Starting out and planningYour first investment property, step by stepFirst-time property investor mistakes to avoidHow many investment properties do you need to retire?All 8 articles →
What and where to buyHow to choose where to buy an investment propertyHouse and land packages: what to check firstIs this a good investment property?All 10 articles →
Borrowing and financeHow much can you borrow?How much deposit do you need?Using equity to add the next propertyAll 4 articles →
Tax, gearing and structureThe 2026 property tax changesNegative gearing after 2026Own name, joint names or a trust?All 7 articles →
Most found in search
Strata or Torrens title: what you ownHow much can you borrow?From Google Search Console, October 2026.
Income in retirementHow much will you need to retire on?Living off rental income in retirementAsset rich, cash poorAll 7 articles →
Selling, tax and timingSelling in retirement: the capital gains taxWhen to sell, and when to holdTax on rental income in retirementAll 9 articles →
Super and SMSFProperty in super since 10 August 2026Property or super for retirement?Downsizing and the downsizer contributionAll 4 articles →
Pension, aged care and familyThe Age Pension and your investment propertyIs there inheritance tax in Australia?Leaving property to your childrenAll 7 articles →
Most found in search
The Home Equity Access SchemeThe Age Pension and your investment propertyTax on rental income in retirementGranny flats, family and the Age PensionFrom Google Search Console, October 2026.
The Money libraryWhy money, and why nowHow precious metals and digital currency are taughtThe Money library →
Lessons by email
New lessons are added here one at a time, as each is finished and checked.
Position and Pathways
Where you stand today, and what each path ahead would mean.
Building PathwaysWhile you build: each step ahead, on your own numbers.
Property check
A second look at one property before you commit.
Mentoring
A mentor beside you, from the first conversation to the keys.
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A lesson with Nicholas on the topic you choose.
About Nicholas
Who you would be learning from, and how MRD works.
Contact
The office line and a note form.
Privacy
What is kept, and why.
Building library
Lessons for your first
investment and the next.
Everyone has an opinion, and few explain the order of the steps. Plain lessons on how property works, written by Nicholas Lockhart, most read by his AI avatar. Read or listen at your own pace.
Retirement is here, or in sight? Go to the Retirement library →
Metals and digital assets? Go to the Money library →
See your own pathways: Building Pathways →
Start here
- 1Your first investment property, step by stepFrom the first conversation to the keys, in order.
- 2How much can you borrow?How lenders work out the figure, and what moves it.
- 3See it clearly, weigh it calmly, choose with confidenceSee the whole picture, weigh it calmly, then choose.
Most articles, read aloud
Most articles come in two versions: one to read, and one to listen to in the car or on a walk. The listening versions are read by an AI version of Nicholas’s voice, from the articles he wrote.
Topics
Starting out and planningYour first step, and the plan behind it.8 articles →Borrowing and financeWhat you can borrow, and how to carry it.4 articles →Tax, gearing and structureWho pays what, and whose name it goes in.7 articles →What and where to buyThe land, the building, and where.10 articles →
All articles
How much can you borrow?How lenders work out the figure, and what moves it.Read or listen →Out of pocket each week: how much is too much?Who pays which share: the rent, the tax system and you.Read or listen →The 2026 property tax changes: the good and the badWhat is law, what is still a bill, and the dates.Read or listen →Negative gearing after 2026What changes from the 2027-28 income year, and who it touches.Read or listen →Capital gains tax changes: the datesCapital gains tax, depreciation and negative gearing, 2017 to 2027.Read or listen →How long does it take for property to double?What 30 years of history shows, and why starting early counts.Read or listen →Single home, dual income or duplex: a Tweed Heads comparisonWhy the home that costs more can cost less to hold.Read or listen →Is this a good investment property?A good property, and a good investment for you.Read or listen →Is a buyer’s agent worth it?Who pays whom, and another way to buy with confidence.Read or listen →A real estate mentor: what you get, and how it startsHow mentoring starts, and what it takes off your plate.Read or listen →Your first investment property, step by stepFrom the first conversation to the keys, in order.Read or listen →See it clearly, weigh it calmly, choose with confidenceSee the whole picture, weigh it calmly, then choose.Read →First-time property investor mistakes to avoidEight mistakes, and what each one costs.Read or listen →How many investment properties do you need to retire?Start with the income, not the number of properties.Read or listen →Positive or negative gearing: what cash flow positive meansWhat carries itself, what costs you, and what changes in 2027.Read or listen →How much deposit do you need for an investment property?Why 20 per cent is common, and where a deposit comes from.Read or listen →Using equity to add the next propertyHow the equity you hold can fund the next property.Read or listen →What is rentvesting?My own 16 years of renting while investing.Read or listen →If the market falls or rates rise soon after your first investment, does emotion or knowledge decide what you do?Holding through a fall, and what knowledge does for the decision.Read or listen →Own name, joint names or a trust?Whose name decides who claims now and who pays later.Read or listen →What happens to capital gains tax when you leave Australia?What changes on the day you stop being a resident.Read →How to choose where to buy an investment propertyWhat good research looks for before choosing an area.Read or listen →House and land packages: what to check firstTwo contracts, fixed prices, and what to check first.Read or listen →Interest only, or principal and interest?Lower repayments now, or less debt later.Read or listen →New builds, duplexes and the mini developerTwo incomes from one piece of land.Read or listen →Cost to build a duplex: a case studyThe plan of December 2024 against the finished build.Read or listen →SDA home: build one, or buy one finished?What it cost to build, and what it is offered for finished.Read or listen →Land grows, buildings depreciateWhy the land grows and the building pays you.Read or listen →Strata or Torrens title: what you ownWhat you own, and what you share.Read or listen →
Get a feel for us first.A mentor with experience since 1997, from the first conversation to the keys and beyond.
Clarity first. Confidence follows. The MRD way.