In a revealing discussion, senior correspondent Sarah Martin delves into the soaring advertising fees Australians face when selling their homes, attributing much of the spike to the dominance of realestate.com.au and Domain. She shares insights on the unique profit strategies of these platforms and critiques the barriers they create for private sellers. The conversation also highlights the lack of government intervention to regulate this market monopoly, igniting a dialogue on fairness and the future of real estate transactions in Australia.
The astronomical advertising fees in Australia's real estate market burden sellers, making it one of the most expensive places globally to list homes.
The monopoly held by platforms like realestate.com.au limits competition and options for homeowners, perpetuating high costs for property advertising.
Deep dives
High Advertising Costs in Australia
The cost of advertising properties in Australia is notably high, making it one of the most expensive markets globally. This inflated expense stems from the dominance of realestate.com, which is largely owned by News Corp, where real estate agents are charged thousands of dollars to list properties. These costs are then transferred to homeowners, leading to significant marketing bills that can amount to $8,000 or more in metropolitan areas for a single property listing. The pricing structure not only burdens sellers but also illustrates the profit-driven motives of the real estate portals, ultimately affecting housing affordability in the market.
Unique Market Dynamics
Australia's real estate market is distinct as sellers are responsible for advertising costs, a practice not seen in many other countries. In places like North America and the UK, it is the agents who bear these expenses, resulting in no financial burden for the homeowner. This vendor-paid model leads to a lack of choice for sellers, who find themselves reliant on real estate agents due to the portals' restrictions on private listings. Such dynamics underscore the entrenched roles of agents and the portals, creating a market that limits competition and options for home sellers.
Monopolistic Practices and Profitability
Realestate.com operates as an effective monopoly in the Australian real estate sector, with its pricing strategies increasingly raising costs for property sellers. The relationship between real estate agents and these portals encourages continual price hikes, as agents often feel pressure to utilize more expensive listing options to remain competitive. This situation not only stifles potential market disruption but also raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of such practices, especially amidst ongoing complaints from real estate agents about their profitability models. Regulatory bodies have noted these dynamics but have failed to take significant action against the established monopoly, leaving the system largely unchanged.
Australians are paying the most expensive advertising fees in the world to sell their homes online as a result of the market dominance of realestate.com.au and Domain. Senior correspondent Sarah Martin tells Reged Ahmad what’s behind the astronomical rise in profits for the real estate websites and if the government can do anything about it You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport
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