I’ve been actively investing in property in various ways for almost 10 years. I started off with renovating a property I lived in and then diversified into
a mix of renovating for profit and ‘buy, hold, renovate and sell’ projects. All the property investing I am currently involved in is a combination of strategies all involving renovating for profit.
All of the buy–renovate–sell projects were completed in a very short timeframe of four to 10 weeks. However, the other strategy involved identifying a handful of suburbs that had indicators of good short-term growth, which allowed me to buy and hold the properties by leasing them for three to four years, after which point I would renovate them and sell them on. This allowed me to leverage further some great capital growth, with a renovation for profit on top of capital growth in the properties.
Seeing these results and the potential gains from renovating for profit, I was hooked. This investment strategy has allowed me to reach my mid-term financial goals. But more importantly, it has allowed me to leverage property as an additional income stream and create a flexible and adaptive set-up, between my role as a mother of four and the role I played as a businesswoman and property investor.
What is your best investment and why?
My best investment inside the world of property investing is by far the investment in my own education, not only in the nuts and bolts of property, design and investing, but also around working in teams, managing people, effective communication, and so much more. It has all come in so handy in my property career.
But my best investment outside of my property business would by far be my oversized canvas tent! It is truly huge, sleeping 12 people! It’s this simple, oversized tent that often gets turned into the ultimate ‘holiday home’ up and down the NSW coast. With a family
of four kids it has been an investment that has paid dividends, year after year after year. It’s in this tent that amazing family memories and holiday fun happens, whilst we are surrounded in ‘space medicine’.
What have these investments allowed you to do?
The investment in my education has allowed me to build many businesses in the property sector and grow them into very successful ventures. The investment in my big old tent has allowed me to travel regularly with my tribe of four children and our close friends, in a way that we can enjoy the amazingness that is our coastline – sunshine, sand and surf all rolled into one.
What is your favourite type of house to renovate?
By far, that would be a weatherboard cottage on bearers and joists. It allows you so much scope to be respectful to the original dwelling, yet to also add so much value to the property.
What is your ultimate goal as a property investor?
My ultimate goal is the freedom to run my own race, which includes having the financial freedom to make choices about how I spend my days, allowing me to enjoy the little everyday pleasures. I love having the freedom to spend as much time as I want with my family whilst running my property businesses.
