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Buying Melbourne

Tristan Larkin & James Rankin

Welcome to Buying Melbourne, the podcast for anyone serious about property in Melbourne.


Join Tristan and James for no-BS, straight-talking property insights straight from the ground up. No fluff, no jargon, just real conversations with the people who know Melbourne's market inside out.


Whether you're buying your first home, upsizing, investing, or just trying to figure out what's actually happening in Melbourne real estate right now, this is your unfair advantage.


Every episode we cut through the noise with expert guests, local market updates, suburb deep-dives, and the honest advice you won't always hear from your agent.


Melbourne property is complex. We make it simple.


Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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  • 22 episodes
  • Avg 27 min
  • English

Episodes 22

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  • S2 · E54
    Dec 17, 2025 · 32 min

    Ep. 54 | Turnkey, Renovate or Build: Which Strategy Actually Works in 2025?

    Melbourne's property market has split into three distinct worlds. Turnkey homes are selling fast with buyers paying premiums for certainty. Unrenovated properties are sitting longer with buyers demanding heavy discounts. Build sites are only attracting committed buyers with deep pockets. With construction costs volatile, renovation budgets blowing out, and banks tightening lending, buyers are paying a premium for one thing: certainty. In this episode of Buying Melbourne, Tristan Larkin and James Rankin break down why Melbourne isn't one market anymore—it's three. They explore why turnkey properties command premiums while unrenovated homes struggle, and why building from scratch has become a strategy for buyers with strong cash buffers and high risk tolerance. With clearance rates declining seven straight weeks to 48.4% and the premium market underperforming at 42.42%, the differences in buyer behavior across these three markets have never been clearer. Tristan and James discuss why renovation maths no longer stacks up, how finance constraints are reshaping buyer affordability, and why "potential" doesn't sell properties anymore. They also cover December market dynamics where buyers face less competition. What You'll Learn: How Melbourne's market has split into three segments—turnkey homes, unrenovated properties, and build sites—each with different buyer behavior Why turnkey homes see strong competition and premiums while unrenovated homes face longer campaigns and heavy negotiation Why renovation maths no longer works: labour shortages, material inflation, builder insolvencies, and holding costs How informed buyers are padding renovation budgets by hundreds of thousands and walking away if discounts don't compensate for risk Why building from scratch only works for buyers with long time horizons, strong cash buffers, and high risk tolerance Why presentation matters more than ever for sellers, with buyers being ruthless and "potential" no longer enough How clearance rates dropped seven consecutive weeks from 61.1% to 48.4%, with premium market underperforming at 42.42% If you're deciding whether to buy turnkey, renovate, or build in 2025, this episode breaks down the real costs, risks, and market dynamics of each strategy. 👋 About the Show Buying Melbourne is Melbourne’s go-to podcast for buyers who want to make smarter property decisions. Hosted by Tristan Larkin and James Rankin from Tomii Property, we bring you expert tips, market insights, and real stories from the frontlines of real estate, finance, and construction. Auctions, rates, off-markets - we’ve got you covered. 🔗 Resources & Links Join our mailing list & read the blog → www.tomii.com.au Subscribe for weekly auction results → www.tomii.com.au/auction-results Follow Tristan on TikTok & Instagram → @tristanlarkin Follow James on TikTok & Instagram → @james__rankin

  • S2 · E53
    Dec 10, 2025 · 28 min

    Ep. 53 | Are Chinese Factories About to Replace Aussie Builders?

    Five townhouses built in a Chinese factory, shipped to Australia, and craned into place just sold out in three weeks in Craigieburn. Build time? Eight weeks from slab to occupancy certificate versus the standard ten to twelve months. Cost? Twenty percent cheaper than volume builders. Welcome to the prefab revolution that could either solve Australia's housing crisis or spark the biggest industry disruption in decades. In this episode of Buying Melbourne, Tristan Larkin and James Rankin unpack whether Chinese factories are about to replace Aussie builders and what this means for the future of Australian housing. With construction costs up 40% since COVID, over 500 building businesses going bankrupt in Victoria every year, and the National Housing Accord's 1.2 million home target miles off track, the industry is broken and everyone knows it. Tristan and James explore the Craigieburn experiment, the patriotic tension between keeping jobs local versus solving affordability, and whether these factory-built homes can deliver quality. They discuss why Sweden sits at 80% prefab construction while Australia languishes at 3-5%, and the December market dynamics where clearance rates have dropped six straight weeks to 48.4%. What You'll Learn: How the Craigieburn townhouses ($699K-$749K, 4-bed, 3-bath, 2-car) reduced build times from 10-12 months to 8 weeks with 20% cost savings Why 500+ building businesses go bankrupt in Victoria annually and construction costs surged 40% since COVID, creating fear around renovations How prefab construction could make smaller development sites profitable and help Australia hit its 1.2 million home target The patriotic question: will buyers choose Australian jobs over 20-25% cheaper homes, and can Australian prefab companies compete? Why Sweden has 80% prefab construction while Australia sits at 3-5%, and what council approval reforms are needed to catch up Whether these homes deliver genuine quality with 8-star energy ratings or become low-quality "investment stock" that sits unsold Why December is the best time to buy with agents having free time, vendor urgency before Christmas, and less competition How Tristan secured an off-market Ashburton property with one offer accepted same day, and why clearance rates dropped from 61.1% to 48.4% If you're a first home buyer struggling with affordability or interested in whether factory-built homes are the future of Australian housing, this episode breaks down the economics, quality questions, and industry disruption potential of the prefab revolution. 👋 About the Show Buying Melbourne is Melbourne’s go-to podcast for buyers who want to make smarter property decisions. Hosted by Tristan Larkin and James Rankin from Tomii Property, we bring you expert tips, market insights, and real stories from the frontlines of real estate, finance, and construction. Auctions, rates, off-markets - we’ve got you covered. 🔗 Resources & Links Join our mailing list & read the blog → www.tomii.com.au Subscribe for weekly auction results → www.tomii.com.au/auction-results Follow Tristan on TikTok & Instagram → @tristanlarkin Follow James on TikTok & Instagram → @james__rankin

Showing 21–22 of 22 episodes