I work rotating shifts. When do we actually talk?

Evenings, mostly. The booking calendar runs later slots specifically so you're not using a break to have this conversation. Pick whatever suits - if nothing fits your roster, message me and we'll find a time that does.

$15,000 plus GST, in two parts: a $4,000 + GST retainer to begin the search, and an $11,000 + GST success fee payable when your purchase is secured. It's a fixed fee, not a percentage of the purchase price - so there is no incentive for me to push you into a more expensive property. You know the full cost before we start.

Do I need finance approved before we start?

Not approved, but you do need a clear picture - and for healthcare income that conversation is worth having properly. Before the strategy call, speak to a broker who understands salary packaging, penalty rates and shift allowances. If you don't have one, I'll introduce you at no cost and no obligation. This single step is the difference between a search that ends in a settlement and one that stalls after the contract.

Do I have to attend inspections?

No. I inspect on your behalf and send video walkthroughs with a written assessment, so you can make the call from home after a shift rather than spending a rostered day off driving to opens. If you want to see a property before contract, we'll arrange it around your roster.

How long until I've bought something?

Most engagements run from strategy call to signed contract in weeks rather than months, but it depends on your brief and on stock. A tightly defined search in an active market moves fast; a narrow brief in a thin market takes longer. I'd rather wait for the right asset than fill a deadline with the wrong one.

I'm on a public health salary. Is $15,000 worth it?

That's the right question to ask. Overpaying by 3% on a $700,000 purchase is $21,000 - more than the fee, on one transaction. Buying in the wrong location costs considerably more over a decade. If after the strategy call you'd rather run the search yourself, the buying brief is yours to keep and I'll tell you honestly whether you need me.

Am I dealing with you, or with staff?

Me. Haus Haven is deliberately small - I take on a limited number of clients at a time so every search, inspection and negotiation is run by the person who built the framework. When that capacity is full, I say so rather than stretching thin.

Can a nurse afford an investment property in Australia?

3 Oct

Written By Luke Murphy

You're managing a full patient load, answering call bells, chasing doctors for orders, and handover runs late again. Then it's nights, or a double. There's no gap in that for open homes, agent calls or reading contracts. Trust me, I know. I've done it in healthcare as a sonographer, and still bought eight properties in eighteen months.

Short answer: Yes, most nurses who own their home can, because the deposit usually comes from the equity in that home, not from savings. Start with three things: know your borrowing capacity, decide what structure you'll buy in, and get clear on what type of property you're chasing. A mortgage broker sorts out the first, an accountant the second, and a buyers agent like me handles the rest.

Where to start

Know your borrowing capacity. Lenders don't all treat nursing pay the same way. Some count your penalty rates, allowances, overtime and salary packaging properly, and some don't. A mortgage broker who works with healthcare workers will also work out how much usable equity is sitting in your home. Most lenders let you borrow up to 80% of your home's value, minus what you owe.
Decide on your structure. Your own name, joint names with your partner, or a trust or company. It affects tax, protection and how you buy the next one. Get your accountant's advice before you sign.
Know what type of property you're chasing. Growth or cash flow, house or unit, and what it needs to do for you. If you want to drop a shift or two in a few years, make sure the property still works on that income.
Hand over the time problem. Research, inspections, agent calls and negotiation don't fit around a nursing roster. That's what I do.

Who does what

Mortgage broker: borrowing capacity, penalties, overtime, salary packaging and home equity.
Accountant: structure, tax and ownership.
Buyers agent: research, sourcing, inspections, due diligence, negotiation and setting up a property manager.

How I help

You look after your patients. I look after the property, and you decide on every offer.

After shift call to work out your goals, budget and buying brief.
Research to choose the suburb on supply, days on market, vacancy and rent. I check supply first, because my own first property sat flat for five years in an estate with about 500 new homes going up, and I sold it at a $25,000 loss.
In person inspections by me or a licensed buyers agent I trust on the ground.
Due diligence, including building and pest reports and the contract with your conveyancer.
Negotiation with the selling agent on price and terms.
Settlement, managed through to the keys.
Property manager, if you need one. I'll help you find and set up a good local property manager, so the property is tenanted and looked after from day one.

Questions people ask

Do I need savings for a deposit?
Not always. If your home has grown in value, that equity can fund the deposit and costs.

Can I still buy if I work part time?
Often yes, but you'll borrow less, so the property needs to cost you less to hold.

Do I have to inspect properties myself?
No. You get the findings, photos and numbers, and you decide.

Luke Murphy is a buyers agent who works only with healthcare workers, Australia wide. He's a sonographer himself. General information only, not financial advice.

Luke Murphy

Can a nurse afford an investment property in Australia?

Where to start

Who does what

How I help

Questions people ask

How do healthcare workers use the equity in their home to buy an investment property?