Investors in the top decimal need a structured technology-based approach to data to succeed

He explained that the old 'gut check' approach is still relevant, but big data allows for wiser decisions to be made when it comes to property.

“I’m suggesting one of the things you need to be doing is looking at a structured technology-based approach to data.”

“Data is proliferating, it is now very timely, it is coming out weekly, sometimes daily, and it can significantly improve your decision making,” Mr Geha noted.

He also explained that the asset class is actually very forgiving, with the majority investors able to get ahead without having to create complex strategies. 

“Australian real estate is actually a very kind playing field in that it generally rewards most of the players,” he said.

“It does that because we have a fundamentally strong economy that is well governed, that is transparent and peaceful, with strong population growth.

“So, you don’t need to be particularly smart to make lots of money in real estate,” Mr Geha explained.

Mr Geha said he is often asked by friends who are not professional investors about buying property.

“They ask me: ‘What should I do? Should I invest in a property interstate or do something outside of my expertise?’

“I often say, ‘I like the first million dollars of net wealth outside of your home to be invested in residential’, an asset class we all understand, ‘preferably in your home town’,” Mr Geha said.

He noted that investors in it for the long term typically do not need to overreach to grow their assets.

“You don’t need to look left and right. Sydney will do very well if you give it a 10-year period.

“There has never been a 10-year period where Sydney did not deliver a 5 per cent plus compound capital growth in addition to a 3 to 5 per cent yield.

“When you leverage that at 70 or 80 per cent as you can do in real estate, you do supremely well.”

“I often think people try to complicate it. But what you’re really doing is taking a bet on Sydney, and Sydney has been very kind to investors who have taken a bet on it for the last 50 years,” Mr Geha noted.