It’s been a challenging time in the construction sphere for both builders and property owners. Government stimulus throughout 2020 and 2021 looked like a godsend. It boosted a building sector that was at risk of decimation under COVID-led shutdowns and economic...
Property Investment Advice
Dealing with a low bank valuation
I came across an incredible story recently while talking to one of our advisors. He’d helped a client put an excellent new-build investment under contract and had just received the bank valuation back from the financier. It had come in $70,000 below the contract price...
The psychological security of bricks and mortar
The world feels uncomfortably uncertain right now. We’ve been delivered blow after blow of upending news leaving many people psychologically punch drunk and staggering. The troubles have been relentless – not just the pandemic but political upheaval, international...
Will interest rates kill the market?
Australians are an interesting lot. When it comes to important issues deliberated around the kitchen table, there are some tried and true discussion starters. It could be about the effectiveness of our political leaders, or which sporting franchise is up the...
My top 12 tips for property investors
Property investment is seen by many people as a DIY path to financial security. We’ve all pretty much bought or sold a home, been a tenant or dabbled in investment, so most Australians feel capable of trading real estate. For this reason, plenty also believe investing...
When size DOES matter
There’s a well-worn phrase that works not just as a punchline to a ribald joke… it’s that size does not matter. And in many scenarios, this can be true, particularly when it comes to small but influential people. Patty Mills, our most celebrated Olympic basketballer,...
The devil in the detail costing you big dollars
There’s nothing quite like a bright shiny thing for catching attention. It’s human nature for a shimmer off the surface to draw your gaze. You see it everywhere. Necks crane as a high-end automobile whizzes by. A new architectural home emerges and suddenly the street...
How to save thousands in 2022
After an extraordinary 2021 in property, it’s not hard to imagine we’re all bulletproof investors heading into this year. There are signs momentum in the market is ramping up once more. This might seem like a great thing on the surface, but there’s something different...
Why rising costs shouldn’t stop new build investing
While, right now, it might feel like we’ve weathered the worst of the pandemic, there is still plenty of fallout to deal with. One industry that’s finding things logistically challenging is construction, and the troubles could be set in for some time. So, given all...
Throwing the baby out with the bathwater
When it comes to property investment, the concept of compounding is considered a good thing. That growth-on-growth model is normally associated with rising values and exponential gains, building your wealth at an increasing rate over time. But there is one form of...
The 5 worst sources of property investment advice
Opinions are like bellybuttons… everybody has one! Finding advice on anything is easy. Simply jump into a taxi and you’ll receive a full gamut of views on how stuffed our political situation is. Or strike up a conversation at a bus stop and watch your fellow commuter...
The true cost of inaction
Most of us make New Year’s resolutions. Drop some weight, call our mums regularly, see friends more often… we are full of good intentions at the beginning of each year. Unfortunately for most, the motivation starts strong and then peters out as everyday happenings get...
My market predictions for 2022
As we approach the end of the year and everyone starts to wind down, it’s a great opportunity to begin formulating plans for the coming 12-months. Having a strategy is essential – if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. To help you deliberate on your personal...
Start small, finish big
There’s a well-worn philosophy on investing that I‘ve seen rolled out time and again by some advisors. It suggests investors should try and buy the best-quality, highest-priced, blue-chip property they can afford as close as they can to a major CBD. The reasoning...
Investing in property ‘like a Buffet’
Most people have heard the famous quote from the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet, which says, “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.” It’s the classic counter-intuitive investor’s creed. When everyone else is doing one thing, you should...
The dangers in risk:reward blindness
One of the foundational elements of the property game is selling. Whether it’s real estate, professional services or a particular investment strategy, the seller’s plan is to convince the buyer that they’d be mad to pass up the opportunity. The unfortunate thing is...
Why I welcome APRA’s latest move
Among the property investment industry, there’s an acronym that strikes fear into the hearts of many advisors… APRA The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority set the lending practice rules for our major institutions. APRA have at their disposal various options...
Five life lessons kids learn from owning property
Great parent wants nothing but the best for their children. We want to nurture, protect and provide for them, but also serve up ‘tough love’ when needed to ensure they become resilient, independent humans. In the process, we’ll discover myriad ‘teachable moments’...
Four essential elements of investment preparation
There’s no doubt we live in exciting times – especially in the property investment sector. But regardless the market’s performance, I see investors losing out on wealth and opportunities time and again. These downfalls often seem to be the sum of multiple small errors...
How vacancy rates drive prices
There are many metrics in the analytical quiver of property advisors. Some are more crucial than others, but they all help identify locations with great investment potential. Among the flock of numbers is vacancy rates, a lead indicator that can telegraph the imminent...
The ACCRUE stress test: Your key to financial confidence
There are all sorts of situations where you check your resilience under pressure. It could be around looming work deadlines. It might be a major life decision, or perhaps it’s overcoming fear and achieving a long-term goal. In these moments we measure our ability to...
Why you should invest near owner-occupiers
There are numerous property metrics investors can draw on to select locations with growth potential. From median price movements to vacancy rates, and population increases to building approvals. All data works in unison to paint a picture of excellent options across...
The two most important measures of market performance
When it comes to property markets there are a lot of ‘truisms’ put out there. They’re sayings which are supposed to deliver a dose of entrenched wisdom as bite-size intelligence. It feels there’s no property quandary that can’t be solved by phrases such as, “Location!...
How NOT to buy a property
There’s all manner of advice out there for property investors. Just pop your head above the trenches and watch the stampede of talking heads come at you. Some will have useful things to say, while others will be full of bluff and bluster, glossy brochures in hand and...
Why investors need a lifetime mindset
It’s human nature to become set in your ways. We seem to find our familiar groove and, once settled, are happy to coast along. But this is a false sense of security because the ‘safe zone’ is actually dangerous territory. If we’ve learned anything from the past year...
How to be finance savvy
When it comes to property investing, most people understandably believe it’s all about bricks and mortar. Finding the right asset in a prime location, building a portfolio of appropriate assets, then sitting back while your wealth increases. And, to some degree, this...
The holistic path to property success
Some people might have you believe that investing in property is a simple process. You read a bunch of media and online commentary about great places to buy, go to your favourite listings portal, pop in the search criteria and a flood of opportunities present...
A very fortunate ‘sliding door’ moment for this client
There are moments in life where a split-second decision changes the course of your future. It was a concept made famous in the 1990s Gwyneth Paltrow film, where a missed train trip resulted in extraordinary ramifications for her character. Beyond Hollywood...
Get the investor mindset
You may have heard property investment is a numbers game with very little room for emotion.It’s a stoic assessment of buy-in price, rental returns and outgoings. A constant analysis of cost-benefit events that lead you along a calculable path to wealth. While, for the...
Five factors that will drive property prices in 2021
Tumultuous and challenging, 2020 tested the tenacity of just about every person on the planet. And in Australia, we’ve really shown our mettle. Our national response has been a very Aussie one – we get on with it, help each other where we can and conduct ourselves...
Long-term strategy and non-attachment key to livevesting
The West Australian discusses LiveVesting. You may have heard of rentvesting, but ASPIRE Property Advisor Network Founder and Managing Director Richard Crabb said once-in-a-generation events had seen the rise of livevesting. “Livevesting has resulted from an...
‘LiveVesting’ a new trend: How to use government subsidies to dip your toes into investing
by Maja Garaca Djurdjevic 14 December 2020 - Smart Property Investment Livevesting” is replacing rentvesting, according to one property adviser, but are you on top of this new trend? Once-in-a-generation events, such as the global coronavirus pandemic, have given rise...
How COVID has killed off ‘local investing’
If there’s been a silver lining among 2020’s challenges, it’s that humans have discovered a talent for adaption. It’s been all too easy to become entrenched in habits when we’re feeling safe in our environments. We choose to do things the way we’ve always done them,...
Why Australia’s unemployment number won’t kill property investment
There’s been some dire economic news delivered to the Australian public throughout 2020. From falling retail spending and GDP contraction to challenges with mainland China and the loss of export opportunities. But perhaps the most widely relatable among all the...
Results of PIPA Annual Investor Sentiment Survey
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE RESULTS The results are in, showing that investors still seeing opportunities in the market across Australia. Certainly worth a read to get insight into what investors are thinking during 2020 The majority of property investors have remained...
Why townhouse investment make sense
When it comes to property investment, the call from many advisors is that it’s entirely about location – and little else. Granted, location is a primary fundamental of a good investment, but stopping your analysis there and falling back onto entrenched myths about...




































