That's a great question. 15 years ago, I had three properties in regional New South Wales because I was not very clear on my reasonings, why, and strategy.

I ended up short selling it probably four years out. And when I recommend to clients to hold on to real estate for at least 10 years. And the reason I sold out is because I thought they were a bad investment. And the reason I thought it was a bad investment is because of other people's opinions, which is always a problem. Those three properties. properties were bought for $100,000 each. I only needed $10,000 deposit back then. Now I look back, those properties are worth $400,000. And so it's not about,

Yeah, it's only $400,000. It comes back to the return on investment. I only put $10,000 in to get a nearly $300,000 return. So that's changed my view on regional properties. The most migration that's happening in Australia right now is in regional areas for, you know, migrants or skill. workers to get their permanent residencies, et cetera. So yes, I would buy in regional areas.

It depends on where you're buying, what's behind it, doing your research, what's driving it, the industries, the towns, the jobs, resources, and look into that. Once you're sure that there's long-term growth or historic growth that's come behind it, plus there are tenants that have been there for a while, or you've got a minimum 12-month lease, I don't have an issue buying in regional areas. areas and in the last few years we bought in regional areas and my clients have already done well from those properties.

Zaki Ameer says : " Well, it depends on the person. Some financial freedom might be earning $50,000; another might be earning half a million.

For somebody else, it could be $2 million. So, financial freedom is dependent on the actual individual. My challenge with this is that most, in my experience of, say, the last 15 years being in property, is that people think that it's based on somebody else's goals and achievements, and they're trying to achieve that. So I've got a lot of clients that have made millions in real estate, thankfully through DDP, in equity, et cetera. And they come to me and still, after 11, 12 years, being a client, saying, "Zaki, can you help me "buy my next property?" The question to them is why?

Why do you need another property? It'd be great to have another client, but is that the right thing to do? Is it the most ethical thing to do? To ask the question, why do you want to go buy another property? And this is-- the missing part is that people need to take the time to understand what they want, why they want it, and what financial freedom means. Once you're very clear on what you want, buying property is extremely easy. When they're unclear about why and what they want to become financially free, they shortcut their goal."

And they probably give up too early because they're not clear. On why they got in the first place

How did you start DDP and why?

DDP was started basically to help others get ahead in real estate. This is because I found a need in my late 20s that property investing is not just about buying property.

You've got to get your finances sorted, which is a massive hurdle. You've got to find the right property nowhere to look, get a lawyer who knows how to read the contracts, a property manager who knows how to rent the property out, and renovators if you're doing renovation works. So I found a massive gap. in the marketplace and that gap still exists, that people need guidance about buying property. And most think it's just about the property.

But what I find that's still missing, more than that is the strategy behind it. And what we're great at is building strategy. So before we just get into, let's just go and buy a property here, be it in Brisbane or Perth, Sydney, et cetera, it's more about what is it that you truly want, and why you want it. when you want to achieve it by, and then guiding them through that process and having all our partners involved, getting them to buy property.

How did you start your investment journey?

I think that question is truthful to me because there's the property investment journey and someone sometimes has to think about investing into themselves. I think that's a bigger part.

So before I guess we get into how I started my property investing journey, I spent a lot of time and money investing in myself and investing myself back then. And this was before Facebook was even created where you'd have to listen to CDs.

There was no YouTube. So I spent 11 years at Westpac and during that time, every day at lunch hour or after hours, I was sitting on the train, et cetera. I'd be reading books about, you know, success mentality, psychology, sales, relationship skills, et cetera. And that was the investment to myself. And so that investment naturally led me to success in property investing.

And so when I look at my property journey, it's actually, because I bought 15 properties when I was 27 years old, being technically broke in the Western suburbs. of Sydney, which back then was only $200 ,000 and now they're all a million dollars each.

Many would ask me, why did I do that? And I go, it's no different to why you should be doing things that most other people don't want to be doing. It's because of my mentality. So the investment was really into me first and then to the success of buying property, which is doing things that other people don't want to be doing so that you achieve. stuff that most people want to achieve

DDP Property is 13 years in operation. It's running itself, which is great. I've helped clients get ahead of it to a half thousand clients by property, doubled, and tripled their wealth over that time. But more importantly, I think what gets me ticking is actually over help my staff get ahead. And I think I got a kick out of it. So, where I am now is actually wanting to see others succeed.

And where I started was wanting to see my clients succeed. And that continues. but it's now to see my staff succeed and a bigger part of the journey is actually to see others succeed and succeed in what is,

I think it's just coming back to getting ahead, and getting ahead is different for different people. Many people think it's actually about financial wealth and all of that. Still, it actually comes to what you truly want and what you're passionate about and finding ways for people, you know, to remove those usually mental obstacles and get ahead.

Zaki Ameer is an Australian entrepreneur, public speaker, and property investor.

He is best known for his expertise in real estate investment and wealth creation. Ameer is the founder and CEO of Dream Design Property (DDP Property), an Australian property investment company.

He gained recognition through his success in property investment and has since become a prominent figure in the industry, often sharing his insights and strategies through seminars, workshops, and media appearances.