Your clients are more anxious than they have been in over a decade. The data explains why, and what you can do about it.

This week on Tuesday Headlines we unpack two of the biggest stories shaping the Australian building industry right now. First, the client confidence data every builder needs to understand before their next sales conversation. Then, a clear-eyed look at why the Middle East supply shock is not COVID 2.0 — and why that distinction matters for your business.

What we cover:

The key consumer confidence index has fallen more than 36 points below its long-run average. At the same time, price expectations sit near 15-year highs. Your clients want to build. They are just frightened. We break down what is driving that fear, what two consecutive RBA rate hikes have done to borrowing capacity, and why the sales environment differs dramatically state by state right now.

We also dig into the findings from 97,000 verified consumer reviews of Australian home builders — and the single biggest driver of a five-star review that most builders are not talking about.

Then we turn to the Middle East conflict. The COVID comparison is everywhere right now. We look at where it holds, where it breaks down, and what builders should be watching as petroleum-derived material costs and diesel prices move fast.

In this episode:

• Why client hesitation is a sentiment problem, not a pricing problem
• What two RBA rate hikes have done to first home buyer borrowing power
• The state-by-state confidence split and what it means for your pipeline
• 97,000 customer reviews: the seven pain points that keep appearing
• COVID vs. the Middle East conflict: a side-by-side comparison
• What the speed of this supply shock means for contracts and pricing

Links to Articles:
https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/your-clients-are-more-anxious-than-ever-here-is-what-the-data-tells-us-about-why/
https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/covid-did-not-break-australian-construction-but-it-left-the-industry-exposed-now-the-middle-east-conflict-has-arrived/

The Australian Building Industry Health Report Q1 2026 is free to download. Grab your copy here: report.thegoodbuilder.com.au/landing-page

Pages of data covering insolvencies, construction costs, consumer sentiment, workforce shortfalls, land supply, interest rates, government policy, and the full Iran conflict supply chain analysis. The most comprehensive picture of the Australian building industry in one place.

This episode is powered by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders. Manage jobs, communicate with clients, and cut the admin. Get your 30-daty trial at myconstruct.com

Also proudly supported by Pay.com.au — use promo code GOOD20 for 20,000 bonus points at pay.com.au/tgb

The TGB Australian Building Industry Health Report is out now. Sixty-plus pages of real data — no spin, no government talking points, no marketing fluff.

But data is only useful if you know how to put it to work.

In today's Daily Dose, Az walks through five practical ways builders can use the report right now — from pricing jobs in a cost environment being shaped by the Strait of Hormuz disruption, to understanding which developers control the land in your market, to knowing exactly what homebuyers are complaining about before they complain to you.

This is not a summary of the report. It's a guide to using it.

In this episode:

— Why gut feel is not a pricing strategy when material costs are moving this fast
— The Top 30 developer rankings by state and what they mean for house and land in 2026
— What 97,000+ homebuyer reviews tell us about where trust is breaking down
— How to walk into any negotiation, client conversation, or deal assessment with something solid behind you
— The forward-looking signals in the report that builders should be watching right now

Plus — the Mitre 10 competition, a heads up on an upcoming guest who is going to challenge a lot of what you think you know about the homes we build, news on the digital marketing workshop, and something very exciting on the horizon at The Good Builder.

Grab the report at https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/australian-building-industry-health-report/

Powered by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders. Get your 30-day FREE trial - myconstruct.com

Also sponsored by Pay.com.au — use code GOOD20 for 20,000 bonus points.
Head to pay.com.au/tgb for more and terms and conditions.

Today's guest is John Davis, Director of MMC Modular and creator of ModFloor, a light gauge steel chassis system that is changing the way modular buildings are designed, manufactured, and transported across Australia and internationally.

John's story spans Darwin in 1974, residential building in Queensland, a successful expansion into New Zealand, and launching a light gauge steel framing company in the United States before anyone else had done it. When he returned to Australia in 2012, he set his sights on solving one of modular construction's most expensive and persistent problems: chassis deflection and the skilled labour required to build them.

What came out of that was ModFloor, and then ModFloor Plus. A system assembled by unskilled labour in under three hours, with no welding, no cutting, and deflection figures that have transformed the economics of transporting modules to regional and remote sites."

In this episode John and Az cover:

- The real cost of chassis deflection and why modular builders are allocating up to $25,000 for remedial work on country jobs

- How MMC Modular's in-house roll forming machinery and online design portal removes the need for builders to employ engineers or experienced detailers in-house

- The case for a separate NCC code for modular and factory-built housing, and why the current system is holding the industry back

- Why modular construction is manufacturing, not building, and what that mindset shift means for operators who want to scale

- The land lease sector, litigation risk, and how MMC's relocatable system is solving a compliance problem most developers haven't faced yet yet

- How MMC's steel and insulated floor panel is helping builders eliminate concrete entirely in regional builds

John's answer to what makes a good builder, covering costing, product knowledge, and thinking laterally about new materials

John can be reached directly on 0412 918 297 or through the Steelfast website at www.steelfast.co

Sponsored by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders. Find out more and get your 30-day trial at myconstruct.com

Also sponsored by Pay.com.au — use code GOOD20 for 20,000 bonus points. T's & C's Apply. Head to https://pay.com.au/tgb/

#TheGoodBuilder #BuildersOfAustralia #AIForBuilders #ConstructionTech #BuildingBusiness #IncreaseConstruction #AIAgents #ConstructionIndustry #SmallBusinessAustralia #BuilderLife #BusinessAutomation #ResidentialBuilding #DailyDose

Az sits down with Drew and Sean from Increase Construction and what starts as a conversation about AI quickly turns into one of the most eye-opening episodes the show has done.

These two aren't talking about AI. They're doing it. Live. On camera.

In this episode, Az gets a behind-the-scenes look at the AI agent system Increase Construction has built. One that replaces the equivalent of $1.5 million worth of specialist staff, works 24/7, and pulls all of a building business's data into one live dashboard. Marketing, operations, sales, and technology all in one place, constantly updated, ready for whoever needs to make a decision.

They walk through real use cases, show the backend of their setup, talk about what it actually costs, and explain why the construction industry is ripe for this kind of change.

Az shares what it looked like from the inside of a major franchise network and exactly what a tool like this would have been worth.

This one's not theory. It's happening now.

Sponsored by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders. Find out more and get your 30-day trial at myconstruct.com

Also sponsored by Pay.com.au — use code GOOD20 for 20,000 bonus points. T's & C's Apply. Head to https://pay.com.au/tgb/

#TheGoodBuilder #BuildersOfAustralia #AIForBuilders #ConstructionTech #BuildingBusiness #IncreaseConstruction #AIAgents #ConstructionIndustry #SmallBusinessAustralia #BuilderLife #BusinessAutomation #ResidentialBuilding #DailyDose

If you don't know your numbers, you're flying blind.

That's the reality Josh Pierpoint has seen up close across 15 years in the industry, and across 56 builders in just the last 12 months through his business, Elevate Estimate.

In this episode, Az sits down with Josh for an honest conversation about what's really going wrong in building businesses right now. They talk about the wave of fuel levies and price rises hitting builders on fixed price contracts, why estimating is the function most likely to make or break your business, and what happens when builders try to wear too many hats.

Josh also opens up about the critical shortage of qualified estimators coming through the industry, why there's no real training pathway, and what that means for builders trying to fill that seat.

This one is timely, practical, and straight from the front line.

In this episode:

• Why estimating is the single highest-risk function in your business
• The price rise wave hitting builders right now — and what to do about it
• How Josh works with builders from sales estimate through to purchase orders and variations
• The estimator shortage no one is talking about
• What makes a good builder (Josh's answer might surprise you)

Connect with Josh and Elevate Estimate: https://elevateestimating.com.au/about/

Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by MyConstruct, construction management software built for Australian builders. Check them out at myconstruct.com.

Thanks to this month's podcast sponsor Pay.com.au.

Our audience gets 20,000 bonus points when you sign up!

Also supported by Pay.com.au — use code GOOD20 for 20,000 bonus points. T&Cs apply. Head to pay.com.au/tgb.

The Strait of Hormuz is 8,000 kilometres from Australia. Right now, it's hitting your build costs — and most of the commentary out there isn't telling builders what they actually need to know.

In today's episode Az breaks down the Iran conflict and what it means for your supply chain in plain terms — which materials carry the most risk right now, why engineered wood and standard pine framing are two very different stories, which Australian-made alternatives are worth specifying, and three things you should do this week.

Plus — the TGB Australian Building Industry Health Report drops today. Thirty-plus pages of real data on where the industry sits. Brisbane land prices have exceeded Melbourne. Construction costs are up 47% since pre-COVID. And the number one driver of a five-star customer review isn't what most builders think.

And Az responds to two posts from the weekend that got the community talking: what Plantation Homes' communication to customers during price rises means for every builder regardless of size — and whether the people selling services to builders have actually been inside a successful building company themselves.

Free report download at thegoodbuilder.com.au. April 1 — and that's no joke.

This episode is proudly supported by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders. Jobs, clients, documents, and site management all in one place. Head to myconstruct.com to check it out and get your 30-day trial.

Thanks to this month's podcast sponsor Pay.com.au.

Our audience gets 20,000 bonus points when you sign up — use code GOOD20. T&Cs apply. Head to pay.com.au/tgb.

This one's a bit different — and a bit special.

Az sits down with Vicki Cooper from Tamworth Property Co, who also happens to be his mother-in-law. With nearly 30 years in real estate across Queensland and New South Wales, Vicki brings real insight into what's driving regional growth in one of Australia's most active inland markets.

Tamworth is moving. Commercial, industrial, residential — the development pipeline is stacking up. With land sitting around $200–$300 per square metre compared to Sydney's $2,000+, the numbers speak for themselves.

What we cover:

• What's driving Tamworth's residential and commercial expansion
• Key developments including Eagle View Estate and the Gunniganoo precinct
• Why the Maas Group (ninth most active developer in NSW) is going all-in on regional
• Land affordability compared to capital city and coastal markets
• The real estate–builder relationship and why it matters more than most think
• Why communication remains the number one factor in customer experience

Who it's for:

Builders, trades and professionals watching regional markets — or anyone thinking about where the next wave of opportunity sits outside the capital cities.

Brought to you by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders. Learn more at myconstruct.com

Thanks to this month's Podcast sponsor Pay.com.au, remember our audience gets 20,000 bonus points when you sign up.

USE code: GOOD20

T&C's apply go to pay.com.au/tgb

Before the TGB Australian Building Industry Health Report drops, Az puts you to the test.

This episode is a pop quiz built from real data inside the report — land prices, shrinking blocks, customer sentiment, and the one factor that determines a five-star review more than anything else.

No headlines today. Just some numbers that genuinely surprised us when we were putting the report together.

Have a crack. See how close you get.

What we cover:

• The current national median residential lot price — and how fast it's growing
• Which capital city is now more expensive for land than Melbourne (hint: it's not Sydney)
• The capital city with the smallest median lot size in the country
• Why Australians feel it's the worst time to buy — even as they expect prices to keep rising
• The phase of the building journey that generates the most customer complaints by a wide margin
• What 97,000 customer reviews say is the single biggest driver of a five-star rating
• How much more a new home costs today compared to pre-COVID — and what's forecast for 2026

The full TGB Australian Building Industry Health Report is dropping very soon at thegoodbuilder.com.au.

Supported by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders. myconstruct.com

Thanks to this month's Podcast sponsor Pay.com.au, remember our audience gets 20,000 bonus points when you sign up.

USE code: GOOD20

T&C's apply go to pay.com.au/tgb