Are higher global bond yields and the prospect of more RBA rate hikes about to push Australian property prices lower — or create a rare window for buyers ready to upgrade?
In this episode of the Australian Property Podcast, Pete Wargent and Chris Bates examine the most uncertain housing conditions they can remember. They connect surging bond yields, broad-based inflation and expectations for further rate rises with the decisions facing first-home buyers, upgraders, investors and renters.
Pete and Chris unpack Cotality data showing higher-value Sydney and Melbourne homes have already fallen by more than 10%, while cheaper properties and units have held up better. That gap could favour households selling a resilient starter home and buying into a larger property at a much bigger discount. However, listings are drying up, investors remain cautious and another rate hike could quickly erase the market’s early signs of stabilisation.
The discussion also turns to Australia’s supply problem: the gap between apartment approvals and commencements, data centres competing for construction capacity, developer stress and the risk that investor exits make rental conditions even tighter. They explain why low supply could eventually create a sharp rebound when buyer confidence returns.
The episode finishes with practical listener questions on whether Airbnb can still produce worthwhile income and when a 40-year mortgage might make sense. You’ll hear why short-term rentals are far from passive, how loan terms affect repayments, and which trade-offs matter when deciding whether to buy, wait or upgrade.
