There’s nothing like experience to provide some hard won lessons on what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to delivering a property development project. While every project is different, there are some fundamentals that can be applied across projects to help things go as smoothly as possible. Matt Chamberlain from Chamberlain Property has delivered more than a dozen small scale development projects and shares with us some of the tips and ideas that have worked for him. We cover the impor...
Sep 24, 2021•50 min
Many developers look to grow their business quickly, trying to scale and improve their returns. But scaling rapidly comes with risk, as you expose yourself to more debt and leverage. However, slow and steady might just win the race. My guest today has taken a measured approach to growing his development business, and we'll discuss his deliberate approach to scaling and growing a property company. I am speaking with Peter Siassios from Inland Property Group. Peter is doing some awesome townhouse ...
Aug 13, 2021•48 min
Property developing is often a solo pursuit for many but partnering up can be a great way to accelerate your business and complete more projects, however there are some important boxes to tick before you join up with someone else. There are many benefits to joint venturing and we will discuss what these are along with some pitfalls to avoid and mistakes to sidestep. "If you are not at the next level and you want to be, there's a reason." Zoltan Celedes - Arena Equity Property Development Joint V...
Jul 13, 2021•50 min
Finding a great property development site only to discover it has a restriction on the title like a single dwelling covenant can be very frustrating and often leads to a potential project being ruled out. However, getting covenants lifted or modified is not an impossible task, but it can be tricky. Fortunately, we are speaking with a previous guest who has lifted not only one, but two, restrictive covenants in two very different ways. So let's find out what's involved with varying or removing a ...
Jun 09, 2021•55 min
Partnering up with somebody to do a property development project is not uncommon but would you do it with your sibling and take on some big towers? But before we get to that, here’s a quick update on my townhouse projects. Construction is moving along nicely with project 1, most of the site is at lock up stage, which is good. Actually had a meeting with a council enforcement officer last week to discuss noise complaints from a neighbor but fortunately we were compliant with our obligations so no...
Apr 29, 2021•40 min
Building to sell is the classic model that property developers often follow. They create value, realise the gain and then recycle their capital and do it all again. But when market conditions change this may dramatically impact the bottom line and render this model unviable. So what do you do if you are starting a project or half way through? Well, one option may be to repurpose your project and exit that way, or you could choose to hold on to the stock and ride out the change. Adapting your sto...
Mar 10, 2021•31 min
Decades of experience have taught Rod Fehring a thing or two about property development, and he shares some of the lessons learned along the way about how to create a successful property development business. In this episode we explore those lessons, the standout projects and the future of Australian residential property. Project update - Project 1 - framing well underway, couple more sales, 75% sold - Project 2 - assessing build quotes, readying to make a decision on who to appoint, about to la...
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 37 min
Delivering high rise tower projects was the driving aspiration for Jonathan Hallinan from BPM Corp, and he rushed to get there from a humble start on a renovation project. Jonathan has followed the quintessential property development path, starting off with a small property purchase, doing a renovation and subdivision, then getting into small multi unit townhouse developments, graduating into apartment projects and finally leaping into high rise buildings with hundreds of units in them. Jonathan...
Jan 03, 2021•56 min
Amassing a $4.5 billion dollar portfolio of property assets is a pretty impressive feat for a property development company, and in this episode I am speaking with the head of the organization about how they achieved that and the lessons learned along the way. My guest on the show is Rod Fehring, the former CEO of Fraser's Property Australia. He recently stepped down from the role but has taken up a position on the Frasers Property Australia Board. Strategic Growth and Sustained Value During Rod’...
Dec 03, 2020•1 hr 21 min
Daring and dangerous are two words you would not normally associate with property development, but my latest guest suggests that may in fact be a way to create something fresh and exciting to bring to market, and carve out your own space in a competitive sector. Can you be daring and dangerous and still deliver successful projects? Let's find out... Before we get to that, I have to say I have some amazing guests lined up for the next few episodes and I can’t wait to bring them to you so stay tun...
Nov 09, 2020•1 hr 30 min
Developing property in another country is not something most people would turn their minds to, but opportunities exist everywhere and maybe it’s not as hard as you think, as my latest guest explains about his experience developing in Japan. Some developers focus on a particular location and become an area specialist, others branch out and explore across a city, some go further and look interstate, but very few look beyond the borders of their home country. In this episode we speak with someone w...
Oct 06, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Decay, dispute and disappointment is how former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu describes the planning system. In this thought provoking discussion we will cover who cares about rising construction costs and how developers can deliver better outcomes. Most property developers lament at their experiences of going through the planning system. There often seems so much about it that is frustrating and inexplicable for marginal outcomes. That’s why this discussion with Ted Baillieu is so interesting ...
Sep 04, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Large property development projects have unique challenges, but some of them are familiar to what can happen on projects of any size. I'm talking with someone who has experience with projects that range in size and sector. As I record this episode, Melbourne has started stage 4 lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID19, which means many businesses are closed and movement is severely restricted. So the kids are home from school and we don’t get to go out much. This certainly has been a strange y...
Aug 07, 2020•44 min
How can fragmented property investing help property developers grow their business? It is a fledgling sector of the property industry that offers an interesting model to get people involved with property and an alternative funding model for getting projects completed. Before we get to discussing fragmented investing, here's a quick update on what I've been up to. I’m doing fine, just dealing with Melbourne going into lockdown for a second time due to corona virus which is a bit frustrating but a...
Jul 14, 2020•29 min
Responding to the COVID19 pandemic is testing many property developers, with uncertainty sweeping across property markets. To help you figure out what you should be doing in this strange time to ensure continued success, I am continuing my discussions with past guests about how property developers can best respond to the COVID19 pandemic. In this episode I speak with Don O’Rorke from billion dollar property company Consolidated Properties Group. Don featured in a great double episode (52 How to ...
Jun 10, 2020•27 min
The build to rent model is getting a lot of attention across Australia as the cost of buying property keeps escalating. It seems to offer a lot of benefits but how does it work and what challenges does it present? Let's find out... Hello and welcome to episode 69 of the show, I've been enjoying a bit more social freedom as we slowly ease up the covid lockdown across Australia. I've also been very busy for the past few weeks, with lots going on with my projects. We've started demolition on one of...
May 28, 2020•1 hr 5 min
I am continuing my special series of discussions during the COVID19 pandemic, this time we are talking with Dan Holden from Holden Capital about all things finance and capital in times of uncertainty. During dynamic, volatile periods it is common for fear to take hold and cloud our vision of the future. It is often made more challenging when people and organizations around you are withdrawing capital or pausing to take stock. However, it is important to work through the fear, tackle the issue an...
Apr 24, 2020•45 min
When there is an unexpected slow down it can cause fear and uncertainty but pausing to reassess is not a bad thing, it's what you do next that counts. To help you consider what steps you can take during an unexpected slow down here's the second in my series of discussions with thought leaders about how to respond to the COVID19 pandemic sweeping the world and what property developers can do in response. I speak with past guest Andrew Hoyne about his advice on what you can do right now. Andrew fe...
Apr 23, 2020•43 min
Property developers are used to dealing with challenges, coping with uncertainty and managing complexity, but the dilemma presented by the COVD19 virus sweeping across the world is something totally new. With so much change washing across society, the economy and property markets, what can developers do manage their projects and maintain their equanimity? In this episode I speak with past guest, and successful business coach, Byron Sakha about how property developers can lead through adversity, ...
Apr 03, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Private capital funding was somewhat of an exotic animal a few years ago for most developers but has become quite mainstream in recent years, with more developers using it to fund their projects as bank lending has tightened. So we dig in to find out the best way to access non-bank lending. At the time of this recording, Australia is in a kind of lock down due to the corona virus so life has changed quite a bit for many of us. We are spending more time at home and there is a huge amount of uncer...
Mar 31, 2020•47 min
Discover how property developer Rob Flux lost his property portfolio then rebuilt his wealth through developing property. He leveraged all the lessons he had learned from investing in property to come back bigger, faster and better. In this conversation we talk about the importance of mindset and tackling problems, return vs risk and time, and how he runs his business to ensure regular deal flow and project completions. Rob has enjoyed two parts to his property journey, his first part was as a p...
Mar 11, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Getting your legal foundation properly set up enables you to protect your projects and ensure they have the best chance of succeeding. So we are talking all things legal when it comes to property developing with property legal eagle Lewis O'Brien. It feels like a lot has happened since the last episode. Market sentiment and momentum has noticeably picked up across Melbourne and it seems in other cities too. Property values have been steadily rising and confidence is returning to the property sec...
Feb 16, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Selling property off the plan is always a big focus of any property development and getting it right is crucial to the overall success and timeframe of the project, but it is trickier than selling existing real estate and requires skilled and talented agents. Discovering the secret sauce to selling property off the plan will help you to get your projects finished sooner, generate great sales velocity and ensure the project delivers for everybody. I speak to a leading project sales agents to find...
Dec 25, 2019•1 hr 13 min
Would you like to go from a simple suburban duplex to iconic building developer? Making thousands of mistakes along the way but persisting and breaking through the 'development ceiling'? Shane Wilkinson is the founder and managing director of Melbourne’s Pace Development Group. He has been developing property since he was 19, and has so far done more than 100 projects. Over 21 years, Pace has delivered more than 2,000 homes and more than $2 billion dollars’ worth of real estate, including one of...
Oct 02, 2019•1 hr 6 min
Selling property off the plan presents unique challenges, particularly when the market is soft. But fear not, help is at hand from this 20 year sales and project marketing veteran. He will share some sales tips and ideas beyond online portal listings and digital advertising to help you sell out your next property development project. John Meagher, from Three Sixty Property Group, is one of Australia's leading project marketers and has been involved in some of Australia’s most iconic and successf...
Jun 19, 2019•1 hr 24 min
There are many ways to develop property, some straight forward, some very unusual. How about shifting your planning application from units to a boarding house? Or rezoning a street? Or using options to lock up parcels of land? My latest guest has done all this and more, so tune in as we explore the many unique ways that property can be developed. Davina has certainly taken a different approach to developing property and has cleverly worked a number of different angles in terms of project types a...
May 08, 2019•1 hr 20 min
Can you imagine selling a property worth a billion Australian dollars? It would be pretty amazing, right! I am speaking with a man who has done exactly that, and we learn how he approaches marketing challenging and difficult real estate. I am sure you will enjoy his tips and ideas. It seems that I have a bit of a series developing around billion dollar property stories… hopefully yours is one in the making… and we can talk about it in the future. And just quickly before we get to today’s guest, ...
Apr 11, 2019•52 min
Quite often people who work in the property industry are keen to move into property development and have a crack at being the developer. Today, as part of International Women's Day (a big hello to all you female developers and women in the property industry), I am speaking to two females who have a consultancy providing services to large property development clients and they are also in the process of delivering their own luxury apartment project. I will be speaking with them about their experie...
Mar 07, 2019•1 hr 14 min
The current property and finance markets are very dynamic, which creates uncertainty and opportunity. To give you the latest update on the lending landscape and an outlook for 2019, I speak with two very experienced financiers about what to expect. I chat with past guest Dan Holden from Holden Capital about the state of the lending market and what’s ahead for 2019, Dan is joined by his chairman Steve Wiltshire, and together they bring an enormous amount of finance experience to the discussion. I...
Feb 19, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Finding a niche market has always been an angle that can help you get an edge on the market, but how do you discover what that niche is and what they want? We will explore this question and more as we speak with second generation developer Jennifer Macquarie. Jennifer is from the Fountaindale Group and she has worked in residential property development for more than 25 years, after learning the business from her property developer father. Jennifer and her brother have expanded the family busines...
Feb 12, 2019•1 hr 18 min
