Before the budget, about half of Kev Tran's new clients were first-time investors. Now most already own two or more properties. Experienced investors with equity and buffers are moving while others wait for the all-clear, and the gap is widening. Tran breaks down four very different plays for four kinds of investors, and why waiting for certainty can leave you six months behind.

On this episode of The Smart Property Investment Show, editor Liam Garman sits down with Kev Tran of KTG Property Advisory to unpack why the post-Budget market is splitting buyers in two: those who are acting, and those who are waiting.

Tran says the mood is squeezed and confidence is low, yet his seasoned clients see opportunity in a softer market. His first rule is to review your portfolio before you look at a single property: rates, equity, loan-to-value ratios, holding costs, and buffers. For some, that review ends with a clear "hold off".

For those who are ready, Tran breaks down four plays for four kinds of investors, with real deals:

• Tighter budget or cash flow: Melbourne's brick walk-ups, where Tran shares an example of a recent Thornbury apartment and Pascoe Vale villa, plus the due diligence watch-outs on roofs, levies, and insurance.
• A bigger budget: a Narre Warren house bought for less than a comparable vacant block nearby, with granny flat upside.
• Regional: Victorian houses yielding around 5 per cent gross.
• An established portfolio: why he's cautious on commercial if you're not ready – but for those who are, he shares the example of an industrial unit he bought at a 6.7 per cent net yield.

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Residential investors can wait for the market to do the hard work. Commercial investors who want growth usually have to build it themselves. Victor Kumar reveals the levers that lift a property's value and how recovering a few thousand dollars in outgoings can add six figures to a valuation.

Buying a commercial property is the start. What you do next shapes its value. In Part 5 of the Post Budget Guide to Commercial Property Investing, Phil Tarrant and Victor Kumar of Right Property Group ask how you actively improve a property's income and value once you own it.

Victor breaks down why commercial value is a function of its income, and how rent, lease length, tenant quality, recoverable outgoings, and vacancy can each move a valuation. They run through the strategies behind improving a commercial valuation: buying dependable income and holding, restructuring leases, repositioning the tenant mix, upgrading the building, and subdividing without disturbing a single tenant.

They then analyse why not every value-add plan can be delivered. Victor explains how a lease can block an upgrade or a change of use, using his own St Kilda Road office, where a tenant has kept renewing for seven years and stopped him from adding a second lettable space.

The pair also look at owner-occupier and SMSF strategies, including how renting a property back to your own fund can affect its value, and why the rent needs to stay at market value.

Finally, they look at how to build a portfolio around it all: one big asset or several smaller ones, spreading risk across tenants, industries and locations, and balancing commercial with residential and income with growth.

As higher interest rates squeeze borrowing power, non-major lenders are becoming more competitive than ever. Arjun Paliwal and Jack Fouracre explain why lending policies matter more than rates and the strategies investors can use to stay ahead.

On this episode of The Property Nerds podcast, InvestorKit's Arjun Paliwal and Fouracre Financial's Jack Fouracre unpack what the latest rate rise means for investors: from repayments to borrowing capacity, and why the action is shifting to third-tier and non-bank lenders.

Fouracre says that while borrowing power has reduced by 2 to 3 per cent, falling investor lending has sparked a price war among non-major banks. The pair explain why the right policy, such as longer loan terms and extended interest-only periods, can unlock more lending than a sharper rate.

They also examine whether pre-approvals can protect investors against further rate rises, with some lenders offering six-month approvals and locking in assessment rates even if interest rates increase.

Finally, Paliwal reveals why the coming months could present a buying opportunity for investors, as softer property prices lift rental yields, fewer buyers attend open homes, and increased listings give purchasers greater negotiating power.