Commercial property investing can seem complicated—but what if you had a clear framework to follow from the beginning?Simon Borham has been involved in more than $1 billion worth of property transactions and now helps everyday Australians navigate commercial property investing.In this episode of Insights With Deven, Simon breaks down his 11-step commercial-property investment process—from setting your goals and securing finance to selecting an asset class, assessing tenants, conducting due diligence and purchasing the right property.We discuss:• How much money you need to buy your first commercial property• Why strategy should come before searching for a property• Choosing between industrial, retail, office and other asset classes• How to assess commercial-property locations• Tenant quality, lease terms and vacancy risk• Vacant versus tenanted commercial properties• Commercial-property finance and lending requirements• How rent can create capital growth• Two $1 million properties versus one $2 million property• Why industrial property is popular with private investors• The commercial-property “missing middle”• Finding off-market opportunities• The biggest mistakes first-time investors makeWhether you are completely new to commercial property or considering moving across from residential investing, this conversation provides a practical framework for understanding your first deal.CHAPTERS00:00 What you’ll learn00:21 Simon’s 11-step investing framework02:25 Choosing the right asset class03:23 How Simon evaluates a location04:34 Free commercial-property research sources05:58 Is now a good time to buy?06:45 Why strategy comes before property07:23 Due diligence: try to kill the deal08:13 Tenant quality and vacancy risk11:55 Vacant versus tenanted property14:28 How tenant quality affects property value17:03 Assessing a commercial tenant20:04 Two $1M properties or one $2M property?21:42 Matching the property to the tenant24:22 Purchase costs and lease outgoings26:22 The biggest commercial-property myth28:04 Commercial-property asset classes explained29:03 Choosing a strategy and risk level37:41 Commercial versus residential investing42:07 How much money does a beginner need?44:48 Properties below $1M and the “missing middle”45:49 How rent creates capital growth47:34 Why industrial property is so popular48:30 $1M residential versus $1M commercial51:25 What drives commercial-property growth?54:22 Simon’s personal investment strategy56:56 Diversification and multi-tenant properties1:00:43 Commercial-property lending explained1:02:07 How much lease term should remain?1:03:04 Choosing a commercial finance broker1:05:05 Three checks before buying1:06:55 Finding off-market opportunities1:07:37 Simon’s journey from Unilever to ALDI🌏 Connect with Simon Borham📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simon.borham/📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimonBorhamCommercial/💼 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/simon-borham-b67a415aWebsite: https://manecommercial.com.au/buyers-agent/🌏 Connect with Insights With Deven📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insights_with_devenhttps://www.facebook.com/share/1Bqy24BRZj/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insights-with-deven🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@insights_with_deven🎙️ Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/insightswithdeven/🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/insights-with-deven/id1896933608🎤 Apply to be a guest:https://form.jotform.com/261861821807865👍 If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Comment and Subscribe.This conversation is for general education only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal or investment advice. Always seek advice appropriate to your individual circumstances.#CommercialProperty #PropertyInvesting #AustralianProperty

What if flying Business Class didn’t have to cost $10,000?In this episode of Insights With Deven, I sit down with Immanuel Debeer, founder of Flight Hacks, to break down how Australians can use frequent flyer points, credit cards, reward-seat tools and smarter booking strategies to find cheaper flights and fly Business Class for less.Immanuel explains why earning points is often the easy part — actually finding and redeeming them for valuable flights is where most people get stuck.We cover how to start travel hacking from zero, Qantas vs Velocity, how experts search for reward seats, when to use cash instead of points, how credit cards can help — or hurt — and why simply holding hundreds of thousands of points may not be as smart as it sounds.One of my favourite parts of this conversation is the live demonstration.Immanuel shows me the exact workflow he uses to search for Business Class reward seats, including tools such as Seats.aero and Gyoza Flights, and searches a real Melbourne-to-Mumbai example.Within minutes, we find a strategy that could reduce the cost of the same SriLankan Airlines Business Class flight from approximately US$2,689 to around US$1,600.If you’ve ever wondered how people find cheap flights, how to fly Business Class using points, or whether travel hacking actually works for ordinary Australians, this episode is for you.## CHAPTERS00:00 Intro00:54 The Travel Hack Most Australians Underestimate01:46 Starting From Zero: Can You Fly Business Class in 6 Months?03:28 When Should You Start Searching for Reward Seats?05:34 Qantas vs Velocity: Where Should Beginners Start?07:11 Buying Airline Points to Save on Business Class08:43 LIVE: How to Find Business Class Reward Seats13:19 Melbourne to Mumbai: US$2,689 vs ~US$1,60014:08 Gyoza Flights: Finding More Reward Seats16:35 The Biggest Flight Booking Mistake18:18 Are Credit Cards Bad for Travel Hacking?24:02 Who Should Avoid the Credit Card Strategy?28:36 Who Really Pays for Your Frequent Flyer Points?34:00 How to Choose Your First Points Credit Card36:52 Destination First or Points Program First?38:10 How to Make Every Dollar Earn Points41:16 500,000 Points But No Business Class Seat?45:12 Are Airlines Better at Helping You Earn Than Redeem?47:24 Travel Hacking for Busy People49:24 The Simple Points Strategy for Beginners52:22 When Do Airlines Release Reward Seats?54:13 What to Change When You Can’t Find a Seat55:20 AwardSpy and Reward Seat Alerts57:42 Phantom Reward Seats Explained58:25 The Truth About “$138 First Class”1:00:12 Cash vs Points: Which Should You Use?1:01:29 Why You Shouldn’t Transfer Points Too Early1:02:13 Earn and Burn: Why You Shouldn’t Hoard Points1:03:27 Etihad Residence: ~$3K Instead of $10K–$15K1:04:51 The Cheap Business Class Trick Most Australians Miss📥 Connect with Immanuel DebeerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/flighthacksYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/flighthacksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/immanuel-debeer/Website: flighthacks.com.au🌏 Connect with Insights With Deven📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insights_with_deven📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bqy24BRZj/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insights-with-deven🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@insights_with_deven🎙️ Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/insightswithdeven/🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/insights-with-deven/id1896933608🎤 Apply to be a guest:https://form.jotform.com/261861821807865👍 If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Comment and Subscribe.⚠️ Disclaimer: This episode is for general information and educational purposes only. Credit-card products, frequent flyer programs, points values, reward availability, fees and terms can change. #TravelHacking #BusinessClass #FrequentFlyer #CheapFlights #TravelTips

Want to know how professional property valuers actually determine what a home is worth?In this episode of Insights With Deven, I sit down with Belinda Botzolis — Australia's most followed property valuer, Registered Tax Agent, property expert, and content creator with over 200,000 followers across social media.After valuing more than 15,000 properties, Belinda has helped banks, investors and everyday Australians understand what properties are really worth. But instead of just talking about property valuation, I challenged her to do something different.For the first time on Insights With Deven, Belinda values one of my own investment properties live, showing exactly how professional property valuers analyse homes, compare recent sales, assess risk and determine market value.Whether you're buying your first home, investing in Australian property, renovating, or planning to sell, this episode will completely change the way you think about property valuation.In this episode:• Live property valuation of my investment property• How professional property valuers actually value homes• The biggest mistakes Australians make when buying property• What adds value to a home—and what doesn't• Renovations that cost more than the value they add• Why swimming pools often don't increase value as much as people think• Why bank valuations can differ from purchase prices• What valuers look for that buyers often miss• New homes vs established homes• The biggest mistakes buyers make during inspections• The Australian property market trends every buyer should understand• Why two qualified valuers can arrive at different values• How Belinda built one of Australia's largest property education audiences⏱️ Chapters00:00 Trailer01:24 Live Property Valuation of My Investment Property17:03 The Biggest Property Mistake Australians Make22:51 How Professional Property Valuers Actually Think34:14 Why Bank Valuations Are Lower Than Purchase Price43:52 What Property Valuers Notice That Buyers Miss53:47 Home Renovations That DON'T Add Property Value01:02:00 New vs Established Property: Which Is Better?01:09:18 Property Inspection Tips Every Home Buyer Should Know01:11:46 Australian Property Market Update01:14:23 Buyers Agents, Commercial Property & Common Mistakes01:20:47 How Belinda Botzolis Built a 200K+ Audience01:29:43 Final Thoughts📥 Connect with Belinda BotzolisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/belinda.the.valuerTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thevaluerLinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/belinda-botzolis-30010a151Website: https://addvaluer.com/🌏 Connect with Insights With Deven📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insights_with_deven📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bqy24BRZj/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insights-with-deven🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@insights_with_deven🎙️ Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/insightswithdeven/🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/insights-with-deven/id1896933608🎤 Apply to be a guest:https://form.jotform.com/261861821807865👍 If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Comment and Subscribe. It helps the channel tremendously and allows us to continue bringing conversations with Australia's leading experts in property, finance, business, technology and wealth creation.⚠️ DisclaimerThe information shared in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, legal, tax or investment advice. The views expressed are those of the guest and host at the time of recording. Always conduct your own research and seek advice from qualified professionals before making financial decisions.#PropertyValuation #PropertyValuer #AustralianProperty #PropertyInvesting #InsightsWithDeven