How a difficult childhood paved the way for a successful young investor

"When I came to Australia, my father had an accident and I was forced to go to work since I was 12 years old. I haven’t stopped working ever since," she shared.

"That has taught me a lot about money. I know that to get money, you have to work for it... In Liverpool, there are many shops and I asked if they can give me some work. They said, ‘Sure. Stock the shelves,’ things like that. From then on, I never stopped working."

Her hardships became her inspiration to pursue her passion for property—at the age of 21, she began her property investment journey and, to this day, she continues to seek opportunities to add value to her portfolio.

Throughout her unique journey, Niusha is grateful that she has found a life partner who understands the great value she puts on saving money.

"We’re both money-conscious, so we try to save the most we can. We don’t really have expensive vehicles or anything that would cost us a lot of money and will not improve our lives in any way... We do travel, but we travel on a budget, obviously. Not five-star. It’s been pretty good. The reward’s been great," Niusha said.

Aside from sharing the same "money smart" attitude, the couple has also been hand-in-hand in achieving the goal of building a diverse property portfolio—from managing their budget to the most simple risk management.

"We got married and we wanted to buy a family home at the beginning, but then we were like, ‘Maybe not because we can’t afford it.’ Our income was so much lower than what it is now, obviously … so, we decided to buy a property … which was really badly managed," she explained.

"It was dirty and no one lived in it for about eight months. It was a four-bedroom house with a garage that wasn’t actually approved by the council. That was probably the best purchase so far.

"We bought it for $310,000 and we got it revalued last year for $500,000."

Today, at the age of 27, Niusha is the proud owner of a four property-strong portfolio worth $2.7 million. While it was never an easy venture for the couple, Niusha and her partner strive to work hard to provide a better and financially-secure future for their children.

"At some point, I know my mind will give up and say, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ But I don’t want my children to go through what I’ve been through, you know?" the property investor concluded.

Tune in to Niusha Zumbo's episode on The Smart Property Investment Show to know more about how working from the age of 12 set her up for success even in difficult circumstances and all the lessons she's learned about investing in property from the age of 21.

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