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

Who could've predicted what happened last year? We began 2020 with high hopes and a positive outlook for the Australian property market, after the lows of 2019. Then came COVID-19, which threw everything we thought that was possible right out the window. Panic ensued and the real estate market came to a halt, especially in Melbourne. But as the year progressed and restrictions were lifted, the urge to upgrade and/or buy a first home became imperative, but vendors were concerned about selling in an unpredictable market. This led to a severe lack of supply. Now, with Q1 of 2021 behind us, the property market is thriving with historic clearance rates and FOMO rampant across the nation.  In this annual episode, we cover the experts and property pundits who were brave or foolish enough to forecast the year that was. Who got it right and who got it wrong? Which voices potentially impacted the market, and what role did the media play amplifying their opinions and even causing panic? We hope to answer the question: where can you get good advice during a volatile situation? THE REPORT:https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/fool-or-forecaster THE EXPERT’S EPISODES:Roger Montgomery - Founder of Montgomery Investment Management June 24, 2019: Episode 73 | Why are so many equity investors bearish about property? Eliza Owen - Head of Residential Research at Corelogic Aug 19, 2019: Episode 81 | Will a crisis in confidence kill our apartment market? March 31, 2020: Episode 115 | The impact of new restrictions & increasing unemployment Aug 3, 2020: Episode 135 | Corelogic report: Pain and Gain, March quarter 2020 Jan 18 2021: Episode 159 | Why hasn’t the property market crashed? Louis Christopher - Founder of SQM Research Jan 13, 2020: Episode 102 | Research data - 2020 Boom or Bust? Shane Oliver - Head of Investment Strategy and Chief Economist at AMP Capital Apr 7, 2020: Episode 117 | The next Great Depression? The next Roaring 20s? Pete Wargent - International Buyers Agent & CEO of Next Level Wealth April 13, 2020: Episode 118 | Current global property market: What you should know. Martin North - Founder of Digital Finance Analytics (DFA) May 11, 2020: Episode 123 | To buy, or not to buy: that is the question Sept 28, 2020: Episode 143 | Postcode Analysis: What properties are outperforming the market Stuart Wemyss - Financial Advisor & Author of Rules of the Lending Game & Investopoly June 1, 2020: Episode 126 | Lending rules & predicting the property market February 8, 2021: Episode 162 | Houses vs Apartments Nicola Powell - Senior Research Analyst at Domain Sept 7, 2020: Episode 140 | Behavioural science of property buying Saul Eslake - Former Chief Economist of ANZ and Bank of America Merrill Lynch Nov 30, 2020: Episode 152 | What does top economist say on the current economic environment Warren Hogan - Former Chief Economist of ANZ July 8, 2019: Episode 75 | Is Australia heading into a recession? Jan 11, 2021: Episode 158 | Top economist puts Australia in the world picture. Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction Paperback https://www.amazon.com.au/Superforecasting-Science-Prediction-Philip-Tetlock/dp/0804136718 HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: https://linktr.ee/veronicamorgan Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Send in your questions to: questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdness…This episode was recorded in March, 2020. https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/158See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren Robinson is the Director of Rental Results in Brisbane and has nearly two decades experience in the property management industry. Lauren has also authored the book ‘Rented!’ which helps investors develop successful property management skills. Adding to the arsenal of investment property episodes, we jump into being landlords looking at the roles, responsibilities and benefits.Here’s what we covered: What are typical ways landlords fail? How are vacancy rates currently looking? How has the rental market changed over COVID? What legal responsibilities do landlords have to their tenant? What makes a great property manager? How to successful market your investment property? How is technology changing in the property investment space? What due diligence should you be doing before you buy your investment property? Are all investments equal? RELEVANT EPISODES:Episode 168 | How to buy an investment property Episode 165 | Investing in commercial property Suburb Trends February 2020 | New popular suburbs GUEST LINKS:https://www.rentalresults.com.au/ HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: https://linktr.ee/veronicamorgan Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Send in your questions to: questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdness…This episode was recorded in March, 2021. https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/169See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of our dedicated listeners Lily, asked six questions around buying her first investment property. The questions were so relevant and important they warranted their own entire episode. We discuss how to assess, prepare and act on buying your first investment property, what you should be buying and how to know if you’re ready.Questions: Financially, what are some indicators you're ready to buy an investment property?  (Eg is there a rule of thumb for how much of your place of residence you should pay off first? And does that count money in an offset account?) In terms of location - does the advantage of having local knowledge outweigh the risks of having all your eggs in one basket? (And if the advice is to diversify, does that mean look in a different suburb, or is it better to look in a completely different city? Diversifying makes sense in theory but buying in an unfamiliar city seems risky) Is there any guidance around the value of an investment compared to the value of your place of residence, assuming you can service repayments? (eg would it be weird to have an investment property worth more than your place of residence, assuming you are happy living in a modest home?) In terms of type of property, is it good to diversify from your first property or just to focus on a 'quality asset'? (Eg Our home is a townhouse - should we try hard to get a freestanding house for an investment property?) What are some tips and considerations for structuring mortgages? (Eg we make currently make minimum repayments and keep any extra in an offset, just in case we want to buy or rent elsewhere and keep our current place as an investment property. However, it's looking more likely that this will be our 'forever home' and future property purchases would be investments - or if we didn't want to live here we'd be happy to sell it, rather than rent it out - would that change the strategy?) What are the pros and cons of using the equity in your home as leverage? RELEVANT EPISODES:Episode 162 | Houses vs Apartments Episode 161 | Listener Q&A: Building your own home, retiring on property & sustainable properties? Episode 157 | 2021 predictions & 2020 review HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: https://linktr.ee/veronicamorgan Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Send in your questions to: questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdness…This episode was recorded in March, 2021. https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/168See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month we are focusing on what is not booming! Which suburbs and areas have had the greatest price falls, and why? Within this episode we will recap how the market is currently performing rationalising why these mentioned suburbs have had the greatest drop off and what it means for greater Australia.Here’s what we covered: How is the unit market performing? Where would be the last place you would buy property? How Western Sydney is compared to the city. What patterns and potential causes have impacted these areas? How has the drop in tourism impacted property prices across Australia? Where was the biggest fall in property prices in Australia? Will these areas bounce back in the future or will the demand flow elsewhere? RELEVANT EPISODES:Episode 159 | Eliza Owen Suburb Trends February 2021 Suburb Trends December 2020 LINKS:www.suburbtrends.comhttps://www.suburbtrends.com/suburb-reviews https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/suburbs-house-price-plummeting-011158856.html?guccounter=1 HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: https://linktr.ee/veronicamorgan Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Send in your questions to: questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdness…This episode was recorded in March, 2021. https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/st8See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We welcome David Tucker Chief of Infrastructure Assessment at Infrastructure Australia. David joined Infrastructure Australia in 2018 after over 16 years with some of Australia’s top-tier consulting firms. In this episode we chat shop on how infrastructure factors within the property market and how have airports, roads, transport and essential goods been impacted in recent times from the change in working arrangement and the post-COVID normal.Here’s what we covered: What is infrastructure Australia and why does it exist? What are the different classes of infrastructure? How to assess key projects? What has made certain projects more of a priority than others? How has climate change impacted infrastructure projects and schedules? Has COVID shifted much point of view on the upcoming projects? How do regions compete in getting more spending for infrastructure? What projects should we be most excited about? How does infrastructure impact property prices? What will it take to solve the transport problems in Australia? What gaps in our infrastructure do we currently have and how can this be solved? RELEVANT EPISODES:Episode 158 | Warren Hogan Episode 148 | Bernard Gallagher Episode 145 | Lucinda Harley GUEST LINKS:https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/publications/Infrastructure_Priority_List_2021 Priority List interactive map: https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/search-priority-list-map Infrastructure beyond COVID-19: https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/publications/Infrastructure-beyond-COVID HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: https://linktr.ee/veronicamorgan Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Send in your questions to: questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdness…This episode was recorded in March, 2021.https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/148See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcoming back Scott Phillips, Chief Investment Officer of the Motley Fool. In this episode he details the current investment market, where people are putting their money and who is winning big and who are losing it all. We expand the chat discussing how interest rates are playing into the overall picture of Australian property, shares and cryptocurrency.Here’s what we covered: Why are buyers so confident investing into bricks and mortar? What other investments are going off? How did the craze of Gamestop happen and what will be the after effects? What is happening in the share market? What are the kinds of people investing and will they continue to invest? Will bitcoin continue to boom or bust? Will the TechReck happen? Have Australian saved or spent more during Covid? What is better to invest into super or property? Should you upgrade your house or invest? RELEVANT EPISODES:Episode 159 | Eliza Owen Episode 152 | Saul Eslake Episode 69 | Scott Phillips GUEST LINKS:https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-rba-takes-three-years-off-what-does-it-mean-for-us/id1118867383?i=1000507802202 HOST LINKS: Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.auWork with Veronica: https://linktr.ee/veronicamorgan Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Send in your questions to: questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdness…This episode was recorded in March.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Palise is a commercial property buyers agent, who started his career as an engineer but found his passion in commercial property. He has helped thousands of clients secure and purchase properties across every state and has achieved amazing outcomes whilst reducing their risk. In this episode Veronica and Steve discuss the intricate differences between commercial property and residential property; how it grows, why people invest into it and how it can add to your portfolio.Here’s what we covered: How does commercial property investment differ from residential What type of investor buys commercial property? What are the options to getting into commercial real estate? How do you minimise your risk with commercial property? What due diligence needs to be done when commercial property? How is commercial property valued? Is capital gains a big part of the value proposition of commercial property? How is interacting with the tenant different from residential property? RELEVANT EPISODES:Episode 160 | Soren Trampedach Suburb Trends November 2020 | University Towns GUEST LINKS:Buy Steve Palise’s book: https://www.paliseproperty.com/ HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: https://linktr.ee/veronicamorgan Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Send in your questions to: questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdness…This episode was recorded in February, 2020. https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/165See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marty Sadlier has over 19 years experience in the building and construction industry, he is the co-founder of MCG Quantity Surveyors which is recognised as Australia’s fastest growing quantity surveying firm; working with big names in business like McDonalds, CBA and Westpac. In this episode Marty breaks the news to Australians about the widespread building defects, the unbelievable underinsurance across Australia and what property investors should be doing to safeguard their biggest asset. Here’s what we covered: How underinsured are Australians? How to work out how much you should insure your house for? Are online value calculators accurate? How does extra costs such as demolish get lost in property owners calculations? Can you insure depreciating buildings? What is the difference between a valuer and a quantity surveyor? Do apartment 5 year valuations increase their premiums? How many buildings have flammable cladding? Are things improving around building defects or is it getting worse? RELEVANT EPISODES:Episode 138 | Simon Kuestenmacher Episode 121 | Bart Mead Episode 113 | Dr. Nicole Johnston GUEST LINKS:https://www.mcgqs.com.au/elephant/ Fire Cladding Blog Common building defects Blog Final NSW Government Report into Building Standards and Quality Blog HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: https://linktr.ee/veronicamorgan Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Send in your questions to: questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdness…This episode was recorded in February 2021.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The future is now? Speak to your house, have an AI butler and automate your life… maybe not now but when? In this episode we chat to Brett Savill, CEO of Quantify Technology, an ASX-listed technology business dedicated to simplify living environments with ‘smart housing’. Our hosts and Brett discuss the current state of smart houses, the future of housing across the globe and how technology companies like Quantify Technology play into this. Here’s what we covered: Why has it taken so long for smart houses to get where it is now? Out of all of the products which are best suited for home automation? What should a homeowner expect to pay for a smart house? Does fitting a house with smart technology increase it’s value? What are the benefits of fitting a house with smart technology How do big international players like Google and Amazon fit in this picture? Cyber-security is a major issue, how will you data be used? How should homeowners think about data communication? Is it expensive to set up and install? RELEVANT EPISODES:Episode 161 | Q&A Episode 156 | Sentiments on the decade ahead Episode 148 | Urban Design: What will future Australia look like? GUEST LINKS:https://www.quantifytechnology.com/directors/brett-savill/ http://linkedin.com/in/brettsavill  HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: https://linktr.ee/veronicamorgan Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.au Work with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Send in your questions to: questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdness…This episode was recorded in February 2021 https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/163See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kent Lardner & the hosts took a look at the most popular searched suburbs from a year ago and discussed whether being popular then resulted in price increases. The 10 most searched suburbs in Australia were in Sydney and Melbourne and they fit in two buckets, aspirational and affordable. Listen and find out which performed better. Here’s what we covered: Why is regional NSW looking strong for both units and houses? Why will the Sydney market always run hot? Where is the mass exodus of Melbournites heading to and what are they buying up? How does an outer edge suburb like Hornsby experience such rapid growth? Who were the owners that saved the Paddington and inner east terrace house? Who will miss out at auction in Melbourne and how are home buyers preparing themselves to purchase? RELEVANT EPISODES:Episode 162 | Stuart Wemyss Suburb Trends December 2020 Suburb Trends November 2020 LINKS:www.suburbtrends.comAustralia's most popular suburbs revealed HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: https://linktr.ee/veronicamorgan Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.au Work with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Send in your questions to: questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdness…This episode was recorded in February 2021 https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/st7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.