Author
Steven Jin
Chief Acquisitions Officer
Steven Jin is the Chief Acquisitions Officer of PremiumRea. He leads on-the-ground property acquisition across Melbourne and regional Victoria — sourcing off-market deals, running due diligence, and negotiating purchases for the agency’s investment clients.
5 articles published
- 7 May 20269 min read·Guides
REBAA-Accredited Buyer's Agent in Melbourne — What It Means and Why It Matters in 2026
REBAA — the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia — is the only national body that accredits buyer's agents specifically. Most consumers searching for a Melbourne buyer's agent in 2026 confuse REBAA with REIV (the sales-agent body) or assume that any licensed agent is automatically a member. They are not. Membership is voluntary, the bar is genuine, and the difference in consumer protection between a REBAA member and a non-member is substantial.
- 4 May 202612 min read·Investment Strategy
SMSF Property Investment Melbourne — Buyer's Agent Step-by-Step Guide 2026
An SMSF (Self-Managed Super Fund) can buy investment property in Melbourne — but the rules are unforgiving and most generalist buyer's agents are not equipped to navigate them. This 2026 guide walks through the LRBA borrowing structure, the sole purpose test, suburb selection criteria specific to SMSFs, the five-person professional team you need, and a real case study showing how a $780K Hampton Park SMSF purchase moved from $0 to $312,000 in equity over four years.
- 30 April 202612 min read·Finance & Tax
Melbourne Buyer's Agent for Foreign Investors — FIRB, Tax & 2026 Rule Changes
Foreign investors buying Melbourne residential property face a stack of restrictions that have changed materially in 2025-2026: a Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) application fee that scales from $14,700, an outright two-year ban on purchasing established homes (April 2025 to March 2027), Victoria's 8 per cent foreign purchaser stamp duty surcharge, and a 4 per cent foreign owner land tax surcharge. A Melbourne buyer's agent who specialises in foreign investor transactions is now arguably more important than the conveyancer.
- 25 April 202610 min read·Investment Strategy
Melbourne Buyer's Agent for Investors vs Owner-Occupiers — How They Differ in 2026
An investor buyer's agent in Melbourne and an owner-occupier buyer's agent are doing two genuinely different jobs that share an industry name and very little else. Investors care about yield, depreciation schedules, tax structure, and long-term growth math. Owner-occupiers care about the school zone, the commute, the kitchen layout, and how the place feels at 5pm on a Tuesday. The shortlists do not overlap, the inspection checklists do not overlap, and the negotiation playbooks are nearly opposite. This article explains why and how to choose the right kind of buyer's agent for your situation.
- 24 April 202612 min read·Investment Strategy
Rooming House Investment Melbourne — Buyer's Agent's 2026 Guide
Rooming house investment in Melbourne is one of the highest-yield strategies legally available — done well, an $800,000 house generating $550 per week as a single tenancy can be reconfigured to generate $1,250 to $1,600 per week. Done badly, it triggers council enforcement, finance refusal, and tenant management nightmares. This is the buyer's agent guide we use internally — Rooming House Operators Act compliance, council variation, conversion cost honesty, and the risks competitors don't mention.