Who Do You Take Your Real Estate Advice From?

Property decisions are some of the biggest financial calls most Australians make—yet our advice sources are a mixed bag. Friends. TikTok. Media headlines. A mate who “did well in 2017”. So, who should you actually listen to when you’re buying, selling or investing?

Who do you usually turn to first when you’re weighing up a property decision—family, friends, or a professional?

How Australians get advice today (and what’s changing)

Social media is now a real influence—especially for younger Australians. Multiple Australian surveys show around one-third of people tap social media for money guidance, with usage highest among 18–24s and still notable among 55+ Australians. Among under-35's, social media is often the second most common place to seek advice after family and friends.

Generational Patterns in Property Advice

• Gen Z & Millennials (18–44): Rely heavily on family, friends, and social media when starting out. Great for quick ideas, but risky when untested tips replace professional guidance.
• Gen X (45–59): More balanced—often using peer recommendations but cross-checking with local agents and data sources before acting.
• Baby Boomers (60+): Draw on personal experience and trusted advisers. But strategies from decades ago may not suit today’s lending rules, tax settings, or property market conditions.

Across every generation, Australians are spending more time researching. Online tools, market reports and price transparency are shaping how buyers and sellers make decisions.

Why source quality matters (especially now)

Affordability is tight and renting remains costly, so timing, suburb selection and negotiation can make five-figure differences. Recent Cotality and PropTrack reporting shows continuing affordability strains and shifting market conditions—a primary reason to rely on current, local data (not outdated anecdotes).

Trends like “rentvesting” (buying where it’s affordable and renting where you want to live) are more common among younger buyers and new investors—useful for strategy, but the details (tax, cashflow, vacancy risk) matter.

Conducting research is key to quality decision-making

• You can conduct your own research on comparable sales and suburb reports and local demand insights with sources like:
  https://www.realestate.com.au/news/property-market-trends/
  https://www.cotality.com/au (You might know this as CoreLogic or have once heard of RpData)
  https://www.proptrack.com.au/ 

  You can also look to explore suburb-level insights here:
  https://www.realestate.com.au/neighbourhoods 

• For a research-savvy, reliable source of professional real estate advice a great option is to contact your local RealWay agent. They can assist you by showing you recent campaigns, price guides, and results in your area. Frequency and familiarity when conducting research leads to higher quality insights. Conducting your own research is beneficial and combining this with the benefits of contacting a professional will create a best practice approach. With their eyes on the local market constantly, well versed in current and future neighbourhood developments, RealWay Property Consultants offer professional guidance and assistance for property decision making.

Why Local Knowledge Wins

Each suburb has its own rhythm—buyer demand, days on market, rental yields, and growth potential. That’s why relying on national headlines or general “property tips” can be misleading. Local, evidence-based insight is the most valuable real estate advice you can access.

RealWay: Advice You Can Trust