How A CEO Accountant Picks Investment Properties

Welcome back to The CEO Breakdown with John Saade. Is property investing still worth it in Australia, or have the rules changed too much? In this episode, John breaks down how he personally looks at investment properties as an accountant, business owner and property investor. John explains why he still believes property can be one of Australia’s strongest long term investment classes, but only when the numbers make sense. He walks through the difference between an investor and a speculator, why cash flow matters, why land matters, and why he keeps coming back to the granny flat strategy. John also shows how he researches potential investment properties, including land size, zoning, rental yield, council rules, social housing data, construction risk, borrowing costs, cash flow shortfalls, planning certificates and how AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help narrow down the research before speaking to professionals. The episode also covers Australia’s property market, tax changes, CGT, falling living standards, productivity, sick leave reform, construction costs, housing supply, wages and why property still needs to be looked at with clear thinking, not fear or hype. This is not a hype video about buying any property at any price. It is a practical breakdown of how an accountant thinks through risk, yield, debt, land and the numbers before even making an offer. Need an accountant or just want to chat about your business? GET A FREE CONSULTATION FOR ALL ABN HOLDERS [https://forms.zohopublic.com/john205/...](https://forms.zohopublic.com/john205/...) OUR SERVICES https://latitudeaccountants.com.au/ac... For any business enquiries, reach out to: [[email protected] Follow Latitude Accountants TikTok   / latitudeaccountants   Instagram   / latitudeaccountants   YouTube    / @latitudeaccountants   LinkedIn   / latitude-accountants   Facebook   / latitudeaccountants   Website https://latitudeaccountants.com.au/ Chapters 0:00 Is Property Still Worth Investing In? 2:24 Does Australia Pay Too Much Tax? 4:38 Why Businesses Use Cartel Branding 6:28 What Men Should Spend Money On 8:29 Is Work Life Balance a Lie? 10:29 The Incredible Rise of Muscle Nation 12:19 Why Property Investors Are Walking Away 16:46 Australia’s Living Standards Are Falling 19:28 Europe Cracks Down on Sick Leave 22:28 Could Capital Gains Tax Reach 80%? 27:34 Is Property Investment Still Worth It? 31:19 The Granny Flat Investment Strategy 32:22 Finding Potential Properties Online 35:04 Researching Properties with Google Maps 36:42 Checking Zoning with PropCode 38:09 Testing a Granny Flat Site with ChatGPT 39:41 Researching the Area and Demographics 41:30 Running the Numbers with Claude 44:30 Sydney Versus Central Coast Property 47:37 Contracts, Planning Certificates and Red Flags 49:40 When to Bring in Property Experts 51:23 Using Property Data to Negotiate 53:12 When You Should Use a Buyer’s Agent 55:11 Answering Viewer Questions 1:00:32 Why Units Cost So Much to Build 1:02:15 Final Thoughts Original audio and video content belongs to the respective creators. This episode includes commentary and discussion for educational and informational purposes. Disclaimer: This video is for general information and educational purposes only. It does not constitute formal accounting, tax, legal, business, financial or property advice. The property examples discussed are not recommendations. Please speak to your accountant, lawyer, broker, financial adviser, builder, certifier, conveyancer or other relevant professional before making financial or property decisions.