What would 74,000 property investors do with $600,000?

I asked one of Australia’s largest property investing communities where they believe the best buying opportunities are right now. From their responses, I selected five markets and put them to the test.

The five contenders:

• Cairns North, QLD

• Launceston, TAS

• Dubbo, NSW

• Sunshine, VIC

• Parramatta, NSW

Rather than relying on opinions, hype or predictions, I compared each market using five measurable indicators that can help identify current market conditions:

1. Stock on market
How much property is actually available to buyers?

2. Rental vacancy
How tight is the rental market?

3. Supply constraints
How difficult is it for new housing supply to respond?

4. 12-month price growth
What is happening to prices right now?

5. Rental yield
What return could an investor potentially achieve at current prices?

Each location receives a score out of 50 before I reveal which market comes out on top.

The result surprised me, and there was a much bigger gap between first and second place than I expected.

This isn't about claiming one suburb will outperform every other market in Australia. Property selection, individual assets, price paid and due diligence still matter enormously. The aim is to compare five markets using the same framework and see what the numbers actually tell us.

If you're considering investing around the $600,000 mark, this should give you a useful framework for comparing markets before deciding where to buy.

The Buyers Co.
Independent property buyers agency specialising in Cairns and North Queensland.

www.thebuyersco.com.au

#PropertyInvesting #AustralianProperty #RealEstateAustralia #PropertyMarket #InvestmentProperty

Chapters:

00:00 Intro – Where Would 74,000 Investors Spend $600k?

00:57 #5 Parramatta, NSW

03:02 #4 Sunshine, VIC

04:51 #3 Dubbo, NSW

06:29 #2 Launceston, TAS

07:56 #1 Cairns North, QLD

10:39 Final Results & What the Scores Really Mean

11:45 The Most Important Investing Lesson

12:14 Which Property Would You Buy?

Building a new home has changed. Higher construction costs, smaller blocks, changing buyer expectations and pressure on housing supply are reshaping what it means to build in Cairns, Far North Queensland and regional Queensland.

In this episode, I sit down with Ram Singh from Five Rivers Group, a Cairns-based builder and property professional whose business delivers around 50 dwellings a year while also operating across property sales and rentals.

We discuss whether building new still stacks up against buying established, the mistakes that can cost buyers thousands, what is actually driving construction costs higher and why new housing estates across Cairns and regional Queensland are increasingly moving towards smaller lots and higher-density housing.

We also cover:

• Building new vs buying established
• The hidden costs and risks buyers need to understand before building
• Why Cairns house blocks are getting smaller
• What is driving construction costs across FNQ and regional Queensland
• How to design a new home with future resale value in mind
• What tenants actually want from a new investment property
• The rise of duplexes, triplexes and higher-density development
• Why Australia is struggling to build enough new homes
• What the next generation of housing could look like
• What Ram would personally buy or build with his own money

Although we use Cairns and Far North Queensland as the case study, many of the challenges facing builders, developers, home buyers and investors are being seen right across regional Queensland and Australia.

If you're considering building a new home, buying a house-and-land package, developing property or simply trying to understand where the housing market is heading, this conversation is worth watching before making your next move.

Subscribe for more discussions on Cairns property, FNQ real estate, regional Queensland property investing and the Australian housing market.

#CairnsProperty #CairnsRealEstate #FarNorthQueensland #FNQProperty #RegionalQueensland #PropertyInvesting #NewHomeBuild #AustralianProperty #HouseAndLand #PropertyDevelopment

Has the Australian property market entered a new phase?

With tighter rental regulations, changing investor sentiment and evolving tenant expectations, many investors are asking the same question: where are the best opportunities now?

In this episode, I'm joined by a leading Cairns property management expert, Adam Saitta from Benchmark Real Estate, to discuss why regional markets like Cairns could outperform some of Australia's larger capital cities, and what investors need to understand before buying their next investment property.

Whether you're buying your first investment or growing a portfolio, this conversation covers the practical insights that can help you reduce risk and improve long-term returns.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why the rental market has changed.
• Why fewer investors may enter the market.
• Why Cairns could outperform Melbourne.
• Current rental demand across Cairns.
• What tenants are really looking for.
• How professional property managers screen tenants.
• The biggest tenant red flags.
• Due diligence when buying a property with an existing tenant.
• What questions every investor should ask before going unconditional.
• The property features that attract quality tenants.
• Common mistakes investors continue to make.
• Where we believe the Cairns property market is heading.

If you're interested in real estate investing, Cairns property, Melbourne property, property investing Australia, rental property, or buying investment property, this episode is packed with practical insights from professionals working in the market every day.

If you enjoy evidence-based discussions about Australian property investing, subscribe for weekly episodes covering market trends, investing strategies, regional property opportunities and interviews with industry experts.

📩 Looking to buy property in Cairns or North Queensland?

The Buyers Co helps home buyers and investors secure the right property through independent advice, negotiation and due diligence.

🌐 https://www.thebuyersco.com.au

The property investing playbook that worked ten years ago may not work today.

Borrowing capacity has tightened, ownership structures matter more, SMSF investing is under pressure, tax strategies are being questioned and simply buying any property and waiting for it to grow is becoming increasingly risky.

So, what are the new rules of property investing in Australia, and how can investors still build a successful portfolio in 2026 and beyond?

In this episode of Investment By Design, Shaun Craike brings together three leading Cairns property professionals, Ben, Kurt and Cameron, for an honest debate about what has changed, which traditional strategies still work and where investors could make their biggest mistakes over the next decade.

The panel discusses:

00:00 The New Rules of Property Investing After the Budget

03:22 SMSF Property Deadline: What Investors Need to Know

07:12 Property Investing Myths That Could Cost You Money

09:14 Has the Australian Property Market Changed Forever?

13:06 Property Market Confidence: Are Investors Buying Again?

16:03 Cash Flow vs Capital Growth: Which Builds More Wealth?

21:43 Is Capital Growth Still King in Property Investing?

24:31 Renovations, Duplexes & Smart Property Investment Strategies

29:40 New Build vs Established Property: Which Should You Buy?

33:36 Why More Locals Are Investing in Cairns Property

40:21 Trust vs Company vs Personal Name: Best Ownership Structure?

44:52 SMSF Changes: Should Investors Buy Commercial Property?

52:09 Property Investing vs Property Flipping: Which Builds More Wealth?

57:05 How to Build Wealth Through Property Over the Next Decade

59:51 Delayed Gratification: The Secret Behind Successful Investors

1:02:22 Why Units Could Be the Next Property Investment Opportunity

The panel also reveals the investing advice they would no longer give, the rules they have personally changed their minds on and the strategies Australians may need to stop following.

Whether you are preparing to buy your first investment property, deciding how to structure your next purchase or trying to grow beyond one or two properties, this conversation will help you understand the decisions that matter most in today’s market.

Do you believe the old property investing playbook still works? Let us know in the comments.

Subscribe to Investment By Design for practical conversations about Australian property, finance, wealth creation and the regional markets shaping the country’s future.

#PropertyInvesting #AustralianProperty #RealEstateInvesting #SMSF #PropertyInvestment #InvestmentProperty #WealthCreation #CairnsProperty

Is now the right time to buy an investment property in Cairns, or should investors wait another 12 months?

In this episode of Investment By Design, Shaun Craike is joined by financial planner and former accountant Ben Cole, mortgage broker Stacey Hart, and top-performing Ray White real estate agent Natasha Whalley-Thompson to build a practical blueprint for investing in Cairns property after the 2026 Federal Budget.

The panel looks beyond the headlines to discuss what is actually happening across the Cairns property market, borrowing capacity, negative gearing, investor confidence and the availability of quality properties.

They also work through a realistic scenario involving homeowners earning approximately $200,000 per year with equity available in their home. The panel considers how much they may be able to borrow, what they could realistically purchase in Cairns and which risks they would need to manage.

In this episode, we discuss:

00:00 Buy Now or Wait? Cairns Property Outlook 2026

03:02 Why Property Investing Is a Long-Term Strategy

05:54 Could Cairns Property Prices Fall 10%?

10:19 Interest Rates, Confidence and Cairns Property

14:30 Lending Changes and Building the Right Property Team

17:42 Negative Gearing Changes Explained After the 2026 Budget

22:35 SMSF Property Deadlines and Serious Cairns Buyers

25:20 How Emotion Leads to Bad Property Decisions

29:50 Buying Your First Investment Property: Where to Start

33:46 Using Home Equity to Buy an Investment Property

36:10 Rentvesting: A Smarter Way to Start Investing?

39:00 Property Investment Mistakes to Avoid

43:47 Units vs Houses: What Would We Buy in Cairns?

52:30 Co-Ownership Risks and Final Investor Lessons

This conversation is designed for first-time property investors, existing homeowners considering using equity, and anyone researching the Cairns property market in 2026.

The discussion provides general information only and does not constitute personal financial, lending, tax, legal or property advice. Always seek advice based on your individual circumstances before making an investment decision.

Subscribe to Investment By Design for more conversations about Australian property, investing, finance, business and the future of Cairns and North Queensland.

#CairnsProperty #PropertyInvesting #AustralianProperty #CairnsRealEstate #InvestmentProperty #FirstTimeInvestor #NegativeGearing #MortgageBroker #PropertyMarket #RealEstateInvesting

Should you pay off your mortgage or buy an investment property? In this video, I compare mortgage reduction with property investing over 10 years, using current Australian interest rates, historical property growth and two real Cairns property results from my own portfolio.

In 2024, after selling our previous business, my wife and I had a major financial decision to make. We could reduce our owner-occupier mortgage and lock in an interest saving of approximately 6%, or use the money to purchase another investment property.

We chose property.

We purchased a Cairns apartment for $386,000 that is now worth an estimated $530,000 and produces positive rental cash flow. That is approximately $144,000 in capital growth over two years, before selling costs and tax.

However, property investing does not always deliver results like this.

My first property was purchased for $135,000 in 2010 and sold for just $148,000 in 2020. That represents only $13,000 in capital growth over an entire decade, immediately before the Cairns property market began its strongest period of growth.

In this video, we break down:

• Whether you should pay off debt or invest in property
• Credit card debt, personal loans and high-interest consumer debt
• Owner-occupier mortgage debt versus investment debt
• Why home-loan interest is generally not tax deductible
• How investment-property interest deductions work
• Debt recycling in Australia
• The risks and benefits of borrowing to invest
• Negative gearing and property holding costs
• Why rental income does not equal profit
• How leverage magnifies property gains and losses
• Cairns property-price growth from 2016 to 2026
• A 10-year comparison using $120,000
• Paying down a mortgage at 6% versus buying a $500,000 property
• The cash buffer property investors should maintain
• Which strategy I believe has the greatest wealth-building potential

For the 10-year comparison, we model two options.

Option one places $120,000 against an owner-occupier mortgage at an assumed 6% interest rate. If the interest savings remain in the loan or offset, the estimated financial benefit after 10 years is approximately $215,000.

Option two uses the money to purchase a $500,000 investment property with a $400,000 loan. Using an illustrative annual capital-growth rate of 6.8%, the property would be worth approximately $965,000 after 10 years, creating around $565,000 in gross equity before holding costs, selling costs and capital gains tax.

The mortgage strategy offers a more predictable return and greater financial security.

The investment-property strategy carries greater risk, but leverage allows you to earn capital growth on a much larger asset base.

Paying down debt protects the wealth you already have. Buying the right property gives you the opportunity to create significantly more.

This video is general education only and does not constitute financial, tax, credit or property advice. Debt recycling and investment-loan structures should be established with qualified tax and lending professionals.

Learn more about buying property in Cairns and North Queensland:

www.thebuyersco.com.au

Subscribe for more Australian property investing, Cairns property market analysis, buyer education and real-world investment case studies.

#PropertyInvestingAustralia #PayOffMortgage #CairnsProperty

Townsville property market vs Cairns: where would I invest $700,000 if I had to purchase one property and hold it for the next 20 years?

In this detailed Townsville real estate comparison, I analyse Townsville vs Cairns across eight categories, including market fundamentals, historical price performance, rental returns, population growth, employment, major infrastructure projects, land supply and long-term capital growth potential.

Townsville is the larger city, with higher median household incomes, a more diverse employment base and a much larger pipeline of available residential land. It also offers significantly more buying power, with $700,000 providing access to larger and generally higher-quality family homes in established Townsville suburbs such as North Ward, Castle Hill, Bushland Beach and Annandale.

But does getting more house for your money make Townsville the better long-term property investment?

We compare Townsville’s Defence, health, port, resources and industrial economy with Cairns’ tourism, aviation, construction and expanding healthcare sectors. We also examine major projects such as the Townsville hospital expansion, CopperString and the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct, along with the projects shaping Cairns.

The biggest difference may be housing supply. Townsville has more than three times the large-parcel residential land available in Cairns and is already producing new lots at more than double the rate. Cairns, however, is more geographically constrained, which may create greater scarcity in established locations over a 20-year holding period.

In this video, I reveal:

00:00 Cairns vs Townsville Property Market Comparison
01:50 Market Fundamentals: Cairns vs Townsville
03:45 Historical Property Price Growth Compared
05:22 Building a 20-Year Property Investment Strategy
07:16 What $700,000 Buys in the Cairns Property Market
09:30 What $700,000 Buys in the Townsville Property Market
11:22 Rental Yields and Property Holding Costs
12:34 Population Growth and Housing Demand to 2046
14:03 Employment, Tourism and Economic Diversity
15:10 Major Infrastructure and Development Projects
18:18 Land Supply, Housing Supply and Property Scarcity
21:48 Which City Has the Stronger 20-Year Growth Outlook?
24:04 Cairns vs Townsville: My Final Investment Verdict

The final result is closer than you might expect. Townsville wins on economic scale, buying power and development potential, while Cairns wins several of the factors I believe could matter most over the full 20-year investment period.

Which would you choose: Townsville or Cairns? Let me know in the comments, along with the type of property you would buy for $700,000.

#TownsvilleProperty #TownsvilleRealEstate #TownsvilleInvestmentProperty #CairnsProperty #QueenslandProperty #PropertyInvestment #AustralianRealEstate

Buying property in Cairns can be a great opportunity, but the wrong decision can cost you tens of thousands of dollars. In this video, I break down five costly mistakes Cairns property buyers keep making, including failing to compare insurance quotes, overlooking council planning overlays, dismissing units because of body corporate fees, buying without a clear strategy and letting emotion influence the purchase price. Whether you are buying a home or investment property in Cairns, these practical due diligence tips could help you avoid an expensive mistake.

One of the biggest surprises for many buyers is how much insurance can vary between two seemingly similar Cairns properties.

I recently helped first-home buyers compare a lower-priced home in Westcourt with a more expensive property in Earlville. While the Earlville home cost approximately $50,000 more, the insurance quote on the Westcourt property was substantially higher because of its flood and storm surge exposure. Once we compared the complete weekly ownership costs, the difference between the two properties was only around $20 per week. One property, however, carried significantly less insurance and environmental risk.

This is why buyers need to look beyond the advertised purchase price and consider the true cost of owning the property.

The three free online resources discussed include:

• CairnsPlan 2016 Property Report https://mapping.cairns.qld.gov.au/trueview/CairnsPlan2016v31/main
• Before You Dig Australia https://www.byda.com.au/
• Atlas.id community demographic and economic data https://atlas.id.com.au/cairns

These tools can help buyers investigate council overlays, underground infrastructure, flood and storm surge exposure, development considerations, local household incomes, housing tenure and other important property information.

A property does not need to be perfect, but its risks need to be identified, understood and reflected in the price you pay. The goal of due diligence is not to eliminate every possible risk. It is to avoid paying full price for a problem you did not know existed.

What is the biggest mistake you have seen someone make when buying property? Let me know in the comments.

Chapters:

00:00 5 Expensive Mistakes Cairns Property Buyers Make

00:31 Mistake 1: Not Checking Cairns Home Insurance Costs

04:22 Mistake 2: Ignoring Free Cairns Property Research Tools

06:34 Mistake 3: Avoiding Units Because of Body Corporate Fees

08:23 Mistake 4: Buying Property With Emotion, Not the Numbers

09:49 Mistake 5: Buying Without a Clear Property Goal

11:14 How to Avoid Costly Cairns Property Mistakes

11:43 What Property Buying Mistake Have You Made?

For help buying a home or investment property in Cairns, Port Douglas, or the Atherton Tablelands, visit: http://www.thebuyersco.com.au

Subscribe for more Cairns property market insights, property inspections, investment analysis and practical buyer education.

#CairnsProperty #CairnsRealEstate #BuyingPropertyInCairns #CairnsPropertyMarket #PropertyInvestmentAustralia #BuyersAgentCairns #CairnsInvestmentProperty #PropertyDueDiligence

In this episode of Investment by Design, we look at Cairns property investing through a different lens: Cairns tourism, local business growth, major development, the Cairns Aquarium, the Cairns economy, and what these forces mean for the future of the Cairns real estate market and North Queensland property investors.What does it really take to make a $54 million bet on Cairns?I sit down with Daniel Leipnik, the man behind the Cairns Aquarium, to unpack one of the biggest tourism and development stories our region has seen.This is not just a conversation about an aquarium. It is a conversation about risk, vision, business creation, tourism, leadership, employment, and the future of Cairns.For property investors, the Cairns property market is shaped by more than house prices, rental yields and vacancy rates. It is shaped by population growth, business confidence, tourism, infrastructure, private investment, major projects, and the people willing to back the region before the outcome is obvious.Daniel shares what it took to bring the Cairns Aquarium to life, including the challenges before construction, the funding journey, the hurdles during construction, what surprised him most, and what has happened since opening.We also talk about his new business ventures, the reality of building and keeping a great team in Cairns, what tourism looks like after COVID, and where he believes Cairns needs to go next.If you are researching Cairns property, investing in North Queensland, building a business, watching the local economy, or trying to understand where Cairns is heading over the next decade, this conversation is worth your time.In this episode we cover:• The $54 million Cairns Aquarium project• Why major private investment matters to Cairns• What can go wrong when bringing a major project to life• Cairns tourism before and after COVID• The challenge of finding and keeping good staff• New business ventures after launching the aquarium• What Cairns is missing• The future of Cairns tourism and business• What all of this means for property investorsAt The Buyers Co, we help clients buy property with strategy, due diligence and local market insight across Cairns and North Queensland. If you are thinking about investing in Cairns and want to understand the market beyond the surface-level numbers, get in touch with us.Find out more about The Buyers Co at www.thebuyersco.com.au

Cairns property investors are facing a new wave of uncertainty as government tax changes and shifting property policies continue to impact confidence across the market.In this Cairns property market update, we discuss how recent tax changes, legislative inconsistency and poor communication from government can affect investors, landlords, homeowners and buyers trying to make smart long-term decisions.The issue is not just one policy change. It is the constant uncertainty. When rules are introduced, changed, withdrawn or poorly explained, it becomes harder for property investors to plan, manage risk and understand what the future may look like for the Cairns real estate market.In this video, we break down what these government policy shifts could mean for the Cairns property market, including the potential impact on investor confidence, rental supply, housing affordability, landlord decision-making and long-term investment strategy.If you are investing in Cairns, buying property in North Queensland, or trying to understand how tax changes may affect the Australian property market, this discussion will help you think through the risks and opportunities more clearly.At The Buyers Co, we help buyers and investors navigate the Cairns property market with local knowledge, due diligence and a clear investment strategy.www.thebuyersco.com.auSubscribe for weekly Cairns property market updates, investment insights and real estate commentary.Comment below: do you think these tax and policy changes will help the property market, or make the housing crisis worse?