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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New detached-home sales fell 10% nationally in August, led by a 27% decline in Victoria, raising concerns about construction starts in 2027.
2 min
Australia’s hoped-for recovery in housing construction is losing momentum before it has had time to close the national supply gap.
Sales of new detached homes fell 10 per cent nationally in August, according to the Housing Industry Association’s survey of major volume builders across the five largest mainland states. It was the fourth consecutive monthly decline.
The fall was broad rather than isolated. Victoria recorded the largest retreat, down 27 per cent, followed by Queensland at 20.2 per cent, New South Wales at 17.5 per cent, South Australia at 10.8 per cent and Western Australia at 8.2 per cent.
Across the three months to August, sales were 19.3 per cent below the preceding three-month period and 7.7 per cent lower than the equivalent period a year earlier.
New-home sales matter beyond the immediate fortunes of volume builders. They are an early indicator of future starts: buyers sign contracts, finance is finalised, approvals are secured and construction follows months later. A sustained sales decline during the middle of 2026 is therefore likely to weaken commencements during 2027.
The slowdown reflects the collision of several pressures. Households have absorbed multiple interest-rate rises, reducing borrowing capacity and increasing the repayment cost attached to a new build. Established-home prices have softened in some markets, weakening the relative appeal of waiting through a construction period. Builders continue to face elevated labour and material costs.
The Reserve Bank’s August analysis showed new-dwelling construction prices increased 1.8 per cent during the June quarter and 5.3 per cent over the year. It attributed part of the pressure to oil-derived building products and other conflict-related costs.
Policy uncertainty can also cause buyers and investors to defer large commitments. But the precise contribution of any single tax or regulatory change is difficult to isolate from rates, confidence, land prices and construction costs. The HIA survey should be read as an indicator from large builders rather than a complete count of every dwelling sale.
The figures complicate progress towards the Housing Accord target of 1.2 million homes. The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council reported 308,000 completions since the Accord began and 244,000 dwellings under construction in the March quarter. Approvals and commencements had improved, but falling sales risk undermining the next wave.
For developers and governments, the warning is that planning approvals alone do not create homes. Projects need finance, viable construction pricing and buyers able to settle. If one part fails, approved supply can remain on paper.
Data box
National August new-home sales: Down 10 per cent
Three months to August: Down 19.3 per cent from the preceding three months
Year-on-year three-month comparison: Down 7.7 per cent
Victoria: Down 27 per cent
Queensland: Down 20.2 per cent
New South Wales: Down 17.5 per cent
South Australia: Down 10.8 per cent
Western Australia: Down 8.2 per cent
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