Real-time Aussie analysis: ECONOMY | REAL ESTATE | MARKETS
Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Is spring really a buyer’s market? Rents, listings and 40-year mortgages
False dawn?
Been staying the Cotswolds for a few days - very nice too, but good to be back on deck.
Here's what we discussed in the podcast this week:
"In this episode of Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates unpack whether spring will bring genuine opportunity for buyers or just more noise in a fragile market. It is a practical check-in on prices, listings, rents and borrowing conditions heading into the busiest stretch of the year.
They look at why recent headlines about green shoots may be getting ahead of the data, what weak auction depth and softer sentiment are telling us, and why a true rebound may still depend on interest-rate relief rather than wishful thinking. The conversation also covers falling investor participation, why transaction volumes can drop harder than prices, and how the better properties in a suburb can hold up differently from the median numbers making the news.
Pete and Chris then dig into the policy side: negative gearing changes, rent pressure, slowing new-home sales, and the possibility that stretched supply gets even tighter if developers and investors keep stepping back. They also discuss sharper bank pricing, the early signs of a mortgage war, and why many borrowers should be reviewing their rate rather than waiting for the market to improve.
To finish, they answer listener questions on stamp duty, the real cost of trading property, and whether 40-year mortgages could become more common. That includes why longer loan terms may ease monthly repayments without fixing affordability, and how future schemes could change the way first home buyers enter the market."
TheAustralian Property Podcast is rapidly becoming one of Australia's biggest business podcasts, now with over 50,000 audio downloads per month, and growing fast.
And our popular Low Rates High Returns Show also remains available on Spotify.
