Client Success Stories

After more research and a few more offers, another property was successfully negotiated in Crestmead. This time there were no issues with the building and pest and the property was settled in July 2013. There was a tenant in the property when it was purchased. After six months the tenant moved out and the property manager recommended to paint the inside. This was undertaken and it resulted in a $25 increase in the rent. Once again the team at Destiny was there to help. I was gaining confidence and felt I was starting to ask the right questions.

Around July 2014, I began looking for my third property. I went to the Destiny office to undertake some research and came across a property in Raymond Terrace in the Hunter Region of New South Wales that ticked the boxes. I negotiated on that day and the offer was accepted. This settled in September 2014 and has been tenanted ever since.

I am currently 48 years old and my twins are 22. One has just finished university and the other is still studying. My goal and drive is to be financially secure when I retire. I don't want to be greedy just comfortable.

I had a meeting in May 2012 and decided to join Destiny. Four weeks later I undertook the education (EPE) course and was ready to get my first investment property. After three months of research and making offers I secured my first property in Tamworth NSW. After the building and pest inspection it was noted that there were a couple of minor issues that required rectification. With the help of Destiny I went back to the real estate agent and negotiated a reduction in price. This property settled in November 2012 and has been tenanted since purchase. With this purchase I was always asking the team at Destiny for advice. They stepped me through the purchase process and how to get the right property manager.

I met my future wife and made the move to the mainland where we found work in country South Australia and had twin girls. We decided to sell the block of land to purchase a house to live in, despite my Pop trying to advise me not to, saying they are not making any more land! We doubled our money on the block which afforded us the luxury of owning our own home. With no mortgage we saved as much money as we could every week.

I waited for the dust to settle, then two months later I was on the lookout for my next purchase. After attending the monthly PAT meetings I identified the south of Brisbane as a good area to be looking. I did my research (not as much as with my first purchase) and found a property in Crestmead, QLD. A price was negotiated and the building and pest inspection was ordered. I always get the building and pest inspector to call me while they are on site. They called and said they had found active termites in the garden and one of the walls of the house. There was minor damage and it would not cost much to repair. I felt there was more than one property on the market and pulled out of the deal. Once again the team at Destiny helped me through this process.

In May 2015 it was time to buy another one. With minimal research I found a property in Crestmead QLD again. The building and pest inspection was ordered and the call was received. They had found extensive termite damage throughout the building. Once again I pulled out of the deal. I then found a property in Waterford QLD. The building and pest report came back with minor repairs required. I called the agent and the vendor made the repairs. This property settled in July 2015.

My friend had been encouraged to contact Destiny by an ex-colleague who had purchased a few properties and was now working at Destiny. I thought if it is good enough for him I would go and check it out.

Once again I moved the family due to work commitments - this time to Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula to be precise. We rented for a few months prior to purchasing our current home. During our time as tenants, our landlord would not provide any maintenance and the property manager was very disorganised.

Once in our own home again, we were committed to paying it off as quickly as we could. A couple of years after purchasing the Mornington home, I caught up with a friend in the city and was talking about selling my shares to pay off the home. He was at a similar stage of his life and in the same financial position as I was. He said he was going to a property education course over the next two weekends at a company called Destiny. I had never heard of Destiny till then.

The purchase of my first property was scary and I was stepping into the unknown. By the time I had purchased my third property it was easy and I knew what to expect.

Then I went to see a financial planner about buying an investment property (or two). As the financial planner was into shares he advised me away from property due to the normal things: bad tenants, no tenant, what if the property gets damaged. I was naive and very uneducated about investing in property and took his advice and bought shares. A few years later the housing prices doubled and my shares were still plodding along. I still kick myself about not getting a second opinion and educating myself about investment properties. Hindsight is a great thing.

We've found that if you tick all the boxes there are investment properties that can be cash flow neutral or slightly positive with growth. I try to find these as they help me grow.

With the help of Destiny during the negotiation of my first property I saved the cost of the education course and all other negotiations are a bonus. My wife and I often say the money that was spent on the education was some of the best money we have ever spent.

Work then took us to country Victoria where we purchased our next property. To purchase this we sold the South Australian house and made a small profit. We paid the new Victorian property off over the next five years and we were in a good position financially.

We are probably typical of most couples in our early 50s. The last 20 years or so have been occupied by raising our three sons and trying to juggle that with busy careers. What makes us a little different is that 20 years ago, Len was diagnosed with cancer and was not expected to survive 12 months. The doctors are at a loss to explain why but he has defied all the predictions and is now one of the longest survivors in the world with his type of cancer. It hasn't been a simple path though, and the future has always felt uncertain to us. This has inspired us to very consciously enjoy the time that we have as a family and to live for the moment. It's a really great way to live your life and we have all benefited from it but it has meant that, until recently, we hadn't given a lot of thought to funding our retirement. We honestly never thought we would make it that far!

When Len turned 50 a couple of years ago it dawned on us that maybe we should do some planning for the future. We bought some books on investing, both in shares and property. One of those books was Margaret's "How to Create an Income for Life". From the first chapter it made sense to us and we decided that we would like to know more. We attended a talk by Margaret and felt inspired but didn't take any further action. Twelve months later we went along to another talk and this time we received a follow up email inviting us to come into the Sydney office for a free consultation. We were so impressed by Jim and the approach to property investment he outlined for us that we signed up the same day.

After attending the Essential Property Education course we felt we had the knowledge to begin the process. It all felt a bit daunting at first but having a structure and knowing the steps we needed to follow has made it seem manageable. Any time we have had a question or felt unsure Jim and his team have been there with guidance about the next steps. We bought our first property in the Logan area in December 2013 and we've been on a roll since then. Twelve months later, in December 2014, we are about to settle on our 11th property.

One of the best things about the Destiny system for us has been the Property Action Team meetings. We really weren't sure that the meetings would be our thing but we have gained so much knowledge from attending these and find it really motivating to hear each month what everyone has been up to with their property purchasing. We have found it challenging at times to narrow down the many possible areas for investment to the one that we should look at next. We have found Kate to be incredibly knowledgeable and helpful in advising on this.

Knowing that there is always someone to give advice if we were unsure has made the whole process to date a real pleasure. Jim, Kate and their team have such a wealth of knowledge and experience and have helped us to develop confidence in ourselves as investors. We feel like we are now in control of our financial future and we hope to motivate others to explore property investing. To anyone thinking about property investment we would encourage you to go for it. The Destiny team will be with you every step of the way.

Warren and I met 15 years ago on a mine site in Mt Magnet, WA and continue to work in the mining industry at various sites around WA. We both grew up in country towns and now live 25 minutes out from Bunbury on a two-acre property.

One of our big passions is travel. Since we met, we have travelled overseas every year. Our travels have included Africa twice, Alaska, the US, Canada, Fiji, Vanuatu, Malaysia, Mauritius, UK and Europe a number of times. We have included conservation volunteering on a couple of holidays which we really enjoy and it is something we want to continue to pursue. We hope to return to Africa next year and include some volunteer work. As part of our last trip to Africa we visited an amazing orphanage just outside Nairobi, founded by an Australian couple. We now sponsor two children at the orphanage. Warren is an avid dirt-bike rider and we both enjoy hiking, diving, camping, going to the beach - very outdoor sort of people.

When we joined Destiny in late 2012, we owned outright six-acres of land in Tasmania, half hour from Hobart. It has not been developed but has increased in value so it serves as a little nest-egg or financial buffer if we need, as it is not tied to any of our other properties. We were also in the process of building a 4 x 2 property in Donnybrook, 20 minutes south of Bunbury, an area with a low vacancy rate. This property has been rented since the build was completed in March 2013. We decided to join Destiny to make sure we would be secure and comfortable in our retirement. We wanted something to show for all our hard work in the mining industry and to improve our tax situation. We had the goal to pay off our own home, completed in 2009, as quickly as possible. We also liked the idea of being able to have the freedom of choice and lifestyle in the future. Working FIFO can be very rewarding but can be very taxing. We hoped through successful investing we would eventually be able to choose what sort of work we did without having to necessarily earn the higher income. I had read about Destiny in magazines, seen some of Margaret's books and I did some research on the internet. The approach and structure of Destiny appealed to us so we made our initial appointment with Terry at the Perth branch. When Terry presented us with our PIP we were pretty amazed about what we could potentially achieve. It seemed a bit daunting at first but we were inspired and determined. So with the amazing help and guidance of Terry, Peter and now Bernie we are well on our way.

We now have four properties, including Donnybrook, with our fifth due to settle on the 27/10. We purchased our first property with Destiny in Mt Druitt, in May 2013; then one in Wodonga in November 2013 and then a property in Cooloongup, Perth, which involved an interior renovation in February 2014. Our current purchase is in Collingwood Park, Queensland. We have also paid off our principal place of residence this year! The main challenge with investing is making sure you make the time to conduct the research. Thorough research does take time and involves a lot of commitment to sit down and do it, especially at the end of a long day at work. You need to make sure that the area you are looking at meets the 20 questions and suits your profile. You look at a map of Australia and think, "Where do I start?". Having narrowed down specific areas, Warren and I discuss these and then decide which to focus on. I will then do more research to really hone in on an area/particular part of the town. I enjoy finding out the 'nitty gritty' of an area. When we are at the point of choosing a potential property we will work together to decide which property we will put an offer on. We always decide on our upper limit before putting in the initial offer. I handle the negotiations and Warren and I discuss counter-offers as they come back and if we have conditions we want included. Once the offer is accepted I then organise all the necessary inspections, the lawyers and other associated paperwork. Each situation is different. With Donnybrook and Cooloongup we had considerable input in as far as completion of the yard and interior renovation. Warren is extremely versatile with his skills. His background means he is able to do everything from welding to fitting new window locks. We work well as a team in these situations and both get stuck in, helping each other out. Our particular strengths and weaknesses complement each other.

Eventually we hope to have 10 properties by the end of next year with the aim to get them to the point where we can start to draw some income from them without having to work away. After 10, who knows - the property bug may keep us going! We would like to be able to dedicate more time to volunteer work and to get to the point where we could set aside three-months a year to travel and volunteer. arren and I whole heartedly recommend Destiny to anyone. They offer amazing support, guidance and encouragement. What sets them aside is the fact that you are in control of your own path. They are there for you but ultimately it is you who decides what action you take or don't take.

I recently returned from Africa after summiting Mount Kilimanjaro and realised a childhood dream. I finally decided to climb the mountain after much contemplation (more truthfully procrastination). There were a lot of variables - work, physical fitness, weather and probably most importantly self-doubt about whether I would make it to the top!

My property journey, I suppose, has been similarly demanding, with highs and lows riddled along the way. Prior to joining Destiny, while the goal had been to develop a property portfolio, the process had been fairly intuitive. It was squeezed, in passing, between work and on professional advice, buying negatively geared property. Over a period of a few short years, I had acquired four properties, including one commercial property. I soon realised, however, that following such a strategy becomes limiting, with little equity growth and a ceiling on how much you can borrow - after all, the banks are out to protect their bottom line.

Late last year, my life circumstances changed and I began to seriously evaluate my future and the performance of my portfolio. I considered various property investment consultants but finally settled on Destiny. I was reminded of the quote, "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." Education, I figured, would be a wise investment and cheaper in the long term.

After completing the Essential Property Education course last year with Margaret, it has been a truly eye-opening experience. Margaret in her inimitable way highlighted the various pitfalls of lack of research in buying property, the necessity for understanding your own needs for capital growth and cash flow and dispelled the doubts associated with buying property 'sight unseen'. Buying property sight unseen has been a truly liberating investment experience, especially for the time poor!

Since completing the course, I have restructured my finances and developed some solid portfolio goals. Joining the property action team has also added an additional layer of support and encouragement, and the team at Destiny has been invaluable in their advice and assistance. So far, I have added another two properties to my portfolio in Queensland and am negotiating two more properties in South Australia and New South Wales - the beauty of sight unseen.

The goal, of course, is to continue building the portfolio and adding more varied experiences to the property journey. There are challenges - time, work, family, finances and the omnipresent self-doubt. But the team at Destiny work tirelessly to provide support and valuable guidance that provides the encouragement to keep at it. The trick is to keep trying, because the more you do the more you understand.

Hello! We are a working couple in our late forties with a daughter and son who have both moved out of home. We are very busy as both of us are fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) workers. We travel to work in Karratha from our home in Rockingham, south of Perth.

As far as property goes, until we joined Destiny, we owned our home and had a holiday home. We had dabbled in real estate in our early twenties but were not successful. Looking back now, we think it was because we were just not knowledgeable about what we were doing.

Last year we started analysing our future needs and working out some of our goals. This is when we decided to head down the property investment journey again. However, this time we made the decision to do it with guidance, gain some knowledge and invest with confidence.

In July 2013, we commenced our journey via Destiny. With guidance and support from the magnificent team at Destiny Perth we have been able to structure our finances in order to commence creating a solid real estate portfolio.

So far we have managed to build our portfolio with investments in Cooloongup in WA, Aldinga Beach and Whyalla in SA, Taylors Beach in far north Queensland and will be shortly at the completion stage of a build in Chinchilla in Queensland. We are aiming to add three more properties prior to our first anniversary with Destiny.

We have so much appreciation for Terry, Peter and the family at Destiny Perth. They work tirelessly to give support and guidance that assists us during our very busy and mostly hectic schedules.

We are enjoying the journey that can at times be very "fast-paced" and we are going forward with confidence.

All our working lives we have had ambitions to be financially secure. At long last, with the help and guidance of the Destiny team, we are actually making it happen!

In their mid-thirties, David and Toni had built their own home and had a healthy brood of three young boys. They often talked about buying an investment property in their local town but thought that financially they'd have to struggle and save for a few more years to come. By a chance event in April 2012, David and Toni's 'property investment journey' had begun. Toni used to look through the local newspaper's 'property guide' in her lunch room at work to get a feel for prospective investment properties. One day, she mentioned to a fellow colleague that they would like to buy an investment property but were not really sure about taking the plunge. Luckily for them this colleague just so happened to be a Destiny client and shared her experience with Destiny and a copy of one of Margaret Lomas's books - which Toni and David both read and instantly became hooked!

Shortly after, David and Toni joined Destiny via Chris Sedgman at Adelaide's virtual branch. Chris helped them take the crucial first steps, including an assessment and restructuring of their finances to unlock their equity and establish the best financial structure to accommodate a future investment portfolio. This proved to be a lot of work initially for David and Toni to close down numerous accounts and change banks, but both see this as one of the most important foundations to their current investment strategy.

The next piece of the puzzle was the Essential Property Education Course online in the virtual classroom which armed the couple with the right information and tools to minimise their risk exposure and maximise returns: "We were amazed how empowered we felt after the course and could not believe we would have previously invested 'blind' with little/no knowledge about property". David and Toni then interviewed three different accountants before settling on a firm that ticked all their boxes.

With their foundations in place, and armed with Margaret's 20 Questions, David and Toni commenced their exploration and analysis of different towns and properties. Their first purchase came with a home in Mildura in October 2012, which was quickly followed by a brand new house in Rockhampton in February 2013, an apartment in Armadale (Perth) in April 2013, and house in Toowoomba in July 2013. All properties were relatively modern, so had great depreciation schedules and were each yielding greater than 7% returns. However, their fourth investment property at Toowoomba presented David and Toni with their first significant challenge, with trouble proving serviceability to the bank: "Without the support of Chris this investment would have fallen over, but Chris worked tirelessly with the banks and their calculators to get the figures to work."

After purchasing four properties in less than 12 months, David and Toni had a small break from purchasing and shifted their attention to maintaining their portfolio - renewing leases, increasing rents, reviewing their budgets and paying down some debt. With the property bug starting to bite again, and their strong desire to maximise the current window of investment opportunity, they are now once again casting their property net wide in search for property number five in 2014 and number six in early 2015.

Their ultimate plan is to accumulate 10+ properties by 2020, then focus on debt reduction with a view to retirement in 2025 at age 50 with a passive income of >$100,000 p/a. "People tend to laugh at us when we say we want to retire at 50, but it is a dream we believe is achievable, thanks to the help and support of Destiny."