Invest
Building a moat: How to defend your property against adverse effects
A successful property portfolio is one that is not reliant on you, as the investor, to dictate its performance, a property guru has said.
Building a moat: How to defend your property against adverse effects
A successful property portfolio is one that is not reliant on you, as the investor, to dictate its performance, a property guru has said.
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.
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Property
Multigenerational living is moving mainstream: how agents, developers and lenders can monetise the shift
Australia’s quiet housing revolution is no longer a niche lifestyle choice; it’s a structural shift in demand that will reward property businesses prepared to redesign product, pricing and ...Read more
Property
Prestige property, precision choice: a case study in selecting the right agent when millions are at stake
In Australia’s top-tier housing market, the wrong agent choice can quietly erase six figures from a sale. Privacy protocols, discreet buyer networks and data-savvy marketing have become the new ...Read more
Property
From ‘ugly’ to alpha: Turning outdated Australian homes into high‑yield assets
In a tight listings market, outdated properties aren’t dead weight—they’re mispriced optionality. Agencies and vendors that industrialise light‑touch refurbishment, behavioural marketing and ...Read more
Property
The 2026 Investor Playbook: Rental Tailwinds, City Divergence and the Tech-Led Operations Advantage
Rental income looks set to do the heavy lifting for investors in 2026, but not every capital city will move in lockstep. Industry veteran John McGrath tips a stronger rental year and a Melbourne ...Read more
Property
Prestige property, precision choice: Data, discretion and regulation now decide million‑dollar outcomes
In Australia’s prestige housing market, the selling agent is no longer a mere intermediary but a strategic supplier whose choices can shift outcomes by seven figures. The differentiators are no longer ...Read more
Property
The new battleground in housing: how first-home buyer policy is reshaping Australia’s entry-level market
Government-backed guarantees and stamp duty concessions have pushed fresh demand into the bottom of Australia’s price ladder, lifting values and compressing selling times in entry-level segmentsRead more
Property
Property 2026: Why measured moves will beat the market
In 2026, Australian property success will be won by investors who privilege resilience over velocity. The market is fragmenting by suburb and asset type, financing conditions remain tight, and ...Read more
Property
Entry-level property is winning: How first home buyer programs are reshaping demand, pricing power and strategy
Lower-priced homes are appreciating faster as government support channels demand into the entry tier. For developers, lenders and marketers, this is not a blip—it’s a structural reweighting of demand ...Read more
Property
Multigenerational living is moving mainstream: how agents, developers and lenders can monetise the shift
Australia’s quiet housing revolution is no longer a niche lifestyle choice; it’s a structural shift in demand that will reward property businesses prepared to redesign product, pricing and ...Read more
Property
Prestige property, precision choice: a case study in selecting the right agent when millions are at stake
In Australia’s top-tier housing market, the wrong agent choice can quietly erase six figures from a sale. Privacy protocols, discreet buyer networks and data-savvy marketing have become the new ...Read more
Property
From ‘ugly’ to alpha: Turning outdated Australian homes into high‑yield assets
In a tight listings market, outdated properties aren’t dead weight—they’re mispriced optionality. Agencies and vendors that industrialise light‑touch refurbishment, behavioural marketing and ...Read more
Property
The 2026 Investor Playbook: Rental Tailwinds, City Divergence and the Tech-Led Operations Advantage
Rental income looks set to do the heavy lifting for investors in 2026, but not every capital city will move in lockstep. Industry veteran John McGrath tips a stronger rental year and a Melbourne ...Read more
Property
Prestige property, precision choice: Data, discretion and regulation now decide million‑dollar outcomes
In Australia’s prestige housing market, the selling agent is no longer a mere intermediary but a strategic supplier whose choices can shift outcomes by seven figures. The differentiators are no longer ...Read more
Property
The new battleground in housing: how first-home buyer policy is reshaping Australia’s entry-level market
Government-backed guarantees and stamp duty concessions have pushed fresh demand into the bottom of Australia’s price ladder, lifting values and compressing selling times in entry-level segmentsRead more
Property
Property 2026: Why measured moves will beat the market
In 2026, Australian property success will be won by investors who privilege resilience over velocity. The market is fragmenting by suburb and asset type, financing conditions remain tight, and ...Read more
Property
Entry-level property is winning: How first home buyer programs are reshaping demand, pricing power and strategy
Lower-priced homes are appreciating faster as government support channels demand into the entry tier. For developers, lenders and marketers, this is not a blip—it’s a structural reweighting of demand ...Read more
