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In this newsletter, you'll find:

📰 Our latest blog post

🧠 10 Logical Fallacies You Need to Know (and Avoid!) When Building Your Home 🛠️

Ever felt convinced by a sales pitch only to realize later it was full of holes? That’s a classic case of falling for a logical fallacy—a sneaky error in reasoning that pops up everywhere from marketing to negotiations, even in residential construction.

Whether it's a contractor rushing you with “either/or” choices or sales reps relying on a so-called “expert’s” opinion, spotting these fallacies can help you stay on track and make smarter decisions.

This article breaks down 10 common fallacies you might encounter when building your dream home, from ad hominem attacks to the slippery bandwagon appeal. Each one comes with clear examples and tips to help you recognise and challenge flawed arguments.

Ready to sharpen your critical thinking skills and recognise BS faster?

🚀 The latest residential construction news from new sources around Australia for the week ending 24-10-2024

If you're new to Constructor, a warm welcome to you! 👋 You've come to the right place to learn all about residential construction and quality management.

Let's get started, shall we?

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🔥 News

What else is happening in the construction sector?

We've highlighted our favourite news articles for the week by marking with a 👉️ and this formatting.

18th October 2024

NSW builders say housing supply is hamstrung by state insurance scheme - LINK

👉️ A Human Rights Act: addressing Australia’s housing crisis - LINK

Treasurer Jim Chalmers gives strongest indication yet that the government won't change negative gearing - LINK

Who is to blame for Australia's housing crisis? Neither the answer nor the solution is easy - LINK

Our Comment: Economists have not idea the nuances of the building industry, regulation, administration and can only speak to factors which they think may improve. Its very simple - supply and demand. Increase supply or reduce demand. that's it.

Do Housing Investors Pass-through Changes in Their Interest Costs to Rents? - LINK

(Advertorial Content) Going green: Six exciting sustainable developments coming to Queensland - LINK

Property Council Chief Executive addresses Senate Inquiry into home ownership – first step is to boost housing supply - LINK

'Disappointed': industry verdict on parties' response to Home Truths as Queensland decides - LINK

Don't get caught with the repair bill; take action now against building defects - LINK

19th October 2024

Builders and plumbers must ensure they’re not leaving products that can’t be legally installed shortly. - LINK

It’s in the Trees: Australia’s Path to Millions of Low-Carbon Homes - LINK

👉️ Unpaid Nicheliving crane hire bill symbol of broader industry problems, operator says - LINK

Our Comment: we agree. Builders like these are absolute greedy muppets.They have no business being in an industry they clearly only want to exploit. Read our solution to get rid of future situations like these - BuilderPulse Metric (BPM): Know if your builder is a zombie - READ HERE

Downsizers creating upsized property investment hotspots - LINK

👉️ ‘Urgently needed’: Warm reception for Dutton’s $bn housing promise - LINK

Our Comment: biggest news of the week. How will it be funded though? its a counterpoint to the incumbent government's policy but its easy to counter without accountability (for the sake of providing a counterpoint).

Builders: population growth behind housing crisis - LINK

Minns weighs new powers to bypass councils on major housing approvals - LINK

NSW Government commits $75 million to deliver much-needed infrastructure for Western Sydney homes - LINK

Housing Affordability in Crisis: How Rising Interest Rates and Home Prices Are Shutting Australians Out of the Property Market - LINK

Housing starts, building permits dip as builders, buyers await lower rates - LINK

20th October 2024

👉️ Business Council calls for radical zoning changes - LINK

Our Comment: Bang on. We need to increase supply and density. We have built out for two long now we need to infill and build up. Yes, traffic is going to get worse but it is the only way to have people stop travelling 2 hours each way home to work (lost productivity).

‘Without fear or favour’: NSW’s next building commissioner vows to restore confidence in housing - LINK

Fifty new areas getting fast-tracked high-rise apartments. Here’s where - LINK

McGrath Report: five Victorian suburbs with home prices tipped to grow in 2025 — and why - LINK

21st October 2024

Victorian government announces 50 higher-density housing development zones across Melbourne - LINK

More homes for Victorians - LINK

More affordable homes on track for delivery - LINK

New development under construction to house thousands of families - LINK

Coalition's half-a-million homes claim based on industry estimate, but councils say the infrastructure gap is real - LINK

👉️ Protests break out as Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan unveils plan to fast-track high rises amid local outrage - LINK

Our Comment: An now social divide begins. The status quo must change for things to be different, or we get the same predictable results. Answer from the locals - NIMBY!

‘I’m really outraged’: Brighton’s fury as premier avoids locals over high-rise plans - LINK

Landmark BCA report calls for urgent policy action to fix housing supply crisis - LINK

Coalition’s housing plan ‘exactly the same’ as Labor’s, ministers say - LINK

👉️ It’s time to say yes to housing - LINK

Our comment: has some interesting points but relies on old methods and existing systems to produce more of the same. Where is the creativity and futurist outlook? Look out of the box and see what could be rather than where we have been.

How much does it cost to build a house in Melbourne? - LINK

High rises out of reach for residents, opposition says - LINK

22nd October 2024

👉️ Making sense of housing policy proposals - LINK

Our comment: This is one of the most sensible articles I have read on this topic to date!

The government says Australia needs 60,000 new houses a year. Who will build them? - LINK

Aussie housing crisis: Skyrocketing prices and plummeting construction productivity impact affordability | Business Council of Australia - LINK

Our comment: need to turn variable into fixed costs to guarantee price of housing stock/output

The charts that reveal the extent of Sydney’s construction bottleneck - LINK

Housing auctions improve in October but supply remains tight - LINK

👉️ Australia has no choice but to address housing demand - LINK

Our comment: It makes sense that one lever must be turned off, the effect measured for a period of time before making further adjustments. To leave things as they are is insanity (repeating the same thing expecting a different outcome).

Just Look Up: Melbourne’s Big Plans to Tackle Housing Crisis! - LINK

Building contract awarded for Mandurah's Common Ground - LINK - LINK 2

How much does it cost to build a house in Melbourne? - LINK

Housing minister says stamp duty is 'bad tax' that distorts the market - LINK

At last, Victoria gets serious about the housing crisis - Grattan Institute - LINK

Victoria slashes stamp-duty for off-the-plan builds in 12-month stimulus push - LINK

Coalition bets on detached homes in the outer suburbs as they square off against Labor on housing - LINK

Our comment: Granny Flats may help but wont do much I'm sorry. We need greater density high rise infill in city and surrounding suburbs - rezoning. You ant keep building out, you have to go up. Every major city in the world gets to this point then they infill and increase density. It sucks, but its one of the only ways. There are benefits to this, later on.

Labor cops flak from both flanks over suburban high-rises - LINK

SIRA Bulletin - Issue 63 - LINK

23rd October 2024

How Australia's housing market compares to the rest of the world - LINK

REIA pushes for urgent housing reform - LINK

Housing target hits wall as costs go through the roof - LINK

👉️ The Liberal’s plan to boost housing is just a $5bn gift to property developers - LINK

Want to fix housing? Stay away from our super - LINK

Our Comment: The author argues that using superannuation for home ownership contradicts its original purpose, which is solely to provide for retirement. I disagree with this broad concern. If super funds were specifically limited to support home ownership—with a requirement to repay the withdrawn amount plus 10% interest upon selling the property—how would that conflict with the super’s purpose? This approach ensures that the funds ultimately return to the individual’s superannuation, maintaining its retirement focus.

More Australians are reaching retirement with a mortgage as first home buyers get older - LINK

Cost inflation is the biggest barrier to housing construction - LINK

How Victoria’s housing shake-up will affect property prices - LINK

Trade shortages persist as demand for new homes accelerates - LINK

👉️ Eliza Owen analyses the latest housing policy proposals - CoreLogic - LINK

Our Comment: IMO this is a well written and very sharp commentary!

"Sorry, but we need to build more homes" (Qld) - LINK

👉️ Restrictive planning is a side show in housing debate - LINK

24th October 2024

Housing supply challenges persist despite government initiatives - LINK

Australian housing sector confronts “perfect storm” - LINK

Property lobby rejects key Coalition housing policy, after standing behind Peter Dutton during announcement - LINK

👉️ BCA urges $10B fund and stamp duty reform to tackle the housing crisis - LINK

Victorian government housing plan for Melbourne’s fringe panned for being ‘too little, too late’ and ‘lacking detail’ - LINK

Rebound in construction lending indicates improving conditions - LINK

👉️ Damning report into Victoria's building regulator exposes vast failures to protect homeowners - LINK

Our Comment: Great news!

Massive injection of new land for houses on Melbourne's fringe - LINK

Ex-builder Nicheliving denies stealing materials from half-built houses - LINK

👉️ The housing fight has made it to the streets. Now for the hard part. - LINK

Our comment: all talk, no work makes jack a dull boy.

Why instant homes are appealing to young Aussies amid national housing crisis - LINK

👉️ Why has nothing worked to fix Australia's housing mess? - LINK

Requests from you

If you have any requests on areas you would like me to explain, feel free to let me know and ill do my best to respond in kind.