You might think owning an investment property is only for the ultra-wealthy.
You’d be wrong. Because many property investors are just everyday people in everyday professions.
Here we look at the occupations with the highest number of property investors in Australia and outline practical ways you could potentially become one yourself.
Home ownership is still the ‘great Australian dream.’ But once you’re lucky enough to get that first home, building an investment property portfolio becomes the next goal for many homeowners.
Recent research from Agile Market Intelligence shows that one in four Australian households plans to invest in real estate over the next 12 months.
According to the most recent data available from the ATO, according to 2022/23 tax returns, there were 2.26m property investors in Australia.
But what many would find more interesting, is that property investors are across all ages, income brackets and professions, according to analysis from PropTrack and Terri Sheer (Investor Report, 2025).
So, who are the main property investors?
The top spots go to:
- General managers
- Teachers (primary and secondary combined) in second place
- CEOs/managing directors
- Nurses in fourth place
- Accountants were fifth
Further down the top 20 list, you’ll find electricians (12th), truck drivers (18th), and police officers (20th).
It’s important to note this data is a few years old now, so new trends may be emerging. Also, worth pointing out is that popular occupations may be highly represented in these numbers simply due to having a larger sample size.
Regardless of the limitations in the data, what we find interesting – which is also reflected in the investors we help regularly – property investing isn’t only reserved for the high-flying executives…
Everyday people are actively building wealth through real estate.
It’s not necessarily about what you earn, it’s what you do with it that counts.
If you’re wanting to purchase an investment property, here are four realistic pathways to get started:
Tap into your home equity
National home values have risen significantly in recent years, which has boosted the equity position for many homeowners.
This built-up equity can often be accessed to help you purchase an investment property.
Convert your current home into a rental
Planning to move to a bigger or better place? Instead of selling your existing home, if the numbers stack up, you may wish to consider keeping it and renting it out instead.
This approach avoids selling costs (like agent fees and stamp duty on a new purchase) and lets you use the equity to help finance your next home.
It’s a popular strategy, but can require specific financing structure and consideration of tax implications (e.g., capital gains tax considerations down the track).
Consider rentvesting
Rentvesting means renting the home you live in, whilst owning an investment property elsewhere – often in a more affordable area.
This lets you stay in your preferred suburb or lifestyle spot while still earning rental income and potentially gaining from property value growth.
The trade-off? As an investor, you typically miss out on any first-home buyer grants, stamp duty concessions and other perks for first home buyers. You will need to balance that against the rental yield, negative gearing benefits, and long-term capital growth potential to see if it’s the right approach for you.
Explore co-investing with family
If buying alone feels out of reach, teaming up with a family member can increase your purchasing power by combining deposits and incomes.
Shared costs and risks can make buying property more achievable, but it also more complicated.
For example, how will expenses be split, what if someone wants to sell before the other? How can the loan be structured to ensure you’re both protected?
If you’d like to understand your options about purchasing an investment property, we’d be happy to help.
