Trudi & Brett

How a Couple with a ‘Comfy House’ Finally Decided to Take Property Investing Seriously And Built An $8M Property Portfolio

Analysis paralysis caused Trudi and Brett to pass up on dabbling in property investing. But 7 years after meeting Dymphna Boholt, they finally realised what she said about it wasn’t crazy at all..

If you’re living a relatively comfortable life, would you ever consider going all-in with property investing?

Probably not.

For the longest time, Trudi and Brett thought so, too.

After all, they’ve been living in a pretty comfy house all their lives. And they’ve even bought and sold 6 PPRs before joining I Love Real Estate.

But the couple soon learned that being okay with just ‘doing okay’ is dangerous.

“When you have nothing at all, or you’ve just started out… certainly there’s a driving force but for us, we were really comfortable,” said Trudi. “There was no drive. So, that was the problem.”

You see, the couple first encountered Dymphna Boholt and ILRE back in 2013. And back then… Trudi thought Dymphna was a complete lunatic.

Why?

Because Dymphna was telling everyone to buy in Sydney!

But Trudi believed that it wasn’t really a good deal.

“I had worked in Sydney,” said Trudi. “Sydney’s gone, like, Sydney went ages ago. What is she talking about?”

As it turned out… Dymphna was right.

Three years after their initial encounter, Trudi saw that Sydney’s property prices skyrocketed to 90% higher than the previous value.

So, Trudi gave Dymphna another chance and tried joining ILRE again in 2016. But every time Dymphna had a boot camp, something came up for both Trudi and Brett.

It was only in 2020 that the couple finally had enough free time – and mustered enough courage – to join ILRE and take property investing seriously.

And now… they’ve never looked back.

Deal 1:The Warehouse in the Flood Zone

To find their first deal, the couple decided to go on a road trip to survey properties. They met with a few agents, planted some seeds, and started researching the market. Then, they came across a warehouse that was next to a heavy transport route.

The problem? The warehouse was in a flood zone.

But Brett was unfazed. He knocked on the owner’s door and asked about his experience with the flood.
This is what he found out:

“The property got flooded but after that, they’d built everything above it,” said Brett. “So, all their pallet racking, all their electronics, all their electrical… everything was above that level.”

Satisfied with the answer, Brett decided to buy the property. Now, TNT and FEDEX are leasing the warehouse… which is giving them a cash flow of $31,000 a year.

Deal 2: Trading the ‘Comfy Couch’ for the Odd House

To start their second deal, Trudi and Brett made the hard decision to sell their PPR.

The couple had really had to think hard about it before deciding to sell that house. After all, it was their comfy home for over a decade. It was in a great complex, had a six-car garage, and plenty of security.
But selling their PPR was a turning point in the couple’s lives.

Because with this, they’ve finally gotten over their analysis paralysis. Plus, the sale earned them over $500,000 in profit.

Now, of course, the family needed to have someplace to live. So, they decided to buy a house with the ‘most bizarre interior design’ they’ve seen for nearly $2 million. Trudi and Brett then spent $350,000 to renovate the property.

For now, their family plans to live in this new PPR for the next 12 months. The couple also estimates that they could earn as much as $800,000 for the new PPR… once they are ready to sell it.

Deal 3: The First Joint Venture

Despite their initial wins, Trudi and Brett found themselves struggling in the property market. It’s because they soon realised that the market was just so hot that it was difficult to compete!

Thankfully, Dymphna’s Platinum program came along. It’s where they were told to take a break before going at it again.

And that’s exactly what they did.

Then, the couple decided to enter into their first joint venture after joining ILRE. Their JV partner found a deceased estate with two bedrooms and one bath. Trudi and Brett paid for the purchase cost, while their partner shouldered the strategy cost.

Their idea is to build duplexes on the big block of land and either hold, sell, or sell part. And they expect to earn as much as $190,000 out of the deal.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about cash flow,” says Trudi. “So if we can hold, we will. And we have it all drawn up legally that if one of us needs to sell, we sell or offer it to each other.”

Deal 4: The Deal of a Lifetime

ILRE also taught Trudi and Brett how they can become better business owners, not just all things property investing.

“One of the focuses and part of Dymphna’s whole program is having systems in place,” says Brett. “It’s about being ready for the deal of a lifetime.”

And that deal came on their fourth property investment.

For their fourth deal, the couple put an offer in for a commercial property. And they did it with a trusted real estate agent.

At the time, Brett was looking for a property that he could run and put his business into. Essentially, he wanted to leverage off his businesses by renting his own property through the superfund.

Brett sadly missed out on the first property he wanted.

Fortunately, his agent didn’t give up and got a pretty good off-market deal on another property. And since the property was undervalued at $650,000, Brett settled everything within 2 weeks.

Now, the property is adding $28,000 to their cash flow.

Deal 5: The JV Deal with Huge Potential

For their fifth deal, Trudi and Brett entered into another JV with their previous partner. It was a big house with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and located in a huge block. It also already got a subdivision approval, so the potential was huge!

But despite having their paperwork in order… their first finance broker rejected their application.
At first, the couple wanted to give up. But the ILRE community told them no, you need to get that property.

…And so they did.

Retire Early and Make an Impact through Property Investing

After 5 deals under Dymphna’s wing, Trudi and Brett managed to create a yearly cash flow of $192,000.

And they managed to increase their total portfolio value up to nearly $8 million in 2 years!

But for Trudi and Brett, it’s not just about the money.

Investing heavily in property allowed them to retire early and spend more time with friends and family. They were also able to donate money to a nursing scholarship program and help facilitate emergency accommodation for relatives of trauma and end of life patients.

And for anyone who wants to achieve the same level of success, this is what Trudi advises:

“Just look forward, never look back. Be persistent and learn to just talk to people.”

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These stories and the results in them were captured at a specific point in time. The real estate market and the investing strategies used to succeed are constantly changing. The achievements and results of these investors may have changed since these stories were recorded. Each of these investors engaged in in-depth training, coaching and mentoring to be able to achieve these results. Their results are not typical and should not be taken as a guarantee of the results you may achieve. Your personal results will be in-line with the training, education and hard work that you personally conduct.

“One of the focuses and part of Dymphna’s whole program is having systems in place. It’s about being ready for the deal of a lifetime.”

Results

PRE-DYMPHNA

Property Value
PPR: $1,200,000
Small Resi Unit: $230,000
Commercial: $1,100,000
Liquid Assets: $200,000
Total Property Value: $2,730,000

Equity
PPR: $1,200,000
Small Resi Unit: $230,000
Commercial $880,000
Liquid Assets $200,000
Total Equity: $2,510,000

Cashflow
PPR: $0
Small Resi Unit: $12,000
Commercial: $61,000
Liquid Assets: $0
Total Cashflow: $73,000

POST-DYMPHNA

Property Value
PPR*: $3,100,000
Small Resi Unit: $300,000
Commercial: $1,500,000
Commercial Reg: $380,000
Commercial GC*: $1,100,000
Resi Reg – JV*: $1,100,000
Resi Reg – JV*: $450,000
Total Property Value: $7,930,000

Equity
PPR*: $2,450,000
Small Resi Unit: $115,000
Commercial: $1,352,000
Commercial Reg: $380,000
Commercial GC*: $328,000
Resi Reg – JV*: $590,000
Resi Reg – JV*: $100,000
Total Equity: $5,315,000 

Cashflow
PPR*: $0
Small Resi Unit: $12,000
Commercial: $61,000
Commercial Reg: $31,000
Commercial GC*: $28,000
Resi Reg – JV*: $38,000
Resi Reg – JV*: $22,000
Total Cashflow: $192,000

* Est value post strategy.  JV’s are 50% deals