Insights
Strategic property insight, grounded in research and due diligence
Market thinking, investor case studies and considered commentary to help you make clearer, better-informed property investment decisions.
Strategic Insights
Market and strategy perspective, research-led commentary on the property cycle.
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Case Studies
Real investor outcomes and worked examples from the ASPIRE advisory process.
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Media & Commentary
ASPIRE in the media: interviews, podcasts and considered industry commentary.
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Strategic InsightsSix months of falling values, and where the opportunity sitsCotality's September index records a sixth consecutive monthly fall, with values 5.2 per cent below the March peak and a flat result over twelve months. Read from the national settings down to individual markets, the data describes a weaker short term and a more undersupplied long term.Strategic InsightsPreparing to invest while the market is uncertainA guide for investors who had planned to invest and have since paused. It explains why the plan comes before the property, how the advisory process works and what to expect from a first conversation with an accredited advisor.Strategic InsightsSeven of eight capital cities fell in AugustCotality's August index records a fifth consecutive monthly fall and declines across 93 per cent of capital city suburbs. Five capitals still show growth over the twelve months. An assessment of which of those two readings belongs in a purchase decision this spring.Media & CommentaryThe pitfalls worth avoiding with a new-build investmentKate McIntyre has published a piece in realestate.com.au exploring the pitfalls investors can encounter when choosing to build rather than buy established. Richard Crabb contributed the investment perspective, and summarises the issues it raises: location fundamentals, provisional sums, what a warranty actually covers and why off the plan sits differently.Strategic InsightsSpruiking From Across the DitchA well-written approach offering Christchurch new builds to Australian investors made four accurate claims and left out everything that decides the outcome. A side by side comparison, then what the 2026 CGT and negative gearing reforms actually do to an offshore purchase, and why the stock being marketed sits in the most oversupplied segment of the New Zealand market.Media & CommentaryInvesting in a new build: the strategy has to come firstKate McIntyre's Market Guide feature in Saturday's Herald Sun asked whether a new build stacks up against an established property. Richard Crabb expands on his comments, covering location fundamentals, what a building contract has to tell you, what warranties actually cover and why off the plan carries a different risk profile.Media & CommentaryHave Your Say: The 2026 PIPA Investor Sentiment Survey Is Now OpenThe 2026 PIPA Investor Sentiment Survey is open until Friday 21 August. It takes around 10 to 15 minutes, it is completely anonymous and it is one of the few genuine channels investors have to put their real experience in front of policymakers.Strategic InsightsSMSF Borrowing Rules Have Changed: The New LRBA Rules ExplainedThe ATO today published guidance on the new limited recourse borrowing arrangement rules. From 10 August 2026, new SMSF borrowing is restricted to business real property. Here is what has changed, what is protected and what the official sources say.Strategic InsightsNew or established: the decision most investors make in the wrong orderBoth asset types can build wealth. Both can disappoint. The difference is almost never the property itself, and it is almost always the strategy that came before it. A measured look at buying new or established, and where the recent tax changes genuinely do and do not shift the ground.Media & CommentaryThe SMSF residential borrowing ban, explained: what we know so farSelf-managed super funds will be stopped from new borrowing to buy residential property. What the SMSF residential borrowing ban changes, the timing, and what is still unknown. General information only, not advice.Strategic InsightsConstruction Loan Interest and the Vacant Land Tax RulesTR 2023/3 confirms the vacant land rules deny land loan interest during a build but do not reach construction loan interest. A paragraph-by-paragraph interpretation of the Ruling, including Example 6, to review with your accountant.Strategic InsightsWhat investor sentiment tells you in 2026, and what it gets wrong about timingRecord investor selling, falling confidence and looming tax reform. What the latest PIPA sentiment data gets right, and why it is a poor guide to timing.Media & CommentaryWhat Australia’s rental reforms mean for investors: a 2026 state-by-state guideNo-grounds evictions, annual rent limits and rising standards by state, with dates and official links, and how to hold quality tenants through the change.Strategic InsightsIs it actually a good time to buy property in 2026? Read the cycle, not the headlinesThe market has cooled, rates have risen and property tax rules may change. Why “is it a good time to buy?” is the wrong question for investors in 2026.Strategic InsightsAustralian Property Market 2026: Strategy Over HeadlinesAustralia is not one market. It is a collection of distinct, locally driven markets moving in different directions. Here is what the latest Cotality data tells us about 2026, and where opportunity sits for prepared investors.Media & CommentaryWhy CGT discount reform could hit smaller investors hardestThe capital gains tax discount debate is back. The investors most exposed to change are often the entry-level owners the system was meant to encourage.Strategic Insights40 years of housing growth: why the best years often arrive when confidence is lowWhat does 40 years of housing data tell us about timing the market? This update uses Cotality’s long-term charts to show why growth often appears when confidence is low and why having a clear strategy beats reacting to headlines.Strategic InsightsAustralia’s Housing Market Cools, Opportunity Heats Up!Australia’s housing market cooled in December, with Sydney and Melbourne dipping while most other capitals and regional markets kept rising. Here’s what the latest Cotality data signals for 2026 and where demand concentration is pointing to the next wave of opportunity.Media & CommentaryThe great property debate: why land value is the keyHouse or unit, new or established: the property debate usually asks the wrong question first. Why land content does most of the heavy lifting.Strategic InsightsVictoria rental law changes November and December 2025: what landlords and renters need to know.Victoria’s rental laws are changing again in late 2025, with new rules on evictions, rent increases, minimum standards, safety checks and privacy. This article steps through the key changes in plain language so you can see what they mean in practice, whether you own an investment property or rent a home, and what sensible next steps look like from here.Media & CommentaryHouse or unit: choosing on the numbers, not the labelHouses tend to lead on capital growth, units on affordability and location. The right answer comes from the metrics for a specific property, not the label.Media & CommentaryFour investor mistakes brokers can help clients avoidBrokers sit close to investor finances, which puts them in a strong position to catch the mistakes that quietly undo a portfolio.Media & CommentaryBuying with Emotion: The No. 1 Mistake Costing Property Investors ThousandsRichard Crabb explains how emotion can cost investors thousands and how to make disciplined, data-led decisions. Listen plus highlights and checklist.Media & CommentaryCommon ways property investors become financially stuckMost investors who get stuck did not pick the wrong suburb. They built on an unsound structure. The common traps, and how to avoid them.