discuss how investors can effectively use property data and avoid common mistakes. Matija outlines four essential questions investors need to address before making decisions, empha...

Today, we sit down with Scott Aggett, founder of Hello Haus, a negotiation service shaking up Australia’s property buying landscape. Scott pulls back the curtain on the high-stakes game of real estate negotiation and reveals why most buyers are unknowingly walking into traps laid by experienced selling agents. If you’ve ever felt outmatched or overwhelmed in the home-buying process, th...

If you’re navigating retirement planning in Australia, this episode is a must-listen. Financial adviser James Wrigley joins The Elephant in the Room to unpack the strategies that high-income earners, Gen X professionals, and aspiring retirees can use to build a more secure financial future, without falling into the usual traps. From maximising tax returns through superannuation to understand...