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Lessons for your first
investment and the next.

Everyone has an opinion, and few explain the order of the steps. Plain lessons on how property works, written by Nicholas Lockhart, most read by his AI avatar. Read or listen at your own pace.

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See your own pathways: Building Pathways →

I teach: mentoring, strategy, education, support Our concierge handles: contract to keys, and the practical help after We introduce: the specialists we trust, when you need them

Start here

1Your first investment property, step by stepFrom the first conversation to the keys, and the years after.
2How much can you borrow?How lenders work out the figure, and what moves it.
3See it clearly, weigh it calmly, choose with confidenceSee the whole picture, weigh it calmly, then choose.

Most articles, read aloud

Most articles come in two versions: one to read, and one to listen to in the car or on a walk. The listening versions are read by an AI version of Nicholas’s voice, from the articles he wrote.

Topics

Starting out and planning Your first step, and the plan behind it. 10 articles →Borrowing and finance What you can borrow, and how to carry it. 7 articles →Tax, gearing and structure Who pays what, and whose name it goes in. 9 articles →What and where to buy The land, the building, and where. 11 articles →

All articles

Scared right now? Read this. There’s always something to be afraid of. Read →Bought an investment before your first home? What an earlier investment does to the grant and stamp duty, state by state. Read →Specialist disability accommodation, done properly Where SDA went wrong, and what done properly looks like. Read or listen →How to calculate rental yield Gross and net yield, and why yield alone can mislead. Read or listen →How much can you borrow? How lenders work out the figure, and what moves it. Read or listen →Out of pocket each week: how much is too much? Who pays which share: the rent, the tax system and you. Read or listen →The 2026 property tax changes: the good and the bad What is law, what is still a bill, and the dates. Read or listen →Negative gearing after 2026 What changes from the 2027-28 income year, and who it touches. Read or listen →Capital gains tax changes: the dates Capital gains tax, depreciation and negative gearing, 2017 to 2027. Read or listen →How long does it take for property to double? What 30 years of history shows, and why starting early counts. Read or listen →Single home, dual income or duplex: a Tweed Heads comparison Why the home that costs more can cost less to hold. Read or listen →Is this a good investment property? A good property, and a good investment for you. Read or listen →Is a buyer’s agent worth it? Who pays whom, and another way to buy with confidence. Read or listen →A real estate mentor: what you get, and how it starts How mentoring starts, and what it takes off your plate. Read or listen →What is property investing? How property earns, what it costs to hold, and the tax. Read or listen →Your first investment property, step by step From the first conversation to the keys, and the years after. Read or listen →See it clearly, weigh it calmly, choose with confidence See the whole picture, weigh it calmly, then choose. Read or listen →First-time property investor mistakes to avoid Eight mistakes, and what each one costs. Read or listen →How many investment properties do you need to retire? Start with the income, not the number of properties. Read or listen →Positive or negative gearing: what cash flow positive means What carries itself, what costs you, and what changes in 2027. Read or listen →How much deposit do you need for an investment property? Why 20 per cent is common, and where a deposit comes from. Read or listen →Using equity to add the next property How the equity you hold can fund the next property. Read or listen →What is rentvesting? My own 16 years of renting while investing. Read or listen →Is this a crash? My honest view, and what to do before fear decides for you. Read →If the market falls or rates rise soon after your first investment, does emotion or knowledge decide what you do? Holding through a fall, and what knowledge does for the decision. Read or listen →Own name, joint names or a trust? Whose name decides who claims now and who pays later. Read or listen →What happens to capital gains tax when you leave Australia? What changes on the day you stop being a resident. Read or listen →How to choose where to buy an investment property What good research looks for before choosing an area. Read or listen →House and land packages: what to check first Two contracts, fixed prices, and what to check first. Read or listen →Interest only, or principal and interest? Lower repayments now, or less debt later. Read or listen →New builds, duplexes and the mini developer Two incomes from one piece of land. Read or listen →Cost to build a duplex: a case study The plan of December 2024 against the finished build. Read or listen →SDA home: build one, or buy one finished? What it cost to build, and what it is offered for finished. Read or listen →Land grows, buildings depreciate Why the land grows and the building pays you. Read or listen →Strata or Torrens title: what you own What you own, and what you share. Read or listen →Lenders mortgage insurance: what it is, and when an investor pays it You will usually meet this insurance when you borrow more than 80 per cent of a property’s value. Read or listen →When interest rates move: what changes for your investment property When rates move, your repayments, the amount a lender will lend you and your weekly cost all move with them. Read →What can you claim on an investment property? This year, over the years, and when you sell Costs you pay to earn the rent can usually be claimed. Private costs cannot be claimed, and the costs of buying the property cannot be claimed straight away. Read →

See where your next step could lead, with your own numbers beside each path and a mentor to talk it through.

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Clarity first. Confidence follows. The MRD way.

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Short, plain lessons on real estate, matched to your stage, so each step makes sense before you take it. There is no cost, and you can leave whenever you like.