Gen Y investor swaps 50-hour weeks for $6m portfolio

From juggling two jobs to resigning at age 28 with a portfolio of 11 investment properties, Dylan Adkins is now living a lifestyle he doesn’t take for granted.

As a buyer’s agent, Mr Adkins has secured discounts of $10,000 to $40,000 off the asking price on several properties. Yet buying below market value is just one tactic in his data-driven approach.

“Good negotiation starts before the offer is even made,” Mr Adkins said.

“I make sure we understand the local market in detail: recent sales, what properties are renting for, how long listings are sitting on the market and what other buyers are doing.

“That way, the offer isn’t emotional – it’s backed by real numbers and market context.”

He is grateful for his lifestyle since going fulltime with property. Picture: Annette Dew

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Mr Adkins was working about 50 hours a week and travelling weekends to play country footy when he pivoted to rent-vesting.

He has built a portfolio in high-growth markets while living in a rented beachside home on the Gold Coast.

“I’d originally saved with the intention of buying an owner-occupier in Brisbane, but realised those funds could actually cover two deposits for investment properties.

“I had a mentor at the time, my old boss, who always preached the importance of trusting experts. He built his wealth by staying across everything, but relying on specialists.”

A Townsville property Mr Adkins pruchased with a self-managed super fund in April 2024

Connecting with buyers agents Matt Howarth and David Timbs, Mr Adkins’ first purchased a rundown three-bedroom house in Moreton Bay for $481,500 in 2021. Subsequent buys included one house in Adelaide and another in Cairns, a house in Toowoomba, plus three houses and four units in Townsville.

Those purchases totalled $4,291,500. Through annual growth of up to 37 per cent in some of the suburbs, combined with a renovation to his first house, his portfolio is now valued at $5.88m.

Mr Adkins, of Buildup Buyers Agnecy, said he refinanced loans on his first two properties to free up equity as well as accessing funds from his self-managed super fund.

“These days, life looks completely different. I surf regularly, live at the beach, and share a place with my best mates.

“The spending shackles have definitely been loosened. I’ve got the flexibility to take at least one or two snowboard trips a year and choose how I spend my time. That lifestyle shift is something I don’t take for granted.”

He purchased this Adelaide house for $386,000 in 2022

Mr Adkins said bargain hunters could target properties which had been on the market for a long time, seemed overpriced compared to nearby recent sales, or those in need of work.

Sellers may also lower their asking price in response to issues arising from a buyer’s due diligence checks – building/ pest reports or easement checks – or if they had purchased elsewhere.

“In these cases, speed and certainty of settlement can become more important to them than achieving the highest price.”

But he said the potential for price growth was most important in choosing locations.

“That’s what builds long-term wealth and unlocks the ability to scale,” he said.

“I look for a strong enough rental yield to keep you in the race from a cash-flow perspective and value-add potential if the opportunity is there for a cosmetic or full reno, adding a granny flat or splitting the block, for example.”

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