Ep.120: Insights on renovating for profit and investing via super, with Oliver Jackson

In this episode of the Geared for Growth podcast, host Mike Mortlock chats with CEO and Founder of Living Property, Oliver Jackson, about whether there’s still money to be made from renovations and the benefits of investing in property through a self-managed super fund (SMSF).

With a background in construction, Oliver has spent the last decade investing in and renovating properties. He has built a multi-million-dollar investment portfolio and is keen to help others do the same.

Mike and Oliver start by discussing property renovations and the common belief that renovating is no longer profitable due to rising construction prices. Oliver challenges this idea, stating that while he wouldn’t want to be in development right now, there’s still money to be made if you know what to focus on and avoid major construction work.

Sharing specific examples, Oliver explains his strategy for buying and upgrading properties without overcapitalizing or overpaying initially. He notes that many people fail to see the potential in a property, especially when the current design is outdated and unattractive. Oliver finds opportunities by looking beyond the property’s current condition to what can be achieved with some time, effort, and capital.

The conversation then shifts to self-managed super funds (SMSFs), which Oliver says currently account for 70% of his workflow. With the property market tightening, more banks are re-entering the SMSF arena to reach a broader audience. Oliver breaks down the stringent rules around renovating properties via a Super Fund and discusses the opportunities that buying through Super presents.

Finally, Mike and Oliver wrap up by discussing what makes a good location in Australia today. Oliver shares insightful comments about affordability and what it really takes to achieve financial freedom.

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In this episode of the Geared for Growth podcast, host Mike Mortlock chats with CEO and Founder of Living Property, Oliver Jackson, about whether there’s still money to be made from renovations and the benefits of investing in property through a self-managed super fund (SMSF).

• Has renovation really died off in recent years?
• Oliver Jackson’s approach to renovating and where he spends his money
• When it comes to renovating, the more tired and ugly, the better
• Buying property through a self-managed super fund
• When can you renovate through a super fund
• Finding the best locations in Australia to buy
• Can you really still buy property for $300,000?
• Why you need to stop keeping up with the Kardashians

“I live in the Byron region, absolute usually a nightmare to get trades. I’ve got trades calling me asking me for work ’cause they’re quiet so it’s great there’s trades everywhere, so you’re actually getting pretty good deals, you can get a trade when you want them” 1:11

“At the moment it’s very hard to find property. There’s not much stock on the market, there’s still a lot of people buying” 4:27

“The fixer upper, those are still good, like if something is tired and ugly people still think it’s tired and ugly, they can’t see past that even if it’s literally paint a house so it makes a difference, it’s crazy” 9:20

“A lot of people don’t realise that they can actually buy property in their self managed super funds …if they’ve got a couple 100 grand in their super fund they can buy property so that these people get into the property market and the same fundamentals apply with super fund or not super fund, you’re still getting into property” 10:30

“The best location is where you can afford so if you can afford $300,000 or you’ve got $5,000,000 it’s a pretty different conversation, pretty different location, just because you haven’t got $1,000,000 doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in property. There’s good locations all around Australia” 15:44

“I worked six days a week 15 hours a day in construction and didn’t spend any money to start the process, it was horrible but it got me to where I am where I can do what I want when I want” 20:39

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