In this episode of Inside Residential Property, host Liam Garman is joined by Rethink Residential senior buyer’s agent James Thompson and investor Daniel to break down the realities of the buy-and-renovate property strategy – including when it works, when it doesn’t, and why many investors underestimate the risks involved.
Using Daniel’s real investment journey as a case study, the episode explores how manufacturing equity through renovations and granny flats can accelerate portfolio growth – but also why rising construction costs, time commitments, cash flow pressure, and life-stage changes often force investors to reassess their strategy.
Daniel shares how he began investing at a young age, purchasing uninhabitable properties, completing hands-on renovations, and adding significant equity through disciplined budgeting, suburb research and targeted upgrades. The conversation details how equity releases were used to fund granny flat construction and further property acquisitions, before examining how consecutive interest rate rises reshaped cash flow and borrowing capacity.
The episode also addresses common investor mistakes, including overcapitalising on renovations, misunderstanding opportunity cost, and following rigid property plans that fail to adapt to changing markets and personal circumstances.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
When a buy-and-renovate property strategy makes sense – and when it doesn’t.
How to assess renovation opportunities using comparable sales and buyer demand.
Why time, labour, and opportunity cost matter as much as renovation budgets.
How equity releases and granny flats can support portfolio growth.
The impact of interest rate rises on renovation-heavy investment strategies.
When selling property can accelerate progress rather than stall it.
Why property strategies must evolve with life stages and market conditions.
The risks behind house and land packages and commission-driven advice.
This episode is essential listening for residential property investors considering renovation or value-add strategies, offering a practical, experience-led perspective on how to build equity responsibly, manage risk, and keep portfolios moving forward without getting stuck in outdated plans.
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In this episode of Inside Residential Property, host Liam Garman is joined by Rethink Residential senior buyer’s agent James Thompson and investor Daniel to break down the realities of the buy-and-renovate property strategy – including when it works, when it doesn’t, and why many investors underestimate the risks involved.
Using Daniel’s real investment journey as a case study, the episode explores how manufacturing equity through renovations and granny flats can accelerate portfolio growth – but also why rising construction costs, time commitments, cash flow pressure, and life-stage changes often force investors to reassess their strategy.
Daniel shares how he began investing at a young age, purchasing uninhabitable properties, completing hands-on renovations, and adding significant equity through disciplined budgeting, suburb research and targeted upgrades. The conversation details how equity releases were used to fund granny flat construction and further property acquisitions, before examining how consecutive interest rate rises reshaped cash flow and borrowing capacity.
The episode also addresses common investor mistakes, including overcapitalising on renovations, misunderstanding opportunity cost, and following rigid property plans that fail to adapt to changing markets and personal circumstances.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
When a buy-and-renovate property strategy makes sense – and when it doesn’t.
How to assess renovation opportunities using comparable sales and buyer demand.
Why time, labour, and opportunity cost matter as much as renovation budgets.
How equity releases and granny flats can support portfolio growth.
The impact of interest rate rises on renovation-heavy investment strategies.
When selling property can accelerate progress rather than stall it.
Why property strategies must evolve with life stages and market conditions.
The risks behind house and land packages and commission-driven advice.
This episode is essential listening for residential property investors considering renovation or value-add strategies, offering a practical, experience-led perspective on how to build equity responsibly, manage risk, and keep portfolios moving forward without getting stuck in outdated plans.
In this episode of Inside Residential Property, host Liam Garman sits down with Rethink Financing Director and award-winning mortgage strategist Son Pham to unpack one of the biggest blockers in today’s investing landscape – the belief that serviceability is capped.
Together, they reveal why many investors feel “tapped out” and why, from a broker’s perspective, there is almost always more borrowing power available when you know how to navigate lender policy.
They’re joined by investor Danny, who walks listeners through his decade-long portfolio journey, starting with an off-the-plan townhouse in Glenmore Park before expanding into high-performing regional and interstate markets. Danny shares the wins, mistakes, and philosophy that shaped his strategy – from audit-proofing his team with an accountant and broker, to reframing debt as leverage and prioritising long-term freedom over short-term comfort.
Son breaks down Danny’s lending position live on air, exploring how banks actually calculate serviceability, why “the buffer” traps so many investors, and how non-bank lenders, trust structures and policy nuances can dramatically change borrowing outcomes. The trio dissect valuation strategy, equity releases, credit file traps, and when investors should consider selling to accelerate their next move – all with the goal of reducing time spent on the sidelines and keeping the portfolio compounding.
Listeners will gain insights into:
How lenders really assess income, rental shading, and buffers, and why policy is more powerful than interest rates.
Why serviceability “walls” are often illusions, and the specific lender types that can shift borrowing power.
When (and when not) to use trust structures for residential portfolios.
How to think about selling – identifying assets that have “done their job” vs. those with more growth runway.
The mindset shift needed to scale: debt as leverage, action over perfection, and buying well even at higher rates.
This episode offers an unfiltered, highly practical breakdown of what it really takes to keep growing when the banks say no – empowering investors to unlock smarter pathways, accelerate their next move, and avoid spending years stuck at a standstill.
Inside Residential Property
In this episode of Inside Residential Property, host Liam Garman is joined by Rethink Residential senior buyer’s agent James Thompson and investor Daniel to break down the realities of the buy-and-renovate property strategy – including when it works, when it doesn’t, and why many investors underestimate the risks involved.
Using Daniel’s real investment journey as a case study, the episode explores how manufacturing equity through renovations and granny flats can accelerate portfolio growth – but also why rising construction costs, time commitments, cash flow pressure, and life-stage changes often force investors to reassess their strategy.
Daniel shares how he began investing at a young age, purchasing uninhabitable properties, completing hands-on renovations, and adding significant equity through disciplined budgeting, suburb research and targeted upgrades. The conversation details how equity releases were used to fund granny flat construction and further property acquisitions, before examining how consecutive interest rate rises reshaped cash flow and borrowing capacity.
The episode also addresses common investor mistakes, including overcapitalising on renovations, misunderstanding opportunity cost, and following rigid property plans that fail to adapt to changing markets and personal circumstances.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
When a buy-and-renovate property strategy makes sense – and when it doesn’t.
How to assess renovation opportunities using comparable sales and buyer demand.
Why time, labour, and opportunity cost matter as much as renovation budgets.
How equity releases and granny flats can support portfolio growth.
The impact of interest rate rises on renovation-heavy investment strategies.
When selling property can accelerate progress rather than stall it.
Why property strategies must evolve with life stages and market conditions.
The risks behind house and land packages and commission-driven advice.
This episode is essential listening for residential property investors considering renovation or value-add strategies, offering a practical, experience-led perspective on how to build equity responsibly, manage risk, and keep portfolios moving forward without getting stuck in outdated plans.
