The ultimate goal for a property investor is to have a property that is neutrally or positively geared, and in demand from tenants, so that it is able to ward off negative scenarios seen throughout 2020, Pure Property Investment’s Paul Glossop said on a recent episode of The Smart Property Investment Show.

“What stops a market from growing? Typically, it’s going to be things like more expensive money, additional supply. And if those two things alone happen to a property and you don’t have a good answer to say what happens when these things happen...

“Firstly, you’ll have a lot of fixed costs such as high strata, high running costs. If your interest rates go up because the market has actually stalled, that’s what’s causing it, as well as additional supply, because that is what typically happens on the backend of a boom, then that’s really when people are left hugely with those issues,” Mr Glossop explained.

For Mr Glossop, the definition of a successful property investor is one with a portfolio that effectively, over time, is not reliant on the investor to dictate its performance.

And when it comes to building that resilience to stand the test of time – i.e. a moat around one’s property portfolio, Mr Glossop shared an interesting analogy. 

“It’s essentially like raising children,” said Mr Glossop.

“They require a lot more attention, a lot more need, early in the piece. Firstly, they need more money, you need to save more. They take a lot of time, they’re harder work, until you actually raise them to a point where your intention is that they become self-sufficient.

“Good property portfolios are effectively geared that way, where you know that you put effort and time into it initially, and it probably won’t take 18, 25, 30 years to get to maturity. It would probably be more like, in a good fast case, two to 3three years, and in some cases maybe seven to eight years.

“But you’re trying to build it up to eventually say, ‘Take me away and you got to do what you go to do, which was my intention from day one’,” said Mr Glossop.

Speaking about building a moat around a property portfolio, Mr Glossop noted the property investors when putting pen to paper needs to consider two factors – where to get the fastest growth in the shortest period of time, and their defence when that growth inevitably stops. 

For more information about building resilience, tune in to Mr Glossop’s podcast here.

About the author

Maja Garaca Djurdjevic

Maja Garaca Djurdjevic is the editor of nestegg and Smart Property Investment. Email Maja at [email protected]

About the author

Maja Garaca Djurdjevic

Maja Garaca Djurdjevic is the editor of nestegg and Smart Property Investment. Email Maja at [email protected]

Maja Garaca Djurdjevic is the editor of nestegg and Smart Property Investment. Email Maja at [email protected]

more on this topic

Property

Zagga's ninth anniversary sees focus on investor education in real estate private credit

In a significant milestone, Zagga, a key player in the Australian real estate sector, is celebrating its ninth anniversary with a renewed commitment to investor education. The company has grown ...Read more

Property

Australian property’s quiet pivot: resilience hides a new competitive map

Australia’s housing market remains sturdier than the macro noise suggests, but the sources of resilience have shifted. For operators, the profit pool is migrating from ‘volume at any price’ to ...Read more

Property

Gen Z’s 5% deposit rush: how policy‑driven demand is reshaping Australia’s housing value chain

A government-backed 5% deposit guarantee has triggered a surge in first-home buyer intent among Gen Z, pulling forward demand and resetting competition across banks, brokers and buildersRead more

Property

Cautious bidders, smarter sellers: a Queensland auction case study on repricing risk

Queensland’s auction market has hit a caution cycle as buyers price in higher borrowing costs, global uncertainty and cost-of-living pressure. Clearance softness is forcing agencies to re-engineer ...Read more

Property

Trust, technology and triage: what NSW’s ‘name and shame’ signals for real estate governance

NSW’s latest enforcement action on real estate trust accounts isn’t a one-off embarrassment; it’s a stress test of sector governance. With licences suspended and penalties applied, the message is ...Read more

Property

Vacancy is rising, demand is resilient: A case study in defending yield as Australia’s rental cycle rebalances

After a blistering run, Australia’s rental market is loosening at the edges. Vacancy is edging up off historic lows, rent inflation is set to moderate into 2026, yet underlying demand remains ...Read more

Property

Don’t lose the deposit: A case study in stopping real estate payment fraud — and the ROI for doing it

Deposit redirection scams are quietly eroding buyer savings and agency reputations in Australia’s property market. This case study unpacks how a mid-tier real estate group redesigned its settlement ...Read more

Property

The $12m threshold: Why portfolio value, not property count, now defines Australia’s investor elite

The old yardstick of six properties as shorthand for investment success has been overtaken by a harsher reality: in today’s market, elite status is defined by balance-sheet strength, not asset countRead more