QLD House/PPOR in southside Brisbane

Hi all. First post. Please let me know if I am breaking any etiquette on this site.

Background:
28 yo junior doctor - recently graduated.
150k deposit saved.
Anticipate low 6 figure 100-200k income for next 10 years - currently 100k.

Investment plan:
-aim to purchase 4-5 high growth properties for long term hold strategies - ideally looking to bank land in high growth suburbs and then look to either subdivide and sell; or boutique develop townhouses/small block units etc as zoning changes in suburbs.
-after I have my 4-5 high growth properties organised - look to refinance the equity in 1-2 of these properties to start up a cashflow focused property business (ie when I am in my late 30s/40s etc).

Currently looking for: my first property (PPOR).
-only have my deposit and thats it - no other money in stocks etc (just regular old super)
-parents dont have any money/houses to their name so no support from them
-first gen immigrant with nothing to my parents or my name as of yet so no expected windfalls etc from family

I am looking for advice on how to analyse location.
I understand the big focus on location/location/location - and once you have that sorted its hard to mess up. Im looking for advice on how to actually pick a location.

I understand macroeconomic factors to watch out for are jobs, changes in SES/demographics in a suburb, schooling, transportation etc. That is what has lead me to look further into southside Brisbane suburbs from Annerley to edge of Logan (Underwood, Slacks Creek etc). Also I am familiar with this area and can physically look at property here.

I am looking for advice on what other factors I should be looking at. I have been reading various forums and some town planning maps from Brisbane city council and I am left confused. I understand 810m2 blocks can be split into 2 405m2 easily. A magic number of 600m2 also gets floated around in forums. Then there is frontage which I have no idea on.

I am looking to buy my PPOR early 2019 and will be engaging a buyers agent in time (as well as a mortgage broker). I am looking to finance it 80/20 rather than 90/10 leverage. My upper limit would be 600k.

My question to the forum:
-what rules you use to select winning suburbs from terrible suburbs for investment
-what rules/parameters do you use to identify properties that would be ideal to purchase based on the prospect of future subdivision or redevelopment potential (land size, shape, distance to amenities, useful sites or resources to use for this)
-how does one select a 'good' buyers agent from a bad one? (I have no networks or know anyone with this sort of experience so I am very wary of being taken for a ride)
-any advice you would have for me to better formalise my plan (ie resources, calculators etc). I have read the property couch book and used it to formalise my spending habits etc. so I know how much debt I would want to take initially. Any other books/resources/podcasts for Australia would be appreciated.

Thanks for your input team

Cheers
Some Guy

 

Hi Some Guy. I wonder why someone with your skills and competence would need a buyers agent - you have got the key ingredients yourself and are locally based? Maybe doctoring keeps you too busy? Anyway i think someone who is capable of gaining a 150K deposit and graduating medicine doesn't need people taking commission?

There isn't much to learn regarding block size and geometry, really just imagine the perfect development block large (eg. 1000m) and with dual street access (eg. corner). Everything is just a variation on that (battle axe, smaller size).

Picking location I think is to imagine what a tenant or a residence wants outside the bricks and mortar. Access to transport is #1, access to schooling for some, work for some. In my mind i see transport improvements as being the biggest plus for an increase in property values, others have a more 'crows flies' view which i don't share.

Some even imagine being north or south of a river matters (NUTS!)

Also finding a good zoning is a good idea, but not essential.

You are a doctor, so maybe imagine where the nurses, porters and receptionists want to live, and invest there? They are the renters.

None of this is useful for you to buy your PPOR because you really need to buy to support your work (near work?). Maybe just get the biggest block you can with the best outlook you can.

 

If you want to be super clever, then go for a location based services approach to property - location based services are a maturing technology - think heat maps, routing etc. Then use the criteria you develop (nearest to ... adjacent to etc) in a more incremental way (not suburb based). That would be useful. Maybe be super clever by investing where transport may be (not where it currently is).

 

Can you explain how you've used this approach and which companies you used?