If you’re someone who wants to understand what’s really going on in real estate markets around Australia, here’s the key thing you have to do:

When data on the property market is published, get a copy of the actual report.

Don’t read what the media says is in the report. Get a copy of the report itself.

In most cases, the reports – from research entities like Domain, SQM Research and CoreLogic - are free and easily accessible.

And when you look at the data in many of the reports on prices, you will notice the stark differences between what the reports say, and what the media claims the reports say.

The sad reality is that the key messages on property market data are being distorted in two main ways.