Nicki Hutley is a Partner at Deloitte Access Economics, where she leads the Urban Advisory practice.

Nikki’s worked for three decades in the field of urban economics addressing issues such as affordable housing, social & economic infrastructure investment, urban renewal, precinct planning, climate mitigation & social policies. 

Who better to help us tackle the question of whether Australia’s cities are full? We debate a wide range of topics, including:

• Will technology profoundly change the way we work & will it help regional Australia to thrive?

• Australian cities are among the least dense in the world so can we afford to go up?

• What type of housing do we actually need to fill the ‘missing middle’?

• How can population growth benefit the economy?

• Busting 3 big myths: will robots take our jobs, is the workforce becoming too casualised & is remote working the answer?

• How can density be done well & why is it necessary?

• Can technology help us better manage climate risks?

Have a listen & please let us know your thoughts.

WEBSITE LINKS:Ep 1: Simon Russel  - Behavioural Scientist

GUEST WEBSITE:Deloitte Access Economics - Nicki Hutley

Effects of youth unemployment on an ageing society

Future of Work - Download the report

Property Council of Australia - Good Growth Alliance

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www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/085

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Douglas Isles, an Investment Specialist at Platinum Asset Management, joins us for a chat on a wide range of topics including:

• Why fear & greed are the biggest problem in investing.
• How to think like a private owner, even if you’re purchasing shares.
• Social pressure & loss aversion: the behavioral biases costing you big time in the equities market.
• What are the long term benefits of holding equities against holding properties?
• How to recognise when you are holding onto a lemon.
• How do active managers counter the argument that ETFs win over the long term?
• Critical investment thinking: would you still buy an investment you currently own today?
• The importance of listening to your gut when investing.

Tune in, it's a great episode.

WEBSITE LINKS:

Ep 1: Simon Russell, Behavioural ScientistEp 69: Scott Phillips, Motley FoolEp 73: Roger Montgomery, Roger Montgomery Inv MgtEp 83: Balaji Gopal, Vanguard

GUEST WEBSITEDouglas Isles - Platinum Asset Management

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Read the transcript:www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/084

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Balaji Gopal, Vanguard’s Head of Product Strategy explains alternatives to direct residential property investment by way of index funds and exchange traded funds (or ETFs). We also discuss the many similarities of property investing & share investing & the associated behavioural biases.

Balaji shares his knowledge & demystifies:

• What are index funds and how they work?
• How fees can be kept low without creating a substandard product?
• Can you access commercial real estate via ETFs?
• Why having a goal, doing research & staying on point long term is vital
• Understanding long term financial goals & why you are investing.

It’s a great episode, we hope you learn as much as we did.

Gopal’s details:Balaji Gopal : Vanguard InvestmentsRead the transcript:www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/083 Work with Veronica? [email protected]Work with Chris? [email protected]

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Renovation expert, Justine Bennett tells us how you go about renovating a strata property. 

So where do you start, do you need council or strata approval & what are the restrictions? We discuss logistics like getting materials in & out, restricted working hours & dealing with tenants & neighbours. 

Plus, we uncover a whole bunch of pitfalls including:

• Knowing that buying a renovated apartment comes risks.

• What reno is a value add & what is overcapitalising?

• Unexpected ways to unlock untapped potential.

• Why the location of plumbing matters big time.

• Concrete cancer & water issues that wreak havoc in apartments.

• How to buy ownership of common space to increase your property value.

If you are thinking of buying a property & having a go at a renovation you must listen to this episode first.

Read the transcript:

www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/082

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We love talking to people who make sense of property data & we’re delighted to meet such a bright, young, talent in property market commentary, Eliza Owen. Eliza is a residential property analyst at Domain & she joins us to explain:

• What the median price is & when it's useful.
• Why recent sales data can be very misleading.
• How big entities influence the property market.
• Why having equity in your home is so powerful. 
• Why we need to think about alternative retirement strategies.
• What happens when your mortgage outlasts the structural integrity of your building.

It’s a great episode packed with market insights, we hope you enjoy it! If you want more you can listen to her TEDxYouth talk on property affordability.

WEBSITE LINKS:Good Deeds Blog: Proof Sydney's house prices have stopped falling

Ep 37: Frank Gelber - How to understand the most cyclical property mkt in the world

Ep 25: Amanda Farmer - What hidden dangers can lurk in brand new apartments

Ep 10: Michael Ferrier - How to ensure you are protected by your B&P/Strata Report

GUEST INFORMATION: 

Eliza Owen - TEDxYouth@Sydney

Domain Research 

Read the transcript:

www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/081

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Ed Fernon, CEO of UKO, joins us to explain co-living. We’ve seen co-working spaces take off & now people are saying that they’ll start living in a similar way.

So, what exactly is co-living, how does it work & is it only something millennials would be interested in? Or is it something you should invest in?

Here’s what you’ll learn from our chat with Ed: 

• The ins & outs of this type of accommodation.
• Why millennials are embracing the co-living model. 
• Why amenity, walkability, convenience & community matters.
• Why there is a whole new pool of renters on the hunt for co-living.
• The loneliness epidemic, how people's mental health is driven by the quality of their relationships.
• What co-living looks like as an investment & what it costs.

We hope you enjoy exploring the possibilities of co-living. Let us know what you think! 

ED FERNON WEBSITE:

UKO: Co-living

WEBSITE LINKS:

BLOG: Sydney house prices have stopped falling

Ep 37 - Frank Gleder, Understanding the most cyclical markets in the world

Ep 25: Amanda Farmer, The dangers of new apartments

Ep 10: Michael Ferrier, How to be sure you're protected by your B&P inspection/Strata report 

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Work with Chris? [email protected]

Read the transcript:

www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/080

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Catriona Burgess is Strategy Director at the Frost Collective. Cat’s worked on Australia's largest urban renewal projects including Central Park, Green Square, Key Quarter, Darwin Waterfront & Australian Technology Park, as well as international projects in China, Korea, & Auckland.

We discussed a designer's role including:

• Why designers look to market buildings to connect with your emotion.
• Social media strategies that cost you money by targeting social proof & subconscious decision making.
• The theatrical & engaging world of display suites - is the glossy brochure finally dead?
• How buying in 1st & 2nd stages of a development can impact growth.
• Will AI transform the way people buy property?
• Sustainability - what housing model should we live in & how efficient is it for our city? 
• Visionary things happening on the fringe of Sydney.

Once again, we gain a greater understanding of how the psychological & emotional side of us is targeted in a property transaction. 

WEBSITE LINKS:Catriona Burgess - Frost Collective

Download the transcript:www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/079

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Andrew Price, Managing Partner of EY Sydney a global financial advisory business has qualifications in economics, applied finance and investment and he knows about the merits of renting versus buying. We look at the myths around:

• The rent vs. buy debate - what is best?

• How State Government incentives leads to silly choices.

• Why we need to build sustainable housing for families.

• The changing trend around what young families want to live in and where.

• The important psychological & emotional value of owning your own home.

• Why you shouldn’t take on too much debt at the wrong time.

• Tips on suburb selection, asset selection and timing the market.

We come at this episode from a number of different angles & hope you enjoy it!  GUEST WEBSITE:Andrew Price - EY Sydney

Download the transcript: www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/078

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Cameron Kusher, CoreLogic’s Head of Research for Australia & leading commentator on housing market conditions & trends chats about:

• Why you shouldn’t assume ALL property doubles every 7-10 years!
• Settlement risk - what is it & how it can be avoided?
• Pain & Gain Report- the impact of a property market slow down.
• What are some of the weaknesses in Australian property data?
• What is the most riskiest data to take in isolation?
• Why access to finance is impacting the property market.
• Weaknesses of a Hedonic Housing Price Index
• What are the strongest areas in the Brisbane market?

This epic data journey explains the impact of economic & demographic trends & analyses residential property throughout the country.

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT: 

www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/077

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Demographics is a study of who we are, where we live, what defines us. The numbers tell a story. Demographer & futurist, Mark McCrindle is an award winning social researcher, bestselling author, and influential thought leader. 

Mark shares his understanding of key social trends & we find out:

• Are Gen Z & Alpha likely to own property in Sydney & Melbourne?
• The unintended consequence of parents supporting kids & creating a financial dependance mindset.
• Migration - why are we so hung up on the numbers?
• Are our urban centers able to sustain population growth?
• Key factors that boost infrastructure & our economy.
• City planning & the importance of getting it right the first time!
• Why developers need to listen up & start building for young families.

WEBSITE LINKS: 

Fools & Forecasters Report

Infographics - Mark Mccrindle Publications

GUEST WEBSITE:

http://markmccrindle.com/Read the transcript:

www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/podcasts/076 

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