Current Market Insights

Harris Partners Real Estate
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The Current Market Insights Podcast is brought to you by Harris Partners Real Estate. Understanding the property market can be a challenging thing, with highs and lows, twists and turns. The media and agents tend to spread the news they want you to hear, with the advice they want you to follow. Current Market Insights is an unbiased look into what is happening, what tips you can use to buy, sell, or rent, and that you wont find anywhere else.

  1. 2d ago

    Episode 119: Auction Clearance Rates Are Tanking So Why Are Buyers Still Showing Up?

    Sydney’s property market can look like a disaster if you only read the headlines, yet the real story is more nuanced: prices are off their highs, auctions are struggling, and buyers are cautious, but demand has not vanished and credit is still flowing for people who qualify. We walk through what we’re seeing across Sydney right now, why the mood feels worse than the reality, and how to make sense of auction clearance rates that sit in the low 30s while open homes can still be busy. We dig into the crucial difference between the 2018 downturn and the current cycle. Back then, the problem was credit availability. This time, interest rates and serviceability are doing the damage, which changes how quickly deals fall over and how negotiable good properties really are. We also break down why auctions can be the wrong tool in a softer market, why so many campaigns are selling before auction day, and what a smarter private treaty strategy looks like when buyers are wary. Then we get practical: which parts of the Sydney property market are performing better (entry-level homes, renovated houses, family homes close to the CBD), what is stalling (rebuild projects, DA-driven potential, strata with issues), and why renovation risk is reshaping buyer preferences. We also talk price guides, underquoting enforcement in NSW, and the ethics mistakes that can hand buyers leverage in a single email. If you’re buying, selling, or simply trying to understand where Sydney real estate is heading, this is your reality check. Subscribe, share with a mate who’s doom-scrolling auction results, and leave a review if you want more straight, on-the-ground market insights. What are you seeing in your suburb right now? Send us Fan Mail As always if there is a specific topic you would like for us to cover, please reach out and let us know!

    29 min

  2. Jun 9

    2GB with John Stanley: Property Uncertainty, Rising Costs & the Supply Challenge

    On 2GB Nights with John Stanley, Peter O’Malley joins the program to discuss why the property market feels increasingly uncertain despite seemingly steady auction results. Beneath the headline numbers, buyer competition is thinning, demand is softening, and the outlook for housing supply remains constrained by high construction costs and economic pressures. They also discuss:  Holiday weekend conditions and what a “quiet” market really means  Sydney auction results and signs of weaker buyer competition  Why interest rate hikes are having a greater impact than budget announcements  Winter’s low stock levels masking softer underlying demand  The risk of a spring listing surge placing further pressure on prices  Which groups are most exposed to losses, including recent purchasers and first home buyers  How stamp duty, selling costs, and interest expenses affect real-world outcomes  Soaring construction costs pushing smaller developers out of the market  Why only large-scale projects currently stack up financially  The clash between negative gearing proposals and the realities of development feasibilitySend us Fan Mail As always if there is a specific topic you would like for us to cover, please reach out and let us know!

    6 min

  3. May 27

    Episode 118: Government Spending Is Forcing The RBA’s Hand On Interest Rates

    The budget headlines are everywhere, but the bigger story is what sits underneath them: inflation pressure, government spending, and what the RBA might be forced to do next. We sit down with Peter O’Malley to break down economist Warren Hogan’s hard-edged view of the 2026 Federal Budget, including his argument that Australia becomes inflationary once GDP growth pushes above 2%, while spending keeps running hotter than the economy can comfortably absorb. If that’s the setup, interest rates don’t fall because we hope they will, they fall only when policy settings and inflation finally line up.   We also talk politics without getting lost in it: the claim that the budget is designed to ring-fence votes, the “care economy” debate, and why Hogan says the intergenerational inequality framing won’t deliver the outcomes being promised. From there we move to the real economy: small business viability, cost pass-through, and why the bond market has been signalling the rate hiking cycle may not be finished.   Then we get practical about Sydney real estate. SQM Research data shows a weak auction clearance rate and a surge in postponed auctions, but Peter explains why the auction process itself can be the wrong fit in a cautious market. We cover how to filter media noise, why “sell first” matters more than ever, and how buyers and sellers should think in terms of changeover price. We finish with rentals and investing: negative gearing is grandfathered for existing landlords, but future investor demand may fade unless prices, rents, and yields recalibrate.   If this helped you cut through the spin, subscribe, share the episode with a mate, and leave a review. What signal are you watching most right now: inflation, rates, or auction results? Send us Fan Mail As always if there is a specific topic you would like for us to cover, please reach out and let us know!

    50 min

  4. May 26

    2GB with John Stanley: Softening Markets, Tax Changes & What Comes Next

    On 2GB Nights with John Stanley, Peter O’Malley from Harris Partners joins the program to unpack the clear softening emerging across Australia’s property market. With weak auction clearance rates, falling buyer confidence, and proposed changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax dominating headlines, the conversation explores what could lie ahead for prices, investors, and renters. They also discuss:  Weekend auction clearance rates across Sydney, Canberra, and Brisbane — and what they reveal about demand  Why this downturn feels tougher than 2020 and comparisons to the 2018 market correction  Uncertainty around legislation timing and why policy detail matters  The dangers of paying a premium for brand new property and “new property syndrome”  How to properly assess off-the-plan purchases against the broader market  Negative gearing vs positive gearing and the impact on borrowing capacity  Why rents can continue rising even as property prices soften  Melbourne as a case study in how policy settings can reshape both prices and rental marketsSend us Fan Mail As always if there is a specific topic you would like for us to cover, please reach out and let us know!

    10 min

  5. May 13

    Episode 117: Who Really Benefits When Tax Policy Picks Winners In Housing?

    We react to the Federal Budget’s big property moves and explain why the headline promise of helping first home buyers may actually tighten rentals and lift prices in new stock. We break down how the negative gearing reset and capital gains tax changes could reshape investor behaviour, developer margins, and the next few years of the Sydney property market. • the budget framing on property policy and broken promises  • negative gearing restricted to brand new dwellings and what that shifts in demand  • why a premium can form in new builds and how off-the-plan buyers get caught  • the longer-run path to higher rents as established-market investors exit  • why price falls are unlikely to be fast or dramatic despite investor pullback  • capital gains tax basics plus the move to inflation indexing and marginal rates  • pre-1985 assets and the fairness argument around untaxed gains  • winners and losers across big developers mid-sized developers flippers and rentvestors  • the curveball view that New Zealand property may look more attractive for investors  • practical caution on overseas buying and leasehold risks Send us Fan Mail As always if there is a specific topic you would like for us to cover, please reach out and let us know!

    46 min

  6. May 12

    Across Australia with Chris Smith - Negative Gearing, Rising Rents & Sydney’s Market Reality

    On Across Australia, host Chris Smith is joined by Peter O’Malley to cut through the political noise surrounding negative gearing and capital gains tax reform. Rather than focusing on headlines, the discussion examines what’s actually unfolding on the ground across Sydney’s property market — from weakening auctions to rising rental pressure and shifting buyer behaviour. They also discuss:  Why tax reform headlines don’t automatically trigger a housing crash  Interest rate rises as the true driver behind falling property prices  Immigration and population growth continuing to outpace housing supply  Tenants bearing the brunt of tightening rental conditions  How negative gearing changes could push rents even higher if investors exit  Sydney auction clearance rates falling below 40% and what that signals  Why buying before selling becomes especially risky in fragile markets  The mindset shift required to identify value during downturn conditionsSend us Fan Mail As always if there is a specific topic you would like for us to cover, please reach out and let us know!

    8 min

  7. May 5

    Episode 116: RBA Hike #3: Reading Between the Lines of the Cash Rate

    We unpack the RBA’s 0.25% rate rise to a 4.35% cash rate and read the statement for what it really says about inflation risk and what comes next. Then we shift to the on-the-ground property impacts, from Sydney’s tightening rental market to what falling clearance rates mean for buyers and sellers.  • what the rate rise means for mortgage rates and household pressure  • why we prefer reading the RBA statement ourselves  • how global conflict and fuel prices feed inflation assumptions  • whether politics shapes how the RBA frames blame  • why Sydney rents keep climbing with vacancy near 1.1%  • what “homelessness” looks like when people are priced out  • why CGT tweaks do little if demand keeps rising  • the case for slowing immigration or building far more homes  • auction clearance rates below 40% and what that signals  • practical tips like upgrading in a down market and avoiding buy-before-sell  Well, I’ll make sure to link it in this episode for our listeners to have a listen  Send us Fan Mail As always if there is a specific topic you would like for us to cover, please reach out and let us know!

    31 min

  8. Apr 26

    Episode 115: Sydney Real Estate Faces A Trust Reckoning After A 10-Year Ban

    A ten-year ban doesn’t just end one agent’s career. It detonates a trust problem that’s been sitting in plain sight across Australian real estate for years. Ciaran O'Brien sits down with industry veteran Peter O'Malley to unpack why the Josh Tesolin case has triggered a genuine public brawl between high-profile agents, trainers, and business leaders, and why the loudest arguments aren’t really about personality, they’re about power, money, and credibility. We get specific on the mechanics that matter to consumers: how underquoting becomes normalised, why it can look “strategic” in a hot market, and why it turns ugly when incentive fees enter the picture. Peter explains the moment many people stop seeing it as sales theatre and start seeing it as misconduct: vendors being told there’s no buyer interest, then being pushed into paying a bigger commission, only to learn demand was strong all along. From there, we switch to practical guidance for anyone selling a home in NSW or anywhere watching these reforms closely. With auction clearance rates softening, the old tricks can backfire fast, and regulators like NSW Fair Trading are increasingly focused on price guides, compliance, and the digital footprint of campaigns. If you’re hiring an agent, we share the questions worth asking so you can protect your price, your timeline, and your peace of mind. If this helped, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s selling, and leave a review so more Australians can find straightforward property advice. Send us Fan Mail As always if there is a specific topic you would like for us to cover, please reach out and let us know!

    26 min
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About

The Current Market Insights Podcast is brought to you by Harris Partners Real Estate. Understanding the property market can be a challenging thing, with highs and lows, twists and turns. The media and agents tend to spread the news they want you to hear, with the advice they want you to follow. Current Market Insights is an unbiased look into what is happening, what tips you can use to buy, sell, or rent, and that you wont find anywhere else.

Information

  • Creator
    Harris Partners Real Estate
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    176
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Harris Partners Real Estate
  • Show Website
    Current Market Insights

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