Investment By Design

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?

In this video, I break down the 5 best suburbs to buy property in Cairns and 1 suburb I’d be very careful investing in right now. If you’re looking at the Cairns property market, Cairns real estate, or trying to understand where to buy an investment property in Cairns, this video will help you think through the suburbs with long-term growth, lifestyle appeal, rental demand and risk.After investing in Cairns property for more than 16 years and building a $5.5M property portfolio, I’ve learned that not all suburbs are equal. Some areas have strong fundamentals that make sense for long-term buy-and-hold investors, while others can look attractive on paper but carry risks that buyers often overlook.In this video I cover:* The 5 Cairns suburbs I’d consider buying and holding for the long term* The key fundamentals I look for before buying* Why lifestyle, land supply, rental demand and affordability matter* The suburb I’d be careful buying in right now* How I think about risk when investing in Cairns propertyThis is not financial advice, and every buyer’s situation is different, but if you’re looking to buy in Cairns, invest in Cairns property, or understand the local market better, this video is a great starting point. #CairnsProperty #CairnsRealEstate #PropertyInvesting #AustralianProperty #BuyersAgent

Cairns property investing is one of the most talked-about opportunities in the Queensland property market, but is Cairns still good value for investors, or has the easy money already been made?

In this episode, I am joined by David Galloway-Penny, Ken Turner and Tim Lyon to debate where they would invest today, including houses vs units, the best Cairns suburbs to buy in, the risks investors need to watch, and whether regional Queensland property still has room to grow.

We discuss what we would personally do with an $800,000 property investment budget in Cairns, including older houses on larger blocks, dual occupancy opportunities, granny flats, townhouses, units, and inner-city suburbs with strong rental demand.

This conversation covers some of the biggest questions investors are asking about the Cairns property market right now:

00:00 Cairns Property Market Debate: Is It Too Late to Invest?

00:24 Where Would 4 Cairns Agents Invest $800k Today?

05:21 Houses vs Units in Cairns: Which Is the Better Investment?

17:41 New vs Established Property: Tax Changes, Negative Gearing & Rental Supply

26:15 Is Cairns Still Good Value or Has the Easy Money Been Made?

30:26 Underrated Cairns Suburbs, Bayview Heights & the Future of Supply

31:24 Cairns Apartment Prices, Replacement Cost & New Developments

We also debate the real risks in the Cairns market, including flood zones, crime stigma, body corporate costs, construction costs, interest rates, rental supply, and whether investors are still being rewarded for buying properties that others overlook.

If you are researching Cairns property, investing in Queensland, buying an investment property in Australia, or looking for suburbs with strong rental demand and long-term growth potential, this podcast gives you a practical on-the-ground view from 4 local agents working in the market every day.

Cairns has changed significantly over the past few years. Prices have risen, rents remain tight, land is becoming harder to find, and investors are being forced to think more carefully about what they buy, where they buy, and how they create value.

Whether you are a first-time investor, an interstate buyer, a local homeowner, or someone comparing Cairns to other regional Australian property markets, this episode will help you think through where the opportunities and risks may sit today.

#cairnsproperty #propertyinvesting #queenslandproperty #australianproperty #realestateinvesting

Everyone told me not to buy this property.

My wife hated the complex. Most investors would have walked away. On paper, it looked like the kind of property you avoid.

But I saw something different.

Seven years later, that $165,000 purchase is now worth approximately $470,000 and generates around $300 per week positive cash flow.

In this video, I break down:
• Why almost everyone thought buying this property was a mistake
• What I saw that others missed
• The investing lesson that completely changed how I buy real estate
• How this one purchase helped shape our property portfolio
• Why some of the best opportunities are often the properties nobody wants

If you're interested in property investing, cash flow property, building wealth through real estate, or learning how to spot opportunities others overlook, this video is for you.

Subscribe for weekly videos covering:
🏡 Property investing
📈 Market analysis
💰 Wealth creation strategies
🔨 Renovation projects
🌴 Cairns property market insights

Thinking about buying property in Cairns or North Queensland?

Visit: https://www.thebuyersco.com.au

0:00 The deal nobody wanted me to touch

1:13 Why everyone avoided this property

3:11 Taking the risk anyway

4:10 The cash flow changed everything

7:21 Was it worth it nine years later?

#PropertyInvesting #RealEstateInvesting #PropertyMarket #WealthCreation #PassiveIncome #PropertyInvestor #CashFlowProperty #CairnsProperty #AustralianProperty #RealEstate

Would you bet your financial future on one property market Every property investor is making a bet, whether they realise it or not. Buying is a bet. Waiting is a bet. Sitting on the sidelines is also a bet.

In this episode, I break down how I would think about choosing a property market in 2026, using Cairns as the case study. This is not just a Cairns property market update. It is a decision-making framework for investors who are trying to work out whether they should buy, wait, or walk away.

We look at the bull case for Cairns property, including population growth, rental shortages, limited housing supply, infrastructure, relative affordability and the long-term demand drivers supporting the market.

But we also look at the risks.

Insurance costs, cyclones, affordability pressure, economic concentration, government policy, lending changes and the danger of buying the wrong asset in the right market.

The real question is not simply whether Cairns property will boom.

The bigger question is whether the risk of buying is greater than the risk of doing nothing.

For many investors, waiting feels safe. But if there is no clear plan, waiting can quietly become financial complacency. Prices move, rents rise, borrowing power changes, and the opportunity you were waiting for may become harder to access.

In this video, I share the framework I would personally use before buying in any property market:

• Is demand real?
• Is supply constrained?
• Do the numbers work after real costs?
• Does the asset have a reason to outperform?
• Can I hold the property long enough for the strategy to play out?

Cairns is not a perfect market. No market is. But it is a market that serious investors should understand properly before dismissing it or blindly jumping in.

Whether you are looking at Cairns, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Townsville or another Australian property market, this episode will help you think more clearly about risk, reward and the cost of waiting.

If you are considering buying property in Cairns or North Queensland and want help understanding the market, the risks and the opportunities, get in touch with The Buyers Co.

The Buyers Co.
North Queensland buyers agents helping home buyers and investors make confident, strategic property decisions.

Website: https://www.thebuyersco.com.au

00:00 Why your first investment property matters
00:57 Would I bet on Cairns in 2026?
01:34 The bull case for Cairns property
03:28 Why supply constraints matter
05:00 Affordability, migration and economic drivers
06:50 The real risks of investing in Cairns
08:23 Is doing nothing the bigger risk?
09:42 The 5-point framework I’d use before buying
12:08 My final answer: would I bet on Cairns?

#CairnsProperty #PropertyInvestingAustralia #AustralianPropertyMarket #CairnsRealEstate #PropertyInvestment #BuyersAgent #NorthQueenslandProperty #PropertyMarket2026 #RealEstateInvesting #TheBuyersCo

In this episode of Investment by Design, we launch a new monthly segment: Beers and Business.

Each month, three Cairns locals working in the property, finance and investing space sit down to unpack the biggest stories shaping the Australian property market, business landscape and investor sentiment.

In this episode, Shaun Craike is joined by Ben Cole and Kurt Checketts to break down a massive month in property and finance, including the liquidation of Dashdot Buyers Agency, current market sentiment, the Federal Budget, investor confidence, the biggest wins of the month and a practical money tip for everyday Australians trying to build wealth.

We cover:

00:00 Beers and Business kicks off

00:56 The Dashdot Buyers Agency liquidation

01:53 Why property market sentiment has shifted

03:52 Federal Budget, negative gearing and CGT changes

09:00 The lag between news and property prices

14:08 What buyers and business owners can learn from Dashdot

18:54 What we’re seeing on the ground in Cairns, property and stocks

32:33 Money tip of the month

This is not a generic property market update from people watching from the sidelines. This is a real conversation between three Cairns locals who are actively involved in property, finance, business and investing.

Whether you are a first home buyer, property investor, business owner, buyers agent, mortgage broker, financial planner or simply trying to understand where the Australian property market is heading, this episode gives you a practical breakdown of what is happening right now.

Topics covered:Australian property market, Cairns property market, Dashdot liquidation, buyers agency Australia, property investing Australia, Federal Budget Australia, investor sentiment, property market warning, business and investing, Cairns real estate, Australian real estate news, finance tips, money tips, buyers agent, mortgage broker, financial planning, Investment by Design podcast.

New episodes of Beers and Business will be released monthly as part of the Investment by Design podcast.

Subscribe for more conversations on property investing, business, wealth creation and the Cairns property market.

#PropertyInvesting #AustralianPropertyMarket #CairnsProperty #Dashdot #BuyersAgent #InvestmentByDesign #BeersAndBusiness #RealEstateAustralia #PropertyMarket #FinanceTips