The importance of being a disciplined investor – John McGrath

It’s not surprising that for several years now, renter and investor issues have been a popular conversation at dinner tables and get togethers. After all, one in five Australians now own an investment property, according to the latest data from Westpac.

In other promising news for investors, this year’s PropTrack Westpac Investor Report, released last month, showed these buyers were active in 2025, with the number of new investor loans increasing by about two-thirds from its early 2023 low point, based on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data.

And, while rent growth has slowed since 2022 and 2023, the report noted that in the final few months of 2025, 93% of investor resales returned a profit to their vendors – the highest level in at least a decade. This trend was particularly notable in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Westpac managing director for mortgages, James Hutton, explained the overall rental situation was based on investors adapting to more stable conditions and becoming disciplined and confident, even as challenges like tight rental conditions continued.

Cotality’s latest Rental Review highlighted that national rental listings are around 18% below their five-year average, with this shortage especially prominent in Sydney and Melbourne.