How To Buy Real Estate With No Money Down in Australia

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If you’ve been scrolling through social media or watching YouTube, chances are you’ve come across videos claiming you can buy real estate with “no money down.” While these strategies often reference the U.S. market, many Australians are left wondering—is that even possible here? The short answer: not exactly in the same way, but there is a powerful strategy that gets you pretty close. It’s called leveraging equity.

In this article, we’ll break down what equity is, how you can use it to grow your property portfolio without needing to save up a full deposit every time, and why this approach is considered the closest thing to no-money-down investing in Australia. Plus, we’ll explain how a qualified buyer’s agent can help you identify the right opportunities, implement smart investment strategies, and speed up your journey toward building long-term wealth through real estate.

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Why Saving a Full 20% Deposit Isn’t Your Only Option in Property Investment

Traditionally in Australia, buying an investment property means saving a 20% deposit and covering additional upfront costs. For example, if you're eyeing a $450,000 investment property, you'd typically need:

$90,000 deposit (20%) and around $20,000 in upfront costs like stamp duty, conveyancing, and building inspections.

That’s a total of $110,000 out of pocket—a steep hurdle for many first-time property investors. 

But here’s where working with a professional buyer’s agent can make a real difference. If you’re asking yourself, “Are buyer’s agents worth it?” Consider this: the right buyer’s agent can help you secure a similar investment property with just a 10% deposit by leveraging equity from your existing home or property. This strategy reduces the cash needed upfront and allows you to grow your property portfolio faster—making property investment in Australia more accessible without waiting years to save another deposit.

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The Smarter Strategy: Using Equity to Grow Your Property Portfolio

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If you already own a property and its value has increased, you’ve built equity, the difference between what your property is worth and what you still owe on the loan. With expert guidance from a buyer’s agent, you can leverage that equity to fund your next purchase instead of starting from scratch and saving another $100,000.

Here’s a simplified example using a proven growth strategy:

• You purchase an investment property for $450,000 using a 10% deposit + fees (~$75,000)
  
• If the property grows by 12% in value (Search Property’s 2022 average), that’s $54,000 in equity
  
• You refinance and access $61,194 in usable equity
  
• Now, you only need to contribute $13,805 out of pocket to purchase your next property
  
  

With every smart purchase, your asset base grows, your equity compounds, and you build momentum. This is how experienced investors scale their property portfolios faster with less personal cash and a lot more strategy.

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Why a Buyer’s Agent Is Key to This Approach

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A seasoned buyer’s agent doesn’t just help you find the right property—they help you implement the right investment strategies. From identifying high-growth suburbs to negotiating better deals and advising on how to unlock equity, a buyer’s agent gives you an edge in today’s competitive market.

So, if you’re serious about property investing and want to build a portfolio without saving a massive deposit every time, leveraging equity with the help of an expert buyers agent Australia and getting the best property investment advice could be your smartest move.

Let’s say you want to build a property portfolio with five investment properties. You’d need to save over $550,000 just for deposits and fees, not including potential increases in property market prices or changes in bank policies.

This is why so many property buyers get stuck after purchasing one property. Even if you manage to save again, rising prices mean you'll need even more money for each new purchase.

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How Leveraging Equity Builds Wealth Faster: A Real-World Example

Let’s compare two strategies for growing your property portfolio:

Option 1: Traditional Savings

• You buy one investment property for $481,500
  
• You invest $110,000 upfront (deposit + costs)
  
• After 12 months at 7% growth, your property gains $33,705 in value
  
  

You're now stuck saving again before you can buy your next property.

Option 2: Leverage Equity to Scale

• Instead of saving, you access equity from your existing property. This is the difference between its value and what you owe
  
• With help from a buyer’s agent, you refinance and use that equity as a deposit
  
• You now control $967,994 in property assets, with just $88,805 of your own cash
  
• After 12 months, you’ve gained $117,320 in equity. 3.5x more than the traditional method

By using your equity, you don’t have to save a full deposit for every purchase. This strategy lets you scale your property investment portfolio faster while your assets grow through capital appreciation.

A great buyer’s agent helps you unlock this strategy—finding growth-ready properties, accessing off-market deals, and structuring your purchases to keep your momentum going.

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Why the First Property Is the Hardest—But Also the Most Important

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For most investors, the biggest hurdle is buying the first property. Saving that initial $75,000 (for a 10% deposit and upfront costs) can feel overwhelming. But once you're in the market and your property begins to grow in value, you start building equity.

That equity can then be leveraged to fund your next purchase, meaning you won’t need to save another full deposit. This is how investors create a compounding property portfolio, where each property helps fund the next.

It’s the strategy that turns one property into many—and smart investors use it to build wealth faster.

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Buying With No Money Down

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While you may not buy with $0 upfront in Australia, using equity is the closest thing to it. Understanding buyers agent fees, leveraging your existing assets, and working with experts are the keys to making this work.

If you want to explore this further, book a FREE discovery session with our team at Search Property. Ready to get started?

Visit Search Property and take the first step toward building wealth with the right strategy.