A time for real leadership

I am writing this article on election day with full knowledge that it won’t be published for another week. Hence, any commentary about the election will be irrelevant, and the RBA will also meet before you read this, so the property landscape will also be different. But as a swinging, dialed-in voter, I pride myself […]
EP34. Guest, Phil Petch takes us through what to expect from the new Barwon Business Park

Michael De Stefano and Gareth Kent recently caught up on-site with renowned developer Phil Petch — the man behind Geelong’s like R Hotel, Vue Apartments, and Devlin Apartments. This time around, Phil is bringing his expertise to the banks of the Barwon River with a new commercial development offering premium strata-titled office spaces. Find out […]
Elections and property markets

Elections are always a time for pause for the property market. Traditionally agents will either work to get property sold within the first weeks of the campaign or switch them to private sale, with a lot of auctions postponed until after the election. This year it seems that pause came earlier, sparked by the Trump […]
Trump’s own goal is our gain

YES, I’m a big geek: I was one of those people who got up at 6am on Wednesday to watch the Trump “Liberation Day” tariff announcement. Although I did so on my exercise bike – at least the exercise made sense. What a weird display. Dominating every news bulletin, economists near and far are trying […]
Time for action in Geelong’s CBD

Hopefully some of you will be aware of my campaign over the last 12 months to bring awareness to and compel action on the state of Geelong CBD and Market Square. Starting with a petition in September 2024, I have been advocating for the state government to use its powers to act. A petition with […]
How land tax changes will affect investors

It’s that time of year again. For all property investors, the issuing of land tax notices has begun and will arrive in your mailboxes over the next few weeks. Victoria has undergone significant land tax amendments which will continue to have dramatic impact on the viability of property investment. This is particularly true along coastal […]
EP34. Guest, Cam Hamilton takes us on a guided tour of the new Woolstore Bar & Restaurant, Newtown

Join Gareth Kent, Preston Rowe Paterson property valuers and Michael De Stefano, Gartland as they catch-up with Cameron Hamilton from the Hamilton Group. Cam was one of the first guests on PROPped by the Bar back in 2020 talking about the Federal Mills precinct and some upcoming Geelong CBD development projects his team were working […]
Future Geelong: Ambitious plan for Market Square unveiled

The Committee for Geelong has revealed their vision for a redeveloped Market Square.- Brendan Kearns – Geelong Advertiser SIGN THE PETITION HERE An ambitious vision for the redevelopment of the much-maligned Market Square shopping centre has been revealed. A plan by the Committee for Geelong aims to restore the site to a vibrant meeting […]
Leading the way

Georgia Hinkley was born and bred in Victoria’s Western District on a Camperdown beef and sheep farm. Georgia’s father was also the local livestock agent, which included a real estate licence – providing Georgia with an early general understanding of the property market. With her father’s encouragement and a Ballarat Grammar education, Georgia began a […]
Is one rate cut enough for confidence to return?

WITH GARETH KENT, DIRECTOR PRESTON ROWE PATERSON With the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) announcement on Tuesday of a 0.25 per cent rate cut, we got what we needed. And the major banks have come to the party by passing on the cut in full. But you get the sense that this rate cut was […]