Invest Smarter Grow Faster

Key takeaways: There's no "buyers agent licence" in Australia - no register, no official count, no single credential. Verify identity + a state real estate licence in the area they operate. A trustworthy agent = area specialty + track record, not a national "I buy anywhere" claim. Beware part-timers buying nationwide on a weekend licence. "Independent" is usually marketing. Many directories/commun...

A broker's real value sits either side of the loan — the strategy and structuring, not the submission-to-settlement paperwork in the middle. The "10-year mortgage" idea: rather than resign to a 30-year grind, use investment properties in growth markets to help pay down your own home faster. You pay a "tax" either way — act and pay CGT and holding costs, or stay put and pay the tax of missed opport...

- It's not a property problem, it's a strategy and finance-structure problem. Solve the structure and the property gets easier.  - Land does the lifting; buildings depreciate. A high-rise apartment leaves you a slither of land and a depreciating building, little to drive long-term growth.  - The patient path works: buy one good property, let it become neutral, then buy the next. Most portfolios ar...

Julian is joined in the podcast studio by Jessica Brady, a money educator, author and former financial adviser with two decades inside some of the biggest names in global finance — CBA, Macquarie and Zurich among them. Originally from the corporate wealth-management world, Jessica Brady co-founded a financial advice firm for millennials in the thick of the Royal Commission, before walking away fro...

Julian is joined in the podcast studio by James Owen, a councillor on the Tweed Shire Council in Queensland since 2016 and a residential real estate agent in the region. Originally hailing from the United Kingdom, @councillorjamesowen initially arrived on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, eventually moving up north to the Tweed region of Kingscliff, where he now resides.  In addition to serving on t...

Most property investors are following someone else's playbook, and it's quietly costing them years of compounding growth. Julian is joined by longtime friend of the podcast and collaborator Jordan de Jong, a serial entrepreneur building some of Australia's leading AI apps tailored to specific business audiences, most notably Gameplans, a tool built specifically for buyer's agents to construct bett...

Property investing is full of “common knowledge” that quietly costs people money.  Sarah Megginson, Head of Editorial at Finder, one of Australia’s most recognised personal finance experts and author of How to Raise Rich Kids, joins us to break down the biggest property myths that are holding investors back.  With over 20 years in property and finance journalism, Sarah has seen firsthand how misin...

The RBA just raised the cash rate to 3.85% — the first hike since November 2023 — and national property prices hit a record $912,465 in January. So what does 2026 actually hold for Australian property investors? In this episode of Invest Smarter, Grow Faster, Julian sits down with Diana Mousina, Deputy Chief Economist at AMP, to cut through the noise and get into the real economic mechanics shapin...

IN THIS EPISODE Why borrowing feels harder even for strong, equity-rich investors How APRA's DTI caps work and where the 6× income ceiling bites Why investors feel the squeeze before owner-occupiers do How multiple properties compound DTI risk faster than most people realise Why loan structure now matters more than the asset itself The decisions that quietly cap your future borrowing capacity What...

Julian Khursigara, CEO of Search Party Property and award-winning buyers agent, reveals his complete 2026 Australian Property Market Outlook in this comprehensive state-by-state analysis. With over 750 properties purchased since 2018 delivering returns averaging 200% higher than the broader market, Julian walks through exactly where investors should focus in what he calls "a transition year"—not a...

Michael Emerzidis, founder of Hardnox Association, shares his journey from 18-year-old builder's laborer to business coach mentoring construction, engineering, and trades professionals. With 23 years managing multimillion-dollar projects across demolition, civil infrastructure, and luxury builds, he's built an ecosystem where real-world experience beats corporate theory. Discover why 80% of small...

Mark Robinson, CEO and co-founder of International Academy of Wealth, shares his 30-year journey from broke Kiwi immigrant to helping hundreds of families achieve financial independence in under 10 years. After building six successful companies, losing $2 million to fraud, and spending another million fixing accounting mistakes, Mark walked away from his financial planning license to speak the tru...

Professor Angel Zhong, RMIT's award-winning finance professor and LinkedIn Top Voice, reveals what her groundbreaking research on investor behaviour tells us about making smarter financial decisions. From tracking the "Corona generation" of 500,000 new Australian investors during COVID to exposing how fin-fluencers exploit psychological biases, Angel breaks down the gap between what investors shou...

Rex Afrasiabi arrived in Australia at seven unable to speak English, fleeing a war-torn country. Today, he's principal of New Chapter Legal and founding principal of Bond Property Lawyers, pursuing 10-20% of Australia's $2.2 billion conveyancing market. Rex shares his journey from working with BRW Rich 100 entrepreneurs to starting his law firm 19 years ago. He reveals Bond's crowdfunding strategy...

Romesh's journey from NAB customer service phones to becoming a 2024 MPA Top 40 Under 35 broker reveals why finance strategy matters more than interest rates. Growing up watching his mum work 24/7 without financial literacy shaped his mission to ensure no one faces retirement unprepared. From mastering mortgage retention to navigating complaints, Romesh built expertise that helps clients avoid ove...

Tom's journey from NAB debt collections at 19 to founding ALBA reveals the future of property investment advisory. With 16 years across major banks, he's seen how inefficiency costs investors thousands. Alba solves the broker problem by applying Royal Commission-level standards to buyer's agent selection, matching investors with vetted experts in under 24 hours. Tom explains why 75% of Australians...

Axel's journey from Paris housing commission to owning a multi-million dollar Australian property portfolio is proof that background doesn't determine destiny. Arriving in 2014 with no English and $5,000, he started a landscaping business with borrowed equipment and built it into Sydney's premier garden service with Australia's first subscription model. But this isn't just a business success story...

Manpreet Singh's journey from Indian migrant to founding one of Australia's most trusted accounting firms reveals the financial foundations every investor and business owner gets wrong. After seven years climbing the accounting ladder, he made a bold one-week decision that changed everything. In this conversation, Manpreet exposes the critical mistakes that destroy businesses and investment portfo...

Nick Georges' journey from footballer to director of one of Australia's fastest-growing offshore providers is a masterclass in turning setbacks into success. After his football dreams ended at 18, his painter father got him a job in real estate - a decision that would change thousands of lives across two countries. Now Director of Growth at Wingman Group, Nick oversees 1200 remote professionals wo...

Peter Ristevski, CEO of Investment Plus Accounting Group and named Australia's Best Accountant in 2024, reveals why most property investors are making expensive structural mistakes that could cost them hundreds of thousands. From running a mail order business in high school that earned more than his dad to building an accounting empire with offices across Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong and New Zealan...

Mat's story is one of the most compelling migrant success stories in Australian property. Arriving from Serbia at 17 without speaking English, he went from construction sites to building one of Australia's most sophisticated property analytics platforms. In this conversation, Mat reveals how he and co-founder Alex created HTag Analytics - a platform that analyses over 80 metrics and 2 billion data...

In this episode of The Smart Investor Show, Julian sits down with Nick Reilly, founder of Inovayt, to unpack what smart investing looks like in today’s fast-moving world. With nearly two decades of experience in lending and financial planning, Nick brings clarity to common pitfalls—from high-rise apartment traps to outdated SMSFs—and the red flags in property spruiking. They discuss the rise of bu...

In this episode of The Smart Investor Show , Julian is joined by finance strategist and Entourage Finance broker Katherine Stephens. With over a decade in banking, commercial lending, and now broking, Kat shares how she helps clients go beyond a transaction to build real financial strategy. From leveraging equity the smart way, to structuring for long-term growth, and avoiding pre-approval traps,...

In this episode of The Smart Investor Show , Julian is joined by Kaveer Soni, commercial lawyer and founder of Soni Legal. With legal experience spanning South Africa and Australia, Kaveer breaks down how investors can protect themselves in an increasingly complex property market. From risky house-and-land packages and joint ventures with family or friends, to trust structures, asset protection, a...

In this episode of The Smart Investor Show , Julian sits down with economic futurist, behavioral finance expert, and bestselling author Evan Lucas. From his unexpected career journey to hard truths about rentvesting, regional trends, and the misunderstood "Bank of Mum and Dad," Evan unpacks how emotions drive our money decisions. They dive into affordability, post-COVID shifts, investing mindsets,...