‘Aha moment’ that created rookie’s property empire

PHOTO: Investor PK Gupta. Picture: supplied.

This real estate rookie has built a near $10m empire of 12 properties in just 11 years by investing ‘without borders’. Here’s how he did it.

It was an “aha moment” that led to this first-time investor saving about $180,000 in purchasing costs when building his property portfolio – a strategy he says others could easily replicate.

While many new investors find themselves forking out as much as $15,000 per property for a buyer’s agent, PK Gupta saved himself the expense by coming up with a clever strategy that allowed him to invest “without borders” and avoid travelling to inspect properties.

In addition to researching the type of data used to develop capital growth forecasts, Mr Gupta recruited property managers to inspect the properties he was interested in buying, a tactic that went on to save him as much as $180,000 across his portfolio of 12 properties.

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It all started back in 2011 when the then Sydneysider decided to purchase his first investment property in East Gosford.

“I was just calling a few property managers to get the home truths – the on the ground insights and reality of what was going on,” Mr Gupta said.

“They were saying, ‘instead of you having to drive for an hour and a half, we can do the inspections for you’.”

He expected this to come at a cost, but was instead told they would go to the property free of charge in exchange for their subsequent service as a property manager.

It was a defining moment for the rentvester, who went on to buy 12 properties worth $8m in 11 years with the help of his property managers as well as a thorough understanding of data.

PK Gupta’s fourth investment property. Picture: supplied.

“The combination of data analysis and the on the ground reality of them doing the inspections for us meant that a) we didn’t need to inspect the property and b) we didn’t need to spend a fair amount of money on buyer’s agents,” he said.

Now living in Brisbane, Mr Gupta said the strategy enabled him and his wife to become “borderless investors,” and follow cashflow and capital growth opportunities outside their own geographical area.