Property Mastermind Podcast with Bob Andersen & Hilary Saxton

Joint Ventures are everywhere in property development, and most of our students do them. But here is the part that catches people out. The most expensive thing in a Joint Venture is not the money, it is a partner who does not understand property development.

In this episode Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton unpack what makes a great JV partner, why the wrong money can cost you more than you would think, and where the best partnerships actually come from. They walk through the two core models, the equity partner and the loan partner, plus the classic Joint Venture with a landowner, all in plain English and real numbers.

A Joint Venture is not a compromise, it is an accelerator.

You are often just one partner away from your next deal, or your very first. Bob and Hilary share the traits worth looking for, the one boss rule that keeps a project on track, the warning signs in open online groups, and why so many of the best partnerships are formed face to face.

In this episode:

• The two core JV models, the equity partner and the loan partner, and how each is structured
• How a joint venture with a landowner works, and why land can act like equity
• Why a partner who does not understand development can cost you more than money
• The traits that make a great JV partner, and the one boss rule every project needs
• How to protect your research and spot the wrong people in open online groups
• Where the best joint venture partners are really found

To learn more about our upcoming workshop, click here: https://www.propertymastermind.com.au/events/joint-venture-workshop/

To learn more about our North Harbour Industrial project, click here: https://baymark.com.au/v1

To contact us, email [email protected]

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Negotiation might be the most underrated skill in property development, and the good news is, it is one you can improve. In this episode, Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton unpack the negotiating skills every property developer needs, from buying sites to dealing with partners, agents and builders.

You will learn why the best deals are rarely about price alone, how the right conditions (like a longer settlement) can be worth more than a discount, and how understanding the other party's needs versus their wants creates a genuine win-win.

Bob shares the real stories: the seller who simply had to have a round $1million, the auction where an extra $5,000 won the site, the 'stock-back' deal that got him in with less cash, and the two-and-a-half-hour meeting that taught him to always confirm he was talking to the actual decision-maker.

Whether you are chasing your first site or your fiftieth, you will walk away with practical ways to negotiate better, and probably save yourself a lot of money.

In this episode:

• Why negotiation is a developer's most underrated (and improvable) skill
• Why conditions can be worth more than price
• Needs versus wants, the heart of every deal
• Knowing your walk-away point, and when to bend it
• Talking to the real decision-maker, not 'piggy in the middle'
• Creative structures like the 'stock-back' deal
• When and how to walk away, and why sellers come back

To download the workbook from our recent Property Development Masterclass, click here: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/form/38fVmROaN0w37uXNDNnj?notrack=true

To learn more about our how we can help you on your property development journey, click here: https://www.propertymastermind.com.au/pm-courses/

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You've heard them all: you have to be rich, all developers go broke, you must be a builder, but how many of these "facts" are actually true?

In Episode 266, Hilary Saxton rapid-fires the biggest property development myths at Bob Andersen and Bob debunks each one in plain English.

In this episode:
- Why you DON'T need to be a multi-millionaire (plus Bob's "thumb rule")
- The lie that "all developers go broke"
- Why there's no single "type" of person who develops — 18 to 80, every profession!
- "You have to be a builder" — busted
- Waiting for the perfect time (and the perfect site)
- Can you make money in a tough market?
- "The council is always against me"
- Do you really need to quit your job first?
- Is property development too risky?
- Why you can't skip the feasibility — or your education


Free masterclass tomorrow - register here: https://link.propertymastermind.com.au/propertymastermind-masterclass-august-2026

Keen to join our Facebook group? Click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PropertyDeveloperSecretsAndHacks

Book a call with the team: https://link.propertymastermind.com.au/book-a-call 

Have a question? Drop it in the comments below - you might even win a copy of the book. 

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This Saturday, Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton are running a FREE 4hour online Property Development Masterclass! 🏘️

Bob and Hilary preview exactly what you'll walk away with: 
- Where to actually start: The full step by step property development process
- Finding and analysing a site
- Finance
- Due diligence
- Approvals
- Construction
- Banking your profit

Plus creative finance strategies, including how to get a project off the ground with little or no money of your own using Joint Ventures.

40+ years of experience. $1.5B+ in developments. A near-100% retention rate at past masterclasses. 

This is real education - not a pitch fest.

And whoever you are, whatever your background, property development is open to you (80% of Australian developments are done by every day people like you). 

This Saturday, 15 August 2026
9:00am - 1pm AEST
Online (via Zoom)
Free (doors open 8:55am)

👉 Register here: https://link.propertymastermind.com.au/propertymastermind-masterclass-august-2026?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=masterclass-aug15&utm_content=ep265b

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Most people think the best property developers are the ones making the biggest profits. They're not. In episode 265, Bob and Hilary explain the difference between making a profit and building wealth, why so many developers make good money but never get ahead, and the habits, from recycling equity to holding stock at raw cost, that turn a one-off profit into long-term wealth. Plus the 10-year plan every developer should write tonight.

To register for our upcoming Masterclass, click here: https://link.propertymastermind.com.au/propertymastermind-profit-with-property-development-masterclass

To reach out directly, email us directly: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI is quickly becoming the new electricity, and the property developers who learn to use it are pulling ahead of the ones who do not.

In episode 264, Hilary sits down with our business partner and resident AI expert, Aaron Ralph, to unpack how developers can use AI to build a real competitive advantage.

Aaron's tip sets the tone: do not be scared of AI. It is not coming for your job, but learning to use it will keep you ahead. From there they cover why AI is for everyone (not just the tech savvy), where it helps a developer most (research, feasibilities and planning, and cutting through the mountain of information every project demands), and how to actually get started, because the real barrier is not the technology, it is knowing what to ask.

Aaron shares the simplest way in: stop and ask yourself 'can I get AI to do this for me?', then work backwards from what you are trying to achieve. Learn a little basic prompting and you will be surprised how far you can take it. And the team practice what they preach, each working alongside their own AI Agent every day.

A good reminder to finish on: AI can shortcut the research and the busywork, but the mindset and the human decisions are still yours. Have a listen.

Plus Aaron's tip of the week: do not be scared of AI, learn to use it to make your life easier.

General education only, not financial, legal or tax advice.

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In this episode, Bob and Hilary unpack the million-dollar decisions every developer makes, and how to get them right. Not multi-million-dollar projects, but the aggregation of marginal gains: the compiled decisions that quietly determine whether you succeed.

They walk through buying the wrong site (and why fast is not the same as rushed), buying too early, paying too much, choosing the wrong builder, why the cheapest quote is rarely the best, the wrong joint venture partner, picking your selling agent, and locking in your exit strategy at the beginning instead of the end. Plus the two decisions that bookend it all: knowing when to walk away, and backing yourself to begin.

Bob shares some hard-won lessons along the way, including the 90-day sales agent he could not get rid of, and the rookie subdivision he built his way out of.

It comes down to one thing: you just have to know what you need to know.

Have a listen.

Plus Bob's tip of the week: do not get too cocky picking your State of Origin winners, haha! 

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Escalation clauses can look like a simple way to keep a builder happy or manage uncertainty. Get one wrong and it can quietly eat your development profit.

In episode 262, Bob and Hilary break down escalation clauses from a developer's point of view: what they actually are, where you will bump into them (usually the building contract), and why builders push for them when material and labour prices feel unpredictable.

Bob shares how he has used escalation on large, staged land purchases, why they rarely suit smaller old-house-on-land projects, and how you can isolate an escalation to specific items like steel and concrete instead of the whole contract.

You will also hear why lenders and valuers love a lump sum fixed price and time contract, and the one feasibility mistake that catches people out: escalating your costs but forgetting to escalate your sale prices. As Bob puts it, a 5% lift on your build is only 5% of 40%, but 5% on your sale price is 5% of 100%.

Plus Bob's tip of the week on procrastination, and why sitting on the fence is the most painful decision of all.

Take the fear out of the fine print. Have a listen, and enjoy. 

Keen to attend out Masterclass on August 15th? Click here to register: https://link.propertymastermind.com.au/propertymastermind-profit-with-property-development-masterclass

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Most developers think that once the loan is approved, the finance side is done. Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton explain why that is not always true. Toward the end of a project things can shift: the build runs longer, interest eats into the cap, a variation creeps in beyond your contingency, or sales take longer to settle. Sometimes you need a top up.

In this episode Bob and Hilary break down why end of project funding happens, why it is more normal than people think and rarely fatal, and how to structure a top up through a loan partner. They open the books on their own North Harbour industrial project, where they were $120,000 dollars short near completion, and cover second mortgages, deeds of priority, residual stock loans, and why an industrial development can be a smart home for self managed super.

Free masterclass with Bob and Hilary, Saturday 15 August, register here: https://link.propertymastermind.com.au/propertymastermind-profit-with-property-development-masterclass

Learn more about Mentoring: https://www.propertymastermind.com.au/mentoring-clone/

Chat with us directly: https://link.propertymastermind.com.au/book-a-call

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After 30 years as a chef, from Michelin kitchens in London to award winning restaurants in Sydney, Ollie Carruthers decided he wanted his time back. In this episode Hilary sits down with Ollie to trace his journey from head chef to full time property developer through the Property Mastermind Mentoring Program.

Ollie shares the buyers agency proposal that made him think everyone was making money on the project except him, how his first workshop turned a one off project into a whole new career, the three developments he now has underway, and the mindset that carried him through. It is a genuinely inspiring story about backing yourself, building a supportive community around you, and taking the first step before you feel ready.

Enjoy the listen and reach out if you have any questions. 

To contact Ollie, click here: https://www.sunshinedevelopments.com.au

Upcoming events: 

Free 5 day challenge https://www.facebook.com/groups/5daypropertydevelopmentchallenge

August 15: Free Masterclass: https://link.propertymastermind.com.au/propertymastermind-profit-with-property-development-masterclass

Learn more about us: https://www.propertymastermind.com.au/about/

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