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Investment Insights

Expert analysis, market trends, and practical advice for property investors

2024

24 articles
One Free Website That Could Save You From Buying in a Bushfire Zone
Yan ZhuFinance & Tax

One Free Website That Could Save You From Buying in a Bushfire Zone

Last summer changed how I look at properties in the hills. The fires did not reach metropolitan Melbourne, but they got close enough to remind everyone that bushfire risk is not theoretical. It is a d

Jul 1610 min read
Box Hill's 30-Year Transformation: From Quiet Suburb to Melbourne's Eastern Powerhouse
Yan ZhuSuburb Analysis

Box Hill's 30-Year Transformation: From Quiet Suburb to Melbourne's Eastern Powerhouse

People keep asking me whether Box Hill is 'too expensive now.' That question misses the point entirely. The real question is: what drove Box Hill from a sleepy suburban centre to a designated metropol

Jul 911 min read
Inside 5 Donnelly Court: How a $110K Granny Flat Turned a Single House Into a Dual-Income Machine
Yan ZhuGuides

Inside 5 Donnelly Court: How a $110K Granny Flat Turned a Single House Into a Dual-Income Machine

I filmed this walkthrough on a Tuesday morning. The main house tenant was at work, the granny flat tenant was watering the garden out back, and both had no idea they were funding someone's early retir

Jul 211 min read
The Middle Class Is Dying in Australia. Property Is the Only Lifeboat That Floats.
Yan ZhuRenovation & Development

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 yo

Jun 2512 min read
I've Bid at 200+ Auctions. Here's the Playbook They Don't Want You to Know.
Joey DonProperty Management

I've Bid at 200+ Auctions. Here's the Playbook They Don't Want You to Know.

My client was shaking. Literally trembling, hands on the phone, watching the auctioneer's countdown tick from 10 to 5. I was in my car with an earpiece, two suburbs away, and I could hear his breathin

Jun 1811 min read
6 Sweet Gum Avenue: The Narre Warren Property Paying $935 a Week After One Addition
Yan ZhuMarket Analysis

6 Sweet Gum Avenue: The Narre Warren Property Paying $935 a Week After One Addition

When we settled on 6 Sweet Gum Avenue, the numbers were already decent. A three-bedroom house on 620 square metres in one of Narre Warren's quieter pockets, purchased for $762,000. Rent as-is would ha

Jun 1111 min read
The Wealth Gap Between Homeowners and Renters Is Now a Chasm. Here's the Data.
Yan ZhuScam / Warning

The Wealth Gap Between Homeowners and Renters Is Now a Chasm. Here's the Data.

I pulled the ABS wealth distribution data last week and nearly choked on my coffee. The gap between homeowners and renters isn't just big. It's so vast that we're effectively looking at two different

Jun 411 min read
Which Property Type Matches Your Investor Profile? A Data-Driven Framework.
Yan ZhuInvestment Strategy

Which Property Type Matches Your Investor Profile? A Data-Driven Framework.

The most expensive mistake in property investment isn't buying in the wrong suburb. It's buying the right property for the wrong investor profile. I see it constantly — a retiree buying a development

May 2812 min read
5 Mortgage Affordability Mistakes Middle Class Aussies Make
Joey DonFinance & Tax

5 Mortgage Affordability Mistakes Middle Class Aussies Make

The first step toward going broke in Australia is letting your mortgage payment exceed 30% of your household income. I don't care how much you earn. I don't care how good the property looks. If the ma

May 2110 min read
I Wore a Hoodie to a $2.9 Million Hotel Auction. Here's Why That Was the Strategy.
Joey DonSuburb Analysis

I Wore a Hoodie to a $2.9 Million Hotel Auction. Here's Why That Was the Strategy.

The invitation said 'smart casual.' I showed up in a hoodie. On purpose. In a room full of developers in $3,000 suits, the young bloke in the hoodie who nobody takes seriously is the most dangerous bi

May 1410 min read
This Free Website Reveals Every Red Flag Before You Buy. Most Investors Don't Know It Exists.
Yan ZhuGuides

This Free Website Reveals Every Red Flag Before You Buy. Most Investors Don't Know It Exists.

There's a website that lets you check school zones, see automated valuations, identify flood zones, and find planning overlays — all for a specific address, all completely free. It's called property.c

May 710 min read
Victoria's Indian Migration Wave Is Reshaping Property Demand. Here's What the Data Shows.
Yan ZhuRenovation & Development

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 shif

Apr 3011 min read
I Turned a $800K Corner Block Into Three Rentals Paying $1,200 a Week. Full Walkthrough.
Joey DonProperty Management

I Turned a $800K Corner Block Into Three Rentals Paying $1,200 a Week. Full Walkthrough.

Who says you need three properties to collect three rents? This 719-square-metre corner block generates $1,200 a week from a single title. I walked through all three units last week and filmed the who

Apr 2311 min read
Your Investment Property Gained $200K. Here's How Much You Actually Keep.
Yan ZhuMarket Analysis

Your Investment Property Gained $200K. Here's How Much You Actually Keep.

Everyone loves talking about capital gains. Nobody loves talking about what happens when you try to take those gains out of the property and put them in your pocket. I ran the numbers on a $200,000 ca

Apr 1610 min read
Rooming House Leasing: The Screening Mistakes That Cost Landlords $15,000 a Year
Yan ZhuScam / Warning

Rooming House Leasing: The Screening Mistakes That Cost Landlords $15,000 a Year

A rooming house that rents 5 rooms at $220 each generates $1,100 a week on paper. But one bad tenant — one person who doesn't pay, damages common areas, or harasses other tenants — can turn that $1,10

Apr 911 min read
How I Score Suburbs Before Investing a Dollar: The 8-Factor Framework That Filters 95% Out
Yan ZhuInvestment Strategy

How I Score Suburbs Before Investing a Dollar: The 8-Factor Framework That Filters 95% Out

I evaluate roughly 40 suburbs a month. I invest in about 3 of them across the entire year. That's a 99% rejection rate. Not because I'm picky for the sake of it — because most suburbs fail a systemati

Apr 212 min read
Melbourne Property in 2020: Where the Smart Money Is Moving While Everyone Else Panics
Yan ZhuFinance & Tax

Melbourne Property in 2020: Where the Smart Money Is Moving While Everyone Else Panics

When rates drop, two things happen simultaneously. People with mortgages breathe easier. And people without mortgages suddenly realise they can afford to borrow more. The first reaction is relief. The

Mar 2611 min read
The $199/Month Data Tool That Replaced My Entire Research Team (And How to Use It)
Joey DonSuburb Analysis

The $199/Month Data Tool That Replaced My Entire Research Team (And How to Use It)

I used to spend 30 hours a week analysing suburb data manually. Pulling vacancy rates from SQM. Cross-referencing median prices from REIV. Running land-value calculations from council records. Then I

Mar 1910 min read
How I Read an Auction Room in 30 Seconds (and Why I Bid First When Nobody Else Will)
Joey DonGuides

How I Read an Auction Room in 30 Seconds (and Why I Bid First When Nobody Else Will)

I walked into an auction last month where eighteen people stood around pretending to be interested. Most of them were neighbours. Two were agents from competing firms. Three were genuine buyers. I kne

Mar 1211 min read
Converting Your Home to an Investment Property? These Three Mistakes Cost $15,000 Each
Yan ZhuRenovation & Development

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 claime

Mar 512 min read
I Just Got a $30,000 Land Tax Bill. Victoria Is Still Not the Most Expensive State.
Joey DonProperty Management

I Just Got a $30,000 Land Tax Bill. Victoria Is Still Not the Most Expensive State.

The bill arrived on a Tuesday. Thirty thousand dollars. Victorian land tax assessment for the 2020 financial year. My first reaction was the same as yours would be — that is an absurd amount of money

Feb 2711 min read
Why You Must Inspect a Luxury Property Twice Before Bidding (Lessons From a $1.8M Mistake)
Joey DonMarket Analysis

Why You Must Inspect a Luxury Property Twice Before Bidding (Lessons From a $1.8M Mistake)

I stood in the living room of a property in Canterbury that had been marketed as a four-bedroom family home with 'stunning period features.' The marketing photos looked brilliant. The walk-through vid

Feb 2011 min read
I Compared REA and Domain Data on the Same Suburb. The Gap Was $147,000.
Yan ZhuScam / Warning

I Compared REA and Domain Data on the Same Suburb. The Gap Was $147,000.

Pull up any Melbourne suburb on realestate.com.au and note the median house price. Now open domain.com.au and look at the same suburb. Different number. Sometimes vastly different. I checked twelve su

Feb 1312 min read
What Actually Decides Property Prices (It Is Not Supply and Demand)
Yan ZhuInvestment Strategy

What Actually Decides Property Prices (It Is Not Supply and Demand)

Every property commentator in Australia will tell you the same thing: prices go up when demand exceeds supply, prices go down when supply exceeds demand. It sounds logical. It is also woefully incompl

Feb 613 min read

Page 17 of 20 · 478 articles total

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