Tools to Help You Unlock the Secret Formula for Land Price Inflation.. (plus SQM Founder - Louis Christopher interview..)

You can't always trust the experts ...

A few years ago, I was writing a weekly column for Property Observer  while also making making weekly appearances on Network Ten’s morning TV show The Circle. That exposure brought me a fair bit of publicity and, with it, calls from editors of popular property magazines. I’m referring to publications like Smart Investor and Australian Property Investor Magazine.

They were always hungry for a bit of so-called expert advice. Ever keen for fresh content, they’d often run features about “hotspots” - and that’s when the calls would come. A reporter, pressed for time, would ask: What’s the next boom suburb?!

The reality is, I rarely had time to put much thought into my answers. They wanted immediate responses, leaving no room for proper research.

Many sales agents they contacted were eager to get their names in print, effectively spruiking their listings for free. And I’m certain that plenty of investors reading those articles took the information at face value - sometimes chasing pretty awful suggestions like mining towns, fringe estates, or stagnant regional areas.

That experience taught me an invaluable lesson: always scrutinise the source of your advice. Don’t rely on property magazines or sales-driven commentary, especially in areas you don’t know well.

Of course, everyone loves a bit of inside information on the next hotspot. Back then, whenever I ran a seminar, I’d close with a slide showing a map of local hotspots circled in red.

Phones would whip out in unison as attendees tried to capture the info before I advanced the slide. The companies I worked for used it as a selling tactic - exclusive, “secret” information only available if you signed up.

Yet the truth is, identifying a hotspot isn’t about having secret tips; it’s about understanding what drives land price inflation and knowing where to find the data. Anyone can do it if they know what to look for.

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