Talking Property with CBRE

What role can data play in enhancing property values, meeting ambitious sustainability goals, capturing the best occupiers and ensuring that property owners are on track in the ongoing race to net zero? And how do investors leverage data to make the right investment decisions? In our latest episode of Talking Property we explore whether big data can provide a big payback. Tune in to hear from the Global Leader of Sustainability for CBRE’s Property Management business Carl Brooks and from the General Manager of ESG for Scape, Australia’s largest student accommodation provider, Chris Nunn.

In this latest edition of The House View we delve into why alternative assets are on the investment radar, examine the growth potential in data centres, healthcare and hotels, and give CBRE’s take on the outlook for rents, vacancies, demand and investor appetite across Australia’s office, retail, and logistics sectors. CBRE’s Pacific Advisory Services CEO Phil Rowland and Pacific Head of Research Sameer Chopra also revisit some of their bold predictions from the Q1 and Q2 episodes of The House View – including their diverging views on the current interest rate outlook.

As the global head of investor thought leadership for CBRE and overseer of the Asia Pacific Research team, Henry Chin is always in demand when he visits Australia. We were lucky enough to nab him while he was in town for our Talking Property podcast to get his wide-ranging views on topics that are top of mind for investors. Tune in to hear Henry’s take on the current interest rate trajectory, the biggest investor challenges and why he thinks the pendulum is swinging back in favour of the retail sector. He also weighs in on why we need to stop talking about the future of office, where he’d park $200 million if he had the cash, and whether he still believes Australia is in “La La Land” when it comes to commercial property values.

Housing, housing, housing. It was a conversation that dominated the Property Council of Australia’s annual Property Leaders’ Summit given the country’s current supply crisis. But a range of other topics were also put under the microscope, including the current interest rate trajectory, views on alternative property assets, if we’re on track to meet our ambitious energy transition targets, and whether early AI adopters will reap a competitive advantage. The Summit is the hottest property ticket in town, and it’s governed by the Chatham House Rule. So, we were excited by the opportunity to discuss - under the Chatham House Rule of course - key outtakes with the Property Council’s Executive Director of Capital Markets Antony Knep and the Capital Markets Division Council President Carmel Hourigan, who is also Charter Hall’s Office CEO.

From humble beginnings, Salta Properties has grown to be one of Australia’s largest privately owned property companies. In this latest episode of Talking Property, we discuss the company’s evolution, its $3 billion build to rent strategy, the office outlook and what’s next for the industrial & logistics sector with Salta’s Managing Director Sam Tarascio. Sam also gives his views on the current housing supply crisis and what’s needed from government at both a Victorian and national level to stop the bottlenecks.

How can we future proof office buildings? Give workers a better guest experience so that they want to come into the office? And what tactics can landlords employ to foster the workplace experience and provide greater flexibility to enhance occupier engagement, property values, and truly earn the commute? To get under the hood, we’ve spoken to Jaelle Ang, CEO and founder of The Great Room by Industrious, and CBRE’s Executive Managing Director of Property Management, Pacific, Nat Slessor, on our latest Talking Property podcast.

Could land lease communities be one of the solutions for Australia’s housing affordability crisis? They’ve become an increasingly sought after option for retirees. Some 130,000 people are living in these estates and the $12 billion sector having been described as the fastest growing solution for downsizers in Australia. But what exactly is a land lease community, what are the pros and cons of buying into them, how much growth is likely in this sector and why is it rising on the radar of local and offshore institutions and developers? We explore this with Kate Melrose from the Ingenia Communities Group alongside CBRE’s Liam Greentree and Kat Hale in our latest Talking Property podcast. We also discuss CBRE’s inaugural residential valuers survey, which shines a light on the ever-pressing need for more affordable housing options in Australia. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

While there’s broad agreement on some of the longer-term tailwinds for the Australian real estate market, conviction is still lacking when it comes to the strength of future rent growth, exit values and in some cases the regulatory environment. That’s one of the areas up for discussion in our quarterly Talking Property: The House View podcast, which explores the opportunities and challenges ahead for the retail, office, industrial and living sectors. Tune in to hear CBRE’s Pacific Advisory Services CEO Phil Rowland Pacific Head of Research Sameer Chopra give their take on fresh interest in the retail investment market, the ongoing gap between office fundamentals and sentiment, the unprecedented demand conditions and supply side challenges in the residential market and whether occupier demand is beginning to moderate in the industrial sector. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

By 2100, some 10 billion people will live in around 10,000 cities across the globe. Just in Australia, our population is tipped to rise by 15 million people over the next 36 years. So how do we accommodate this growth, deal with the current housing shortage, continue to decarbonise, harness the power of AI and manage the long-term impacts of the pandemic? These issues were centre stage at the Property Council of Australia’s Future Cities Summit, which was headlined by one of the world’s leading urbanists, Professor Greg Clark. He joins us on Talking Property alongside CBRE’s NSW Director of Government & Industry Ash Nicholson to discuss how we can make our cities liveable, loveable and prosperous. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

The capital flowing into Australia’s commercial real estate sector dipped significantly in 2023, as many local and offshore investors sat on the sidelines. But are there signs of a market shift? In this latest Talking Property episode, we zero in on how global investors are viewing the Australian market, which sectors are most in favour, where the money is coming from and what the expectations are for the year ahead. CBRE’s Stuart McCann, Head of International Capital & Capital Advisory, Pacific and Southeast Asia joins Tom Broderick, CBRE’s Australian Head of Capital Markets Research, to discuss the outlook and some of the key trends highlighted in our latest Capital Flows report, which you can read here. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

Hundreds of Australian companies have just posted their half year results, including a swag of ASX-listed property stocks. Australian Financial Review columnist Robert Harley, The Australian’s commercial property editor Ben Wilmot and the Sydney Morning Herald’s commercial property editor Carolyn Cummins join this latest episode of Talking Property to cut through the financials, discuss the trends and give a view on what’s next. In this wide-ranging discussion, they touch on the sectors which outperformed, whether office is still a “dirty word”, why alternative assets are in focus and the outlook for asset values. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

Could building on top of older apartment blocks be one of the solutions to Australia’s housing crisis? Airspace above existing strata buildings is a $150 billion opportunity in Sydney alone according to one leading advocate. Equally, is going up the only solution for the owners of these blocks? Given tight rental market conditions across the country, there’s also huge demand from investors wanting to purchase these blocks outright. It’s a topic explored in this latest episode of Talking Property featuring Warren Livesey, Head of the Association of Rooftop & Airspace Development, and CBRE Metropolitan Investments Director Toby Silk. They also delve into the opportunities for airspace development, not just above strata apartment blocks but also around hospitals, transportation hubs, fire and police stations to create key worker housing. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

There are positive signals for the Australian real estate sector. Inflation is showing signs of moderating, interest rates appear to have peaked, employment remains resilient and cap rate expansion seems to be topping out. All of this is flowing through to improving investor sentiment. But we’re still in a very volatile and uncertain geopolitical environment and China’s economic woes are heightening. So, what does this mean for real estate? Find out in this latest episode of Talking Property: The House View as CBRE’s Phil Rowland, Pacific Advisory Services CEO, and Sameer Chopra, Pacific Head of Research, chat about pricing, investor intentions, the vacancy outlook, cost of living pressures, and some of their key predictions. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

To wrap up our 2024 property predictions series, we chat with Aware Real Estate’s Michelle McNally and Aliro Group’s David Southon. They give us their views on the best property market opportunities this year and the areas ripe for transformation. The tailwinds in residential and the opportunities being presented by supply challenges, immigration and a growing economy are among the topics up for discussion If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at: talkingproperty@cbre.com. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

In the second part of our 2024 property predictions series, we chat with ISPT’s Chris Chapple, Brookfield’s Leonie Wilkinson and Investa’s Pete Menegazzo. They give us their views on the best property market opportunities this year and the areas ripe for transformation. Sectors in the spotlight include life sciences and living, as Australia’s population demographics shift and the need for new housing continues to dominate the news headlines. The industrial & logistics sector, while coming off unprecedented highs, remains on the radar and premium office space is back in favour. Challenges moving forward include the need to play catch up on the technology front, repurpose ageing office stock and combine and conquer as an industry to tackle complex sustainability challenges. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at: talkingproperty@cbre.com. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

To kick off our 2024 property predictions series, we chat with Charter Hall’s David Harrison, CBRE Investment Management’s Alex Crossing and Lendlease’s Dale Connor. They give us their views on the best property market opportunities this year and the areas ripe for transformation. In the spotlight are “beds, meds and sheds”, the conviction around prime office opportunities, the intersection between transport and property, an ever-increasing focus on sustainability and whether we’re returning to an “old normal”. It’s the first episode in a three part series, with Episode 2 set to go live on January 18 featuring ISPT’s Chris Chapple, Brookfield’s Leonie Wilkinson and Investa’s Pete Menegazzo. Episode 3 will launch on January 25, headlined by Aware Real Estate’s Michelle McNally and Aliro’s David Southon. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at: talkingproperty@cbre.com. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

Funding constraints, rising interest rates and downward pressure on asset pricing have been key property market themes in 2023. But what does the future hold? Will 2024 be a turning point – particularly for the office sector? Will debt funding be more readily available? And will investors increasingly look at new capital structures to drive their property investment strategies? We unpack this and more in our latest Talking Property episode featuring CBRE’s Australian head of Offie and Capital Markets Research Tom Broderick, the Pacific head of CBRE’s Debt & Structured Finance team Andrew McCasker and CBRE’s Pacific head of Investment Banking Paul Ryan. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at: talkingproperty@cbre.com. You can also find out more about CBRE’s recent Lenders Sentiment Survey here and access our latest Australian Office Occupancy research here. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

Australia’s student accommodation sector has been in the spotlight as international students return to our shores and investors circle what’s becoming one of the country’s most sought-after alternative asset classes. But the demand for purpose-built accommodation is outstripping supply as the sector grapples with the same issues facing the country’s broader housing market. So, what does the future hold? What measures are needed to address the current supply shortfall? And how can investors access this dynamic sector to propel its future growth? Find out in our latest Talking Property podcast from Anouk Darling, the CEO of Scape – one of Australia's largest student accommodation owners and operators; Alex Crossing, the Asia Pacific Regional Head of Indirect Private Real Estate at CBRE Investment Management; and CBRE’s Pacific Head of Research Sameer Chopra. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at: talkingproperty@cbre.com. You can also find out more in CBRE’s recent Accommodating the Growth in International Students research report. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

Social and affordable housing has made up only about 1% of the homes that have been built in Australia over the past decade. It’s an area that needs urgent attention as a growing number of people experience rental stress and homelessness. But how do investors and developers get involved in a sector that’s still largely misunderstood? And what are the benefits? We explore this in our latest Talking Property podcast featuring Wendy Hayhurst - CEO of the Community Housing Industry Association, Nicholas Proud - CEO of Powerhousing Australia, Gavin Salt - Residential Lead at i2C Architects, and Steph Harper, Valuation & Advisory Services Director for CBRE’s Living Sectors business. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at: talkingproperty@cbre.com. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.

Sky-high industrial facilities of up to 17-storeys are common in cities such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai. But could multi-storey warehouses also start to proliferate in Australia, given ongoing supply challenges in our Industrial & Logistics sector? It’s a question explored in our latest Talking Property podcast by Charter Hall Development Manager Jack Hansen, CBRE's Head of Industrial & Logistics Research Sass J-Baleh and CBRE's South Sydney Managing Director Nathan Egan. In this episode they discuss the reasons why some cities are better suited to multi-storey projects, what developers need to consider and what’s top of mind for occupiers in a market sector that’s only just beginning to evolve in Australia. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at: talkingproperty@cbre.com. And you can read CBRE’s Rise of Multi-Storey Warehousing report here. If you have any questions regarding this episode or property topics that you’d like CBRE to address in future episodes, please email us at talkingproperty@cbre.com.