In Episode 496, we’re back with a jam-packed Q&A Day!

Discover everything you need to know before investing in Victoria, from understanding the state’s “blowout budgets” to navigating the biggest risks that make buying in Melbourne a “2030 conversation.”

We also break down why the buy-and-hold strategy still works, even for single investors with lower incomes. (After all, would you sell the goose that lays the golden egg?)

Plus, learn why housing shouldn’t be linked to income and hear real data from a listener on his journey to a $1M passive income.

Tune in now for a jam-packed episode! 🚀 🚀

Free Stuff Mentioned

• PICA Webinar Replay: “Fact-checking the misinformation, Negative gearing and CGT”
  Become a member and watch the replay of Ben’s webinar for the Property Investors Council of Australia (PICA).  
• Read Ben’s articles on rentvesting: Money Magazine Cover Story – Rentvesting
• Resources from Ben’s “What’s Making Property News”:  
  • Australia housing crisis: New Treasury analysis shows the average wait time for development approval is 144 days in Victoria and 114 days in NSW  
  • OECD’s 2024 Dwellings Per Thousand Inhabitants

Questions We Answer:

Q1) Advice on Purchasing in Victora from Georgia  

Hi Ben and Bryce, my name is Georgia.

I want to say thanks very much for your work on the podcast. I really enjoy listening to it and find a very educational.

My husband and I currently live on the Gold Coast. We have been living in our principal place of residence, which is a house we bought about a year and ½ ago.

We also own an investment property on the Gold Coast, which we bought in 2018 and it was originally our principal place of residence but since we moved to our house, we now have that as an investment property.

We had really good returns from both properties over the last few years so we’re looking at releasing some equity from investment unit and then purchasing another property potentially in Melbourne.

Seems like Melbourne properties are in high demand at the moment. I’ve heard your advice on buying in Melbourne or Sydney if you possibly can so I think it would be along a good long-term investment and potential growth would be positive.

Possibly looking at the western suburbs because I say I’m a bit more affordable and I think that’ll be a popular area going forward. I know Victoria’s had some changes to tenancy laws so I was wondering what we should be aware of if we’re thinking of purchasing in Victoria?

I know there’s a lot of extra costs and compliance requirements so what would be your advice and recommendations of things to be aware of if we were looking at purchasing the property in Victoria for investment purposes?

Thanks again for your work. Keep doing what you’re doing.

Q2) Selling Options from Justin

Maybe start to talk more about the option of selling. Your podcast seems to advocate for a buy & hold, retire debt strategy.

Every podcast talks about buying a property, then cash out equity when the property grows in value to go again; however, this is not always achievable when someone has reached their serviceability cap.

As such, I think the option of selling to access equity to redeploy into another investment should also be talked about as a valid option to grow wealth.

You always mention that most investor stop at one or two investment properties, but I think this is more due to restricted lending to an individual more so than ones’ willingness to achieve more.

As a general lay person, I know enough to be dangerous but I can’t see how someone on a median income of 67k that own their own PPOR with half a mil to a mil mortgage would be able to service enough debt to afford more than 1 or 2 investment properties.

Q3) Buying a property to Assist in Purchasing Dream Home from Ruva

Hey Ben and Bryce love the podcast. You guys rock. My question is around rent-vesting. Apologies if this is already been answered or rather basic, but I’m struggling to connect the dots and understand the end game of this strategy in real terms.

How can buying a property or properties at lower value points and in areas of lower demand in bulk assist purchasing your dream home outright mortgage free and a blue chip suburb in 10 to 15 years time as I hear a lot on Youtube.

If values continue to rise across the country with a ripple effect from major centres outwards, won’t blue chip location simply remain at a map much higher value to those cheap and cheerful investments in mount random? May you please outline how this works in practice?

Are rent-vestors assuming that investing elsewhere will outperform their dream locations to then a mass enough equity to buy a dream home outright in the future? What does this actually look like?

Thank you so much.You guys are amazing. Love the podcast. We tune in and you bring so much value to the community. We appreciate it. Thank you

Listener Comment: Real life data you may find useful from Dean

Hi guys, I am 43 and have been investing in property for over 20 years now, my strategy has been to buy & hold, some of the properties I have owned have been cosmetically renovated and others structurally renovated over the years, my properties are located in Melb, Sydney, Brisbane & a couple in USA.

I currently own 12 properties. I work full time in a banking role and recently have other business interests outside of property.

I have run my property investment portfolio as a business over this time, and on a monthly basis i maintain a spreadsheet where I update my assets, liabilities & cash flow position.

The data is a real life example of the buy & hold strategy and could be of interest to you & your listeners.

Basically it shows the slow burn of building the first million net (17 years), however then jumps rapidly as the exposure to the market grows and the property market does the heavy lifting; $1m – $2m (10 months), $2m – $3m (27 months), $3m – $4m (38 months), $4m – $5m (9 months).

I’m not looking to be interviewed or my full name used, however thought this data might be useful as a real-life example of what you consistently talk to.

Regards,
Dean

Timestamps

• 0:00 – Don’t Sell the Goose That Lays the Golden Egg 
• 1:29 – Collingwood’s cooked it? 😉  
• 3:57 – PICA Webinar Replay! 
• 5:05 – Mindset Minute: “If you don’t change the direction you’re going, you’ll wind up where you’re headed!” 
• 5:49 – Q1) Advice on Purchasing in Victora from Georgia   
• 8:02 – What to know before you invest in VIC  
• 9:20 – The Greatest Risks to Investors  
• 11:10 – Why does Melbourne look better in the long-term?  
• 15:33 – Why buying in Victoria should be a “2030 conversation”  
• 16:40 – Record level of debts & blow out budgets 
• 19:28 – Will incentives for investors come back? 
• 21:19 – Q2) Selling Options from Justin   
• 22:37 – Folks, 60-80% return in months is NOT the norm!  
• 28:30 – The BIG shift from passive to active investing  
• 30:13 – “What if I don’t have 30 years left to invest?”  
• 32:47 – Why sell the goose that lays the golden egg?  
• 33:50 – You don’t have to be debt-free at retirement. Here’s why. 
• 39:14 – Q3) Buying a property to Assist in Purchasing Dream Home from Ruva   
• 40:51 – Why housing shouldn’t be linked to incomes 
• 43:19 – What is modern Rentvesting?  
• 45:02 – This is when property becomes a game of probability  
• 46:26 – Blue Chip suburbs & long-term commitments  
• 51:56 – Listener Comment: Real-life data from Dean   

And… 

• 55:41 – Lifehack: Apple name drop in a flash ⚡ 
• 56:58 – WMPN: 144 days for building approvals?!  
• 59:47 – We’ve got an amazing guest incoming…