{"podcast":{"title":"The Elephant In The Room Property Podcast | Inside Australian Real Estate","slug":"the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810","podcast_index_feed_id":1140810,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/httpsomnyfmshowsthe/","website_url":"http://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/b8741940-b635-4b9d-aae6-cd539dff0acf/image.jpg","author":"Chris Bates","episode_count":456,"summary":"Who's really in control when you buy a property? The Elephant In The Room is where the things that no one wants to talk about, actually get talked about. Veronica Morgan, real estate agent, buyers agent and co-host of Foxtel’s Location Location Location Australia & Chris Bates, financial planner, mortgage broker and wealth coach have joined forces to find out what’s really going on in the world of real estate. Veronica and Chris talk to property owners and buyers every day in their respective lines of business. They’ve observed a wide spectrum of confidence in people’s decision making ability when buying and selling property, often to the detriment of the individuals concerned. They are both fascinated by consumer behaviour and together they’re going to uncover who’s really making the decisions when you buy a property. In each episode they get into the psyche of buyers, agents, auctioneers and other industry experts to learn the truth about how buyers are influenced and why they do the things they do. In every episode you’ll learn from the mistakes of a “property dumbo” as well as Chris & Veronica’s “elephant rider bootcamp” training session. The plan? This property podcast has be…","last_synced_at":"2026-06-28T20:17:28.297319+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810"},"episode":{"title":"Why Retirement Living Needs Planning Before Retirement Age","slug":"why-retirement-living-needs-planning-before-retirement-age","published_at":"2026-02-08T20:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810/why-retirement-living-needs-planning-before-retirement-age","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810","url":"http://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/1c4a797f-72ca-4e9c-bf3f-7d2fc8c409dd.mp3","summary":"Most Australians assume they’ll deal with retirement living and aged care when the time comes . The problem? By the time it does, the system has already made many of the decisions for you. In this episode, we unpack why delaying retirement and home care planning is one of the most expensive mistakes people make—not just financially, but emotionally and structurally. Veronica Morgan and Chris Bates are joined by Mitch Hiam , COO of Balance Financial Group, to explain how Australia’s aged care and home care systems really work—and why recent reforms are quietly changing the rules. They explore how “Support at Home,” means testing, maintenance costs, and wait times are pushing retirees into decisions earlier than expected, often under crisis conditions. The conversation challenges deeply held assumptions about staying in the family home, downsizing, retirement villages, and intergenerational living. Mitch breaks down when home care works, when it doesn’t, and why time—not money—is the real currency in preserving choice and independence later in life. This episode is essential listening for Gen X, older Millennials, investors, and anyone with ageing parents, offering a clear warning: if you don’t plan your retirement living early, the system will plan it for you. Episode Highlights 00:00 — Introduction to Retirement Living Decisions 01:08 — Guest Introduction: Mitch Home from Balance Financial Group 01:48 — Challenges Faced by Retired Homeowners 04:05 — Importance of Early Planning for Home Care 09:07 — Government Policy Changes and Their Impact 16:00 — Financial Trade-offs and Family Dynamics 24:21 — Granny Flat Agreements and Multigenerational Living 26:31 — Inheritance and Financial Planning for Retirees 29:52 — Planning for Future Care Needs 30:29 — Making Better Prope…","meta_description":"Most Australians assume they’ll deal with retirement living and aged care when the time comes . The problem? By the time it does, the system has already m…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3378,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810/episodes/why-retirement-living-needs-planning-before-retirement-age/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810/why-retirement-living-needs-planning-before-retirement-age.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}