Published by The Perth Property Show
Australia’s only property podcast by West Australian experts for West Australian listeners! Catch your new episode Monday morning @ 7am! Trent Fleskens is the Managing Director of https://www.strategicpropertygroup.com.au, https://www.strategicmortgagesperth.com.au, and https://www.strategicsettlements.com.au
Listen on Apple PodcastsHost Trent Fleskens interviews WA Minister for Planning and Housing John Carey about housing supply and planning reform, focusing on R-Code changes that scrap average lot size at R20 to enable subdivisions and potentially open up 50,000 new lots over time as “gentle density.” Carey argues WA needs the full housing continuum—greenfield, infill, and medium/high density—alongside station precinct upzoning, transport-corridor increases, and simplification of the now-expanded R-Codes to reduce variations and speed approvals. They address criticism about tree canopy and future redevelopment, with Carey supporting pragmatic local planning policies and stronger justification for low-density areas while aspiring to make R30 the standard. The discussion also covers approval delays, parking minimum flexibility, infrastructure bottlenecks at Water Corp and Western Power, progress and challenges in the Housing Diversity Pipeline, and targets for delivering social and affordable housing through build-to-rent and community housing provider.
Host Trent Fleskens speaks with Byford agent Sean Dunn about why Byford is a “canary in the coal mine” as Perth’s market shifts from aggressive growth to a more defensive phase. They discuss Byford’s new train station and expanding amenities (Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, cafes) alongside its mix of older large rural-residential blocks and newer estates. Against rising Perth listings, fewer transactions, and longer days on market, Dunn describes a sharp slowdown in Byford: home opens falling from 10–15 groups to 1–3, fewer multiple offers, and harder negotiations as sellers cling to last year’s expectations. He cites a recent 4x2 dropping from $860k to high-$700k offers, driven by reduced investor urgency after the budget and interest-rate sensitivity among high-LVR buyers. Dunn expects Byford’s median to move from about $850k to around $800k over 12 months.
Host Trent Fleskens answers listener questions on why Perth listings have risen above 6,000 and days on market have lifted to 18, arguing it reflects sentiment and interest-rate-driven serviceability constraints rather than a market top, with fundamentals still supported by undersupply as WA builds roughly 20–25k homes a year while population growth remains higher. He clarifies negative gearing grandfathering cut-off was budget night (12 May 2026), discusses likely investor pivot toward new builds and fringe house-and-land while preferring new infill product within 20km, and explains unit outperformance (27% annual growth) as driven by affordability and the 5% deposit scheme. He says Perth has decoupled from Sydney/Melbourne due to WA’s stronger economy, highlights R-code changes expanding R20 subdivision opportunities across many suburbs, criticises stamp duty bracket creep for first home buyers, and advises investors not to sell purely due to tax changes.
Host Trent Fleskens welcomes Tom Miszczak from The Agency back to the Perth Property Show for a suburb spotlight on Queens Park, Cannington and East Cannington. Tom says the past eight weeks have brought a market adjustment, with investor demand tailing off due to uncertainty from budget announcements, while owner-occupier and first-home buyer interest remains strong and prices have largely held if homes are well presented. He argues the slowdown is healthy after Queens Park’s median rose from $615,000 in Sept 2024 to about $850,000, and expects sideways to slightly softer conditions over the next 12 months. They discuss developer confidence, the rail line upgrade’s new amenities and safety, the first-home buyer 5% threshold’s impact on pricing, planning changes enabling townhouses near the station, and how buyers are shifting from investments to upgrading principal residences.
Host Trent Fleskens welcomes Derek Baston of Baston & Co to discuss Victoria Park, East Victoria Park and nearby St James/Bentley, focusing on Albany Highway’s lifestyle appeal and how the market has evolved since COVID. Derek explains key drivers by area, including Vic Park Primary School, Raphael Park, dog-friendly Harold Rossiter Park, and the growing food and brewery scene, plus major activation projects like Bailey Hill and the Boston Brewing precinct. They cover gentrification, the shift from state housing weatherboard cottages to prized character homes (influenced by a streetscape policy), and changing buyer profiles including downsizers from South Perth/Como and intergenerational support. Current medians are about $1.165m in Vic Park and $1.2m in East Vic Park, with East Vic Park’s larger blocks lifting its median, while development has slowed due to feasibility. Derek expects the median to track sideways as the market differentiates more between premium and inferior stock.
Host Trent Fleskens welcomes Brendon Habak from Inhabit for an apartment-focused suburb spotlight on East Perth, discussing buyer sentiment amid negative gearing and tax noise. Brendon sells East Perth on its riverfront amenity and improving infrastructure (WACA pool/slides, growing cafe culture) but notes the suburb lacks a true town centre and community spark, suggesting Wellington Street and the Perth Girls School redevelopment as the best chance to create a walkable retail hub. They outline the typical East Perth two-bed, two-bath apartment rising from about $480k pre-COVID to nearer $700k, with rents around $800/week, but describe a slowdown from last year’s multiple-offer market to fewer home-open attendees, driven by higher interest rates, affordability and rising strata fees. Brendon contrasts softer East Perth conditions with stronger demand and price outcomes in Wembley/Jolimont and discusses premium Perth CBD and Burswood Point offerings.
Host Trent Fleskens welcomes Devon Kelly back to the Perth Property Show for an updated suburb spotlight on Kewdale, revisiting their January 2020 episode and how the market has changed since. Devin shares personal history growing up in Kewdale and highlights Tomato Lake, the evolution of Kewdale High School into the Australian Islamic College, and differing precincts around the suburb. They discuss how Kewdale’s median has shifted from around $430,000 for a 3x1 in 2020 to roughly $1.1–$1.2 million today, pricing out many first-home buyers and attracting more second-home buyers and investors. Devin outlines current development activity, new townhouse and apartment pricing, buyer turnout fluctuations tied to news events, rising days on market, and forecasts Kewdale could reach about $1.25 million within 12 months.
Host Trent Fleskens welcomes UDIA WA CEO Tanya Steinbeck to discuss how recent state and federal budget policies will (or won’t) improve WA housing supply, separating meaningful initiatives from headline “pretend policies” and potential negative market impacts. Trent notes Perth listings have risen to around 5,000 but remain more than 50% below a balanced market, keeping sellers in control. They argue that while large infrastructure spending is welcome, the key constraint is workforce and delivery capacity, with competition from mining and the need for targeted skilled migration alongside apprenticeships. They highlight the Infrastructure Development Fund and Keystart’s pre-sale finance guarantee as important for apartment feasibility, criticise stamp duty as an inefficient tax (especially for first home buyers), and caution that federal negative gearing/CGT changes may shift investor demand toward new supply without increasing overall supply. They conclude delivery depends on improving approval culture and bureaucracy.
Host Trent Fleskens and guest Lachlan Delahunty discuss current Perth market conditions, discussing recent “noise” from media and federal budget changes is short-lived compared to slow-moving fundamentals. They note Perth is still growing at roughly 1% per month with around 5,000 listings versus a balanced 13,000, keeping sellers in control despite fewer home open attendees and offers. The biggest constraint is interest-rate-driven serviceability, with some investor deals falling over due to negative gearing changes in bank assessments, reshaping investor behaviour toward new builds and infill. They warn against spruiker-led outer-suburban/off-the-plan and SMSF pitches, and highlight Perth’s strong population growth and supply shortages. Strategies discussed include value-add subdivision/infill development, syndication for larger sites, and the “accidental landlord” approach to upgrading while keeping and renting an existing home.
Host Trent Fleskens and tax accountant Carlo Baudi unpack proposed budget changes affecting property investors, stressing they are not yet legislated. They explain the shift from the 50% CGT discount toward inflation indexation from 1 July 2027, with gains before that date effectively grandfathered and calculated via ATO pro‑rating or a 30 June 2027 market valuation. They highlight a new minimum 30% tax on capital gains and trust distributions, which they argue hits lower-income earners harder and reduces the benefits of trusts. On negative gearing, they discuss restricting deductions to new builds while grandfathering existing holdings, potentially diverting investment to house-and-land and apartments, reducing rentals in established suburbs, and lowering borrowing capacity. They suggest reviewing structures (personal vs company) and seeking tailored accounting advice.
Host Trent Fleskens interviews local agent Daniella Sparta for a Dianella suburb update, describing a noisy May 2026 backdrop (war, fuel prices, interest rates) but continued demand in Perth despite listings still below 5,000 and about 800 sales a week. They break Dianella into distinct pockets from St Andrews Estate’s multi‑million‑dollar homes to villas and units, noting recent sales from about $850k–$886k at the lower end to $1.75m and above, including older large homes near $1.95m and a first $3m sale. Home open attendance remains strong, but offers are fewer as affordability tightens and sellers’ expectations rise, suggesting a likely six‑month breather rather than price falls. They discuss why locals sell (downsizing/aged care), a $1.2m median after 22% growth, limited cash buyers, proposed development near Dianella Drive, and Dianella Plaza’s underwhelming retail.
Host Trent Fleskens interviews Bayswater agent Nick Pulvirenti on the suburb’s rapid growth and changing buyer mix. Bayswater’s median rose 23% last year (about $1.2m), with stronger gains in more affordable strata stock as first-home buyers use affordability schemes; two‑bed, one‑bath units in a once-avoided King William Street complex now sell in the $600s. Detached character homes are increasingly bought by owner-occupier professionals in their 30s–40s, often with family support, while the investor share (previously dominated by East Coast buyers) has eased as many cash out. Home opens remain strong in good locations but FOMO has softened since pre‑Christmas, with more buyer hesitancy and seller price expectations causing properties to take a few home opens to sell. They discuss common reasons for selling (upsizing, downsizing, cashing in), development around the upgraded Bayswater station, rear blocks around $500k, and a current local ceiling near $2.5m on the river.
On the Perth Property Show, Trent Fleskens and Brendon Ptolomey provide a WA regional market update based on HTW travel and valuation work across the state. Kalgoorlie remains strong with local and investor demand, resilient values despite new supply, and support from gold and lithium. Albany/Denmark are undersupplied, with short-stay returns and lifestyle migration keeping pressure on rentals and prices amid construction constraints. Dunsborough’s $2–$4m holiday segment is still healthy but less frenetic, driven by Perth wealth, with no signs of forced selling. Bunbury remains a value alternative to Perth, with typical prices around $500k in Withers and $600k–$700k in Carey Park. Geraldton is active off a low base, underpinned by tight rentals. Karratha shows urgency, strong rents and record sales amid iron ore strength, while Port Hedland has high turnover but minimal value growth. In Broome, demand favours smaller modern low-maintenance homes, and it’s noted as the shakier market.
Trent Fleskens and valuer Brendon Ptolomey discuss how recent global uncertainty and policy noise may be affecting Perth’s property market, balancing qualitative sentiment with key data. They note buyer caution and fewer offers per listing, but argue conditions remain strong given demand of roughly 800 sales a week, historically low listings under 4,000, and chronic undersupply driven by population growth and high immigration. They cover interest rates as “middle ground,” cost-of-living and construction inflation, and the risk of vendors holding unrealistic price expectations after rapid recent growth. Brendon suggests most owner-occupiers should stick to their plans if they can afford them, while warning against speculative buying, and concludes that supply constraints make negative price growth unlikely, though growth may moderate.
Host Trent Kins spotlights Mount Hawthorne and interviews Hamish Laidlaw, director at Acton Bell, about Perth’s post-Easter market conditions (stock in the 3,000s, median near $1m, days on market around nine) and the Cook government’s apartment finance underwriting policy. Laidlaw compares Melbourne’s auction-centric, four-week campaigns and unconditional buying culture with Perth’s FOMO-driven private treaty environment, explaining how auctions can condition sellers in softer markets but aren’t currently ideal in Perth. They discuss tactics for buying in Melbourne (including post-auction negotiation) and in Mount Hawthorne, where buyers split between entry-level character homes around $1.6–$1.7m and “forever homes” in the high $2m range, often funded by local equity. Laidlaw suggests stronger terms like removing finance clauses and offering rent-back options, and names Matlock (and The Boulevard) as his favorite streets.
In this episode, Trent Fleskens interviews West Perth apartment specialist Richard Self, who says the market has stayed fast, with West Perth’s median unit price rising from about $580,000 in Oct 2024 to $714,000, and typical two-bedroom apartments now starting around $700,000. Buyer demand is broad—downsizers, investors, tenants turning buyers, and first home buyers (often with parental help and the 5% deposit scheme)—but first home buyers are increasingly priced out, worsened by the $500,000 stamp duty threshold. Self cites extreme competition (120+ groups and 18 offers) and record sales, minimal valuation or finance issues, about 30% cash-type buyers, and expects future amenity from the Princess Margaret Hospital precinct to support West Perth.
Trent Fleskens interviews Craig Hyne from Country Values about property and land trends in Gingin (population just over 800) and nearby towns like Bindoon, Guilderton and Lancelin. Craig outlines Gingin’s farming and horticulture roots, limited housing construction for decades, and the impact of the new Brookview Estate (107 residential lots plus a commercial area) near the town centre. Blocks that once sold for $100–$120k rose from about $149k in late 2023 to around $225k by the final stage, while the 12‑month median house price is about $630k, up from roughly $450k pre‑COVID, with scarce listings and examples of sharp resale gains. Buyers include metro downsizers, FIFO workers and investors, with growing in-migration and demand for further land supply; Craig also notes strong uptake in South Lancelin, with many eastern states investors.
Host, Trent Fleskens, notes Perth listings have finally topped 3,000 after 17 weeks, though the market remains in chronic undersupply; a recent rate rise linked to Strait of Hormuz tensions is expected to slow, not stop, Perth growth due to relatively better affordability than Sydney. He’s joined by Carlisle’s long-time top agent Matthew Jones to review the suburb’s transformation since 2019, with the median rising from about $505,000 to $923,000 and larger family homes and land-heavy sites driving outsized gains. They discuss Carlisle’s location and transport advantages, school options, price differences within the suburb, shifting buyer mix (including owner-occupiers, first home buyers and investors), limited East-coast investor influence locally, renewed development-site sales, and how the 5% scheme briefly lifted the price floor.
Trent Fleskens shares a weekly Perth market snapshot, noting steady demand, around 3,000 listings (about half last year), and a “log jam” likely keeping prices rising but tempered by expected interest rate increases. He’s joined by Richard Clucas, the top agent in Doubleview, who explains his agency’s rebrand to “Home” (Home of Hunter McGrath) and his expanded team to better service buyers at busy home opens and protect long-term reputation. They compare 2019’s slower conditions (often 2–3 months to sell, few home-open attendees, about two offers) with today’s heat (around eight offers). Clucas advises sellers not to sell without a place to go, outlines buyer circularity within the area, and updates Doubleview pricing: two-bed flats $700–800k, villas/“triple X” around $1m, single-level duplexes about $1.18m, full blocks north of Scarborough Beach Rd $1.6–1.65m, rear townhouses $1.6–1.7m, street-front townhouses about $1.85m, and a top sale at $5.5m.
Trent Fleskens interviews James Bosdet from Professionals Northern Coast on Perth’s northern coastal fringe suburbs including Alkimos, Eglinton and Jindalee, describing rapid price growth, tight supply and rising amenity. James says three-by-two homes that once struggled under $400,000 are now typically $650,000–$700,000+, with an average Alkimos sale around $850,000–$900,000 and Jindalee around $1.2–$1.3 million, including sales above $1 million and a Jindalee record of $2.1 million. They discuss improved access via freeway extensions and new train stations, intense competition with dozens of offers (up to 37) and large over-ask results, limited titled land and block sizes shrinking to about 225sqm, and recent resales gaining about $200,000 in under two years. James attributes demand to lifestyle, replacement costs, and strong buyer inflows, estimating about one-third of buyers are from overseas and additional demand from interstate investors and migrants.