Current Market Insights

Harris Partners Real Estate

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. Jun 24

    2GB with John Stanley: Auctions, Renovation Risks & a Changing Market

    On 2GB Nights with John Stanley, Peter O’Malley takes a hard look at the softening Australian property market and what weakening auction clearance rates mean for buyers and sellers. As competition thins, the focus is shifting from auction theatre to genuine negotiation, while rising renovation costs are forcing many owners to rethink their plans. They also discuss:  Winter stock levels tightening and the short selling window this can create  Weakening auction clearance rates and what they reveal about buyer demand  Why auctions depend on a deep buyer pool to generate strong results  The shift from competitive auctions to direct negotiation in softer markets  Selling a property's true value through fundamentals such as aspect, layout, and liveability  Local infrastructure projects and neighbourhood changes influencing buyer interest  How negative property headlines affect confidence and price expectations  The risks of waiting for spring if listings surge and buyer demand remains subdued  Renovate versus sell: when a blank canvas may be the better option  Why more DA-approved properties are coming to market  Builder cost blowouts derailing renovation plans across Sydney  Avoiding overcapitalisation and the importance of obtaining valuation and local market advice before spendingSend 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
  2. Jun 15

    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
  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

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.

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