How this self-employed property investor plans to continue her journey amidst new loan restrictions

“I know where the banks stand when it comes to [being] self-employed and how you need to be there for at least a couple of years,” she said.

Several years and ten properties later, the property investor is now looking to just let her portfolio “sit for a while”.

Is it the end of her investment journey?

Looking back, the property investor Jacqui found that her goals have changed from when she first started investing at the age of 19.

She explained: “When I first started the [investment] goals, it was all about hitting certain numbers … and dollar figures … [but] now ... my overall goal [is] more around building my business and then being able to contribute more that way.”

“Once I get that to a point where it's just going quite good, then I'll probably look to pick up property again.

“Property will always be an interest of mine, but at the same time ... without finance, you can't do much.”

One of her biggest regrets is failing to get a big line of credit before leaving her job. However, she will always be happy about her decision to follow a career path that she loves instead of letting herself be crushed by the increasing pressure of the corporate world.

According to Jacqui: “The higher I got in my banking career, the more pressure I was under, and the same time, it got harder to balance ... all the admin[istration] and the issues.”

Right now, she carries the same mindset as a property investor—don’t be afraid to rest if everything seems to be too much to handle.

“It's not as glamorous as what it seems, sometimes … For me, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with having to do so much and … that's probably [a] reason I took the pedal off and said, ‘I'm just going to let it sit for a bit,’ ” she shared.

According to Smart Property Investment’s Phil Tarrant, as long as your portfolio has the right assets, time can pretty much take care of it.

“One of the best things for a property portfolio is time ... if you have the right assets in it … If you've bought well, there's nothing wrong with just sitting on your portfolio and doing nothing,” he said.

The advantage of a strong portfolio

Even if Jacqui is looking to take a break from purchasing properties, she can confidently let her portfolio sit knowing that it’s made up of the right assets. Over the course of her property investment journey, she was able to build a 10-property portfolio worth around $3 million—a feat that took time, education, and a reliable financial team to accomplish.

Prior to the implementation of new loan restrictions, the property investor has already spent a year or two abstaining from any new purchases.

According to her: “There's been a year or so that we didn't do anything and that was our highest growth year because we'd bought at the right time, the right properties … We just were able to sit back and have them grow.”

As a business owner, her goal right now is to spend time managing her new venture well, hoping that, in time, her portfolio will continue to grow on the side once again.

Tune in to Jacqui Zielenski’s episode on The Smart Property Investment Show to know more about the impact of educating yourself, how to find a balance between business work and investment, and the simple but effective ways to improve your current portfolio.