Aussie reveals how she bought five homes in five years

Stephanie has created a property empire for herself. But online, her videos are attracting hate from men sharing disgusting comments.

Stephanie owns three properties, has sold two, and is showing no signs of slowing down, but she’s been hit hard by the rising interest rates.

Stephanie, 35, bought her first property in 2018. Previously, she worried that “owning a home was becoming out of reach”.

She’d been struggling to save over $20,000 for a while, so she started a few side hustles alongside her full-time job to scrap a decent deposit.

The first property she bought was in Melbourne, and she credits the pouring rain and turnout at auction for getting her into the property market.

The 35-year-old explained that it was a bank repossession and she doesn’t think she would have snagged the property for such a “good price” otherwise.

“I was lucky that for my first property, it was the busiest auction day in Melbourne history and pouring with rain,” she told news.com.au.

Stephanie owns three properties and has sold two. Picture: TikTok/stephadiy

Buying the property at such a low price allowed her to build up a good amount of equity immediately, which meant she could afford to keep investing in real estate.

“That is what allowed me to buy a second property the next year. I’ve bought a property every year since,” she explained.

Of course, like anyone with a mortgage, she’s been hit with rising interest rates. The current cash rate in Australia is 4.35 per cent.

“These high interest rates didn’t allow me to hold them all, as rent wasn’t covering the mortgages once the rates were more than 4 per cent,” she said.

Stephanie said she wanted to invest in real estate mainly because she didn’t “believe” she’d ever get financially ahead with just a full-time job.

She’s also taken a hands-on approach and on TikTok she shares how she renovates her properties herself — and it has become a passion.

“I’ve always enjoyed being hands on. That’s why buying places that need work never put me off,” she said.

She wants to empower women. Picture: TikTok/stephadiy

Steph said if you want to buy getting a mentor can help. Picture: TikTok/stephadiy

The 35-year-old is passionate about sharing her journey online because she wants to inspire other women not to feel like they need a man to enter the property market.

“It’s hard enough to save to a deposit, and a lot of women don’t have any money left for any repairs. The next issue is that trade prices are so high as well. That’s leaving so many women looking towards DIY,” she said.

“I hope to create a platform where women can come together and learn from each other.”

Stephanie also just saw a gap in the market when she started renovating and looking for tips online.

“I’d like to create an environment where there are more how-to videos done by women, as every time I research how to do something, the only videos are of men,” she said.

Even though Stephanie has found success in the property market, it wasn’t an easy journey. When she first tried to buy, she found real estate agents would completely dismiss her because she was a single woman.

“I had real estate agents not even look at me. When I was at auctions with a male friend. He would let them know I was the one buying, yet during the auction, they would still only ask him if he was going to bid,” she said.

She said real estate agents wouldn’t even look at her. Picture: TikTok/stephadiy

She said some men can be rude to her online. Picture: TikTok/stephadiy

Thankfully, she was finance savvy and understood how to be taken seriously as a buyer.

“It assisted me in understanding what real estate agents are after. Making sure you have unconditional finance, you’re willing to adjust the settlement period depending on what the owner wants,” she said.

She also recommended finding a mentor who can help you through the process and talk you through any concerns that pop up.

Despite her success and wealth of property knowledge, she gets a lot of hate from some men when she posts her DIY tips on TikTok.

“I get a lot of hate from men in the comments of my renovation videos. Of course, there are amazing, supporting men, but the hate can be very aggressive,” she said.

Stephanie said typically the comments are from men accusing her of not doing it without a man’s help that she just isn’t showing in her video content.

“We all know you would not have done this alone. Be honest,” one claimed.

“Stick with making sandwiches,” another wrote.

“Don’t care! Men are stronger than women. Say what you want, but it is true.”

The response is frustrating, but ultimately, Stephanie knows she’s the one having the last laugh; she’s created a property empire all by herself.