There are a lot of common perceptions about buying property in Australia, and they don’t all hold true.

In this episode of The Property Nerds, InvestorKit founder and CEO Arjun Paliwal wades through the overload of information to help investors understand what data and trends they really need to pay attention to when considering a purchase.

Arjun traces the origin of some of the biggest myths in Australian property investing and tries to discover the truth of the matter. He unpacks what’s happening in the economy right now, and how conventional wisdom about the current climate may or may not hold true.

Looking at the importance of mentorship, Arjun also discusses lifelong learning, and shares insight into how he approaches upskilling.

From passive income to infinite rental growth, the property investment space is full of grand promises – but the maths does not always add up. On this episode of The Property Nerds, InvestorKit founder and CEO Arjun Paliwal has a tough conversation about learning how to distinguish daydream from reality. Stressing the importance of getting your numbers right, he warns investors about common data pitfalls that can lead to unrealistic financial projections. Arjun also drops hints about a change coming to The Property Nerds in the months to come, as his family gets ready for an exciting new chapter.

It always pays to do extra checks. On this episode of The Property Nerds, InvestorKit founder and CEO Arjun Paliwal returns after a stint away from hosting duties to focus on his health. Stressing the importance of always getting your check-ups, Paliwal turns his attention from exercising care on a personal level to an investment one, delving into the world of due diligence. The investment expert catalogues some of the common and not-so common elements that should be considered as part of due diligence, and helps property buyers assess what they need to think about before entering into a contract. He also explains how to weigh up the risks of a potential acquisition, and shares why a checklist can be an investor’s best friend.

With property prices climbing high, many investors worry the nation’s housing market may crumble overnight. Are these fears founded? On this episode of The Property Nerds, host Grace Ormsby sits down with InvestorKit’s Junge Ma to discuss the macroeconomic context that will shape Australia’s investment landscape over the coming financial year. Junge explains why the widespread financial stress individuals are currently facing doesn’t necessarily equate to an unhealthy broader property market, and expounds on why strong housing fundamentals have the power to combat low sentiment. Jumping over to the West Coast, Junge and Grace discuss whether Perth can expect a cooldown in the next 12 months, after a year of extraordinary growth.

Rental rates are surging across the country, and some regions are tipped to see higher growth than others. In this episode of The Property Nerds, Smart Property Investment’s Grace Ormsby sits down with Junge Ma, senior research analyst at InvestorKit, about the state of Australia’s rental market. Junge explains why extremely low vacancy rates are fuelling strong rental growth in regional towns and capital cities alike. She unpacks how post-COVID-19 migration trends are creating new patterns of demand across the country’s diverse rental market. The pair also chat about the sudden rise of Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide as Australia’s hottest rental markets, with some suburbs seeing rental increases of up to 20 per cent in the past 12 months.

Does the market determine the news or can news impact the market? In this episode of The Property Nerds, Junge Ma, senior research analyst at InvestorKit, is joined by Dr Sunny Nguyen, who most recently served as an economist and analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and has now joined Moody’s analytics as assistant director for APAC. The duo delve into the world of data, with Sunny explaining methods that she used at the RBA to quantify factors previously thought unquantifiable. She unpacks how economists can measure things such as popular sentiment towards housing by analysing the language used in media reports. Sunny and Junge also talk about how the stories in the news can impact consumers’ decisions, and discuss the way that such data can be used to inform forecasts of likely behavioural shifts among buyers and sellers.

While pursuing an aggressive strategy of building wealth, it’s important not to lose sight of the important things in life, and to take time out to enjoy what you’ve built. On this episode of The Property Nerds, host Arjun Paliwal shares some personal news and reflects on the importance of getting your priorities in order. He reminds listeners that health is a crucial part of building and protecting wealth. With this in mind, the investment expert delves into InvestorKit’s strategy for scaling portfolios, which follows the simple cycle of: acquire, optimise, and consolidate. He explains what this looks like from a practical perspective, and also discusses how investors might find the space in this aggressive approach to ensure that they’re able to enjoy the important things without sacrificing financial goals. Arjun gives a snapshot into what the next few episodes will look like, and some of the exciting data that the InvestorKit team will be bringing to listeners.

Whether you’re in an early adopter market or a second wind market, knowing which stage you’re at is vital for optimising investment success. On this episode of The Property Nerds, host Arjun Paliwal goes solo to discuss the three key phases that all housing markets go through, and the key indicators that set each phase apart from the others. He breaks down the three major stages in a market cycle – early adopter, hotspot and second wind – and explains how knowing the signs can help investors predict when a market is about to boom. Arjun also identifies five clues that investors can follow to discover which market stage they are in, using open-access market data.