There’s a question I get asked constantly, and it’s almost always framed the wrong way. “Michael, how many properties do I need to retire?” The better question, the one that actually leads to wealth, this: “What kind of properties do I need to own?” After 50 years of investing, I can tell you that the…
![Perth housing market update [video] | May 2026](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Perth-city-270x200.jpeg)
The Perth property market continues to outpace the rest of the nation, with Cotality’s latest index tracking a substantial dwelling value surge of 2.1% in April. This rapid growth injected approximately $21,280 into the local median home value over a single month. While eastern states face multi-layered headwinds and outright value declines, the Western Australian…
There’s a lot of noise around property at the moment. Whenever governments start talking about tax changes, trusts, capital gains, inheritance, or “fairness,” investors understandably sit up and take notice. And so they should. The proposed Budget changes now being discussed could have important implications for property investors, business owners, families, and anyone trying to build…
The government’s message sounds simple enough: make property investing less attractive, reduce the advantages investors supposedly have, tilt the playing field back toward first-home buyers, and more young Australians will finally be able to get a foot on the property ladder. On the surface, that sounds fair, and I can understand why many frustrated first-home…
Everyone’s been talking about what the federal budget means for property investors, and what it might do to house prices and affordability. But very few people are asking what it means for the millions of Australians who rent. Renters have been largely invisible in this conversation, and that’s a problem, because they’re the ones who…
The Australian property market in 2026 has entered genuinely new territory, with a another rate rise from the Reserve Bank and the most significant tax changes to property investment in nearly three decades landing within weeks of each other. The three RBA rate rises this year delivered the shortest and shallowest rate-cutting cycle since inflation…
Every time the government tinkers with property tax settings, a wave of investors ends up making decisions they later regret. I’m worried we’re about to see it happen again, and on a fairly large scale. The 2026 federal budget has, quite deliberately, made new build properties the most tax-friendly residential option available to investors. If…
This article discusses the proposed Local Infrastructure Fund and extended ban on foreign ownership of established homes across Australia. Both items were announced in the Federal Government’s Budget on May 12th 2026. Local Infrastructure Fund Australia’s new Local Infrastructure Fund sounds impressive at first glance. A $2 billion housing infrastructure package certainly makes for a good Budget…
![Sydney housing market update [video] | May 2026](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/sydney4-270x200.jpg)
The Sydney property market is moving through a distinct structural transition, with Cotality’s latest figures showing a dwelling value contraction of 0.6% in April. This decline marks the fourth monthly downturn out of the last five for the harbor city, leaving the local market sitting 1.0% below the peak recorded in November last year. While…
![Melbourne housing market update [video] | May 2026](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/melbourne-1-270x200.jpg)
The Melbourne property market continues to face persistent downward pressure, with the latest Cotality data showing a dwelling value dip of 0.6% in April. This extended downturn represents the fifth consecutive monthly decline for the Victorian capital, pulling overall values down a cumulative 1.9% from the November cyclical high and leaving them 2.3% below the…
