In this episode of Property, Straight Up, host Warwick Brookes sits down with Gerard Burg, economist at Cotality (formerly CoreLogic), for a data-driven conversation about what is actually happening in Australian property right now.

Gerard works with national property data every day, and he brings that perspective to some of the biggest questions buyers, sellers and investors are asking. From Melbourne's slide down the national leaderboard to Adelaide overtaking it for the first time in history, from the structural supply crisis no government target will fix quickly, to the apartment submarkets where owners have been losing money for nearly a decade.

They also cover the early signals from the negative gearing and capital gains changes, what three consecutive rate rises have done to first home buyer confidence, and the one mistake Gerard says buyers will look back on and regret.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Melbourne's underperformance is real but overstated. Affordability is drawing buyers priced out of other markets.
• Adelaide overtook Melbourne for the first time in history, driven by pandemic population shifts and inadequate supply, not fundamentals that are likely to hold.
• Construction costs and trade shortages mean new supply will not rescue affordability anytime soon, but they do put a floor under prices.
• Melbourne CBD unit values peaked in March 2017 and have not recovered. Oversupply, not demand, is the story.
• The negative gearing changes will discourage investment, but it is too early for the data to show exactly how much.
• Three rate rises have started to cancel out the benefit of the government's 5% deposit scheme for first home buyers.
• The investors who come out ahead are the ones who act on opportunity when it appears rather than waiting to time the bottom perfectly.

ABOUT DOMAIN & CO

Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest decisions of your life. Often the biggest financial decision you'll ever make. Bigger than anything else you'll sign your name to.

And the people meant to help you make it have started to look a lot like the people you didn't trust in the first place.

The polished ones in the sharp suits. The corporate machines who never learn your name. Or worst of all. No one. Just you and a portal and a hunch.

We've spent thirty years on both sides of property. The buy and the sell. The boom and the bust. The houses that grew. The ones that didn't. The agents you'd want in your corner. The ones you wouldn't.

We've walked the same families through five, six transactions across decades. First home. Family home. Forever home. The next chapter after that.

So we don't pitch. We don't perform. We don't take work we don't believe in. We just tell you what we'd do, if it were us in your position.

For property, told straight. We're your property people.

https://domainandco.com.au/

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction

00:54 – Guest Introduction: Gerard burg, Cotality

01:36 – Gerard's Career Background

03:18 – How Cotality Analyses Property Data

04:09 – The CoreLogic to Cotality Rebrand

05:28 – Media Narratives vs. Real Data

06:14 – The Case for Melbourne as an Investor Market

08:04 – Adelaide Overtaking Melbourne Explained

09:50 – Melbourne's Supply Advantage

10:49 – Construction Costs & the Trade Shortage Problem

12:19 – Investor Policy & New Build Requirements

14:33 – Post-COVID Buyer Behaviour Shifts

15:53 – Data Overload & the Buyer Advocate Boom

17:46 – Melbourne Apartment Losses: The Data Story

20:08 – Undervalued Pockets in Melbourne

21:41 – Negative Gearing Changes: What to Watch

23:14 – Rate Rises & First Home Buyer Capacity

24:47 – Five-Year Outlook: What Matters Most

25:35 – Close

In this episode of Property, Straight Up, host Mel Dennis sits down with Scott Mitton from Secure Invest to explore one of the most common traps in property — making buy, sell, or hold decisions without looking at the bigger financial picture.

Scott brings nearly 20 years of financial advisory experience, having entered the industry during the Global Financial Crisis and building through to his current role at Secure Invest, a 40-plus-staff multidisciplinary firm covering financial advice, accounting, and lending.

From the tunnel vision problem that trips up even experienced property owners, to the tax structures that can save pre-retirees thousands when selling investment property, to a little-known superannuation provision that could change your retirement picture entirely — Scott covers the financial levers most people don't know they have.

WHAT WE COVER:

The tunnel vision problem

Most people approach property with emotional attachment or a fixed idea — a family home, an inheritance, "the one." Scott and Mel unpack why zooming out to look at your broader financial life leads to far better decisions than focusing on a single transaction.

Hold, sell or reinvest — how do you actually decide?

Scott's process starts not with the property, but with what matters most to the client in life. Income? Growth? Emotional value? Once those drivers are clear, the right strategy usually follows. Sometimes the answer isn't sell or hold — it's restructure.

Diversification beyond property

Many Australians have their wealth heavily concentrated in one asset class, often in one geographic area. Scott explains how super, managed funds, and other investments can complement a property portfolio — and why liquidity matters more than people realise. You can sell shares in 24 hours. You can't sell a bathroom.

Downsizers and pre-retirees — the strategy shifts

There's a specific government provision allowing people who've owned their primary residence for more than 10 years to contribute up to $300,000 each — $600,000 per couple — into superannuation when they downsize. Scott walks through how this works and how selling investment properties in the lead-up to retirement can be structured to minimise tax and maximise income.

Why financial advice and property advice must work together

Scott is clear: he's not licensed to give property advice, and he doesn't try to. His approach is to get property decisions sorted first — then dovetail his financial strategy around what's been decided. The same works in reverse: Mel regularly sends clients to Scott before they make any move.

CONNECT WITH SCOTT MITTON @ SECURE INVEST

Scott Mitton Secure Invest Financial Services https://sifs.com.au/

ABOUT DOMAIN & CO

Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest decisions of your life. Often the biggest financial decision you'll ever make. Bigger than anything else you'll sign your name to.

And the people meant to help you make it have started to look a lot like the people you didn't trust in the first place.

The polished ones in the sharp suits. The corporate machines who never learn your name. Or worst of all. No one. Just you and a portal and a hunch.

We've spent thirty years on both sides of property. The buy and the sell. The boom and the bust. The houses that grew. The ones that didn't. The agents you'd want in your corner. The ones you wouldn't.

We've walked the same families through five, six transactions across decades. First home. Family home. Forever home. The next chapter after that.

So we don't pitch. We don't perform. We don't take work we don't believe in. We just tell you what we'd do, if it were us in your position.

For property, told straight. We're your property people.

https://domainandco.com.au/

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction & guest background
1:11 About Secure Invest
2:59 Why people make property decisions in isolation
4:25 Should I hold, sell or reinvest? How Scott helps clients decide
5:32 Just because you own a property doesn't mean you should keep it
7:29 Diversification — why property alone isn't enough
9:43 Strategy shift for downsizers and those approaching retirement
11:13 Using super and tax structures when selling investment property
11:58 Why financial advice and property advice must work together
13:40 First step if you're wondering whether to buy or sell
15:07 Why a financial plan matters before any property decision
16:09 General advice disclaimer — this isn't personal advice
16:48 Wrap-up & how to connect with Scott

In this episode of Property, Straight Up, host Mel Dennis steps back from the transaction table to look at the forces shaping Victoria's property market from the top down.

Mel sits down with Toby Balazs, CEO of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV), who brings over 20 years of experience across proptech, residential, and project marketing — and right now, a packed policy agenda heading into an election year.

From a controversial auction rule change the industry believes will backfire, to 130+ regulatory shifts hitting property managers in just four years, to a landmark compliance deadline every agent needs to know about — Toby covers the structural shifts that will affect buyers, sellers, investors, and renters alike.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Why investor confidence is wavering — and what the REIV wants government to do about it
• The auction reserve debate: what the government proposed, why the industry pushed back, and what a better solution looks like
• Vendor-paid building and pest inspections: the case for, the caveats, and what a staged rollout might mean in practice
• 130+ changes to the Residential Tenancy Act in four years — and why the REIV is calling time on further reform
• The end of the REIV's RTO and what mandatory CPD means for practitioners
• AML Tranche 2: the compliance deadline hitting agents on July 1 and how to get ready

ABOUT DOMAIN & CO

Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest decisions of your life. Often the biggest financial decision you'll ever make. Bigger than anything else you'll sign your name to.

And the people meant to help you make it have started to look a lot like the people you didn't trust in the first place.

The polished ones in the sharp suits. The corporate machines who never learn your name. Or worst of all. No one. Just you and a portal and a hunch.

We've spent thirty years on both sides of property. The buy and the sell. The boom and the bust. The houses that grew. The ones that didn't. The agents you'd want in your corner. The ones you wouldn't.

We've walked the same families through five, six transactions across decades. First home. Family home. Forever home. The next chapter after that.

So we don't pitch. We don't perform. We don't take work we don't believe in. We just tell you what we'd do, if it were us in your position.

For property, told straight. We're your property people.

https://domainandco.com.au/

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction & guest background

1:08 Toby's background — from Proptech to REIV CEO

2:26 The REIV's role: advocacy, compliance and education

3:08 Election year priorities — rental supply and investor confidence

5:03 How much has regulatory change hurt Victoria's rental market?

6:18 130+ changes to the Residential Tenancy Act in four years

8:57 The REIV Blueprint for a Better Functioning Property Market

11:01 The auction reserve debate — government proposal vs. REIV's fix

14:29 Balancing price transparency with vendor protection

16:21 Mandatory vendor building and pest inspections — pros and risks

19:38 Education changes — REIV exits its RTO role

21:22 Mandatory CPD coming industry-wide — what agents need to know

23:17 Biggest opportunity: fixing rental supply

24:19 Biggest challenge: AML Tranche 2 changes from July 1

25:34 One thing Toby wants consumers to understand right now

26:16 Upcoming REIV events — NAFE, AUSTROS and Young Agents

28:23 Wrap-up & where to find the REIV Blueprint