About Us

At first, I worked out of libraries and cafes (home was too loud with three kids under the age of four!). Thankfully, the calibre of my market analyses was immediately recognised. Things grew quickly, and I set up a small office for me and a few staff in Ivanhoe.

We supply market research to leading industry professionals such as Nelson Alexander, Jellis Craig, Marshall White, Buxton, Barry Plant, and McGrath. Our statistics and commentary feature heavily in their market reports, and agents reference our info when explaining market trends to their vendor, buyer, and landlord clients.

In the space of just a few years, I became a recognised Melbourne property market expert.

I wasn’t simply a Data Analyst who likes property though. I established relationships with - and absorb on-the-ground insights from - hundreds of agents across Melbourne. Importantly, I gained practical know-how through buying, developing and selling properties as well.

The depth of knowledge and experience we’ve built at Property Analytics is something I’m really proud of. I reckon we’re pretty unique as far as Analysts and Buyer Advocates go.

I do rate some other businesses in our field of course, but let’s face it - the real estate industry can be a bit murky.

I learned a hard truth early on in my property career... The majority of agents focus overwhelmingly on securing the next listing as opposed to selling the ones they have. Few learn property specs from top-to-bottom (appliances, floorboards, square meterage, school zone, distance to train, etc), and fewer truly understand the local and macro trends that shape the market.

The same applies to Buyers Agents.

If you’re a buyer who’s seeking advice, I encourage you to look past the clever marketing and sales tactics. Push for numbers, case studies, and real-time advice on market conditions.

While I do on occasion find family homes for clients, my analytical skills and practical development experience mean that I’m best equipped at finding investment properties and small scale property development projects.

No, I’m not the suave people person that many agents are, but I do take my job really seriously, and I take great pride in delivering for clients.

What do our clients look like?

About 5 in 10 of our buyer clients are investors.

They’re after a property that will achieve strong future capital growth. That’s our bread and butter.

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Some of these investor clients are simply looking for a set-and-forget investment property in a good area with strong growth prospects; one that’s able to be rented out to quality tenants. No dramas, we have a proven formula.

That’s a good way to invest. But is it the best?

Many agree with our philosophy that the smartest way to grow a portfolio involves engineering value growth proactively through townhouse development.

I reckon, even with all the analyses we apply to buying below market value in high growth areas, that it’s riskier to

a) purchase a property and depend on the market to perform than it is to
b) manufacture equity improvement by getting plans and permits, and then building.

This is where my job gets really fun, and I’m able to bring all my experience to helping investor clients.

Just because you CAN develop a property doesn’t mean you SHOULD. What this means in practice is that of the 100 properties on the market that are suitable for development, less than a handful will deliver strong enough profits to warrant all the work developing them.

You can complete the exact same townhouse project in two different suburbs, and make good money in one while losing money in the other.

So our job is sifting through the 97% of subpar sites and bringing clients the best 3%. Sound like a lot of work? It is!

Every property we recommend to clients comes with a heap of info on why we rate the location (street / neighbourhood / suburb / region), a detailed market valuation report, and a comprehensive project feasibility.

The project feasibilities define the optimal design concept, itemise every cost (stamp duty, holding, professional fees, build, council contributions, etc, etc) and determine profitability based on nearby comparable sales of completed townhouses.

First and foremost, the properties we recommend to investor clients must make sense as a stand-alone investment property that the banks will lend against – one with rental income and capital growth prospects.

The development feasibility analyses that we provide is the big value-add. Even if you choose to sit on the property over the medium-term, you know that when you’re ready you can manufacture big capital growth by developing one investment property into two, three, four..

A lot of clients who do move forward with a planning application appoint us to project manage the process with our preferred consultants (land surveyor, architect, arborist, town planner, engineer, etc). And, once a permit is attained, we often project manage the construction: from build tender and contract negotiation through to site administration, builder oversight, and handover.

Property investors make up about 6 in 10 of our clients. More than half of them choose to develop, and exponentially growth their portfolios with our help.

About 4 in 10 of our buyer clients are small property developers who are looking for a site that they can develop and sell for profits.

While the objective and parameters are different, our process of shortlisting and recommending properties is basically the same.

Investors often prioritise end rental yields over on-paper development profits. Our developer clients for the most part pay little attention to end rental values because they target end homebuyers with their completed products.

I get a lot of satisfaction helping first-time developers all the way through projects, right to construction completion and handover. Developing a second income stream through property development is a great way to get ahead in life.

Some appoint us to simply find suitable sites. Some appoint us to secure plans and permits (whether for the property we’ve purchased for them, or a property they already own). And, some appoint us to manage projects end-to-end.

I reckon the most important success factor in any development project is getting the feasibility right. Then, you know what you’re willing to pay; you know the type of concept and spec you need to build, and for how much; and, you can be clear with your selling agent about the sales values that you need to achieve.

Property development is fun but it is challenging too. I’ve managed 50+ planning applications through different Councils and I genuinely learn something new almost every time.

There are rarely right/wrong, black/white answers. Successful developers assemble teams of quality consultants, and rely on their collective experience and knowledge when making tough decisions.

I was travelling in Belize years ago, and I got to know an older Rasta local who was really well regarded in the community. Tough bloke who had clearly seen a lot in life. He railed against me one night saying ‘How do you know that?’. ‘What do you mean, I told you I read it’. ‘That doesn’t mean you know mon. You only know by doing. You only know through experience’.

This truth has stuck with me all these years later, and it’s something I try to get across to prospective clients who have been circling the investment/development wagon. You can only attend so many 101 events, seminars, webinars, etc. Ultimately, you need to have a crack.

That’s what we’re here to do – help guide clients all the way through small property development projects.

The remaining 1 in 10 buyer clients are homebuyers. I’m pretty careful about taking on these types of clients because of the subjective nature of the search - they generally need to come with a good referral from a past client or from the various wealth management businesses that we work with.

Ultimately, it’s about agreeing on a really clear brief of what you’re after in terms of area, dwelling size and style, amenities, budget, etc.

About half of these homebuyer clients appoint us to find new home sites as opposed to turnkey existing houses.

We do all the same work as described above, and ultimately give them confidence about what they can build, how much it will cost, and what it will be worth upon completion.

I built my own family home a while back. It was a tough process, in large part because my wife was kind of the client! We bought an old weatherboard on a conventional block with a beautiful parkland aspect and rented it out for a few years while we worked on designs and saved some money.

I wish everyone the opportunity to build their forever home. It genuinely changed our lives – loving where we live, and ensuring our kids grow up in a stable environment.

Thanks for reading all about me and my business, Property Analytics! Please explore the rest of the website and contact us with any queries you may have. And, please do sign up to our newsletter, we provide a lot of useful insights into the Melbourne property market.