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 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.

How can a radiographer start investing in property in Australia?

Q: 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.

3 Oct

Written By Luke Murphy

You're running between modalities all day. One minute you're in CT, the next you're in x-ray, then back to BMD. By the time you've finished, you've missed the agent's calls and the property is under offer. There's no gap in that day for open homes, contracts or negotiating. I know, because I worked in the same departments as a sonographer and bought eight properties in eighteen months around it.

Short answer: 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, from finding the property to negotiating it on your behalf.

Where to start

Know your borrowing capacity. Find out what you can borrow before you start looking. A lot of a radiographer's pay comes from on call, call backs, penalty rates and salary packaging, and lenders treat each of those differently. A mortgage broker who works with healthcare workers will know which lenders count them properly.
Decide on your structure. Your own name, joint names, or a trust or company. Each one changes your tax, your protection and how you buy the next property. Get your accountant's view first.
Know what type of property you're chasing. Growth or cash flow, house or unit, and what it needs to do for you. Thinking about dropping to part time or leaving the on call roster in a few years? Buy for that version of you, not the one on full overtime now.
Hand over the time problem. Research, inspections, agent calls and negotiation all happen in business hours. That's the part I take off your plate.

Who does what

Mortgage broker: borrowing capacity, on call, penalty rates and salary packaging, choosing the lender.
Accountant: structure, tax and ownership.
Buyers agent: research, sourcing, inspections, due diligence, negotiation and setting up a property manager.

How I help

You stay between CT and x-ray. I do the rest, and you approve every offer.

After shift call to set your goals, budget and buying brief.
Suburb research and shortlisting on supply, days on market, vacancy and rent data.
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, right through to contract.
Settlement, coordinated from start to finish.
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 finance approved before we start?
No, but you should know roughly what you can borrow. I can point you to brokers who understand radiographers' pay.

Can I buy interstate?
Yes. I search Australia wide and go where the numbers stack up.

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

How can a radiographer start investing in property in Australia?

Where to start

Who does what

How I help

Questions people ask

How can a paramedic start investing in property in Australia?

How can a sonographer start investing in property in Australia?