Current Market Insights

On 2GB Nights with John Stanley, Peter O'Malley from Harris Partners explains why Australia’s property downturn is no longer confined to Sydney and Melbourne. As auction clearance rates weaken across more capital cities, the discussion explores the widening disconnect between buyers and sellers, and why confidence—not just interest rates—is shaping the market.

They also discuss:

•  The property downturn sprea...

In this deep dive on the issues that have dictated the market performance in 2026, Louis covers: 

• the shock and awe conditions facing the property market
• the historical crash in Auction results 
• the best and worst performing segments of the Sydney market 
• why the market won’t crash
• the true impact of the Federal Government's Budget 
• when the RBA are likely to cut interest rates
• First Home Buyers facing negati...

On Across Australia, host Chris Smith is joined by Peter O'Malley to examine the sharp decline in auction clearance rates across Sydney and Melbourne, and whether recent federal housing policies are undermining confidence in the property market. The discussion explores the flow-on effects for buyers, sellers, landlords, and renters as affordability pressures continue to mount.

They also discuss:

•  Auction clearance rates fall...

On 2GB Nights with John Stanley, Peter O’Malley takes a hard look at the softening Australian property market and what weakening auction clearance rates mean for buyers and sellers. As competition thins, the focus is shifting from auction theatre to genuine negotiation, while rising renovation costs are forcing many owners to rethink their plans.

They also discuss:

•  Winter stock levels tightening and the short selling ...

We tackle the uncomfortable vendor dilemma of whether to stick with an underperforming real estate agent or flick them and start again. We share the practical markers that separate a tough but competent agent from one who is avoiding reality, plus the legal and financial traps that can hit when you switch mid-campaign.

• recognising when the market has moved since the appraisal
• valuing honesty and evidence over likeability ...

Sydney’s property market can look like a disaster if you only read the headlines, yet the real story is more nuanced: prices are off their highs, auctions are struggling, and buyers are cautious, but demand has not vanished and credit is still flowing for people who qualify. We walk through what we’re seeing across Sydney right now, why the mood feels worse than the reality, and how to make sense of auction clearance ra...

On 2GB Nights with John Stanley, Peter O’Malley joins the program to discuss why the property market feels increasingly uncertain despite seemingly steady auction results. Beneath the headline numbers, buyer competition is thinning, demand is softening, and the outlook for housing supply remains constrained by high construction costs and economic pressures.

They also discuss:

•  Holiday weekend conditions and what a &ldq...

The budget headlines are everywhere, but the bigger story is what sits underneath them: inflation pressure, government spending, and what the RBA might be forced to do next. We sit down with Peter O’Malley to break down economist Warren Hogan’s hard-edged view of the 2026 Federal Budget, including his argument that Australia becomes inflationary once GDP growth pushes above 2%, while spending keeps running hotter than t...

On 2GB Nights with John Stanley, Peter O’Malley from Harris Partners joins the program to unpack the clear softening emerging across Australia’s property market. With weak auction clearance rates, falling buyer confidence, and proposed changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax dominating headlines, the conversation explores what could lie ahead for prices, investors, and renters.

They also discuss:

•  Weeke...

We react to the Federal Budget’s big property moves and explain why the headline promise of helping first home buyers may actually tighten rentals and lift prices in new stock. We break down how the negative gearing reset and capital gains tax changes could reshape investor behaviour, developer margins, and the next few years of the Sydney property market.

• the budget framing on property policy and broken promises&nbs...

On Across Australia, host Chris Smith is joined by Peter O’Malley to cut through the political noise surrounding negative gearing and capital gains tax reform. Rather than focusing on headlines, the discussion examines what’s actually unfolding on the ground across Sydney’s property market — from weakening auctions to rising rental pressure and shifting buyer behaviour.

They also discuss:

•  Why tax ref...

We unpack the RBA’s 0.25% rate rise to a 4.35% cash rate and read the statement for what it really says about inflation risk and what comes next. Then we shift to the on-the-ground property impacts, from Sydney’s tightening rental market to what falling clearance rates mean for buyers and sellers. 

• what the rate rise means for mortgage rates and household pressure 
• why we prefer reading the RBA s...

A ten-year ban doesn’t just end one agent’s career. It detonates a trust problem that’s been sitting in plain sight across Australian real estate for years. Ciaran O'Brien sits down with industry veteran Peter O'Malley to unpack why the Josh Tesolin case has triggered a genuine public brawl between high-profile agents, trainers, and business leaders, and why the loudest arguments aren’t really about personal...

Sydney feels like it has hit a new gear, and not the fun kind. Buyer confidence has slipped hard, open home crowds have thinned out, and auction clearance rates are now printing numbers many people have not seen in years. We sit down and get specific about what that looks like on the ground, from the way buyers are negotiating to the brutal reality of properties that simply cannot find competition, even after price guides move.
...

The New South Wales government just tabled legislation that could fundamentally change how real estate agents operate. Fines are tripling, agents will be forced to publish a price on every listing, and a new statement of information will create a paper trail that makes underquoting almost impossible to hide. In this episode Peter O'Malley breaks down what the proposed bill actually says, why the days of "price on application" are n...

The RBA just hiked rates for the second time this year and the board was split 5-4, which is rare and significant. In this episode, Ciaran O'Brien and Peter O'Malley unpacks what that split really signals, why markets are already pricing in a third hike on May 5th, and how the combination of rising rates, a Middle East conflict and growing recession talk is reshaping the property market in real time.

If you're a buyer, seller or inv...

In Episode 111, Peter O’Malley and Ciaran O’Brien unpack one of the most important issues sellers face during a sales campaign: the difference between genuine buyer feedback and agent conditioning. They explore how some agents win listings with overblown price expectations, then try to walk vendors back through negative commentary, and how sellers can spot the difference. It is a practical conversation about pricing, tr...

In Episode 111, Ciaran O’Brien and Peter O’Malley sit down with special guest Mike Salvartsis, Owner Director of Real Property Buyers, for a sharp look at what is really happening across the Sydney property market. The conversation covers how global uncertainty and interest rate pressure are shaping buyer confidence, why investor activity is shifting, what is happening with first home buyers, and where the market may be...

In this episode of Current Market Insights, Ciaran O’Brien and Peter O’Malley unpack the part of buying in NSW that most people think they understand, until it gets real. Offers are easy. Exchange is the moment it becomes binding. And the pathway you choose changes everything.  

They break it into the non binding world of verbal, letter, text, and email offers, versus the binding options where a contract is actually...