This week the talking heads and spin doctors were back at it, peddling their favourite bedtime story: “Unemployment may rise… and if it does, the property market will crash.”

Sweet dreams.

We’ve heard it all before. But let’s play along for a moment:

• In the late ’80s, unemployment in Australia hit 10.8% during the recession. House prices in Sydney fell 9%, and 10% in Melbourne.
• During the GFC, prices dropped 8.5% over 11 months.
• Pandemic? Unemployment spiked to 7.4%, but prices barely blinked.

So even when the world did end (at least twice), the property market gave us a polite shrug and carried on.

Why? Because Australians have one thing in spades: equity. They’re sitting fat on it. The average homeowner is ahead on their mortgage, and the banks—despite their PR problem—aren’t in the business of torching assets. When push comes to shove, they’ll restructure, revalue, extend terms, or let you ride it out. They want you to pay, not walk.

So, if you’re waiting for some grand, market-wide fire sale to scoop up distressed homes at 50 cents on the dollar… you may be waiting a while in Australia. This isn’t 2008 Florida. And it’s definitely not Detroit.

Meanwhile, back in the reality of the Australian property market:

• We have a chronic shortage of housing.
• The rental market is bursting at the seams.
• The demand for new and renovated, turnkey homes is still ravenous.
• And the supply of people willing to get their hands dirty and uplift properties is… well, that’s where we come in.

So no, we don’t wait for the sky to fall.

We find ugly properties in strong locations, add value where the market can see it, and create our own uplift.

Let the economists whisper about “confidence” and “macroeconomic risk.” They can pore over projections in spreadsheets. We’ll keep showing up with paintbrushes, spreadsheets, and profit margins.

This Week’s Soapbox: “Housing Has Never Been Harder… So What? You Run a Business, Not a Budget”

This week, the sob stories rolled in: “It’s never been tougher to buy a home!” The mainstream’s favourite headline. And they’re not wrong. The numbers tell the story:

But here’s the thing: that’s not your business.

You’re not in the “save a deposit” game or waiting for your serviceability score to inch you a baby-step closer to ownership. Nope. You’re in the private funding, profit-driven hustle—and guess what? Private money doesn’t care about your budget—they care about your pitch and your profit math.

Here’s what’s really happening behind the scenes:

• Private capital is pouring into real estate with astonishing speed. It’s gone from around 33 bil in 2016 to a staggering 205 bil in 2024—a compound growth near 15% per year.
• Banks are retreating. Meanwhile, private credit now funds about a quarter of residential development, and this share is expected to rise from about 50 bil today to 90 bil by 2029.
• Flexible terms, higher loan-to-value ratios, speed, and willingness to lend on profitability rather than pure serviceability—that’s the private money playbook.

So yes—the “housing affordability” headlines are accurate for the wannabe owner with zero equity and a deposit under construction. But if you’re flipping real estate as a business—you’re not buying a home. You’re creating value. And investors are chasing that value, not checking your monthly budget.

Here’s your segue to profit, not pity:

• Find underpriced or rundown gems in areas missing supply.
• Crunch the numbers on your uplift, rollout timeline, and ROI.
• Then show your pitch—not your pay slip—to the private lenders. They’ll back you if your plan makes them money.

So don’t waste time mourning broader market squeeze. You’re not a borrower—you’re a business operator. And private capital is watching for precisely your kind of deal.

This Week’s Pity Party: “Great Job, Good Education… No Home”

Translation: You played by the rules. You got a degree. You got the job. You’re still locked out.

And the media’s shocked.

The latest hand-wringer of the week warns that Australia’s bloated property market is “destroying the middle class.” Apparently, having a salary, a student loan, and a perfectly formatted LinkedIn profile just isn’t enough anymore.

But here’s the real question:

Who’d want to be middle class anyway?

Think about it:

• You earn too much to get help…
• Not enough to get ahead…
• You pay the most tax, carry the most debt, and have the least leverage.
• You’re the mule dragging the cart.

Now, if that’s working for you, great. Keep refreshing your bank app and hoping the boss signs off on your 3% raise next year.

But if you’re serious about making money in this market, maybe it’s time to change teams. Because no one is coming to help the middle class. Not the government. Not the banks. Not your boss.

And definitely not the property market.

Here’s the brutal truth:

• The housing game is rigged in favour of people who create value—not those trying to “afford” it.
• Private lenders don’t care about your salary—they care about your deal.
• If you can find the gap, see the uplift, and run the numbers, the money will find you.

So while the middle class waits for prices to crash, for interest rates to fall, or for some fairytale policy to level the playing field…

You could be out there flipping, subdividing, uplifting and building your own economy.

Up to you.

— The Property Lovers Team

Helping you run property like a business, not a gamble.

Curious how some of our readers are quietly turning tired old houses into six-figure paydays — without using their own money, begging banks, or waiting for a unicorn deal to fall in their lap?

They’re not geniuses. They’re just using tools the market hasn’t caught up with yet.

We don’t advertise this broadly, but if you want to see how the system works — and whether it might suit your own plans — you can book a private walkthrough with one of our team. No pressure. Just intel.

Click here to book a time