‘Our rental property became our dream investment’
When Sharon and Neil MacBride’s investment property purchase was pulled at the last second, they didn’t have a clue where to direct their funds. It turns out the answer lay close to home.
Real Life
‘I gained $100,000 in equity six months after settlement’
Networking with fellow investors led Redom Syed to discover a property investment deal with guaranteed cash flow and surprisingly strong capital growth.
‘The banks said no, so I found another way’
Having taken a voluntary redundancy and fresh out of a property renovation course, Caroline Michell was desperate to get involved in property renovations – but she had to overcome a few financial hurdles first.
‘One simple mistake that cost me a positively geared property’
Krush Deepak has just settled on his Gold Coast apartment, but relying on a dodgy rental appraisal has already seen him wave goodbye to a cash flow-positive investment.
‘A dodgy tenant helped me increase my property’s value’
Steven Ma is about to head overseas with his wife for the next few years. Thanks to a savvy purchase on the Central Coast, and making the most of a bad situation, he’ll be returning to a diverse portfolio of investment properties.
‘My horrific western Sydney purchase’
Jonathan Preston bought in Mount Druitt because he believes the area is on the cusp of social change – but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing.
‘Why I gave up on property managers’
When Jo Leditschke started receiving bills for unauthorised repairs she realised something wasn’t right with her property management company.
‘The bank wants to take our properties off us’
Mary and her husband thought they were guaranteed financial freedom when they invested in two properties in Newman, Western Australia. First there was a blow-out in their house-and-land package completion date and then a downturn in mining-related employment – now they’re facing absolute rock bottom.
‘A government audit kept me awake at night’
When there was a change of government in Canberra, and an audit issued into the previous Labor Government’s National Rental Affordability Scheme, Adam and Kelly Wixx were more than a little concerned.
‘We renovate six properties a year’
Mirandah Donohoe has been renovating and flipping houses for the past two years, but a change in regulations threatened her livelihood.
‘A dud broker almost saw me miss the Sydney boom’
Anthony Java is up to property number six, but if he’d listened to his original mortgage broker it might have been a very different story.
‘I bought a property by accident’
Michael Khouri made a low-ball offer on a house he’d briefly inspected, just for the heck of it. He ended up with a securely tenanted investment property that has since undergone significant growth.
‘We bought a cockroach-infested tin hut that is now an investment goldmine’
Taking the plunge on an unconventional building in the wrong end of town has paid off for husband-and-wife investors, Cherylee and Colin Stokes. They may even have attracted a cult-like following.
‘I made a stupid decision – eBay saved me!’
Sharon MacBride was devastated by the ramifications of an emotionally driven investment when it came time to sell her outer-Sydney property. Ignoring her agent’s advice, she embarked on a simple strategy to claw back some capital growth.
‘How a blank cheque secured me a bargain in Sydney’
If you want to buy at a reasonable price in the hot Sydney market you need a lot of preparation, more than a little confidence and a touch of theatrical talent, according to investor Steven Ryan.
‘My vendor financing disaster’
Tamara Thorogood is a seasoned property investor who thought she’d seen it all, but when she tried a different approach to offloading a dud property she entered a whole new world of trouble.
‘My granny flat nightmare’
Navid Guia thought he’d found a simple way to earn more income when he discovered a granny flat opportunity – but two years of delays, negotiations, disappointments and lost income taught him some valuable lessons.
‘The location that saved my portfolio’
Craig Merritt had a hellish time with his first property investment, and only a stroke of luck saved him from losing thousands. But he hasn’t lost his faith in his home city – it turns out he was just looking in the wrong places.
‘$200 to turn on an oven? You must be joking’
Self-managing your portfolio can be a time consuming task, particularly if you’re already leading a busy life outside of the investment game. But a minor repair call reminded Julian Lancey that it pays to keep a close eye on his investments.
‘The simple test that saved me from paying $35,000 above market value for a dodgy house’
Julian Cofield could not figure out why the bank valuations on the house and land package he was about to invest in kept coming back under value. Further investigations saved him years of potential headaches.
