» The 6 best books on property investing you need to readThe Booktopian (2024)

Investing can be challenging. We are caught in a time of uncertain share markets, underperforming superannuation funds, and reduced awards for long term deposits. It is no surprise to see the smart investors are looking at the property market. The old order has changed. A younger generation is keen to invest and their power is being felt in all markets. As tech stocks look shaky, property is set to be solid if only because of the limited supply. This is not all about the superheated residential property market. Commercial real estate is proving a real winner too. So if you are looking to diversify your portfolio in a time of volatility, property could be the hedge you need.

Perhaps you want to just start with your own home and then grow your holdings? Or you may want to join the rental or commercial property sector. You’ll need to check out the many options available, and get versed in their peculiarities. There’s no better way to start your investment journey than through reading books. Below I have collected the best books on property investment to get you on the way. These books are by real achievers, all Australian, and they all feature in our collection, Business Books for Excellence, a collection of the best books to help you work, communicate and manage better.

Buy Now

by Lloyd Edge

This is perfect for a beginner. Lloyd Edge was on a teacher’s salary when he started investing in property. Now he is an award-winning and passionate buyer’s agent who has achieved financial independence through property. Lloyd’s best-selling book Positively Geared changed many lives. In Buy Now, you’ll find newcomer-friendly advice designed to walk you through how anyone can budget and save for a deposit, understand the market, and secure a mortgage. You’ll get the simple, straightforward, easy-to-understand advice to help you not only enter the property market, but to launch and grow your own portfolio.

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Smashed Avocado

by Nicole Haddow

If you are looking at achieving your own home ownership dream, this book is for you. Nicole Haddow is the executive property writer for the Australian Financial Review, and she really wants to help you. At thirty, she had unstable income, no financial plan and only credit-card debt to her name. But less than two years’ later she was a home-owner. In this book she explains the steps she took to purchase her own home, alongside detailed case studies of other people who have found ways to enter the property market. She shares practical tips from financial planners, mortgage brokers, buyers’ agents, real-estate agents and other property experts, and the acquired wisdom of a new generation of homeowners — right down to the micro-details.

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A Military Guide to Property Investing

by Lachlan Vidler and Tori Colls

Written by two former military professionals, Lachlan Vidler and Tori Colls, this book presents the step-by-step method they followed to amass an impressive portfolio of properties while still in their twenties. Their approach follows a 10-step plan, one that draws on their military experience in discipline, strategy and execution. This is about systematically and passionately creating a targeted path to the goal.

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Property Fit

by Luke Harris

Experienced property investor and entrepreneur Luke Harris takes you through the groundwork you need to cover before you start investing. Then he explores all the ways to invest in property to help you find a strategy that will lead to the ultimate goal of financial freedom. He sees the journey as similar to a fitness program where you have to build up to the marathon by getting into shape. You need to start by learning how other people invest – including the mistakes they make. You have to find a team of experts (your ‘trainers’), do some self-assessment (your fitness test) and then start to look at how you will achieve your property investing goals. This easy-to-read, practical book includes mentor tips and mindset insights, as well as proven strategies that seasoned investors, or those just starting out in property, will find invaluable.

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Rethink Property Investing

by Scott O’Neill and Mina O’Neill

This one is all about commercial property investing. Scott and Mina O’Neill, Australia’s leading commercial property investors and founders of Rethink Investing, show you how they retired at the age of 28 and now live off the income generated by their $20 million property portfolio. This invaluable guide dispels the investing myths and demystifies complex property principles and strategies using a clear, straightforward, and easy-to-understand approach. The authors break it down to 7 easy steps, and are honest and generous with their personal experiences and advice.

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Commercial Property Investing Explained Simply

by Steve Palise

Another on commercial property, this book was a finalist in the Finance & Investment category at the 2021 Business Book Awards. Steve Palise has worked for Australia’s leading buyers’ agencies acquiring hundreds of commercial properties for himself and his clients. He has been involved in more than 1,500 property acquisitions. In this book Steve breaks down what works best in commercial property. His philosophy is that your investments should increase your wealth and passive income with as little risk as possible. With his straightforward and positive attitude, Steve believes property investing should be not only smart, but also fun! And coming soon is Steve’s follow-up, Residential Property Investing Explained Simply, sure to be just as essential.

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