Empower Wealth founders Ben Kingsley and Bryce Holdaway.
Real estate investment experts have laid out a roadmap showing how ordinary households can build $3000 a week in passive income through property.
And that’s without flipping homes, chasing hotspots or gambling on get-rich-quick schemes.
The strategy, revealed by property advisers Empower Wealth in a book titled “How to Retire on $3000”, is aimed at middle Australia.
Following the release of the book, authors Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley provided News Corp Australia with a tailor made blueprint for how a couple in their 30s with kids could achieve this goal.
According to Mr Holdaway and fellow Empower Wealth founder Ben Kingsley, the answer for many is a structured investment plan that turns the family home into the engine room of future wealth.
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They said the first step was buying a high-growth property with some of the equity from a family home, using that to leverage into another high growth property down the line and later consolidating debt.
The authors said that, in time, rising rents and falling debt levels, coupled with super, would make the $3000 a week achievable. They stressed this would take years and was not a “get rich” scheme.
The experts, both leading figures within the property investment industry, explained the steps and critical tactics required to make this strategy work:
STEP 1: WEAPONISING THE FAMILY HOME
Empower Wealth said the first step in achieving a property portfolio that could deliver high passive income was to realise the family home could be used as a launch pad to financial freedom.
They explained that those who tapped into equity from their residences could use the money as the launch pad for buying a “foundational” property.
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They said equity in the family home could be used to start a passive income earning property portfolio.
This was a property that would rapidly appreciate and would pave the way for other high value investments.
They said this kind of investment was achievable for those who targeted the right kinds of properties in areas with a higher chance of rapid home price rises.
Mr Holdoway and Mr Kingsley gave an example of how a couple in their 30s with one or two children could achieve their passive income goal.
“Let’s say you’re in your mid-to-late 30s, own your home, have one or two young kids, and you’ve built up equity by diligently paying down your mortgage — or simply riding the wave of property growth over the past decade,” they wrote.
“In this case study, the couple used their available equity to purchase their first investment property — and it needed to tick all the right boxes.
“The location had to show strong economic activity, access to key amenities like schools and shops, and lifestyle appeal that matched how people want to live.
“The property itself needed an element of scarcity, strong owner-occupier appeal, and solid investment fundamentals.
Empower Wealth founders Ben Kingsley and Bryce Holdaway.
“One example is 5 Sprimont St, Bald Hills QLD, which sold for $856,000 back in 2022.
“It rented for $600 per week (a 3.6 per cent yield), with targeted capital growth of around 7 per cent.
“Now, just a couple of years later, that same property is estimated to be worth $1.06m and rents for approximately $700 per week — that’s over $200,000 in equity growth, with rental income rising steadily, too.
“It’s definitely doable but asset selection is critical. Which is why we call this a ‘foundation property’ — the one that gets the compounding process started. It’s growth-led, and the focus is on maximising long-term capital gains.”
STEP 2: MOMENTUM
With the success of the first investment, the next move is about balance, the authors said.
Empower Wealth explained an investor would need to choose a second property that complemented the first, this time with stronger rental yield to support cashflow.
“In this scenario, the next investment might be something like 20 Rand Ave, Waikiki WA — purchased for $690,000, generating $650 a week in rent (a 4.9 per cent yield), with a more moderate 5.5 per cent growth target,” the authors wrote.
Empower Wealth said higher rental returns meant it would be easier to hold property for longer.
They said a property like this “ticks all the investment grade boxes and the numbers stacked up”.
Equity from the first property would help with the deposit and loan structure for the second if the second purchase was made about two to four years after the first, the authors said. This equity could be tapped using a refinancing deal with lenders.
A refinance on the home loan may also improve cashflow without compromising the strategy.
Empower Wealth said making this strategy work required looking outside one’s own suburb for opportunities.
STEP THREE: LIVING LIFE, NOT LIVING POOR
Rental yields for the first two properties would be high enough that holding them at this point would not be breaking the bank of the average couple so long as they modelled their finances, the authors said.
They said a good investment strategy should not require an investor to scrape by each month.
One of the biggest myths, the experts claimed, was that property investing meant scraping by.
In the case study, the household remained cashflow positive even after the second purchase, with a monthly surplus that would grow over time, the experts said. A six-figure buffer is maintained to absorb shocks, from rate rises to unexpected repairs.
The experts suggested using offset accounts aggressively to reduce interest, build savings and, eventually, top up super.
STEP FOUR: WHEN “THE MAGIC” KICKS IN
The real pay-off doesn’t come overnight — and that’s the point, the authors said.
After several more years, rising rents and compounding growth would push the portfolio to break-even, where rental income covers all property costs, according to their modelling.
Superannuation alone may be limited for retiring, but combined with property could help generate high passive income.
From that moment, every extra dollar is working for you, not the bank, they explained.
By around year 16, rental income alone can exceed $128,000 a year. With the family home paid off and investment debt falling, the focus shifts from accumulation to income.
“That’s when $3000 a week becomes real,” the experts said. “It’s delivered through property and super, without selling assets or downsizing”.
THE NEED FOR DISCIPLINE
The experts were adamant this was not a shortcut to riches. The Australians who succeeded, they said, aren’t the biggest risk-takers. They instead acted early, stay focused and got the fundamentals right.
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