#42 - Scott O’Neill & Sophie Dugan’s Blueprint To Successful Commercial Property Management

Higher interest rates are supposed to push commercial property values down. In most sectors, they haven't. This market update maps where the commercial property market actually stands: which asset classes and states are strengthening, which are softening, and where the opportunity sits for Australian investors at home and in New Zealand.

Most investors think growing a commercial property portfolio means buying the next property. It usually doesn't. The highest-return capital is often already sitting in the asset you own, in the space that isn't earning, and unlocking it is simpler and cheaper than buying again.

Scott O'Neill has spent fifteen years building commercial property portfolios through every kind of market. The recent federal budget has rattled Australian property investors, and the headlines have amplified it. Scott's response to the noise: for commercial property, almost none of it changes what actually matters. Here's what does.

Most sophisticated investors rule hotels and motels out before they understand them, and in doing so they overlook one of the most compelling yields in commercial property today. Hotels and motels are a new asset class in the Australian and New Zealand markets, and one that most investors have never been taught to understand. In this episode of Inside Commercial Property, Scott O'Neill is joined by Selin Ince, Rethink Group's hotels and motels acquisition specialist, to unpack the asset class: the investment structure of hotels and motels, why the misconceptions persist, and why the barrier to entry is far more achievable for the experienced private investor than most assume.

New Zealand commercial property is drawing serious attention from Australian investors, and the yields are a big part of why. In this episode of Inside Commercial Property, Scott O’Neill is joined by Matt Harris and Michael Vincent of Lighthouse Financial to unpack what’s making the New Zealand market so compelling right now.Lighthouse is one of New Zealand’s leading financial services firms, guiding more than 4,000 Kiwis toward financial freedom since 2014 with holistic advice spanning accounting, lending, and investment. The conversation covers the forces shaping New Zealand property in 2026. New Zealand has moved through the interest rate cycle ahead of Australia, with the official cash rate easing significantly from its peak, and that shift is changing how investors think. For an everyday Australian investor, the combination of a favourable exchange rate, no stamp duty, and a maturing commercial market makes a genuine case for diversification.Matt and Michael also explain the practical side of buying across the Tasman: how the structures, lending, and tax considerations work for a foreign investor, and why the experience is more familiar than most Australians expect.In this episode, we cover:- Why New Zealand’s position in the interest rate cycle is reshaping investor behaviour.- How the shift toward income-driven assets is opening the door to commercial property.- What the exchange rate, stamp duty, and lending environment mean for an Australian buyer.- How New Zealand’s commercial market is maturing, and where the opportunities sit.- The structures, tax, and first steps for an Australian investing in New Zealand.Explore New Zealand commercial property with Rethink Investing:- New Zealand: https://www.rethinkinvesting.co.nz/ - Australia: https://www.rethinkinvesting.com.au/ Book a Consultation: https://www.rethinkinvesting.com.au/lets-talk Explore Lighthouse Financial: https://lighthousefinancial.co.nz/