Planning approvals have long been one of the biggest frustrations facing property developers. Lengthy delays. Endless requests for information. Different planners interpreting the same rules in different ways. For many developers, obtaining a planning permit can feel like a lottery rather than a predictable process. But is that finally starting to change? In this episode of the Property Developer Podcast, we speak with Anthony Puma from Prestige Plans about Victoria's recent planning reforms and why they could represent one of the biggest changes to property development in years. Anthony has w
Property development has always been a balancing act — but right now the scales feel especially heavy. Rising construction costs, messy feasibilities, shifting lender appetite, and a market still absorbing the post-COVID shock are making it harder than ever to get a project funded and delivered. If you’ve been feeling the squeeze, this episode will help you understand what’s really going on behind the scenes. In this episode of the Property Developer Podcast, we speak with Zac Constantinou, who started his career delivering medium and high-density projects in Sydney before moving into the fina
Property development in Australia is getting harder—and this episode unpacks why. Soaring costs, endless planning delays, contradictory government policies, and a risk-averse planning culture are pushing developers to the edge. If you're struggling to make your numbers work, you're not alone. In this episode of the Property Developer Podcast, we explore what’s broken in the system and what needs to change. Our guest, Maxwell Shifman from Intrapac Property, shares blunt insights from the front lines of residential property development including: Why planning systems are paralysed by zero-risk t
There are few things more complicated during a property development than the builder going bust during the construction phase of a project. It puts you in a very precarious position and becomes very tricky to navigate. So many issues have to be resolved and the whole process can be very stressful and time consuming. This is exactly what happened with property developer and development financier Dan Holden from Holden Capital. During a construction phase his builder went bust through no fault of his project, and he had to scramble to fix it. I have also had my own issues with a builder facing d
Steve Maroun has an interesting story to share about his journey into property development. Interestingly, Steve started studying law at university while running a property maintenance business. He then realised that law was not for him and he got his builder's license and moved into property development, following in the footsteps of his father. After completing an apartment complex project on the property next door to where he lived, he made the move into luxury, high end projects to capitalise on market opportunities. Keep an ear out for how Steve explains the difference between developing
Managing a project remotely comes with some unique challenges. Keeping the team on the same page and working together can be difficult when you can't just drop by the site for a meeting. Mark Gallo is a Sydney based mortgage broker who is currently doing a duplex project in Victoria. Mark shares with us how and why he ended up doing a project interstate, the lessons he has learned about managing from a distance and some finance tips for how to position your project to obtain the best funding in the current lending markets. Property Development Training If you are interested in learning the fun
Imagine going from no property development experience to delivering one of the most iconic towers overlooking Central Park in New York City, one of the world’s most expensive real estate markets. David Juracich did just that. David is originally from Australia before moving overseas to work in banking and finance. He ended up in New York City and was involved with building an amazing slimline residential tower overlooking Central Park along what has become known as Billionaire’s Row. I thought my first project being 20 townhomes was a great start, but this guy did a huge apartment project in B
Bouncing back after adversity is a story we all love, so hearing from a developer who went big only for things to unravel with costly and complex legal challenges is a fascinating insight into always striving toward your life goals. Iwan Sunito from One Global Capital is a seasoned property developer who has enjoyed several decades of success doing some major projects under his former company Crown Group. Crown developed some significant projects over the years to the value of around $4 billion before Iwan and his business partner had a falling out, which has led to a series of legal battles a
Tackling your first development project is usually an emotional journey and it was no different for a young architect who turned her focus on delivering an exquisite duplex property. Jenn Sinclair accidentally discovered that she had bought a former meth lab as the property she planned on turning into a luxury home. It was the start of her journey toward becoming a property developer. She was inspired by designing and building her family home and decided to take on a duplex project and test her skills out to see if she could successfully execute a development project. Jenn decided to do two ve
Understanding the rhythm and cycle of the property market is obviously extremely beneficial to property developers so you can plan the best time to deliver projects and maximise profits. Being aware of when the market is likely to boom or go bust can help you ride out the cycles and endure over the long term. Today’s guest is Phillip Anderson from Property Sharemarket Economics. Phil is the author of the book The Secret Life of Real Estate and Banking, an investment analyst and an investor. Phil’s book outlines a seemingly recurring economic cycle that takes around 18 years to complete and has
The impact of rising construction costs and increasing interest rates has been acutely felt across the development industry and economy more broadly. Managing these costs has been top of the list for many property developers. In this episode we speak with regular guest Dan Holden from Holden Capital about the state of the lending market and what's ahead for the next 12 months. We cover how construction delays have been affecting projects, the impact of rising costs and how lenders are responding. Property Development Training If you are interested in learning the fundamentals of property devel
Does working in a property-related trade mean you can easily transition into the world of property developer? Just because you understand one small part of a development project doesn’t automatically mean you can run a development project, but it can certainly help. My guest on this episode is Mark Lovett from Liquid Silver Developments. Mark has a long and storied career doing small to medium scale development projects, starting out as a plasterer before moving into property investing. He then decided to try his hand at property developing and purchased his first site with absolutely no idea
Working on luxury projects is often a dream for many people who get involved with property developing, moving from renovations and entry level projects to something more challenging and high-end. Justin O'Donnell from Cielo Property Group has followed this path and started out with small projects before evolving into luxury townhouses and apartment projects. Along the way he has faced many challenges, and he shares how he overcame them and some of lessons learned including the benefits of growing slowly, responding to the challenges of construction by taking on the building risk, and the peren
There are many skills from other industries and careers that can translate well to property development. After all, delivering a property development project is really about working with people, solving problems and managing a budget, so making the move from management consultant to property developer might not be as crazy as it sounds. Leonie Akhidenor from View Bank Homes did make the switch from being a successful management consultant to taking up a role in the family property business, something she swore would never happen. Leonie is now a second generation property developer who has ste
Success in property developing is about supplying the right product in the right place at the right time. But how do you figure all that out? Legendary market analyst John Lindeman has been helping property investors make informed decisions about where to find the next hot spot and what stock is in demand. John’s accuracy in predicting the nature and direction of housing markets is legendary. So it is awesome to have him with us today. In this discussion we cover: - What's happening across the major Australian property markets - where are the opportunities for property developers - and what Jo
Building wealth through property is a tried and tested method, with some investors succeeding in creating portfolios of strong assets that generate substantial cashflows. Julian Carlo-Stella shares how he is going about generating wealth through property development. Property in Australia has broadly performed well over time and has enabled some people to generate wealth and income. Developing new properties can be a great way of leveraging skills and creating assets at cost price rather than buying at retail and really help to accelerate wealth accumulation. Julian Carlo- Stella is implementi
Making the transition to full time property developer is an aspiration for many people that get involved with small scale developments, but how do you make the leap across the chasm? We find out from developer Nolan Keenan about how he did it. Nolan is from Aveline Property and has gone from starting out as a real estate agent before working in IT and then recently becoming a full time property developer. Nolan shares his story of progressing from a simple splitter project to now managing multiple medium density projects and setting his sights on going to even higher levels. In this conversati
Property development has some inherent risks, like any business venture, and understanding what they are and how they can be mitigated is crucial to ensuring the success of any project. Ron Forlee is a real legend in Australian property development circles. Ron will be a name known to many listeners of the show having written a number of books on developing property in Australia including Australian Residential Property Development, An intelligent guide to Australian Property Development and Australian Residential Property Development for Investors. No doubt you have some of those books in you
Joint ventures are a great way to do more projects and reduce risk. Property development can at times be a lonely game so if you have other people to talk with about issues and solve problems it can really help take your developing to another level. Valerie Smith from Valsco Property Group has harnessed the power of joint ventures to enable her to take on bigger projects. Valerie and her husband have travelled the well worn path from property investors and renovators to property developers. They are now focusing on some niche disability accommodation projects to provide much needed dwellings f
No two property development projects are ever the same. Each project throws up its own challenges and opportunities. Lessons learned from each project can help to avoid or overcome issues faced on future projects. Taking the lessons learned from past property development projects can help ensure more efficient projects in the future, and provide a foundation of experience to help solve other problems. Today’s guest, Matt Campbell from Kyabel, is currently delivering 17 small scale projects and shares some of the key lessons he has learnt along the way. Matt has a background in delivering IT pr
Sales are the lynch pin of any good property development project, and to get sales your product needs to appeal to a buyer. Give the buyer what they want and making the sale becomes easier. So how do you come to understand what a buyer wants? We talk to a seasoned property developer to find out what they do to profile their buyers. With Jeremy De Zylva from Resolution Property Group we cover:what Jeremy learnt from working for large corporate organizations the one key thing that developers can focus on to make their projects a success and stand out from the competition how to deal with markets
When things get a little choppy during a project due to factors beyond your control, like rates rising or build times blowing out, it helps to have flexible and reliable funding in place to see you through. In this conversation with regular guest and finance guru Dan Holden from Holden Capital, we will be covering: what's happening in the lending markets the outlook for the cash rate challenges many developers are currently facing with build costs and delays case studies and; the release of Dan's book called Constructive Finance. Keep an ear out for how you can win a free copy of Dan's excelle
Settling on a property development strategy can often be an evolutionary process as you learn what works and what you enjoy. That can involve a few twists and turns before you find something effective and repeatable, which is what happened with my latest guest. Anselm Mathurin is a Caribbean based property developer with a terrific story to share about following a dream and learning along the way. Like most property developers, Anselm has faced some challenges in getting his projects out of the ground including having to relocate from his home on another island to be closer to the development
Selling off the plan property is vital for many development projects to get out of the ground. Marketing and selling an idea and vision requires specialist skills. So I'm speaking with Ben Khong from Chisholm & Gamon about off the plan sales. Ben has been working in property sales for a couple of decades, mainly selling off the plan so brings a wealth of experience to this conversation, and lots of practical tips for your next sales campaign. We talk about how you can seek out the best agent to help market and sell your project, the importance of pricing and monitoring the response, and the im
With escalating build costs, delays obtaining materials and softening property values the development sector is once again facing a raft of challenges that are effecting the bottom line. This volatility and uncertainty is having an impact on finance and lending with variations to time and cost quite common. So how is this affecting the lending markets and what sorts of responses are lenders putting in place to protect themselves and their clients? Let's discuss all this and more with previous guest Fabian De Marco from Commercial & Construction Capital. We cover: - changes in private capital m
