Category
Renovation & Development
Cosmetic renovations, granny flats, rooming house conversions, subdivisions, and value-add strategies with real ROI numbers.
60 articles
- 12 April 202611 min read·Joey Don
Why We Paid $670K for a Narre Warren Block (And Made $200K Subdividing)
We split one 700sqm Narre Warren block into two titles for around $40,000 in subdivision costs and created $200,000 in equity on a $670,000 purchase. Here are the full numbers, the 6-8 month timeline, and the process.
- 6 April 202610 min read·Joey Don
Why Buying a House With an Existing Granny Flat Costs More Than Building Your Own.
Everyone wants an existing granny flat, but they carry a $50K-$80K premium and often no Occupancy Certificate. Building your own for $110K adds $150K-$180K in value and $40K-$70K in equity, with zero compliance risk.
- 31 March 202611 min read·Joey Don
Flipping Houses? The GST Trap That Catches 90% of Renovators.
Most flippers have no idea they owe GST until their accountant calls: a 'substantial renovation' is taxed as new premises at 10% of the full sale price. Keep one bedroom untouched to avoid it, or use the Margin Scheme.
- 25 March 202611 min read·Joey Don
We Turned an $800K Corner Block Into Three Rental Incomes. Total: $900 Per Week.
Corner blocks are blank canvases for wealth creation. We turned an $800K southeast Melbourne block into three tenancies paying $900/week: a $110K granny flat, a $12K one-into-two reconfiguration, and a 5.0% yield.
- 19 March 202610 min read·Joey Don
He Bought Two Narre Warren Houses in Four Months. Here's What Happened Next.
Some clients agonise for months before pulling the trigger. Mr Huang signed his first contract within three hours of seeing the property at auction. Then he came back for seconds.
- 13 March 202610 min read·Joey Don
Real Walkthrough: This $600K House Just Hit 6% Yield After We Added a Granny Flat
I'm standing in the backyard of a property we settled on twelve months ago. The main house rents for $480 a week. The granny flat behind me is about to list at $370. Let me walk you through exactly what happened here.
- 7 March 202611 min read·Joey Don
We Bought a Property With a Granny Flat Already Built. Here's Why It Cleared 6% Yield From Day One.
Most investors spend five months and $110K building a granny flat. We found one already done. The numbers were better than anything we could have built ourselves.
- 1 March 20269 min read·Joey Don
He Used the 5% Deposit Scheme, Added a Granny Flat, and Now Pays $1,500/Month for a $950K House
Everyone told him to stretch for Glen Waverley at $1.8 million and cripple himself with an $8,000 monthly mortgage. Instead, he bought a house with a granny flat in the north for $950K, and the rental income cuts his effective mortgage payment to $1,500 a month.
- 23 February 20269 min read·Joey Don
Heidelberg West Looks Cheap for a Reason. Here's the Case Study That Proves It.
Close to La Trobe University. Near Austin Hospital. Affordable. On paper, Heidelberg West ticks boxes. In reality, one investor's experience with tenant flight, prolonged vacancy, and below-average growth tells a different story.
- 16 February 202610 min read·Joey Don
We Split This $820K House Into Three Rentable Units. It Now Earns $1,200 a Week.
This property settled six months ago. It's already up 10% in value. Three separate units, each with its own entrance, pulling $1,200 a week combined. Most people can't accept that numbers like these are real. I'm going to show you every room.
- 8 February 202610 min read·Joey Don
Our Client Lost $200K in Rosebud. Here's Why Mornington Peninsula Is a Trap for Investors.
He saw 'beachside living' and figured tenants would line up. Three years and $200K later, the house sold at a loss. Rosebud taught him something no brochure ever mentions — seasonal tourism markets eat investors alive.
- 31 January 202611 min read·Joey Don
I've Flipped Houses for Five Years. Here Are the Three Things That Actually Decide If You Profit.
Everyone wants to buy a wreck, slap on some paint, and sell for a $200K profit. The reality is messier, more expensive, and far less glamorous than the renovation shows suggest.
- 23 January 202611 min read·Joey Don
Inside a Completed Granny Flat: Narre Warren Build, Every Spec, Every Dollar
Walk through a completed granny flat we built in Narre Warren. Every material, every cost, every specification — from the 3kW solar system to the double-glazed windows.
- 15 January 202611 min read·Joey Don
We Built a Granny Flat for $80K. It Rents for $370 a Week. Here's Every Detail.
I just came back from inspecting two granny flats we're building. Let me walk you through every component — from the stumps to the roof — and show you exactly what $80,000 buys.
- 7 January 202611 min read·Joey Don
After 100+ Renovations, I Finally Understand Where the Money Actually Goes
I've renovated over a hundred properties in Melbourne. Half of them taught me the same painful lesson: it's not about the renovation. It's about who you're renovating for — and what you paid.
- 30 December 202511 min read·Joey Don
Two Years and It's Already Mouldy — 3 Things Your Granny Flat Builder Won't Tell You
Someone quoted a client $80K for a granny flat. Sounds great, right? Until I asked for the inclusion list. The external cladding was recycled timber panels. The bathroom had no waterproofing membrane. Two years and that thing would be a petri dish.
- 22 December 202511 min read·Joey Don
Client Case: $830K Purchase, $850/Week Rent, Granny Flat Under Construction
Real client walkthrough: 650sqm block, $830K purchase, $850/week rent from main house alone. Granny flat construction starting — projected total rent $1,150/week.
- 14 December 202512 min read·Joey Don
We Tracked Granny Flat Sales Across 6 Melbourne Suburbs. The Price Premium Is $100K-$200K.
Everyone talks about granny flat rental yield. Almost nobody talks about what they do to your property's resale value. We pulled comparable sales from six Melbourne suburbs and the pattern is consistent: a compliant granny flat adds $100,000 to $200,000 at auction.
- 6 December 202512 min read·Joey Don
We Tracked Granny Flat Premiums Across 6 Melbourne Suburbs. The Numbers Are Wild.
Across six southeast Melbourne suburbs, we tracked what buyers actually paid for properties with granny flats versus identical neighbours without them. The premium was consistently $100K-$200K — yet a decent granny flat costs $110K to build.
- 28 November 202512 min read·Joey Don
We Turned a $950K Property Into $1,000 a Week in Rent. Here's Every Detail.
I drove to the build site last week to check on progress. It was 38 degrees. The plumber was running pipe. I brought him water and a pack of smokes. He brought his apprentice and worked twice as fast. Eighteen months from purchase, this property generates a thousand dollars a week in rent and has appreciated by more than the total renovation cost.
- 21 November 202511 min read·Joey Don
I Walked Through My $660K Property on Camera. It Rents for $1,200 a Week.
The neighbour across the road has an identical-looking house. Same street, same vintage, similar purchase price. Their rental income? $600 a week. Mine is double that. Here's exactly where the $150K went and what each room earns.
- 13 November 202512 min read·Joey Don
Split Your Melbourne House Into Two Rentals? Do This Wrong and the Fine Is $120,000.
A toilet installation doesn't need a building permit. Adding a second kitchen does. Knowing which modifications trigger which approvals is the difference between a legal dual-income property and a $120,000 fine.
- 5 November 202511 min read·Joey Don
I Spent $200,000 on a Renovation and Learned Two Expensive Lessons
I have spent more than most people's house deposit on renovating a single property. Along the way I made two mistakes that added tens of thousands to the budget, and I did two things right that I now recommend to every client.
- 28 October 202511 min read·Joey Don
They Laughed at This $640K House. Now It Earns $885 a Week.
In a market where most investors are bleeding cash, this $640K off-market purchase generates $885 per week in total rent — a 6.5% gross yield that covers the entire mortgage. Here's the live walkthrough.
- 20 October 202512 min read·Joey Don
We Turned a $800K House Into Three Units at $1,200 a Week. Here's Every Detail.
This house looked like nothing special from the street. Standard brick veneer, 700 square metres, corner block. Six months later it was worth $92,000 more than we paid and generating $1,200 a week in rent from three separate households.
- 12 October 202513 min read·Joey Don
Second Rooming House: $880K In, $1,500 a Week Out (Plus a Warning)
Remember the $820K rooming house I wrote about? The one producing $1,200 a week? This one beats it. Different property, bigger block, better numbers. But I'm also going to tell you about the four clients whose properties couldn't be converted — because that story matters more.
- 4 October 202513 min read·Joey Don
We Bought a House for $820K and Turned It Into $1,200 a Week
I'm going to walk you through a deal that my accountant called 'obscene.' Not because it was risky — because the numbers were almost too good. An $820,000 house producing $1,200 a week in rent. Let me show you how.
- 15 September 202512 min read·Joey Don
Dear Young Professionals: Please Stop Trying to Start a Business
I managed a $1.5 million profit centre before I was thirty. Then I started my own business. Four years in, I still earn less than my last corporate salary. Here's what I wish someone had told me at twenty-five.
- 7 September 202513 min read·Joey Don
I Bought a Derelict House on 900sqm of High-Density Land. Here Is What Happened.
The ceiling had gaps you could fit your hand through. The gutters were growing their own ecosystem. Every builder who walked through shook their head and left. I bought it anyway, because they were all looking at the house. I was looking at the 900 square metres of high-density zoned land underneath it.
- 31 August 202513 min read·Yan Zhu
Company vs Trust for Investment Property: I've Seen Clients Lose $100K Picking the Wrong One
I've watched smart investors torch five figures in unnecessary tax because they picked the wrong ownership structure. After helping clients across 345 property transactions, here's the honest breakdown of company vs trust — with actual dollar figures, not theory.
- 22 August 202511 min read·Yan Zhu
We Added a Granny Flat to a $700K Cranbourne House. Now It Pulls $790 a Week.
Everyone tells you Cranbourne is a rough area. Too much crime. Too far from the city. Too working class. I hear it all the time. And every single time, I smile, because the people saying it are the same people who cannot work out why their inner-city apartment has gone backwards over ten years.
- 14 August 202512 min read·Yan Zhu
Australia's Housing Supply Crisis: Approvals Are Up, But Homes Aren't Getting Built — Here's Why
The Australian government promised 1.2 million new homes. Not a single state is on track to deliver. Approvals are climbing on paper while actual construction starts are falling. The gap between what gets stamped and what gets built is the most important number in Australian property right now.
- 6 August 202513 min read·Yan Zhu
Australia's $12 Trillion Housing Market: The Uncomfortable Truth Politicians Won't Say
Australia's entire superannuation pool sits at $4.3 trillion. The residential housing stock is worth $12 trillion. When a country's single largest asset class is three times bigger than the retirement system it was designed to replace, no government — left or right — will allow it to fall.
- 29 July 202511 min read·Yan Zhu
Australia Spent $80 Billion on Housing. Zero New Homes Were Built.
The federal government committed $80 billion to fix the housing crisis. Senate records show zero new dwellings were constructed. Here is what the numbers actually reveal and why demand-side property fundamentals remain bulletproof.
- 21 July 202511 min read·Yan Zhu
Australia Spends $527 Billion on NDIS. I Turned Down Every SDA Housing Deal That Came My Way. Here Is Why.
Every month, someone slides into my inbox pitching NDIS disability housing as the next goldmine. The pitch is always the same: eight to fifteen percent returns, "government-guaranteed" rent, recession-proof income. I have said no to every single one. Not because the returns are fake — some of them are real. Because I do not know if the providers are clean. And in a system haemorrhaging $86 million a year in blocked fraudulent claims, that uncertainty is not a risk I am willing to take.
- 14 July 20259 min read·Joey Don
The 30-30-30 Formula That Stops Home Upgrades From Destroying Your Finances
Are you considering upgrading your family home for the school zone, the extra bedroom, or just because you have outgrown the current place? Before you sign anything, I need to share a formula that has saved dozens of my clients from making the most expensive mistake of their lives.
- 6 July 202510 min read·Joey Don
"We've Got a Higher Offer": 3 Counter-Moves I Use When an Agent Says That
The agent calls. 'We've got a higher offer — can you increase yours?' That single sentence has cost Australian buyers millions in overpayment. Here are three counter-moves I've refined across hundreds of negotiations.
- 28 June 202511 min read·Yan Zhu
When to Sell Your Investment Property: The One Rule I Actually Follow
People ask me all the time whether they should sell after prices go up 30%. Others want to know if they should cut losses. Both questions miss the point entirely.
- 27 June 202512 min read·Yan Zhu
Mining Town Property: 12% Yield, 66% Price Crash. Choose Wisely.
Port Hedland: $900-$1,200 per week rent on a $500K house. Sounds like a dream. Until you realise the same houses sold for $1.5M in 2012 and lost two-thirds of their value in three years. Mining town property is a high-yield weapon — brilliant for experienced operators, catastrophic for everyone else.
- 12 June 202510 min read·Joey Don
The Six-Year Tax Clock Hidden Inside Your Home. Most Owners Have No Idea It Exists.
There is a rule in Australian tax law that can save property owners hundreds of thousands of dollars. The six-year CGT exemption lets you rent out your former home while keeping your main residence exemption. Most owners and many accountants do not use it properly.
- 11 June 202511 min read·Joey Don
Why Your First Property Strategy Will Destroy Your Fifth
You bought your first property through hustle, courage, and maybe some lucky timing. Congrats. Now please stop doing everything the same way, because the approach that worked at zero will kill you at five.
- 28 May 202511 min read·Yan Zhu
Corio Property at $580K (13% Over Guide): I'd Still Buy It. Here's Why.
A subscriber asked about a Corio property that sold $130K over the guide. My initial reaction was 'overpaid.' Then I ran the numbers. The land ratio, the vacancy, and the coastal Airbnb angle changed my mind.
- 27 May 202510 min read·Yan Zhu
I Would Bet $50,000 That Australian Property Will Crash. And That Bet Would Make Me Rich.
Every property investor I know believes Australian real estate will keep going up. Most of them are probably right — for now. But the ones who survive the eventual crash will not be the optimists. They will be the ones who spent a small amount each year preparing for the possibility that everything they believe is wrong.
- 11 February 202510 min read·Joey Don
The Property Market Has a Wind at Its Back. Here's How Long the Window Stays Open.
In business and in property, timing matters. Not in the 'pick the exact bottom' sense — nobody can do that. But in the 'recognise structural tailwinds and ride them hard' sense. Right now, Melbourne's southeast corridor has three converging tailwinds that won't last forever. Let me explain what they are and why the next twelve to eighteen months matter more than the next ten years.
- 4 February 202510 min read·Joey Don
I Turned Down a Beach Holiday Salary at 25. Here Is Why That Decision Built My Portfolio.
At 25, I had two offers on the table. One was a six-figure salary in Thailand with five-star hotels and zero pressure. The other was a gruelling AI project in Melbourne with uncertain outcomes. I chose Melbourne. That single decision set the trajectory for everything that followed.
- 10 December 202411 min read·Yan Zhu
5 Box Hill House Metrics in 2024 (Why Growth Is Slowing)
A subscriber asked me to analyse a Box Hill listing — 600 square metres, five bedrooms, three bathrooms, double-storey, dual kitchen. On paper it looks like a dream investment. I ran every metric we use. The answer is more complicated than you'd think.
- 15 October 202411 min read·Yan Zhu
Wheelers Hill, Corner Block, 87% Owner-Occupiers. But the Yield Is 2.4%.
Wheelers Hill keeps landing in my inbox. Beautiful streets, strong schools, high owner-occupier rates. But every time I run the numbers for an investor, the yield makes me wince. So let me do this properly. One property. Every metric. Full transparency.
- 20 August 202412 min read·Yan Zhu
How to Make an Offer on a Property in Australia (and Save Yourself $20,000)
Most buyers think making an offer on a property is simple. You pick a number, you tell the agent, and they say yes or no. That is roughly 10 per cent of the process. The other 90 per cent is positioning, timing, and leverage. Get it right and you save $20,000. Get it wrong and you overpay or lose the property entirely.
- 25 June 202412 min read·Yan Zhu
The Middle Class Is Dying in Australia. Property Is the Only Lifeboat That Floats.
I'm not being dramatic when I say the middle class is splitting in two. The data from the ABS is brutal. If you own property, your net worth grew by $320,000 on average over the last five years. If you don't, it grew by $8,000. Same country. Same economy. Wildly different outcomes.
- 30 April 202411 min read·Yan Zhu
Victoria's Indian Migration Wave Is Reshaping Property Demand. Here's What the Data Shows.
After Victoria's Premier visited New Delhi and announced university partnership programs, the writing was on the wall. Melbourne's demographic mix is shifting, and the property market is going to shift with it. The investors who read this trend early will position accordingly.
- 5 March 202412 min read·Yan Zhu
Converting Your Home to an Investment Property? These Three Mistakes Cost $15,000 Each
A client rang me last month in a panic. She had moved out of her family home six months earlier, started renting it out, and just received a notice from the ATO querying her tax return. She had claimed the full interest deduction on the mortgage — but the loan was not structured for investment purposes. That single error will likely cost her $12,000 in back-tax and penalties.
- 9 January 202411 min read·Joey Don
Refinance $1 Million, You Keep $1 Million. Sell for $1 Million Profit, You Keep $800K. Here Is Why.
A client rang me last week to say his property had appreciated by $1 million since purchase. He wanted to sell and 'lock in the profit.' I told him he was about to give away $200,000 for no reason. He did not believe me until I showed him the numbers on a whiteboard.
- 17 October 202310 min read·Joey Don
Four Things Selling Agents Say That Are Designed to Make You Overpay
When a selling agent says 'this property has great potential,' they are not describing the house. They are describing your wallet. Here are four phrases I hear every week, translated from agent-speak into English, with examples from real negotiations.
- 22 August 202310 min read·Joey Don
Do Not Trust AI to Choose Your Investment Property. The Data It Reads Can Be Faked.
China's 315 consumer protection investigation exposed a factory operation that manufactures fake product reviews at industrial scale, polluting AI training data. The same technique works for property suburbs. If someone wants you to buy in Moe, they can make ChatGPT recommend it. Here is how.
- 27 June 202311 min read·Yan Zhu
The Property Kill Line: Which Australian Cities Have Actually Crashed 20 Per Cent (And Could It Happen Again)?
I discovered that Australian property has a 'kill line' — the point where a 20 per cent decline wipes out a typical investor's equity entirely. Two cities have crossed it. The data on which ones is not what you would expect.
- 30 January 202311 min read·Joey Don
Melbourne Is Still Below Its Peak. That Is Exactly Why I Am Renovating Here.
Perth boomed. Brisbane boomed. Adelaide boomed. Melbourne sat quietly in the corner, absorbing every negative headline about land tax and population outflows. Meanwhile, we bought 100 houses here last year. Every single one is positively geared. If you are still chasing Perth at the top of its cycle, I genuinely feel for you.
- 4 June 202210 min read·Yan Zhu
The Settlement Day Inspection Checklist That Has Saved Our Clients From 47 Disasters.
Between signing the contract and settling, months can pass. Things break. Things get removed. Our team has caught 47 material defects during final inspections — leaks, missing fixtures, undisclosed damage, and tenants who refused to leave. Here is the exact checklist we use.
- 7 October 202112 min read·Yan Zhu
I Invest in Both Stocks and Property. Here's When Each One Wins.
Stocks or property? It's the wrong question. The right question is: which one first, and when do you switch? I invest in both. Here's the complete comparison — with actual numbers, not vibes.
- 9 February 202110 min read·Yan Zhu
The Hidden Indicator That Predicts When a Melbourne Suburb Stops Growing
There's an indicator I track that almost nobody talks about. When it rises in a suburb, property prices slow down. When it maxes out, growth stops entirely. It's the unit-to-house ratio, and it just told me exactly which suburbs to avoid.
- 14 June 202011 min read·Yan Zhu
Your Interstate Buyer's Agent Isn't Inspecting Properties. Here's What They're Actually Doing.
An interstate buyer's agent rang me last month asking about a property in Cranbourne. He'd never been to Cranbourne. He was going to 'inspect' it via video sent by the selling agent. The selling agent — the person whose job is to make the property look good. I'm going to explain why this should terrify you.