Australia’s property market has always demanded resilience, but in 2025, the most successful developers are discovering that resilience alone isn’t enough.
Confidence, credibility, and trust have become central to every transaction, whether you’re selling apartments, securing tenants, or raising capital.
Trusted Partners featured in Chomley Terraces Brochure by Earl.St
The days of relying solely on strong market fundamentals or eye-catching marketing campaigns are behind us. Purchasers, tenants, and investors alike are adopting a more considered and forensic approach to decision-making. They want to know who is behind the project, how it’s being funded, and whether the development team has the capability—and the character—to deliver.
This is particularly evident in the segments Monark operates within the Australian middle property market, where projects sit between $25 million and $100 million in value. Here, developers are often entrepreneurial, agile, and focused on high-quality outcomes. But they are also operating in an environment where capital is more selective, purchasers are more cautious, and project scrutiny has intensified.
In the residential sector, particularly among premium owner-occupier buyers, trust is now as influential as location or design. Purchasers are going beyond the brochure. They’re researching developer track records, examining funding partners, and looking for tangible signs of delivery capability. It’s no longer enough to market a vision, you need to demonstrate that vision is achievable.
We are seeing developers who embrace this reality build real market advantage. They’re making their project teams visible. They’re partnering with credible financiers, architects, and consultants and they’re letting those partners tell the story. They engage directly with buyers, offering transparency, construction progress updates, and insights into the project’s financial backing. In short, they are de-risking the decision for purchasers before a contract is signed.
That was evident recently at a project photoshoot for Chomley Terraces, a boutique residential development in Prahran led by Coff Property. Monark was pleased to support the project’s funding, and it was clear how much alignment exists when developers, capital partners and strong marketing teams work together. As Earl.St, Coff’s project marketing partner, put it:
“In this market, trust is your strongest sales tool. Buyers don’t just purchase the product—they buy the people, the track record, and the delivery capability behind it. Developers who hide behind glossy renders are quickly found out,” said Kegan Harry, Managing Director of Earl.St.
Chomley is a strong example of what happens when quality, capital, and credibility align from the outset. It’s not just about delivering a building, it’s about delivering certainty.
The same applies in commercial development. Occupiers and investors are scrutinising fundamentals, but they are also asking: Who is delivering this? Can I rely on them? What relationships underpin this project? With capital markets tighter and leasing incentives rising, reputation has become a defining factor in tenant and investor confidence.
For developers, that means trust is no longer a downstream concern—it’s embedded from the outset. It starts with project funding, with strategic partners, with a clearly articulated delivery capability. And it’s reinforced at every stage, from marketing campaigns to contract negotiations.
In a market where buyers are cautious and competition for capital is fierce, trust has become the most valuable commodity of all. Those who understand this will not only deliver projects, but they’ll also deliver confidence, credibility, and commercial success.
Monark. Realising the Remarkable, from vision to fruition.
Article featured in The Monark Minute, to receive the latest insight in your mailbox, subscribe here.