The Property Academy Podcast

Back in 2021, we called Levin the most overvalued town in the country. A listener gone unconditional on a $930k house there. Today, he's down around $150,000, and he asked a fair question: would we change our answer now? In this episode, Ed and Andrew re-run Levin through five tests to see if it's finally a buy. You'll learn: Whether Levin is genuinely cheap now, or just getting cheaper Why it's s...

Last time I walked through open homes. But what about when you’re buying something that doesn’t exist yet ... just dirt, a fence, and a sign with a picture on it? So I visited three developments at three different stages to find out what you’re actually looking at. In this In The Field episode, Ed shows you how to inspect a new build before it’s built. You’ll learn: Never buy a property off the pl...

The Reserve Bank just surprised everyone, leaving the Official Cash Rate (OCR) unchanged at 2.75%. In this episode, Ed and Andrew share why the Reserve Bank broke with expectations and where the OCR could go next.   You’ll learn:  What the Reserve Bank decided to do with the Official Cash Rate  Where interest rates could go next  When the next hike could come  Sign up to Ed’s monthly Property Mark...

Everyone who gives you property advice gets paid somehow, including us. So, why are we telling you this? Because sunlight is the best disinfectant ... and once you can see the incentives, you can judge the advice. In this episode, Ed and Andrew lay their own incentives bare, then show you how to spot everyone else’s. You’ll learn: Is your property adviser biased? The hidden incentive behind every...

In July, police found 17 West Auckland properties being used as grow houses. So, what do you actually do if it happens to you? And can you even see it coming? In this episode, Ed and Andrew break down the real rules, the insurance traps, and the warning signs. You’ll learn: How do you actually, legally get drug-growing tenants out The $91,000 bill a landlord got just a few weeks ago And what the t...

The national average to build a standalone house is about $3,236 a square metre – roughly $576,000 before land. But that's only half the story. And there's a myth worth busting: that the land goes up while the building goes down. In this episode, Ed and Andrew break down what building really costs, region by region, and why buildings actually appreciate. You'll learn: What a build really costs (an...

Caro walked out of her divorce with four kids, $14 a week in child support, and the belief that she’d have to do this on her own. Seventeen years later, she’s 61, single, and has just bought her third investment property. In this Case Study Sunday, Caro shares how she built a portfolio from scratch on a nurse’s income. You’ll learn: How a nurse on a single income bought three investment properties...

Labour wants a 28% tax on the profit when you sell an investment property. So we built a spreadsheet ... not to argue whether it’s fair, just to answer one question. If you buy a property, what does the bill actually look like? In this episode, Ed and Andrew run the numbers on a 28% CGT in plain English. You’ll learn: What actually happens if Labour’s capital gains tax comes in The bill you’d actu...

I usually buy off-market, so I’d never really done the open-home circuit as an investor. So one afternoon I went to three in a row to see what actually happens. A messy layout, a big price drop, and a do-up the vendors wanted $1 million for. Here’s what I found. In this In The Field episode, Ed takes you along to three Auckland open homes and shows you how to read one like an investor. You’ll lear...

A woman had it all figured out: good income, mortgage-free, the trust paid off the house. So where’s the money she used to put on the mortgage going? “Honestly, we just spend it.” In this episode, Ed and Andrew explain why even high earners can’t find money to invest and the one fix that reliably works. You’ll learn: Why your money gets absorbed, not wasted The “commitment device” that forces you...

Around 600,000 more people are set to call Auckland home... like half the South Island upping sticks and moving to the big smoke. So, where do we put them all, and what does that mean for where you buy? In this episode, Ed and Andrew map out the $50 billion of infrastructure reshaping the city, decade by decade. You'll learn: Why Auckland needs the equivalent of 100 new suburbs How new trains,...

Remember 2022, when banks combed your statements and declined you for too many flat whites? That's over. So, what do banks actually check now, and what have they stopped caring about? In this episode, Ed and Andrew break down how banks really assess a mortgage application in 2027. You'll learn: Why banks no longer scrape your spending line by line Whether a messy few months will actually s...

In 1962, the average Kiwi house cost about $7,000. By 2021, it was $895,000 – seven doublings. But not one of them took exactly ten years. So can prices really keep doubling as everyone says? In this episode, Ed and Andrew walk the whole 60-year ladder, then argue whether the pattern can continue. You'll learn: How long each of the seven doublings actually took The case for it continuing and a...

Charlotte and her husband were on their honeymoon when they signed up for a central Wellington apartment. It hasn't gone to plan. So, what's it really like when some of your property bets win, and others sink? In this Case Study Sunday, Charlotte shares an honest journey – the wins, the losses, and the sacrifice in between. You'll learn: How she bought her first home with her twin sist...

One house was built when Kiwis still got paid in pounds and shillings. The other isn't even finished ... the builders are still on site. And they cost the same: $700k. So, which one's the better investment? In this episode, Ed and Andrew score a new build against an existing one across seven rounds. You'll learn: Where existing wins and where new builds win Whether there's really a...

I own five rental properties, and I've never once inspected one myself. You just get a report, a few photos, maybe a line saying it's fine. So, I spent a morning shadowing a property manager on three real inspections. In this episode, Ed and Andrew take you inside what actually happens in the 20 minutes someone's in your rental. You'll learn: What a property manager actually looks...

There’s a proposal on the table that would hand loss-making landlords a tax refund. So, who’d actually benefit, who’d miss out, and will it even happen? In this episode, Ed and Andrew break down the push to unwind ring-fencing in plain English. You’ll learn: The major new policy just announced for landlords The $194 a week tax cut that could be coming for property investors Will it actually come i...

Some houses look like a bargain... until you try to sell them. One home in this episode was bought for $375,000 and later resold for just $35,000. So, which properties are almost impossible to shift, and why? In this episode, Ed and Andrew count down seven types of homes that can wreck your wealth. You'll learn: The seven property types that quietly destroy value The traps that make them so ha...

One Kiwi put solar on her house 18 months ago... now her power company pays her, and in summer her bill runs negative. So, does solar actually pay off, and does any of it work on a rental? In this episode, Ed and Andrew run the real numbers on home solar. You'll learn: What solar costs now, and how long it takes to pay for itself The one rule that decides whether it's worth it Why it rarel...

One party is proposing to tax the land under your house – around $23,000 a year on a typical section, whether you sell or not. So, what would it actually do to house prices, and who wins and loses? In this episode, Ed and Andrew give a fair, unbiased breakdown of TOP's proposed land tax. You'll learn: What a 1.75% land tax would cost you each year Why it could push house prices down 10-15%...

Matt and his wife landed in Whanganui from Australia with two suitcases, $30,000, and a couple of credit cards ... no job, no furniture, no one they knew. Seven years on, they've flipped 29 houses. So how did they do it? In this Case Study Sunday, Matt Perks shares the deals, the sacrifices, and the lessons behind it. You'll learn: How these investors arrived in NZ with 2 suitcases and, 7 years la...

We built a tool that's the next best thing to a time machine: put in your birth month and where you live, and it shows what you'd have made if you'd bought earlier. So, does buying earlier always win? Not always... and that's exactly the problem. In this episode, Ed and Andrew put the "wealth vs wait" question to the test. You'll learn: How much extra you could have made by buying five years soone...

We record this show in a studio every day. This week, we sat in an Auckland auction room for two hours. So what's it really like to be in the room when the hammer comes down? In this episode, Ed and Andrew take you inside a real auction afternoon, and you'll learn: What an auction room actually looks (and sounds) like The tactics we saw real bidders use The four numbers you should walk into the au...

A developer is building 322 apartments in Morningside ... with just 78 car parks. That's one for every four homes. The locals fear chaos. The developer says the tenants simply won't own cars. So who's right? In this episode, Ed and Andrew dig into the Morningside build-to-rent development and what it says about Auckland's future. You'll learn: Is this the new future for Auckland Why couldn't the c...

Jenna is 31 and already owns two properties... but like most people, she has no idea what she's actually on track for. So, we built her a full Wealth Plan, live, and revealed the number she'd never seen. In this episode, Ed and Andrew build Jenna's plan from scratch, from her perfect day in retirement to the shortfall she's facing. You'll learn: A live demo where we create a wealth plan for a list...