Cutting through the noise on property finance: from co-living and Build-to-Rent, to commercial offices and clubs diversifying their portfolios, we’ll take a hard look at what the lending landscape really looks like heading into 2026.
Join Vanessa Rader, Vasco Duarte and Mario Saia on Between the Lines.
📅 Wed 15 April | 🕑 2pm AEST | 🕜 1:30pm ACST | 🕛 12pm AWST
Register: https://lnkd.in/gDQeH4tD
As the Australian property market faces a complex "reset" in 2026, the latest Between the Lines webinar has identified a fundamental shift in how capital is being deployed. Vanessa Rader, head of research at Ray White, was joined by HTL Capital Solutions directors Mario Saia and Vasco Duarte to discuss why the traditional "buy and hold" residential strategy is being superseded by sophisticated "living sector" ecosystems and opportunistic commercial plays.
The discussion opened against the backdrop of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s surprise 0.25 per cent rate hike in February 2026, which brought the cash rate to 3.85 per cent (and later 4.10 per cent in March). While such a move typically cools the market, Mario Saia observed that the impact has been more about "assessment" than "retreat."
"Rate rises are an immediate cost to the bottom line of a customer’s P&L," said Mario Saia, national director of HTL Corporate Advisory. "But we aren’t seeing a crisis. 80 per cent of people are ahead of their mortgage payments, and there is a massive 'wealth effect' from rising house prices and a strong share market. This wealth creates spend, and when there’s spend, business is doing okay."
The panel identified co-living as the breakout asset class of the year. No longer a niche concept, it has hit a critical mass of 10,000 units nationwide as institutional investors from Japan and Korea move in.
"People misunderstand co-living as just a 'boarding house,' but it’s a high-quality, community-driven alternative," Mr Saia explained. "It meets the demand of the young professional and key worker. For developers, it stacks up because you need less land, parking is limited, and the rental returns per square meter are much more favorable."
Vasco Duarte, national director of HTL Private Office, highlighted that the "ultra high net worth" segment is playing a different game in 2026. Rather than worrying about serviceability, these families are focused on generational wealth transitioning and counter-cyclical opportunities.
"We are seeing families looking for 'opportunistic buys' in the office and commercial space while the market is tough," Mr Duarte said. "They are looking at the other side of the balance sheet - how to protect the family and guide them through the life cycle of wealth transition. They have the liquidity and the 'powder' to move when others can't."
Mr Duarte also pointed to the rise of Build-to-Rent (BTR) as a "hold forever" asset for these families, particularly in "transport-oriented development" (TOD) zones. "We’re seeing clients build luxury assets where they retain 50 per cent of the building for recurring income that serves the next generation."
With major banks remaining cautious, 2026 has seen private credit become a mainstream pillar of the Australian property industry.
"The private credit fund market is big, strong, and developing," said Mr Saia. "It has shaken up the traditional banking model. Our role is to pitch projects to these funds; whether it’s a manufacturer, a developer, or even a community club looking to diversify. They offer a flexibility that the major banks often can’t match in this environment."
The webinar also highlighted an unusual trend: Community clubs becoming major property players. By leveraging underutilised land and "air rights," clubs are diversifying into on-site childcare and gyms, aged care and retirement villages and on-site accommodation and hotels.
"Relying on just food and beverage or gaming puts a club at risk," Mr Saia observed. "We are helping them build sustainable, long-term businesses by activating their land holdings into community-centric assets."
Vanessa Rader concluded the session by noting that 2026 is the year property professionalised. "We are moving away from fragmented private landlords toward an integrated housing ecosystem," Ms Rader said. "Whether it’s co-living, BTR, or luxury family-held commercial assets, the 'Living Sector' is no longer a collection of niches, it is the market."
