

The Elephant In The Room Property Podcast | Inside Australian Real Estate
Chris Bates
Who's really in control when you buy a property?
The Elephant In The Room is where the things that no one wants to talk about, actually get talked about.
Veronica Morgan, real estate agent, buyers agent and co-host of Foxtel’s Location Location Location Australia & Chris Bates, financial planner, mortgage broker and wealth coach have joined forces to find out what’s really going on in the world of real estate.
Veronica and Chris talk to property owners and buyers every day in their respective lines of business. They’ve observed a wide spectrum of confidence in people’s decision making ability when buying and selling property, often to the detriment of the individuals concerned. They are both fascinated by consumer behaviour and together they’re going to uncover who’s really making the decisions when you buy a property.
In each episode they get into the psyche of buyers, agents, auctioneers and other industry experts to learn the truth about how buyers are influenced and why they do the things they do. In every episode you’ll learn from the mistakes of a “property dumbo” as well as Chris & Veronica’s “elephant rider bootcamp” training session.
The plan? This property podcast has been created to help us all make better property decisions!
The Elephant In The Room is where the things that no one wants to talk about, actually get talked about.
Veronica Morgan, real estate agent, buyers agent and co-host of Foxtel’s Location Location Location Australia & Chris Bates, financial planner, mortgage broker and wealth coach have joined forces to find out what’s really going on in the world of real estate.
Veronica and Chris talk to property owners and buyers every day in their respective lines of business. They’ve observed a wide spectrum of confidence in people’s decision making ability when buying and selling property, often to the detriment of the individuals concerned. They are both fascinated by consumer behaviour and together they’re going to uncover who’s really making the decisions when you buy a property.
In each episode they get into the psyche of buyers, agents, auctioneers and other industry experts to learn the truth about how buyers are influenced and why they do the things they do. In every episode you’ll learn from the mistakes of a “property dumbo” as well as Chris & Veronica’s “elephant rider bootcamp” training session.
The plan? This property podcast has been created to help us all make better property decisions!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 14, 2020 • 1h 9min
Mike Mortlock | Trends in property investment: What does the data say?
Today’s episode is about data, data, and data with Mike Mortlock, who is returning from Episode 60. Mike is the managing director of MCG Quantity Surveyors which recently released granular data on the Australian property market that showcases the unique behaviours of over 1,500 property investors, including how they are investing, what types of property are they investing in, and what are their motivations to invest. Here’s what we covered: What does micro level data say comparison to macro level data on property investors? How many investors live in their property before they rent it? What locations are people investing in the most? The disparity between what people want to live in, compared to what they invest in. What decisions have individual investors made before investing? How many units were being developed back in 2016? Why are developers moving towards more owner-occupier developments? Does depreciation on property matter? How people are getting sold into property that's glitter not gold. Why is capital growth the best reason to invest into property? What has increased in value more, houses or apartments? This weeks Dumbo: The huge costs of buying property without seeking professional advice. RELEVANT EPISODES:Episode 60 | Mike Mortlock Episode 79 | Cat Burgess Episode 123 | Martin North GUEST LINKS:View the data and reports mentioned in todays episode: https://mcgqs.com.au/elephantintheroom.php HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: info@gooddeeds.com.au Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.au Work with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Buy the book - AUCTION READY How to buy property at auction even though you’re scared s#!tless:www.getauctionready.com.au Use the coupon ELEPHANT for your 30% listener discount. 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 on 21 April, 2020. https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/128See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 7, 2020 • 1h 2min
Host Special | Listener Q&A: Investment types, Land tax, Yields, Bank Collapses
In our third Q&A host special, Veronica and Chris answer your need to know questions on various aspects on property and the process of purchasing: Questions: “What are your opinions on different types of investments (Student accommodation, holiday house, home dwelling, Commercial?)” “If you live in the property are you liable to pay land tax? And if so at what value is anyone really exempt from paying land tax? If so, who? And how do you structure your property ownership to avoid paying land tax?” “How does capital gains tax work and what is the 12 month rule? Are there any exemptions to capital gains tax?” “Why do you think yields are lower from family home rentals” “What happens to your assets if your bank collapses” “Is it worth forgoing an offset account to go with a sharper fixed interest rate?” This weeks Dumbo: How having a bad credit rating can destroy your opportunity of purchasing property What happens when you don’t seek out appropriate financial advice RELEVANT EPISODES: Episode 57 | Q&A 1 Episode 98 | Q&A 2 Episode 104 | Build-to-rent Episode 117 | Fool or Forecaster report HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: info@gooddeeds.com.au Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Buy the book - AUCTION READY How to buy property at auction even though you’re scared s#!tless:www.getauctionready.com.auUse the coupon ELEPHANT for your 30% listener discount. 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 on 19 May, 2020. https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/127See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 31, 2020 • 1h 22min
Stuart Wemyss | Lending rules & predicting the property market | Insights from Investopoly
Predicting the property market and getting it right doesn’t make you a nostradamus but when you get it right and people want an answer, what do you say? In this episode Stuart Wemyss Director of Prosolution and host of the Investopoly podcast joins us back from Episode 39. Stuart shares insights into how the lending space has tightened up on borrowing, why people are upgrading over investing and how he came to his accurate prediction. Here’s what we covered: How did Stuart get his 2018 forecast? Why are predictions not that reliable? What do the studies show and does it help you invest? Why asset selection is far more important than "getting a good deal". What happens at the bottom of the market? Does your property have the fundamentals that could lead to high capital growth? When should you sell a quality asset? How to become borrower ready? How to maximise your borrowing capacity? How to best manage your spending. How have low interest rates changed investing strategy? Why to always approach the family home as an investment property? MENTIONED EPISODES:Episode 39 | Stuart WemyssEpisode 117 | Dr. Shane OliverEpisode 123 | Martin North GUEST LINKS:Buy Stuart’s book Rules of the lending game. And use code ‘elephant’ for a discount plus free postage. Buy Stuart’s book Investopoly Subscribe to Stuart’s blog Article: How important is buying below market value? The largest longitudinal study on forecasts Philip E. Tetlock HOST LINKS: Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.auWork with Veronica: info@gooddeeds.com.au Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Buy the book - AUCTION READY How to buy property at auction even though you’re scared s#!tless:www.getauctionready.com.auUse the coupon ELEPHANT for your 30% listener discount. 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 on 5 May, 2020. https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/126See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 24, 2020 • 1h 9min
Damien Cooley | Innovation in auctioning: how are we selling now?
Damien Cooley is one of Australia's most well known auctioneers and is managing director of Cooley Auctions and the founder of AuctionNow, which has been critical in transitioning the real estate market from in-person to online. In today’s episode, we discuss how buyers and sellers have reacted to the restrictions, the technology that has helped transition the market, and eye-opening data, including: clearance rates, region-specific data and utilisation of online tools. Here’s what we cover: How did the covid-19 restrictions affect auctions? With the technology existing for years, how many auctions were run online? Who cancelled their auctions first? How does AuctionNow work with different state legislation? How has the clearance rate changed over the last quarter? Has online auction now been normalised? Why did certain regions not adapt to online auctions? What happened to the vendors who were caught in March? Despite the market being tough, will there always be scarce property for sale? Since open houses are back on, will they go back to the norm? Why is this the best time to get back in the market? Is it off market or is it pre-market How are banks pulling finance from clients days before settlement? How to get ahead in auctions? MENTIONED EPISODES:Episode 1 | Simon Russell Episode 2 | Damien Cooley Episode 115 | Eliza Owen GUEST LINKS:Cooley Auctions AuctionNow Cooley Index HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: info@gooddeeds.com.au Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.au Work with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Buy the book - AUCTION READY How to buy property at auction even though you’re scared s#!tless:www.getauctionready.com.au Use the coupon ELEPHANT for your 30% listener discount. 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 on 13 May, 2020.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 17, 2020 • 1h 15min
Brendan Coates | The new normal: will your household finances hold up?
In today's episode, we move the conversation away from national and global news, to what matters most: your household finances. Back in episode 89 we interviewed Brendan Coates, Household Finances Program Director at the Grattan Institute, and he joins us in this episode to explore the various issues currently affecting households: unemployment, access to super, wages and financial buffers, as well as how the small factors you might not be considering are growing behind the curtain. Here’s what we covered: How many Australians have lost their jobs? With restrictions loosening, who will be going back to work and who won't? Businesses going down the gurgler is more detrimental to the economy than unemployment? What are the long term implications of young professionals being unemployed? Should you access your future? How much does the average Australian have saved? Where should your money be during low interest rates? Who is most protected?` How are companies pivoting their business model to survive the pandemic? How will the government balance the lack of immigration this year for the future benefits? When will the vaccine be available and how will it impact your ability to work? MENTIONED EPISODES:Episode 89 | Brendan Coates Episode 117 | Dr Shane Oliver Episode 123 | Martin North HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: info@gooddeeds.com.au Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.au Work with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Buy the book - AUCTION READY How to buy property at auction even though you’re scared s#!tless:www.getauctionready.com.au Use the coupon ELEPHANT for your 30% listener discount. 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 on 28 April, 2020.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 10, 2020 • 1h 8min
Martin North | To buy, or not to buy: that is the question | Insights from Digital Finance Analytics
After Chris’s numerous appearances on Martin North’s ‘Walk the world’ Youtube channel we finally have brought Martin to our own turf. Martin is the founder of Digital Finance Analytics, a boutique research, analysis and consulting firm, he is one of the most regarded authorities in the research space with several media contributions such as ABC new, AFR and 60 minutes. In this data driven episode, we get down to the question at hand: do you buy or do you sell, what is the data showing, and is it reliable? Find out if people are borrowing too much, what properties are beating the downturn and how are individuals discovering the opportunity. Here’s what we covered: How are the 1000 households surveyed every week reflective of Australia? How did Martin enter into the finance commentary arena? What patterns are showing which suburbs are going up and which are going down. How are the 250,000 first home buyers (per year) finding ways to enter the market? Why newly built properties are at the greatest risk. How is the data segmented to better reflect real profiles? Will there be low or high capital growth over the coming years? Are we reaching our 'peak debt'? How many properties are vacant in Australia? Why is there simultaneous oversupply and undersupply in the market? What happens now since migration is zero? MENTIONED EPISODES:Episode 103 | Amanda Farmer Episode 113 | Dr. Nicole Johnson GUEST LINKS:DFA - Blog - Youtube Article 1 Mapping Mortgage Stress Article 2 Housing price falls and negative equity HOST LINKS: Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: info@gooddeeds.com.au Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.au Work with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Buy the book - AUCTION READY How to buy property at auction even though you’re scared s#!tless:www.getauctionready.com.auUse the coupon ELEPHANT for your 30% listener discount. 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 on 23 April, 2020. https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/123See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 6, 2020 • 1h 10min
John Cunningham | Pandemics, property & purchasing
In this special episode we bring back John Cunningham, Principal Director of Cunninghams, a successful and established real estate agency based in the Northern Beaches. John has a well earned reputation by experiencing all aspects of the property market; buying, selling, advising and investing. We sit down to discuss the state of the real estate market during the pandemic including how all of the changes have impacted buyers and sellers, getting cold feet or becoming hot to trot, and on the other side, how agencies have taken these challenges and restrictions head on delivering a service that has adapted to the situation. Here’s what we covered: Are real estate agents equipped to be trusted advisors? How are real estate firms finding the lockdown laws? What are agents doing to ensure clients safety? Is the gatekeeper mentality helping or damaging the real estate market? Why has the pandemic been a wake up call for the property market? Still in the market? What should you do? Timing, wait another year or action now? Is there a conflict of interest with agents giving advice? What should property managers be doing during the pandemic? How much of the real estate market has dried up? How are agents pre-qualifying their clients? How are sellers dealing with their property under inspection? MENTIONED EPISODES:Episode 12 | John CunninghamEpisode 120 | Michael Yardney GUEST LINKS:REIA - Home Cunninghams HOST LINKS: Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: info@gooddeeds.com.au Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.au Work with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Buy the book - AUCTION READY How to buy property at auction even though you’re scared s#!tless:www.getauctionready.com.auUse the coupon ELEPHANT for your 30% listener discount. 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 on 4 April, 2020. Visit the websiteSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 3, 2020 • 1h 5min
Bart Mead | Valuations: What should you know?
Have you wondered how properties are valued and who has the authority to value them? In this episode we speak to veteran valuer Bart Mead, Executive Director of JLL Valuations and Advisory. Bart has 30 years of providing property advice to financial institutions, the government and private individuals. We sit down to discuss the current state of property valuations: how they work, what factors impact the value of a property, and where the future of valuations will be - automated, cheaper and with a click of a button? Listen in to find out. Here’s what we covered: Why valuations underpin the financial system and the greater economy? How do valuations give the buyer confidence after purchasing? Will valuation in the future be done prior to purchase? Will automated valuations be the future for property purchasers? Do valuations vary greatly? What are the different types of valuations? What's the process of banks picking valuers? How will the Covid-19 Pandemic impact how property is valued? How much do banks dictate how valuation should be done? Could you take a valuer to court for under/over valuing property? How do valuers treat off-the-plan property? MENTIONED EPISODES:Episode 62 | Cecille Weldon Episode 120 | Michael Yardey HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: info@gooddeeds.com.au Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.auWork with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Buy the book - AUCTION READY How to buy property at auction even though you’re scared s#!tless:www.getauctionready.com.auUse the coupon ELEPHANT for your 30% listener discount. 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 on 16 April, 2020.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 26, 2020 • 1h 20min
Michael Yardney | The property front-line and who can you trust?
In our first podcast mashup, we collaborate with Michael Yardney, founder of Metropole Property Strategists and host of the Michael Yardney Podcast. From buying, selling and advising we hear about how the “front-line” of property are dealing with the Covid -19 pandemic and we sit down to discuss which ‘experts’ should you listen to and how you should be timing your property movements around the current economic climate.Stick around as this will be packed full of relevant information for those currently seeking, purchasing or those wondering if now is the time to dip a toe in. Here’s what we covered: The difference between a good and bad investor What are current investors thinking? Which is a better yield or growth? Which expert’s market predictions can you trust? Better yield or better tenant? How are banks assessed during the Covid-19 pandemic? Why the property market will survive the pandemic How will industries adapt? Will there be greater globalisation or greater localisation? Will owner occupier demand increase due to the virus? What properties in Melbourne that will thrive in the pandemic? What is a good development? GUEST LINKS:Michael Yardney’s Property Update Michael Yardney Podcast Metropole Property Strategists MENTIONED EPISODES:Episode 114 | 2020 Fool or Forecaster reportEpisode 115 | Eliza Owen HOST LINKS:Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: info@gooddeeds.com.au Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.au Work with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Buy the book - AUCTION READY How to buy property at auction even though you’re scared s#!tless:www.getauctionready.com.au Use the coupon ELEPHANT for your 30% listener discount. 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 is recorded on 9 April, 2020. View Episode 120 HERESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 19, 2020 • 59min
Chris Bates | Bank or Broker? What’s the difference?
In this special episode, Veronica interviews our co-host Chris Bates, financial adviser, mortgage broker and the founder of Wealthful, a boutique financial firm that assists couples and families to secure bespoke financial products. Over the last 20 years, individuals and families have been increasingly opting to obtain their finance through mortgage brokers (over 60%) rather than go through a bank. Chris discusses this current trend and where the benefits lie when choosing a broker over a bank. Here’s what we covered: Broker vs private banker? Are you with the most appropriate bank? Why are you limited to going directly to the bank? Are you dealing with the real talent at your bank? How the banks have discriminated against industries? Bank Policies how often are they changed? How long are bankers turn around times Can you use a broker to get a better rate at your bank? Which banks don't use brokers? How to find a good broker? What questions to ask your broker? MENTIONED EPISODES:Episode 53 | Jennie Tonner HOST LINKS: Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? www.gooddeeds.com.au Work with Veronica: info@gooddeeds.com.au Looking for a Mortgage Broker? www.wealthful.com.au Work with Chris: hello@wealthful.com.au Buy the book - AUCTION READY How to buy property at auction even though you’re scared s#!tless:www.getauctionready.com.au Use the coupon ELEPHANT for your 30% listener discount. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Please note that this has been transcribed by half-human-half-robot, so brace yourself for typos and the odd bit of weirdnessThis episode was recorded on 26 March, 2020. https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/119See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


