A message to budding Gen Y investors from a young couple who’s loving their journey

While they are not unlike other young people who love to travel and have fun, Charles and Charlotte have reassessed their priorities as early as now to secure their future and give themselves more options in the years to come.

After all, what’s the harm in delaying the gratification for a while?

“I’ve spent from 20 to 26 buying beer and travelling and doing all that sort of stuff. I think my biggest thing is it’s about choice. Sure you can do that, but be aware of the consequences of that down the track, and be aware of how time is your friend when you’re investing in property. The earlier you get in, the better,” Charles said.

He added: “Obviously, if you get in too early, you’re going to potentially restrict yourself in terms of having fun and doing all that sort of stuff that people think you are going to be restricted on. But it’s all about choice. Have a think about it, educate yourself, and make sure you know what you’re doing. If you get 30 to 35 and go, ‘Oh, geez. I should have done that at 25.’ It’s a bit late ... You can still buy property, but you’re not going to have that 10 years of growth or potential growth up your sleeve.”

The couple visualises a future where they have a choice to do what they want without being restricted by any financial reason.

“Think long-term” is Charles and Charlotte’s main philosophy when it comes to making important life decisions and commitments.

According to Charlotte: “Personally, I just never wanted to get to that point in my life and think I’ve wasted an opportunity or I’ve wasted time ... Going back to our first property, it was always about how is this property going to set us up for the future? It was never just one step at a time. It’s this step, then how’s this going to compliment the next step? How is that next step going to compliment the next step? It’s always about looking into the future and making sure, to the best of our ability, that we’re doing the right thing.”

“If you’re going to go down that path, go hard for it ... Don’t just sort of sit in the rat race and do nothing. Kind of do one or the other. Make the decision,” Charles added.

The couple also advises budding investors to continue learning about the markets from books and other resource materials, as well as from the experiences of field experts and fellow investors.

Property investing is a complicated and often risky business, and while there are professionals out there whose job is to help you navigate your way through, it is still vital that you understand the nitty-gritty details as best as you could.

Like in most cases across different fields, the more you know, the more chances you have at making the right decisions and eventually succeeding.

Charlotte said: “I always wanted to understand every process. I’m 100 per cent not opposed to having people help me. I understand that I can’t do everything even though I’d like to.

"But I want to have a team around us and our team will only grow as our portfolio grows. I want to understand what they’re doing and how they’re actually helping – I don’t want to just go, ‘Here you go. Have this. Do whatever you want.’ I want to understand what they’re doing and what they’re contributing to my portfolio and my future. I need to understand that they are team players.”

Tune in to Charles and Charlotte's episode in The Smart Property Investment Show to know more about their efforts to "future-proof" themselves.