They’ve lived in Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin and they’re now back in Canberra. Karl and Stacey had been thinking of getting into property for some years and eventually tried the DIY approach. But, second time around they engaged professional expertise and haven’t looked back.
Karl and Stacey work daily with goals, strategies, hard work and sacrifice – so they’re a natural fit as property investors.
And, while the Canberra-based couple love their work – Karl in the defence force and Stacey as a registered nurse with the Red Cross – they never get too settled because a new posting is always around the corner.
Karl said they’re actually the original gypsy rentvestors.
“When I saw the term ‘rentvestors’ I had to laugh because I thought, ‘That’s exactly what we are,’ because of the nature of our jobs.”
A few years back, the pair decided to ramp up their plans for wealth building. They already held shares, but wanted to diversify into real estate. The couple talked with relatives and were convinced Caloundra West on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast would be a great option.
“We didn’t use a buyer’s agent or anything like that. We went very much on family recommendations” he said. “We checked out a number of different houses and found one we liked and went through the standard procurement process you do when you do it yourself.”
In 2016, they settled on a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Caloundra West on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. This first toe-in-the-water approach to investing has served them well, but Karl said there was plenty of work in selecting, inspecting and securing the property.
Karl and Stacey soon found themselves thinking about a second purchase but knew from experience that it would be a time-consuming process.
He was having dinner with a work mate one evening discussing the rigours of buying property when his friend suggested the team at Propertyology, a Brisbane-based buyer’s agency which invests nationally.
“He’d just finished buying his second house – he said he’d bought both his properties through Propertyology and said it was completed stress-free and really easy. He just couldn’t speak more highly of them.”
Karl said they made contact and were immediately impressed by Propertyology’s no-nonsense approach and national analysis. He said it quickly became apparent that Propertyology was the way to go.
“Especially for us. We were getting ready to move again and we were trying to reduce the stress but were still really interested in buying a property,” he said.
“I was quite impressed – their turnaround time was really good and from the project management side of things, it was excellent,” he said.
Karl said their budget was $300,000 to $350,000 and they wanted a freestanding home. “Bryan [Loughnan] and his team really got stuck into finding us a property.”
Karl and Stacey took advantage of Propertyology’s research of property markets all over Australia. Using the same thought-leading methodology that Propertyology adopted to become the only analyst in Australia to uncover Hobart’s potential BEFORE this current boom, the couple invested in an exciting interstate location.
They eventually paid $339,250 for a house which rented out straight away for $375 per week.
“Propertyology also had a property manager that they recommended, so they had tenants inspecting prior to settlement and they moved in almost immediately after settlement occurred.”
Karl said they’re plan now is to sit, wait and build up equity before going again. “We’ll keep moving around for work but in three or four years’ time if we’re happy to look again we’ll go back to Propertyology,” he said.
“It was easy – they were all business from the start. They said, ‘This is how much it’ll cost, what would you like to see us get on your behalf and have you got any restrictions on where you can and can’t invest?’
“They took the stress away. We didn’t have to worry about paperwork or being there for settlement. Bryan had us sign over authorities initially and it enabled him to act on our behalf the rest of the way. We just got updates from them – very streamlined. It was excellent.”
Karl said he’s now “paying forward” his mates’ good advice and recommending Propertyology to others.
“Without a doubt – absolutely – I’ve done so to many of my defence force colleagues. We had a really good experience with Propertyology!”
If you’d like to know more about Propertyology’s services, here’s how you contact us.
