HOW TO BUILD YOUR PROPERTY INVESTMENT DREAM TEAM
Success in property investing isn’t a solo act. Building the right team of advisers, brokers and specialists can turn ambition into a long-term, wealth-building strategy.
3 min
To succeed in property investing, you need a trusted team of skilled professionals to guide you and the right mindset to help you land the plane. Your team doesn’t just provide technical expertise, they help balance your mindset, encouraging action without recklessness.
But who exactly do you need on your dream team? Let’s explore.
Qualified Property Investment Adviser
A Qualified Property Investment Adviser (QPIA) is your strategic architect, designing a roadmap for your property_ journey. Their role goes beyond simple advice, they create your investment strategy, provide tailored recommendations, and plan your portfolio with a long-term focus.
They clearly document your goals and objectives, your risk appetite, and the risks associated with an investment, all within a comprehensive written property investment plan supported by detailed graphs and tables on future spending, cash flow, borrowings, tax, and wealth forecasts with appropriate assumptions as it relates to your retirement targets.
Their expertise ensures you remain focused on the ideal blend of potential locations and best-suited, investment-grade properties that align with your desire to retire on $3,000 per week. They’re the trusted cornerstone of your team, turning your vision into actionable steps and outcomes.
Investment-savvy mortgage broker
An experienced mortgage broker doesn’t just source loans, they structure your finances strategically to support your property goals. From credit planning to managing loan structures, they ensure your borrowing strategy forms part of your overall plan for now and in the future. If they’re doing their job right, they should really be your ‘personal’ banker.
Buyer’s agent
Your buyer’s agent acts as your dedicated market area and property selection specialist, responsible for clarifying your brief, identifying, assessing, negotiating, and securing the best-suited investment-grade properties that align with your strategy. They’re not just an extra set of eyes, they ARE your eyes and ears on the ground. They are playing every day on the ‘inside’!
Financial planner
A licensed financial planner takes a holistic approach to your wealth creation and management, covering superannuation/SMSFs, managed funds, shares, and personal insurances. They ensure your property investments are seamlessly integrated into your broader financial, wealth, and retirement strategy, safeguarding your retirement and long-term objectives and financial security.
As the architects of your financial defence pillar, they implement crucial risk insurances to protect your wealth. Think of them as building a moat around your property portfolio.
Accountant
A property-savvy accountant is essential for determining the best ownership structure for your investments– be it individual ownership, partnerships, trusts, companies, or SMSFs. As a licensed tax agent, their expertise ensures your tax position is optimised while remaining fully compliant with regulations. By legally maximising deductions, they play a pivotal role in managing both your income and capital gains tax obligations in an effort to enhance your cash flow, allowing your portfolio to perform more effectively and efficiently.
Solicitor
Your solicitor is indispensable for reviewing contracts, handling conveyancing, and safeguarding your assets.
They ensure property transfers and guarantees are seamlessly executed while protecting you from any hidden surprises in the purchase process.
Their expertise provides peace of mind and solid legal protection for your investments. Thinking more broadly, they will play an important role in your estate planning and wills as your wealth base grows.
Building and pest inspector
A thorough inspection before purchasing a property is essential. A trusted building and pest inspector helps you avoid costly mistakes by identifying structural issues or pest infestations before they become your problem. Their fee is the best insurance to make sure you don’t end up paying thousands.
Property manager
A skilled property manager is your on-the-ground partner for maintaining and maximising the performance of your investment. They handle tenant selection, rent collection, property maintenance, and compliance with rental regulations, ensuring your asset remains a hassle-free source of income.
By managing day-to-day operations and addressing any issues promptly, they protect your property’s value and free you to focus on growing your portfolio. They also coordinate essential safety and compliance checks, such as electrical, plumbing, and gas inspections to meet minimum standards in your state or territory, to safeguard your investment. A good property manager is an investment in peace of mind and long-term success.
These professionals ensure you’re equipped to make informed, confident decisions at every stage of your investment journey. Even with the best team, your success depends on your mindset as a long-term investor. Your team not only provides technical expertise but also helps keep your mindset balanced – encouraging action without recklessness.
This is an edited extract from How to Retire on $3,000 a Week: The Property Couch’s Playbook for Passive Property Investing by Bryce Holdaway & Ben Kingsley (Major Street Publishing RRP $32.99), available at all leading retailers. Visit http://thepropertycouch.com.au/
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The new Brooklyn Tower, a mix of luxury condos and rentals, rises from the historic Dime Savings Bank building.
3 min
Listing of the Day
Location: Downtown Brooklyn, New York
Price: $16.75 million
Boasting 360-degree panoramic views across New York City, this new 92nd-floor penthouse is the highest residence in Brooklyn.
The full-floor apartment stands atop the new Brooklyn Tower, which encompasses 143 condos and 398 rentals in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, said Katie Sachsenmaier, senior sales director, Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group.
The condos begin on the 53rd floor, and the penthouses begin on the 88th floor. This one, Penthouse 92, is the only full-floor penthouse.
“The building is coming into its own now,” she said. “It feels very busy when you step into the lobby.”
Developed by Silverstein Properties, the building at 85 Fleet Street rises from the historic Dime Savings Bank building, according to a news release.
It was designed by SHoP Architects with interiors curated by Gachot Studios, and it is the borough’s only super tall skyscraper.
Penthouse 92 features custom interiors by Brooklyn-based Susan Clark of design firm Radnor, Sachsenmaier said. “Her selections have made it really beautiful. It feels very warm and inviting.”
Architectural details include 12-foot ceilings, European white oak floors in a custom honey stain, mahogany millwork, bronze detailing and floor-to-ceiling windows.
The eat-in kitchen features Absolute Black stone countertops, an island with seating, oil-rubbed bronze Waterworks fixtures and integrated Miele appliances, according to the listing.
The primary en suite bathroom showcases large-format Honed Breccia Capraia marble. There is also a separate laundry room as well as a wet bar and a butler’s pantry.
The views are spectacular, Sachsenmaier said. “If you’re standing in the living room, you take in the Statue of Liberty and all the way up through Midtown. On a clear day, you can see the planes take off at LaGuardia (Airport).”
Photo: Sean Hemmerle
Moving around the apartment, you see south over the harbor and then north and east over the whole city, she said.
From the front door, “you’re immediately greeted with the expansive living room and the view,” she said. “It’s really the first thing you see.”
The primary suite features a dressing room, multiple walk-in closets, two bathrooms (one with a cedar sauna) and southwest-facing windows, Sachsenmaier said. “You get those really beautiful harbour views.
The amenities will be ready by the end of summer, she said. A Life Time club will occupy the entire sixth and seventh floors, and an outdoor pool deck wraps around the dome of the bank building.
Stats
The 5,891-square-foot home has four bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one partial bathroom.
Amenities
Residents will have access to over 100,000 square feet of exclusive indoor and outdoor leisure spaces.
Fitness company Life Time will manage an array of amenities that include a 75-foot indoor lap pool, outdoor pools, a poolside lounge and atrium, a billiards room, a library lounge, a conference room, a theatre with a wet bar, a children’s playground and playroom and limited off-site parking.
The Sky Park offers an open-air loggia with a basketball court, foosball, a playground and a dog run.
Photo: Gabriel Saunders
Neighbourhood Notes
Downtown Brooklyn is at the centre of a number of neighbourhoods, including Fort Greene, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and Brooklyn Heights. The tower has access to 13 subway lines, 11 commuter trains, the city’s ferry network and 22 Citi Bike stations.
“You can walk to Fort Greene Park in less than 10 minutes,” and Dekalb Market Hall, which has a Trader Joe’s, a Target and a food hall, is “right next door,” Sachsenmaier said.
Agent: Katie Sachsenmaier, senior sales director, Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group
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In the lead-up to the country’s biggest dog show, a third-generation handler prepares a gaggle of premier canines vying for the top prize.
