Navigating Property

A podcast that helps you understand the property market, make smarter investments and navigate your way to success. We break down real estate trends, interview experts and share insights to empower your property journey.

Navigating Property is a business podcast hosted by Ben Plohl, with 16 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Ben Plohl hosts Navigating Property, a business show with 16 episodes published.

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  Navigating Property

  Property Managers: The Real MVPs

  Sep 28, 202616 min

  Most investors spend months choosing a property, then hand the keys to whichever property manager the selling agent recommends. In this episode, Ben talks with Kayla Brown, who leads the property management team in Albury Wodonga, about why that choice matters just as much. Kayla covers tenant screening, balancing rent increases against vacancy, preventative maintenance, fees, and the red flags that show your PM is underperforming, plus the questions to ask before you sign one up.

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  Navigating Property

  When Big Buyers Agencies Fail - What's Really Going On

  Sep 17, 20269 min

  How do you know the buyer's agent you're about to pay $15-25K is actually going to deliver? For a long time, size and visibility felt like proof enough big teams, national reach, a strong social media presence. But several well-known buyer's agencies have recently gone into liquidation, leaving active clients exposed mid-transaction, some losing fees paid upfront with no way to recover them. In this episode, Ben Plohl draws on his background as a chartered accountant and CFO to break down exactly why this happens: revenue models built on full upfront fees, growth outpacing revenue, quietly mounting ATO debt, risky purchase guarantees, and a volume-over-margin mindset that pressures agents to keep transacting regardless of what's right for the client. Ben makes the case that good property advice simply doesn't scale and that industrialising it is where these businesses go wrong. He also shares the seven questions every buyer should ask before appointing a buyer's agent, covering who actually does the work, how fees are structured, transaction volume per agent, and whether the agency can point to a time they walked a client away from a deal. If you're evaluating a buyer's agent or wondering whether the one you're using is built to last this episode gives you a practical framework to find out.

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  Navigating Property

  Why the Smartest Investors Buy in a Correction, Not After It

  Sep 6, 20269 min

  Every downturn plays out the same way: most people wait for the bottom. But by the time it's obvious the market's turned, so has everyone else's confidence and the leverage you had is gone. In this episode, Ben Plohl makes the data-backed case for why a correction is exactly when serious buyers get to work. With national values now down four consecutive months and Sydney and Melbourne sitting well below their 2026 peaks, Ben breaks down what real negotiating leverage looks like right now: longer settlements, finance clauses actually being accepted, inspections no longer waived to win a bidding war. But this isn't a "buy anything" episode. Ben's just as direct about the catch: this correction is concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne, not universal, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide are still posting double-digit annual growth. He walks through why cash-flow numbers still need real scrutiny even at a discount, and what BFP is actually seeing on the ground vendors genuinely negotiating, off-market opportunities re-emerging as competition thins. If you've been sitting on the sidelines waiting for "the right time," this episode makes the case that waiting for certainty might be the most expensive decision you make.

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  Navigating Property

  Three Months On: What the Budget Actually Did to the Market

  Aug 24, 202621 min

  Three months ago, the federal budget rewrote the tax playbook for property investors: negative gearing was abolished on established properties, the CGT discount was replaced, and a new minimum tax was imposed on trust income. Panic set in and investor activity changed. In this episode, Ben breaks down what actually happened in the market versus what the headlines predicted and why the data tells a far more nuanced story than "investors are fleeing." From the sharp divergence between blue-chip Sydney and Melbourne suburbs (some down 6-9% in three months) and regional markets quietly posting gains, Ben unpacks exactly where the opportunity is hiding in plain sight. He also walks through BFP's current acquisition playbook in detail, house-and-granny-flat combos, income-producing dual occupancies, undervalued villa units, and why commercial property deserves a serious look for investors wanting to diversify. Plus, real numbers on how a $1M house-and-granny-flat strategy can lift a 4.2% yield to 5.7% If you've been sitting on the sidelines wondering whether now is still a good time to buy or what the reforms mean for your portfolio, this episode gives you the unfiltered, data-backed view of what's really going on, and how to best position yourself.

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  Navigating Property

  The Death of Lazy Investing: Navigating the New Budget Reforms

  May 21, 202642 minS0

  <p>The property investing landscape just changed overnight. In this special episode, Ben Plohl is joined by Richard Morgan from Freedom Funding to break down the massive proposed changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax. Forget "buying and hoping"—the days of lazy investing are over. Ben and Richard unpack why it's time to pause and plan, how carried-forward losses actually work, and why savvy investors are shifting to active strategies like granny flats, commercial properties, and company structures to stay ahead of the game. </p>

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