Got a question for the trio? https://forms.zohopublic.com/propertyplanningaustralia/form/GotaquestionforthePropertyTrio/formperma/zYCQAxzE_24CVlDafP1ozyzwtmB-8m1iCNtCTgDvHXM

🎙️This week on The Property Trio, Cate and Dave field two great listener questions. Max, a young investor weighing his options for a second property asks: Should I buy now at 90% LVR and pay lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), or wait until I save for 80% LVR and a lower rate? 💡 Getting in sooner

Dave explains that buying at 90% LVR can bring a purchase forward by one to three years, giving valuable time for capital growth. While LMI and slightly higher interest rates add costs, these are often outweighed by early market entry—provided investors maintain cashflow buffers and commit to a long holding period.

📉 Avoid the cheaper asset trap
Cate warns that buying a lower-quality property to get in sooner is risky. Compromises in location, dwelling type, or fundamentals can significantly underperform over time. Even small differences in annual growth rates can compound into major wealth gaps. 

🎙️ Our second listener question is from from Peter, who’s weighing up what dwelling types to invest in Melbourne with a budget of $500k–$650K.  Peter also asks the Trio whether a new build in Perth could deliver stronger long-term returns.

🏡 Peter shares that he’s been pitched house-and-land and townhouse packages by property investment groups, only to find they’re priced $50k–$100k higher than local builder offerings. This raises red flags for the Trio, who unpack how “introducers” and commission-driven sales can inflate prices and compromise buyers’ outcomes. Cate warns of the dangers of overpaying, the poor land-to-asset ratio of new builds, and the risk of investing in stock that lacks scarcity or uniqueness. 📉 Dave builds on this by explaining how oversupply in fringe estates puts capital growth under pressure. When developers keep releasing new stock, yesterday’s shiny home quickly becomes tomorrow’s dated dwelling. Together, the Trio emphasise that buying brand-new—whether in Melbourne or Perth—comes with hidden risks, from inflated valuations at settlement to lower demand from owner-occupiers down the track.

The discussion then pivots to alternative strategies. Rather than chasing fringe house-and-land packages, Cate suggests exploring established units and boutique apartments in well-located Melbourne suburbs where buyers can tap into amenity, strong transport links, and genuine scarcity. Dave adds that regional cities may also present better value within Peter’s budget. 

And our gold nuggets!..... 

Cate Bakos's gold nugget: Buyers need to understand and apply land-to-asset ratio to every purchase.

David Johnston's gold nugget: "I would prefer people get into the market sooner rather than later if they have an appropriate budget, especially given the market we're in with rates falling, the deposit scheme just increasing, prices rising already. And as I touched on, I expect prices to rise at a faster rate in 2026." 

Shownotes: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2025/09/22/listener-questions-september/

Got a question for the trio? https://forms.zohopublic.com/propertyplanningaustralia/form/GotaquestionforthePropertyTrio/formperma/zYCQAxzE_24CVlDafP1ozyzwtmB-8m1iCNtCTgDvHXM


In this latest market update episode, the Trio unpack the findings in the August data, and they reflect on the cash rate cut and how 2025's third cash rate cut has impacted the early spring market.

🏡 The Property Trio: Market Movers, Segmentation & City Standouts  It's interesting to see the perennial performers of 2023 and 2024—Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth are still delivering. Brisbane’s 1.2% monthly growth even pipped Darwin's (1.1%), while Perth clocked 1.1% and Adelaide added 0.9%. Darwin continues to lead the nation on an annualised basis, but the Trio ask: how much longer can these hot markets run? Cate weighs in on Melbourne, where official growth numbers appear soft compared with the strong buyer competition she’s experiencing on the ground. She attributes this to segmentation, noting that upgraders—often emotionally driven and recently boosted by interest rate cuts—are pushing the middle of the market hardest. Mike backs this up with data: the 50th percentile is outperforming both the bottom and top quartiles.

The Trio also highlight that national growth is broadly positive, with every capital except Hobart showing gains over the last three months. Melbourne may be lagging on paper, but it’s just 3% shy of its 2022 peak—a sign of resilience and potential upside. Dave contrasts quartile data across cities, noting that in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, the lowest quartile is leading, suggesting investors and latecomers may be driving the final leg of this cycle. 

🏡 The Property Trio: Spring Stock, Footy Fever & Market Sentiment  Spring has arrived, but for property watchers, it doesn’t quite feel like the floodgates have opened yet. Cate reminds listeners that we’re only in early September—and for Melbourne, (and much of Victoria), the property market doesn’t hit full stride until after the AFL season finishes. In a city where everything stops for footy, October is traditionally when listing volumes surge.

📈 Agents are reporting stronger appraisal activity and plenty of auction dates locked in, but stock levels remain tight. 

🤔 This supply/demand imbalance creates a tricky chicken-and-egg scenario. Vendors don’t want to list until they’ve secured their next home, but in a rising market, especially with rare or fussy briefs, hesitation can stall the cycle. Dave and Mike weigh in on the balancing act sellers face between locking in strong results and avoiding homelessness. 

📊 Mike brings the data lens to national listings. Darwin and Brisbane are showing sharp annual contractions in stock, aligning with their recent strong performances. Meanwhile, Melbourne and Hobart are down year-on-year, possibly reflecting weaker sentiment and more cautious vendors. Dave stresses the importance of comparing numbers to five-year averages, reminding listeners that spring always swells supply, but buyer demand doesn’t fluctuate nearly as much. 

🌏 The Trio then tackle a puzzling consumer sentiment report: despite an interest rate cut sparking buyer activity on the ground, confidence in the economy has dropped. Global conflict and local unrest may be weighing on Australians’ psyche, even while house price expectations remain firm.  This lively episode blends property insights with cultural context, giving listeners a glimpse of spring 2025’s early signs, the quirks of timing around footy season, and the broader forces shaping confidence in our markets.

Shownotes: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2025/09/15/ep-327-august-2025-market-update/

Got a question for the trio? https://forms.zohopublic.com/propertyplanningaustralia/form/GotaquestionforthePropertyTrio/formperma/zYCQAxzE_24CVlDafP1ozyzwtmB-8m1iCNtCTgDvHXM

🎙️ In this episode of The Property Trio, Dave Johnston, Cate Bakos, and Mike Mortlock unpack a fantastic listener question from Jade about granny flats in Melbourne. With her mum considering upsizing and building a $250,000 granny flat for multi-generational living, Jade wanted to know: is it a smart value-add or just an expensive lifestyle decision?

🏡 Cate’s Take – Lifestyle Over Capital Growth
Cate kicks off by stressing the key distinction between lifestyle value and market value. Granny flats can be brilliant for families — providing affordable housing for parents, in-laws, or adult kids — but they rarely deliver strong capital growth. Most mainstream buyers in Melbourne simply prefer a bigger backyard over a second dwelling, and in some cases, granny flats can even detract from resale appeal. Cate highlights that the decision must come down to family priorities rather than assumptions about adding financial value.

💰 Mike’s Numbers – Costs, Yields & Depreciation
Mike digs into the data. While Sydney has seen investors boost yields with granny flats, Melbourne’s stricter planning rules make it harder. With build costs often ranging from $150,000 to $300,000, the risk of overcapitalisation is real. For family use, there’s no rental income to offset expenses, and lenders generally don’t assign much extra value to granny flats unless fully approved and rentable. There can be depreciation benefits, but only if income is being generated. ⚖️ Regulations – Small Second Homes vs Dependent Person’s Units
A major theme of the discussion is Victoria’s new planning changes. Cate explains the difference between “Small Second Homes” (up to 60m², rentable, no planning permit needed in most cases) and “Dependent Person’s Units” (for family use only, often requiring removal when no longer occupied). Understanding these distinctions is vital — the wrong choice could trigger compliance headaches, fines, or even council orders.

👨‍👩‍👦 The Verdict – Family First, Investment Second
The Trio wrap up with clear advice: granny flats can be fantastic for family needs — affordable, practical, and supportive of multi-generational living. But from an investment perspective, they’re rarely a capital growth driver in Melbourne. For Jade, the decision should hinge on lifestyle benefits, not financial returns.

And our gold nuggets!..... 

Cate Bakos's gold nugget: The mainstream market preferences must be considered when weighing up overcapitalisation threats.

Mike Mortlock's gold nugget: Mike considers the cost-benefit proposition of a granny flat build. His live modelling suggests a payback period of 16 years; a significant amount of time.

David Johnston's gold nugget: "Go and talk to anyone you know who has built a granny flat, and find out mroe about their experience, return on investment, and their overall outcome." 

Show notes: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2025/09/07/granny-flats/

Got a question for the trio? https://forms.zohopublic.com/propertyplanningaustralia/form/GotaquestionforthePropertyTrio/formperma/zYCQAxzE_24CVlDafP1ozyzwtmB-8m1iCNtCTgDvHXM

🎙️ In this eye-opening episode, Dave, Cate and Mike dig into brand-new research on housing affordability from MCG Quantity Surveyors. But instead of looking at mortgage repayments, this report flips the focus to deposits — an obvious entry hurdle for buyers. What they uncover is staggering: the time it takes to save a 20% deposit has tripled or even quadrupled since the 1970s. However, the Trio also delve into the deposit size and question whether 20% is all that applicable in today's day and age.

📊 Mike explains why deposits matter more than repayments in understanding affordability. Back in 1975, saving a 20% deposit took around six months of income. Today, it takes two years or more — before repayments even begin. Prices have risen 30–40× since the mid-70s, while wages have only grown 10×. The gap is where affordability has collapsed, and it’s clearly visible across every Australian capital city.

🏡 Cate takes us through the hard numbers: Sydney’s deposit multiple has jumped from 29 weeks of income in 1975 to 121 weeks today. Melbourne has moved from 32 to 97, Brisbane from 28 to 104, and Adelaide from 35 to 114. Even Hobart, once the most affordable, has shifted from 40 to 93. These figures make one thing clear — buying into the market now requires a far longer savings journey, even at a reduced deposit size.

💰 Cate shares a Sydney case study. In 1975, a family needed just $6,860 for a 20% deposit — achievable in seven months. Fast forward to 2025, and the required deposit has blown out to $282,000. At today’s incomes, that’s more than two years of full earnings. Factoring in tax, rent and everyday living costs, translates to a decade or more of disciplined saving.

📉 Brisbane paints a similar picture. Back in 1975, buyers could scrape together a deposit in six months. Today, despite lower house prices compared to Sydney, Brisbane buyers still face a two-year deposit hurdle. With house prices in Brisbane and Adelaide surging 70% since COVID, affordability in these “cheaper” markets has eroded just as sharply.

🏦 The Trio also break down the role of government schemes — from first-home buyer grants to stamp duty concessions. While these policies help individuals in the short term, they’re stimulatory, adding buying power but pushing prices up. The result? Affordability worsens for those left out of the schemes, and the saving treadmill just speeds up. Yet Dave and Cate shed light on some of the advantages and initiatives on offer for today's first home buyers. Is the 20% hurdle a fair one to contrast to the old days?

🚦Dave reminds listeners that the affordability gulf isn’t about monthly repayments — it’s about the growing difficulty of getting through the deposit door. But he also promises to share a counter episode on deposits! Stay tuned...

And our gold nuggets!.....

Cate Bakos's gold nugget: Cate explains the difference between the deposit and the servicing. Both are very important, but mutually exclusive.

David Johnston's gold nugget: Dave has some great suggestions for our first homebuyer listeners, from planning, to assessing their needs, to starting with a smaller property as a stepping stone. "You need to be pragmatic, because the earlier you get into the property market, the better."

Mike Mortlock's gold nugget: Mike conducts this research because he loves to start a conversation. He also mentions some statistics that Alan Kohler shared on the ABC (see notes in our shownotes).

Shownotes: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2025/09/01/clearing-the-deposit-hurdle/

Got a question for the trio? https://forms.zohopublic.com/propertyplanningaustralia/form/GotaquestionforthePropertyTrio/formperma/zYCQAxzE_24CVlDafP1ozyzwtmB-8m1iCNtCTgDvHXM

🎙️ Should I Build or Hold? A Listener’s Dilemma with a Vacant Block in Tasmania In this week’s episode of The Property Trio, we tackle a thoughtful listener question from Lauren, who finds herself at a crossroads with her property journey. Living in inner-Geelong and loving the lifestyle, Lauren is currently priced out of the local housing market for her own home. But with a block of land she purchased in Tasmania back in 2022, she’s weighing up whether to build an investment property on the land, or take a different approach to reach her financial and property goals.

🏡 Lauren’s Situation
Lauren bought her block of land for $180,000 (with $150,000 still owing), and she’s been told by local agents that demand for built homes in the area is strong. With building costs estimated at $330,000 and potential rental returns of $550–$595 per week, the numbers initially sound promising. On a healthy income of $100,000, paying just $1,000 in rent for her share house, Lauren has managed to save a 5% deposit. Adding to the opportunity, her sister has offered to go guarantor for the remaining 15%—a generous offer that could help her avoid costly lenders’ mortgage insurance.

💡 The Questions
But Lauren has some big considerations:

• Is sitting on vacant land in a market with oversupply a sound move, or is it better to build?
• How should she assess the Tasmanian growth drivers, and are there risks she hasn’t yet considered?
• What does the land-to-asset ratio tell us about this strategy?
• How could she think about a close family member's offer of guarantor, and what safeguards should they both put in place?
• Most importantly, how will taking on this investment impact her ability to borrow for her own future home? Will the rental income and equity help her, or will lenders view the added debt as a hurdle?

📈 The Trio Weigh In
Cate, Dave, and Mike unpack the intricacies of Lauren’s situation, looking at the opportunity through the lenses of lifestyle, risk, and financial strategy. Dave's team have modelled some borrowing capacity details to assist the Trio when weighing up the possibilities for Lauren's scenario; Borrowing capacity for home purchase: 

• Current position: Existing $150,000 loan (for land) and $6,000 Credit card = borrowing capacity of $316,000 for home purchase
• Closing the credit card: Existing $150,000 loan (for land) = borrowing capacity of $345,000 for home purchase
• Proceeding with the construction and closes the credit card: Existing loan increased to $478,000 (land and construction) = borrowing capacity of $240,000 for home purchase
• Selling the land and closes credit card: borrowing capacity of $492,000 for home purchase

Lauren has a HECS balance of $50,000 with approx. monthly repayments of $472 that is also dampening the borrowing capacity. Dave goes into some great detail on lending policy constraints and enablers with regards to the impact of HECS. The scenario modelled suggests a further borrowing capacity lift to $558,000 could be possible, and he also shares the impact of further rate cuts too. How do the potential solutions pan out? Tune in to find out...

From forward planning to assessing milestones, and from understanding bank servicing calculations to weighing the risks of construction in a shifting market, the Trio leave no stone unturned. 

And our gold nuggets!..... 

Cate Bakos's gold nugget: It's important to ask yourself the question, "what's the end goal?"

David Johnston's gold nugget: Getting good strategic mortgage broking advice can make the difference between sitting in limbo, and making an educated decision with the options on hand. 

Mike Mortlock's gold nugget: Mike talks about the importance of having experts who are able to help guide clients through journeys such as this. "There is so much to it. It's not really a zero/one binary situation."

Shownotes: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2025/08/25/unpacking-investor-challenges/

Got a question for the trio? https://forms.zohopublic.com/propertyplanningaustralia/form/GotaquestionforthePropertyTrio/formperma/zYCQAxzE_24CVlDafP1ozyzwtmB-8m1iCNtCTgDvHXM

In this latest market update episode, the Trio unpack the findings in the July data, and they reflect on the recent cash rate cut and what this could mean for the market.

🏡 Capital City Highlights
Darwin leads the chase by a very large margin and Mike touches on the chances of double-digit growth for 2025. Cate notes that every capital is sitting in positive growth territory for the past month, and while Darwin is galloping, Perth's 0.9% increase in one month is impressive too. Could Darwin's median value eclipse that of Hobart's? The Trio ponder the growth and pay credit to William, a lovely listener who tempted the Trio to create an episode on Darwin at the beginning of the year.

📈 What is happening with rents?
Is affordability biting, and behaviours changing in response to this? Mike suggests some possible reasons why the pace of rental growth is slowing down. Factoring in share housing, increasing household formation rates, re-partnering of couples following COVID, and a slowdown in skilled migration have all contributed to a slow down in rental growth. 


💰 Rental Yields & Investor Trends
Gross rental yields tell an interesting story for some of our cities. Brisbane's rental yield has shown a subtle shift downwards. Recently on par with Melbourne and Adelaide for some time, the slight reduction signals the fact that the rental growth hasn't kept up with the capital growth. 

Hobart's tight stock supply has the Trio talking. A city of over a quarter of a million people only has 335 available dwellings; surely a challenging imbalance, and one that explains the tight vacancy rate.

📉 Listings Drop, Pressure Builds
Total listing numbers are down when contrasted against the same time last year, but not all cities are exhibiting tighter stock numbers. Cate reflects on the Old Listings data and draws on the annual change for Darwin in particular. What does this indicate about investor behaviour, and does it signal a risk for investors who aren't selecting carefully?

📊 The RBA Rate Decision
The Trio chat about Governor Michelle Bullock's speech about the recent rate cut. Cate was surprised at our Reserve Board Governor's openness about further rate cuts. When contrasted against her previous board meeting speeches, her willingness to boldly discuss more cash rate cuts was stark. Productivity continues to remain a key concern, and in the face of reasonably strong employment figures and lower inflation levels, it seems the RBA have more challenges to keep an eye on. Lastly, Dave wraps up with a great overview of productivity and what it means for our nation.  

Shownotes: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2025/08/18/ep-323-july-2025-market-update/

Got a question for the trio? https://forms.zohopublic.com/propertyplanningaustralia/form/GotaquestionforthePropertyTrio/formperma/zYCQAxzE_24CVlDafP1ozyzwtmB-8m1iCNtCTgDvHXM


🎙In this episode, Dave is joined by Cate and Mike to tackle two common traps for investors: over-reliance on suburb-level data and the temptation of “bargains” in the bottom quartile of property prices.

💸 Cate kicks things off by sharing her concerns about investors—especially first-timers—being seduced by cheap properties promoted in suburb data reports. Many of these are in low socio-economic areas or regions with limited long-term growth potential. While high rental yields might appear attractive, these properties often lack the owner-occupier appeal that drives sustained capital growth. Cate warns that when investors flock to a small area, values can spike briefly before stagnating, sometimes leaving the last buyers in trouble. 

📊 Mike reinforces this by breaking down the pitfalls of suburb medians. While they’re easily accessible, they can be dangerously misleading without context. Instead, Mike suggests filtering data by dwelling type, looking at sales dispersion, DOM (days on market), vendor discounting, and percentage of stock on market for a clearer sense of supply and demand. 

 🗺 Cate stresses that suburbs are not homogenous—each street, pocket, and dwelling can vary widely. She’s seen investors buy sight-unseen in so-called “hot suburbs” only to end up with properties in undesirable streets or with hidden zoning issues. True due diligence goes beyond numbers to include lifestyle appeal, orientation, and neighbourhood quality. Dave reinforces a key point: just because a property sits within a “good” suburb doesn’t mean it’s a good purchase.

🏖 The conversation shifts to Kent’s “Four Pillars” research—a balanced lifestyle scorecard that equally weights proximity to beach, nature, urban amenities, and family infrastructure. Mike explains how areas scoring well across all four pillars, such as parts of Warringah, Townsville, and Perth, show strong long-term fundamentals. Cate notes that lifestyle appeal often underpins resilience and growth over decades, not just during a boom cycle. 

🚩 As the trio wraps up, Cate’s biggest red flag is ultra-tight days on market compared with neighbouring suburbs—a sign that investor FOMO, (fear of missing out) may be inflating prices. Mike’s warning is to focus on supply constraints, like zoning or heritage overlays, which can underpin long-term capital growth.  Dave wraps up the episode and encourages investors not to be fooled by cheap price tags or simplified stats. They should treat data as a conversation starter, not a final verdict, and prioritise properties that appeal to a broad base of owner-occupiers. Long-term fundamentals, lifestyle drivers, and thorough due diligence win every time.

And our gold nuggets!..... 

Cate Bakos's gold nugget: Delve further if you are engaging a Buyers Agent who is reliant on this suburb data. Cate shares some good questions for consumers to ask.

David Johnston's gold nugget: Dave delves into the psychology of property. What is it that makes people gravitate to particular suburbs and specific properties? "Whatever points someone might be making to you with a sea of data, the underlying principle is this: How many people in Australia would like to live in that property, in that street, in that location? That's going to drive up your rent and your value over the next ten, twenty, thirty years." 

Mike Mortlock's gold nugget: Mike talks about the necessity of understanding the growth drivers, (and specifically the owner-occupier appeal) of the investment purchase. 

Shownotes:  https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2025/08/11/expert-tips-for-interpreting-data/

Got a question for the trio? https://forms.zohopublic.com/propertyplanningaustralia/form/GotaquestionforthePropertyTrio/formperma/zYCQAxzE_24CVlDafP1ozyzwtmB-8m1iCNtCTgDvHXM

🎙️ In this data-rich episode of The Property Trio, Cate and Mike dive deep into the just-released 2022–23 ATO Tax Stats. From personal income and superannuation to rental property outcomes and tax quirks, this episode sheds light on who’s winning — and who’s hurting — in Australia’s current economic environment. Cate and Mike have broken down this episode into five parts. We hope you enjoy!

💰 Part 1: The Income Illusion The average taxable income is now $74,240 — but the median is only $55,868. That $18K gap shows how averages mask the reality for most Aussies. Cate explains how this affects outcomes and affordability, while Mike highlights the gender gap: Men earn $24k more than women on average.

📉 Superannuation stats also expose a gender wealth divide:

• Median male super: $68,568
• Median female super: $54,349.  

It's not just about pay — it's about lost compounding interest benefits, care duties, and time out of the workforce.

🏘️ Part 2: Who’s Actually Investing? 2.26 million Australians own rental property — but 72% of property investors own just one property.

Only 0.85% of all property investors own six or more investment properties.

🧮 And many are feeling the pinch:
Nearly half of all investors (49.4%) recorded a net rental loss in 2022–23 — up from 41.9%. The pain is concentrated among small-scale investors. Over 120,000 individuals slipped from profit to loss in just one year.

🧾 Part 3: Systemic Gaps and Hidden Structures The tax system favours those with higher incomes and good advice:

• A $10k loss is far more valuable to someone earning $180k than $70k
• 0.2% of individuals claimed 46% of capital gains
• Many low-income investors don’t even claim depreciation

🚺 Women miss out disproportionately due to lower incomes, fewer property holdings, and reduced access to professional financial advice.

🧠 Part 4: Industry Takeaways Cate encourages buyers to educate themselves beyond property features. The property metrics are vital to success. From tax offsets, to depreciation, and ownership structures, there is more to property investing than just physical attributes. 📈 Mike reminds investors that they don’t need ten properties — just a well-structured one. Understanding your tax position and planning your post-tax cash flow is key.

🔍 Part 5: What the Data Reveals

• Median income is up slightly, but tax paid is up 16.6%
• Small investors are under stress
• Gender inequality remains stark
• Tax rules reward those already ahead

📊 This is essential listening for investors, advisors, and anyone who wants to understand the real financial picture behind the headlines.

Shownotes:  https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2025/08/04/latest-ato-stats-revealed/

Got a question for the trio? https://forms. .com/propertyplanningaustralia/form/GotaquestionforthePropertyTrio/formperma/zYCQAxzE_24CVlDafP1ozyzwtmB-8m1iCNtCTgDvHXM

🎙️ In this episode of the Property Trio, we tackle a fantastic listener question from James — and it sparks a really rich conversation about life stages, investment timing, and how to juggle both effectively.

James and his fiancée are in their late 20s to early 30s. They’ve done well already: they bought their long-term home in Keysborough about 18 months ago for $950,000, using a 10% deposit. They’ve got around $820,000 owing on the loan, and they’re earning a strong combined income of between $230,000 and $250,000 a year. So far, so good. But here’s the question: with a wedding on the way, a honeymoon planned, and hopes to have two children in the next five years — should they consider investing before all of that, or wait until life settles a little and they're back to two incomes? 

It’s a great question, and the kind that gets to the heart of balancing personal milestones with long-term wealth-building.

Cate introduces the idea of “runway” — if you’ve got a couple of decades or more ahead of you in the workforce, the earlier you start investing, the more time your asset has to grow. But that only works if you’re not financially, (or emotionally) stretched too thin in the short term. Developing your plan and considering the numners is key.

Mike highlights that James and his partner clearly have good financial habits — they’ve already shown discipline in saving, and they’re asking all the right questions. That’s a huge asset. He also points out that whether they go ahead now or wait a few years, they’re well ahead of the curve compared to most people their age.

The conversation also dives into how best to fund a future investment — should they use savings in their offset account, or aim to release equity? Dave breaks down why borrowing against your home, if possible, is often more tax-efficient than dipping into savings — but also flags the reality that they may not yet have enough equity to make that work without incurring LMI again.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here, and that’s part of what makes this episode so valuable. The trio all agree: if the numbers stack up and the couple feels comfortable with the risk, then investing sooner is ideal. But if they need a few years to tick off life events and build equity or buffers, that’s an important path too. From cheap registry office weddings to fancy winery blowouts, the Trio are candid with their ideas and forthcoming with some great options for our listeners to consider.

And our gold nuggets!..... 

Cate Bakos's gold nugget: While they are young, with one property in the portfolio, now is a great time to consider investing in a property plan.

Dave Johnston's gold nugget: James and his fiancee are really good with their money! Dave encourages them to keep up that habit. Good money management habits will set them up for success.

Mike Mortlock's gold nugget: Knowing the numbers is the key to making the decision. Without the visibility, the decision is much harder to make.

Shownotes: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2025/07/28/balancing-family-dreams-and-property-investment/

Got a question for the trio? https://forms.zohopublic.com/propertyplanningaustralia/form/GotaquestionforthePropertyTrio/formperma/zYCQAxzE_24CVlDafP1ozyzwtmB-8m1iCNtCTgDvHXM

In this latest market update episode, Mike and Cate go duo as Dave hits the road with his family. Despite Dave's absence, the June market update is packed with insights and trends, although we do miss the lending data from Dave in this ep.

🏡 Capital City Highlights
The national market edged up in June, with every capital city posting gains except Hobart (down 0.2%). Darwin led the charge with a 1.5% monthly gain across dwellings, and houses jumped 1.8%, pointing to renewed investor interest. However, only 31% of Darwin’s suburbs are at their peak – suggesting targeted activity in a few suburbs rather than widespread growth.

📈 Unit Surge or Blip?
Cate and Mike unpack a surprise in the data – units outperformed houses in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Adelaide. Is this a turning point for apartments, or just a one-month spike? Cate shares boots-on-the-ground experience from Melbourne, where yields over 5% are tempting investors back into the unit market. Affordability, lifestyle trade-offs, and post-COVID sentiment shifts are driving demand. Another key find is the stratification of sales prices in the various capital cities. This month, Canberra defies the 'norm' and exhibits stronger growth in the highest price quartile. What is going on in our nation's capital? Tune in to find out.  

💰 Rental Yields & Investor Trends
Rental growth has steadied nationally, with gross yields at 3.7%. Darwin is the standout with 6.5% yields and regional NT pushing a massive 7.7%. Cate suggests investors may be pushing up rents post-renovation or after long-standing leases end. Meanwhile, Melbourne’s rental growth remains sluggish at just 1.2% annually – possibly a story more about the past exodus of investors than current conditions.

📉 Listings Drop, Pressure Builds
New listings are down 11.7% compared to last year, with Hobart and Darwin seeing declines over 30%. Cate explains why tight listings don’t always mean easy buying – buyer fear of missing out leads to irrational behaviour, and competition ramps up even when the market feels slow. She also highlights the buyer activity driving Melbourne’s numbers, even if it’s not yet obvious in CoreLogic’s top-line data.

📊 Segmented Market Action
The trio (duo) dive into price segmentation and why it matters. Melbourne’s heat is coming from the $600k–$800k range, particularly in suburbs like Frankston, Werribee, and Sunbury. It’s a case of high activity in lower-price markets dragging down median figures – which might explain why data lags what buyer advocates see on the ground.

Another key find in the stratification of sales prices in the various capital cities relates to Canberra. This month, Canberra defies the 'norm' and exhibits stronger growth in the highest price quartile. What is going on in our nation's capital? Tune in to find out.

🌏 Big Picture Forces
They wrap up with macro themes: inflation, global uncertainty, interest rates, and shifting sentiment. The RBA’s rate pause caught many off guard, impacting buyer confidence. But with bond markets still pricing in cuts and global instability nudging investors toward bricks and mortar, the property market remains in motion.

Lastly, Cate and Mike marvel at Darwin's growth, however they chat about the surprising percentage of suburbs within the star-capital that are yet to reach their peak for capital growth. They try to uncover what this surprising set of statistics could actually be telling us. 

Shownotes: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/?p=1735