Money Brain

Start from the end. Leave room to want more.

Most people come in asking about one loan. I'd rather start with where you want to end up, then set up this loan so it doesn't get in the way of the next one.

Book a call See three clients' files

Three clients, and how far each file got

Three clients, with their names changed and their agreement to show their files. Property Brain found the properties; Money Brain arranged the lending. Figures checked 14 August 2026.

Andrew

Andrew spent about $10,000 on cosmetic work at his first property. The value it added went toward the deposits on his next two.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Nothing here is a projection of what you might achieve.

Andrew's properties and their growth
#WhereWhenGrowth
1Paralowie SAMar 2021+171%
2Lavington NSWOct 2021+71%
3Alexander Heights WAApr 2022+91%

What these results don't show

  • Property values can fall as well as rise, and borrowing makes a fall bigger just as it makes a gain bigger. In the June quarter of 2026, the average Australian home fell in value by $8,200 on the ABS's preliminary figures.
  • Every property here was bought between January 2018 and April 2022. A different start year or a different market gives a different result.
  • Lending is tighter than when these files began. Since February 2026, APRA has capped loans to people whose debts are six or more times their income at 20% of each bank's new home lending, and 20% of its new investor lending. Since the end of October 2021, APRA has also expected banks to test repayments at least 3 percentage points above the rate charged.

How each portfolio was built, in full

Three different starts

One wage of $65,000. One of $85,000. Two incomes of $165,000 together. Yours will be different, and that's where your plan starts.

  • $65,000 Andrew, 2021
  • $85,000 Neil, 2018
  • $165,000 Michael, 2019

Where do you want to end up?

The first loan is one step on a longer path. I work back from where you want to be, and keep the plan loose, because the first win usually changes what you want next.

  1. First purchase.

    The keys, on a loan set up so it doesn't block your next move.

  2. Rent-vest.

    Buy an investment where the numbers work, and keep renting where you want to live.

  3. The home you live in.

    Sometimes the first step, sometimes the one an investment helps pay for.

  4. A portfolio.

    More properties, bought in an order that keeps you able to borrow for the next.

  5. Commercial or development.

    Once the steps before it can carry one.

Start from your end

When your job changes the loan

Some lenders treat certain jobs differently, from a nurse's registration to a lawyer's practising certificate or a business owner's tax returns. Where it matters, your job has its own page: nurses, teachers, the self-employed, ADF members, and doctors and dentists. The rest are under Your work in the menu.

Property Brain

Finding the right property is a different job from arranging the loan. Property Brain is our sister business for investors buying anywhere in Australia, with its own fee.

Finding the property is Property Brain's job. The loan is ours.

Visit Property Brain Book a call

Who I'm for, and who I'm not

I'm the broker I wish I'd had when I bought my first property. If you want to talk about where this loan could lead, that's what I do. If you only want the lowest rate on one loan and no thought past it, I'm not the right broker for you.

Darren Parker · Hope Island QLD

Darren Parker, Credit Representative 501592, authorised under Australian Credit Licence 389328.

When you're ready, sit down about the path.

Bring where you want to end up. I'll bring what this year can carry, and what it leaves open for the next step.

Book a call

You'll hear back within the hour in business hours, and by 9am the next business day after hours.

Darren Parker · Credit Representative 501592

Where the figures come from
  • The three files' values and growth: Money Brain's figures, checked 14 August 2026.
  • Home values: ABS, Total Value of Dwellings, June quarter 2026 (preliminary). Read 29 September 2026.
  • Lending limits: APRA's debt-to-income limit (February 2026) and serviceability buffer (October 2021). Read 29 September 2026.

Updated 1 October 2026