Interview with Rent.com.au CEO Greg Bader

Greg Bader, CEO at Rent.com.au, shares his opinion on the state of the market, talks about the mistakes landlords seem to make and how renting is going to change, moving forward.

Rent.com.au helps renters and landlords connect and uses technology to make the whole process easier. As the only property website focused solely on the rental market, they have a unique perspective on the industry.

Rent.com.au's CEO Greg Bader sat down for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about the rental market, the housing slump and the future of renting.

What are your thoughts on the current rental market?

"The whole renting market has changed completely. And that's a good thing, I think.

"Over half of our renters are under the age of 40. Every day the average renter gets younger and a little bit wealthier. Interstate migration, people moving for jobs, lifestyle – it's the norm. It's much cheaper and easier to move.

"30 years ago the thing to do was to lock yourself into a mortgage, buy a house where you could afford out in the sticks. Our current generation of people entering the workforce place a lot more value on their lifestyle and flexibility. And some of that is because they need to.

"But I think underlying this is almost a movement where people are putting value on their experiences, their friends, their lifestyle. We see 20% or so of our customers either own a property that they don't live in or saving up to buy a property they have no intention of living in. That's the rentvestor."

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