Invest
Want to get into property? ‘Start from the bottom’
Australians considering property investing need to remember three things, but the first is to “start from the bottom”, the co-founder of a multibillion-dollar property group has said.
Want to get into property? ‘Start from the bottom’
Australians considering property investing need to remember three things, but the first is to “start from the bottom”, the co-founder of a multibillion-dollar property group has said.
Speaking on the Nest Egg podcast, the co-founder of the $22 billion Charter Hall, Cedric Fuchs, said property investors need to have a deep knowledge base that “goes beyond just being very good at property”.
“When you deal with property, you've got to know about the environment, you've got to know about contamination, you've got to know about town planning, you've got to know about architectural issues, you've got to know about finance and debt, you've got to know about tax, you've got to know about structuring of property trusts, you've got to know about the law in terms of managed investments,” he said.
“The knowledge base is huge. Anybody wanting to get into property, I would say to them the following: start from the bottom.”
Mr Fuchs explained investors need to learn the property management business as an entry point.
The next step is to make the lease “your bible”.
“Know it back to front so that if anybody asks you a question at any time, you don't have to refer to the lease,” he said.
“You can refer to the lease for what the contents of the lease were in terms of the contract, but you should pretty much know off by heart all the conditions and terms in the lease.”
Finally, investors should take care not to run before they can walk.
Baby steps are essential, Mr Fuchs said.
“Consolidate all the time. Don't go too fast and run ahead,” he said.
“The economic cycle is always alive. We're always going to have these expansionary positions and then the cycle is going to change because of the fact that bankers have to put up interest rates because things are starting to get out of hand.
“You then have a threat of inflation, and that's the time that they're going to start to increase interest rates. Once interest rates start to increase where the real interest rate is higher than inflation, you're going to find that you're going to get a recessed economy coming along, and that's going to have an impact on property prices and all of the asset prices at the same time.”
Listen to our latest podcast for more insights from Cedric Fuchs.
RELATED ARTICLES
Property
Australia’s mortgage knife‑fight: investors, first‑home buyers and the new rules of lender competition
The mortgage market is staying hot even as rate relief remains elusive, with investors and first‑home buyers chasing scarce stock and lenders fighting for share on price, speed and digital experienceRead more
Property
Breaking Australia’s three‑property ceiling: the finance‑first playbook for scalable portfolios
Most Australian investors don’t stall at three properties because they run out of ambition — they run out of borrowing capacity. The ceiling is a finance constraint disguised as an asset problem. The ...Read more
Property
Gen Z's secret weapon: Why their homebuying spree could flip Australia's housing market
A surprising share of younger Australians are preparing to buy despite affordability headwinds. One in three Gen Z Australians intend to purchase within a few years and 32 per cent say escaping rent ...Read more
Property
Tasmania’s pet-positive pivot: What landlords, BTR operators and insurers need to do now
Tasmania will soon require landlords to allow pets unless they can prove a valid reason to refuse. This is more than a tenancy tweak; it is a structural signal that the balance of power in rental ...Read more
Property
NSW underquoting crackdown: the compliance reset creating both cost and competitive edge
NSW is moving to sharply increase penalties for misleading price guides, including fines linked to agent commissions and maximum penalties up to $110,000. Behind the headlines sits a more ...Read more
Property
ANZ’s mortgage growth, profit slump: why volume without margin won’t pay the dividends
ANZ lifted home-lending volumes, yet profits fell under the weight of regulatory and restructuring costs—an object lesson in the futility of growth that doesn’t convert to margin and productivityRead more
Property
Rate pause, busy summer: where smart capital wins in Australia’s property market
With the Reserve Bank holding rates steady, the summer selling season arrives with rare predictability. Liquidity will lift, serviceability stops getting worse, and sentiment stabilises. The ...Read more
Property
The 2026 Suburb Thesis: A case study in turning trend lists into investable strategy
A new crop of ‘suburbs to watch’ is hitting headlines, but translating shortlist hype into bottom-line results requires more than a map and a mood. This case study shows how a disciplined, data-led ...Read more
Property
Australia’s mortgage knife‑fight: investors, first‑home buyers and the new rules of lender competition
The mortgage market is staying hot even as rate relief remains elusive, with investors and first‑home buyers chasing scarce stock and lenders fighting for share on price, speed and digital experienceRead more
Property
Breaking Australia’s three‑property ceiling: the finance‑first playbook for scalable portfolios
Most Australian investors don’t stall at three properties because they run out of ambition — they run out of borrowing capacity. The ceiling is a finance constraint disguised as an asset problem. The ...Read more
Property
Gen Z's secret weapon: Why their homebuying spree could flip Australia's housing market
A surprising share of younger Australians are preparing to buy despite affordability headwinds. One in three Gen Z Australians intend to purchase within a few years and 32 per cent say escaping rent ...Read more
Property
Tasmania’s pet-positive pivot: What landlords, BTR operators and insurers need to do now
Tasmania will soon require landlords to allow pets unless they can prove a valid reason to refuse. This is more than a tenancy tweak; it is a structural signal that the balance of power in rental ...Read more
Property
NSW underquoting crackdown: the compliance reset creating both cost and competitive edge
NSW is moving to sharply increase penalties for misleading price guides, including fines linked to agent commissions and maximum penalties up to $110,000. Behind the headlines sits a more ...Read more
Property
ANZ’s mortgage growth, profit slump: why volume without margin won’t pay the dividends
ANZ lifted home-lending volumes, yet profits fell under the weight of regulatory and restructuring costs—an object lesson in the futility of growth that doesn’t convert to margin and productivityRead more
Property
Rate pause, busy summer: where smart capital wins in Australia’s property market
With the Reserve Bank holding rates steady, the summer selling season arrives with rare predictability. Liquidity will lift, serviceability stops getting worse, and sentiment stabilises. The ...Read more
Property
The 2026 Suburb Thesis: A case study in turning trend lists into investable strategy
A new crop of ‘suburbs to watch’ is hitting headlines, but translating shortlist hype into bottom-line results requires more than a map and a mood. This case study shows how a disciplined, data-led ...Read more
