SCIENCE FICTION MEETS MARKET REALITY: ANDERS SÖRMAN-NILSSON ON THE FUTURE OF PROPERTY
Global futurist Anders Sörman-Nilsson says AI, climate change and shifting demographics are rewriting the rules of real estate.
3 min
“Today’s luxury is tomorrow’s expectation.”
It was one of Anders Sörman-Nilsson’s throwaway lines – but the kind that sticks. The Swedish-Australian futurist wasn’t talking about marble benchtops or rooftop pools. He meant robots in the home, AI personal assistants and cities so climate-resilient they could add decades to your life.
For Sörman-Nilsson, science fiction is no longer something you watch. It’s the world you live in, and if you’re in property, you’d better be designing for it now.
Take transport. In Los Angeles recently, he rode in a Waymo self-driving car and “never felt safer”. No human driver, no small talk, no risk of road rage. Just seamless, sensor-driven efficiency. Or healthcare. His GP now uses an AI medical scribe to complete reports and referrals, saving hours of paperwork. For patients, it means more time with the doctor and medical instructions translated into plain English.
These examples aren’t novelties. They’re signals. “AI is taking the robot out of the human,” he told the audience.
“It’s letting us do less of the menial and the mundane, and more of the meaningful and the human.”
Speaking to more than 100 property and investment leaders at the inaugural Kanebridge Quarterly Property Summit in Sydney, Sörman-Nilsson set out a future that is as exhilarating as it is confronting.
The night opened with a data-rich address from expert economist Dr Andrew Wilson, who set the economic scene for the year ahead.
His forecast: a robust housing market through 2025, underpinned by falling interest rates, inflation easing back to the RBA’s target, and a still-strong labour market.
From there, the conversation shifted from the short-term economic outlook to the long-term forces reshaping the industry, as futurist Sörman-Nilsson took the stage.
Over the course of an hour, Sörman-Nilsson unpacked the three significant forces reshaping real estate: AI, demographics and design, and why ignoring them could be fatal for investors, developers and cities alike.
One of his sharpest warnings was about climate change and the emergence of “climate oases” – the select cities and regions that will remain liveable and attractive as others become too hot, flood-prone or costly to protect.
“In Australia, Hobart, Launceston, and Canberra are among the most climate-resilient,” he said.
“People are already moving there for cooler temperatures and security. That’s not a trend you want to ignore if you’re thinking about where value will hold.”
Demographics, too, are shifting in ways the property market can’t afford to overlook. By 2035, Sörman-Nilsson predicts that 40 per cent of households could be single-person households. Fewer children, more solo living and longer lifespans will require housing models that prioritise community, flexibility and wellness over sheer size.
“If you want to live in Sydney in the future,” he quipped, “you might never know your grandkids because they’ll have to move somewhere they can actually afford.”
The implications for design are profound. He points to “Blue Zone” principles – the habits and environments linked to long, healthy lives – as a template for next-generation developments.
Think walkable neighbourhoods, green spaces, social connection and accessible services.
“Singapore has become the first urban Blue Zone by design,” he said. “If they can do in 20 years what took Okinawa hundreds, there’s no excuse for our cities not to aim higher.”
For all the provocation, there was consensus in the room. Panellist Darren Younger, CEO of Assetora, said the opportunity for property to integrate technology at the foundational level has never been greater.
“Technology isn’t just an add-on anymore. It’s becoming the foundation for how we design, transact and manage property,” he said. “From fractional ownership to AI-driven maintenance systems, the innovations are here; we just need to deploy them.”
Want more? Read the full story in the spring issue of Kanebridge Quarterly, here.
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The 2026 McGrath Report warns that without urgent reforms to planning, infrastructure and construction, housing affordability will continue to slip beyond reach for most Australians.
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Australia’s housing market has reached a critical juncture, with home ownership and rental affordability deteriorating to their worst levels in decades, according to the McGrath Report 2026.
The annual analysis from real estate entrepreneur John McGrath paints a sobering picture of a nation where even the “lucky country” has run out of luck — or at least, out of homes.
New borrowers are now spending half their household income servicing loans, while renters are devoting one-third of their earnings to rent.
The time needed to save a 20 per cent deposit has stretched beyond ten years, and the home price-to-income ratio has climbed to eight times. “These aren’t just statistics,” McGrath writes. “They represent real people and real pain.”
McGrath argues that the root cause of Australia’s housing crisis is not a shortage of land, but a shortage of accessibility and deliverable stock.
“Over half our population has squeezed into just three cities, creating price pressure and rising density in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane while vast developable land sits disconnected from essential infrastructure,” he says.
The report identifies three faltering pillars — supply, affordability and construction viability — as the drivers of instability in the current market.
Developers across the country, McGrath notes, are “unable to make the numbers work” due to labour shortages and soaring construction costs.
In many trades, shortages have doubled or tripled, and build costs have surged by more than 30 per cent, stalling thousands of projects.
Need for systemic reform
McGrath’s prescription is clear: the only real solution lies in increasing supply through systemic reform. “We need to streamline development processes, reduce approval timeframes and provide better infrastructure to free up the options and provide more choice for everyone on where they live,” he says.
The 2026 edition of the report also points to promising trends in policy and innovation. Across several states, governments are prioritising higher-density development near transport hubs and repurposing government-owned land with existing infrastructure.
Build-to-rent models are expanding, and planning reforms are gaining traction. McGrath notes that while these steps are encouraging, they must be accelerated and supported by new construction methods if Australia is to meet demand.
One of the report’s key opportunities lies in prefabrication and modular design. “Prefabricated homes can be completed in 10–12 weeks compared to 18 months for a traditional house, saving time and money for everyone involved,” McGrath says.
The report suggests that modular and 3D-printed housing could play a significant role in addressing shortages while setting a new global benchmark for speed, cost and quality in residential construction.
Intelligent homes
In a section titled Weathering the Future: The Power of Smart Design, the report emphasises that sustainable and intelligent home design is no longer aspirational but essential.
It highlights new technologies that reduce energy use, improve thermal efficiency, and make homes more resilient to climate risks.
“There’s no reason why Australia shouldn’t be a world leader in innovative design and construction — and many reasons why we should be,” McGrath writes.
Despite the challenges, the tone of the 2026 McGrath Report is one of cautious optimism. Demand is expected to stabilise at around 175,000 households per year from 2026, and construction cost growth is finally slowing. Governments are also showing a greater willingness to reform outdated planning frameworks.
McGrath concludes that the path forward requires bold decisions and collaboration between all levels of government and industry.
“Australia has the land, demand and capability,” he says. “What we need now is the will to implement supply-focused solutions that address root causes rather than symptoms.”
“Only then,” he adds, “can we turn the dream of home ownership back into something more than a dream.”
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