A message from the CEO

This year, our organisation celebrates its 55th year of business.
Our success as one of Australia’s largest independent property advisories is a function of many things including effort, talent, tenacity and, most of all, support. I’m proud to say that the company has forged on over the past five and a half decades to establish itself as one of the most trusted property advisories in the nation. Our organisation was founded on, and remains rooted in, the idea that local experts with intimate knowledge of their markets will deliver unparalleled guidance to clients.

We are enormously proud of the relationships we have cultivated over that time and remain grateful to those who turn to us for their specialist property advice. After all, clients are at the centre of what we do at Herron Todd White.

We look forward to many more decades of helping people and organisations navigate Australia’s property market landscape.

Turning to this month’s report and affordability is again a core theme for our residential teams. For April, our valuers have tackled the topic of buying reasonably priced property in prime suburbs or, as has been put more colourfully in these pages, buying into champagne locations on a beer budget.

This is analysis that will be of interest to most readers, but particularly those who are first-time homebuyers or investors. Our valuers have, on a location-by-location basis, identified suburbs with the best fundamentals for value growth based on consistently strong demand among purchasers. The teams have then picked property types priced at a more modest level within these areas where acceptable compromises can deliver long-term upside for less outlay. What’s ultimately heartening is that it is still possible to get into many strong markets on a limited budget in major centres around the nation.

Our commercial teams have dedicated their April analysis to studying retail markets and the challenging conditions many businesses face in this space in 2024. For instance, while there is a return to CBDs around Australia (which is a major source of traffic for retail operators), there’s still some way to go. In addition, retail continues to face lower consumer confidence, challenges from online and less discretionary spending among households. Despite this, our valuers’ analysis shows some locations and sub-sectors remain robust.

Finally, our rural divisions deliver a comprehensive study of Australia’s grain sector. The analysis shows last financial year saw extraordinary production numbers for the grain sector, but it’s the nuances of location that will prove most valuable to readers with an interest in the field.

Please enjoy our April edition of Month in Review.

Gary Brinkworth
CEO