Navigating Property

Ben Plohl
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  • Investing

A podcast that helps you understand the property market, make smarter investments and navigate your way to success. We break down real estate trends, interview experts and share insights to empower your property journey.

  1. 5d ago

    Commercial Property Yields are Higher. Here's the Catch.

    Commercial property yields look higher than residential, but are you comparing the same thing? In this episode, Ben breaks down why commercial property works completely different from residential property, and why the lease not the building, is the real asset you're buying. Ben covers the six key differences between commercial and residential property investing: why the tenant pays the outgoings, why vacancy is rare but far more costly, why "5+5+5" lease terms aren't what they seem, and why commercial finance works nothing like a standard home loan. He also dives deep into self-managed super funds (SMSF) and business real property, the specific exception in superannuation law that lets your SMSF buy commercial property from, and lease it back to, your own business. For business owners currently paying rent to a landlord, this is one of the most valuable structures in Australian property investing, and Ben explains exactly how it works, where it goes wrong, and what the ATO watches for. The episode closes with five red flags to check before buying any commercial property, where Ben sees the best opportunities right now (industrial, medical, and strip retail), and one practical move you can make this week. In this episode: What commercial property actually is, and the one equation that governs its valueWhy commercial yields are higher, and why that number isn't what it looks likeThe 6 ways commercial property investing differs from residentialHow business real property lets your SMSF buy and lease back your own business premises5 red flags to check before buying: fake yields, hidden incentives, periodic leases, discretionary-spend tenants, and site contaminationWhere the opportunity sits right now: industrial, medical, and retailThis podcast episode is general information only, not personal financial or superannuation advice. Speak to your accountant or financial advisor about your own situation. Learn more or book a time to chat with Ben at bfpproperty.com.

  2. Sep 28

    Property Managers: The Real MVPs

    Most investors spend months choosing a property, then hand the keys to whichever property manager the selling agent recommends. In this episode, Ben talks with Kayla Brown, who leads the property management team in Albury Wodonga, about why that choice matters just as much. Kayla covers tenant screening, balancing rent increases against vacancy, preventative maintenance, fees, and the red flags that show your PM is underperforming, plus the questions to ask before you sign one up.   _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Navigating Property is hosted by Ben Plohl, founder of BFP Property Group and Chartered Accountant with 22 years of personal property investment experience. Each episode covers the strategies, decisions, and market insights that serious property investors need to know.Work with BFP Property Group Whether you're building a portfolio, reviewing what you already own, or looking to buy your next investment property — BFP can help. 📅 Book a free strategy call: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ Connect with us 🌐 Website: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠@bfppropertygroup⁠⁠ 📘 Facebook: ⁠⁠facebook.com/bfpproperty⁠⁠ 💼 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠BFP Property Group⁠⁠

  3. Sep 17

    When Big Buyers Agencies Fail - What's Really Going On

    How do you know the buyer's agent you're about to pay $15-25K is actually going to deliver? For a long time, size and visibility felt like proof enough big teams, national reach, a strong social media presence. But several well-known buyer's agencies have recently gone into liquidation, leaving active clients exposed mid-transaction, some losing fees paid upfront with no way to recover them. In this episode, Ben Plohl draws on his background as a chartered accountant and CFO to break down exactly why this happens: revenue models built on full upfront fees, growth outpacing revenue, quietly mounting ATO debt, risky purchase guarantees, and a volume-over-margin mindset that pressures agents to keep transacting regardless of what's right for the client. Ben makes the case that good property advice simply doesn't scale and that industrialising it is where these businesses go wrong. He also shares the seven questions every buyer should ask before appointing a buyer's agent, covering who actually does the work, how fees are structured, transaction volume per agent, and whether the agency can point to a time they walked a client away from a deal. If you're evaluating a buyer's agent or wondering whether the one you're using is built to last this episode gives you a practical framework to find out. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Navigating Property is hosted by Ben Plohl, founder of BFP Property Group and Chartered Accountant with 22 years of personal property investment experience. Each episode covers the strategies, decisions, and market insights that serious property investors need to know.Work with BFP Property Group Whether you're building a portfolio, reviewing what you already own, or looking to buy your next investment property — BFP can help. 📅 Book a free strategy call: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ Connect with us 🌐 Website: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠@bfppropertygroup⁠⁠ 📘 Facebook: ⁠⁠facebook.com/bfpproperty⁠⁠ 💼 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠BFP Property Group⁠⁠

  4. Sep 6

    Why the Smartest Investors Buy in a Correction, Not After It

    Every downturn plays out the same way: most people wait for the bottom. But by the time it's obvious the market's turned, so has everyone else's confidence and the leverage you had is gone. In this episode, Ben Plohl makes the data-backed case for why a correction is exactly when serious buyers get to work. With national values now down four consecutive months and Sydney and Melbourne sitting well below their 2026 peaks, Ben breaks down what real negotiating leverage looks like right now: longer settlements, finance clauses actually being accepted, inspections no longer waived to win a bidding war. But this isn't a "buy anything" episode. Ben's just as direct about the catch: this correction is concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne, not universal,  Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide are still posting double-digit annual growth. He walks through why cash-flow numbers still need real scrutiny even at a discount, and what BFP is actually seeing on the ground vendors genuinely negotiating, off-market opportunities re-emerging as competition thins. If you've been sitting on the sidelines waiting for "the right time," this episode makes the case that waiting for certainty might be the most expensive decision you make. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Navigating Property is hosted by Ben Plohl, founder of BFP Property Group and Chartered Accountant with 22 years of personal property investment experience. Each episode covers the strategies, decisions, and market insights that serious property investors need to know.Work with BFP Property Group Whether you're building a portfolio, reviewing what you already own, or looking to buy your next investment property — BFP can help. 📅 Book a free strategy call: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ Connect with us 🌐 Website: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠@bfppropertygroup⁠⁠ 📘 Facebook: ⁠⁠facebook.com/bfpproperty⁠⁠ 💼 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠BFP Property Group⁠⁠

  5. Aug 30

    $700K, Three Cities, Three Completely Different Strategies

    Every buyer's agent gets this question: "We've got $700K, what can we buy?" Most people treat that number as the whole answer. In this episode, Ben Plohl breaks down why it's actually just the starting point of a much bigger conversation. Ben walks through three real options a $700K budget could buy right now, a freestanding home in a regional city like Albury or Bendigo, a villa unit in a lifestyle market like Geelong or Newcastle, or a 1970s red-brick walk-up in Melbourne and makes the case for each, honestly, including where each one falls short. But the real value is in how BFP actually decides. Ben unpacks the four-lens framework the team uses with every client: what the portfolio needs right now, risk and liquidity tolerance, serviceability and cashflow reality, and value-add potential. It's the difference between picking a market and picking the right asset for the right person. If you've ever wondered whether your budget is "enough," or which of these strategies actually fits your situation, this episode gives you the framework to answer that yourself. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Navigating Property is hosted by Ben Plohl, founder of BFP Property Group and Chartered Accountant with 22 years of personal property investment experience. Each episode covers the strategies, decisions, and market insights that serious property investors need to know.Work with BFP Property Group Whether you're building a portfolio, reviewing what you already own, or looking to buy your next investment property — BFP can help. 📅 Book a free strategy call: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ Connect with us 🌐 Website: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠@bfppropertygroup⁠⁠ 📘 Facebook: ⁠⁠facebook.com/bfpproperty⁠⁠ 💼 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠BFP Property Group⁠⁠

  6. Aug 24

    Three Months On: What the Budget Actually Did to the Market

    Three months ago, the federal budget rewrote the tax playbook for property investors: negative gearing was abolished on established properties, the CGT discount was replaced, and a new minimum tax was imposed on trust income. Panic set in and investor activity changed.  In this episode, Ben breaks down what actually happened in the market versus what the headlines predicted and why the data tells a far more nuanced story than "investors are fleeing." From the sharp divergence between blue-chip Sydney and Melbourne suburbs (some down 6-9% in three months) and regional markets quietly posting gains, Ben unpacks exactly where the opportunity is hiding in plain sight. He also walks through BFP's current acquisition playbook in detail, house-and-granny-flat combos, income-producing dual occupancies, undervalued villa units, and why commercial property deserves a serious look for investors wanting to diversify. Plus, real numbers on how a $1M house-and-granny-flat strategy can lift a 4.2% yield to 5.7% If you've been sitting on the sidelines wondering whether now is still a good time to buy or what the reforms mean for your portfolio, this episode gives you the unfiltered, data-backed view of what's really going on, and how to best position yourself. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Navigating Property is hosted by Ben Plohl, founder of BFP Property Group and Chartered Accountant with 22 years of personal property investment experience. Each episode covers the strategies, decisions, and market insights that serious property investors need to know.Work with BFP Property Group Whether you're building a portfolio, reviewing what you already own, or looking to buy your next investment property — BFP can help. 📅 Book a free strategy call: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ Connect with us 🌐 Website: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠@bfppropertygroup⁠⁠ 📘 Facebook: ⁠⁠facebook.com/bfpproperty⁠⁠ 💼 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠BFP Property Group⁠⁠

  7. May 21

    The Death of Lazy Investing: Navigating the New Budget Reforms

    The property investing landscape just changed overnight. In this special episode, Ben Plohl is joined by Richard Morgan from Freedom Funding to break down the massive proposed changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax. Forget "buying and hoping"—the days of lazy investing are over. Ben and Richard unpack why it's time to pause and plan, how carried-forward losses actually work, and why savvy investors are shifting to active strategies like granny flats, commercial properties, and company structures to stay ahead of the game. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Navigating Property is hosted by Ben Plohl, founder of BFP Property Group and Chartered Accountant with 22 years of personal property investment experience. Each episode covers the strategies, decisions, and market insights that serious property investors need to know.Work with BFP Property Group Whether you're building a portfolio, reviewing what you already own, or looking to buy your next investment property — BFP can help. 📅 Book a free strategy call: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ Connect with us 🌐 Website: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠@bfppropertygroup⁠⁠ 📘 Facebook: ⁠⁠facebook.com/bfpproperty⁠⁠ 💼 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠BFP Property Group⁠⁠

  8. 11/27/2025

    Invest Like a Pro: Post Purchase Reviews: What Smart Buyers Do After Settlement

    In today’s episode, we’re talking about something most people forget after they buy a property: The Post-Purchase Review. Buying the property is just the beginning, smart investors know that what you do next determines whether your property performs over the long term. We'll cover: The 5 key things you should always review post-purchaseCommon mistakes and missed opportunities.A few real examples of how post-settlement reviews helped our clients. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Navigating Property is hosted by Ben Plohl, founder of BFP Property Group and Chartered Accountant with 22 years of personal property investment experience. Each episode covers the strategies, decisions, and market insights that serious property investors need to know.Work with BFP Property Group Whether you're building a portfolio, reviewing what you already own, or looking to buy your next investment property — BFP can help. 📅 Book a free strategy call: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ Connect with us 🌐 Website: ⁠⁠bfpproperty.com⁠⁠ 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠@bfppropertygroup⁠⁠ 📘 Facebook: ⁠⁠facebook.com/bfpproperty⁠⁠ 💼 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠BFP Property Group⁠⁠

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About

A podcast that helps you understand the property market, make smarter investments and navigate your way to success. We break down real estate trends, interview experts and share insights to empower your property journey.

Information

  • Creator
    Ben Plohl
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ben Plohl
  • Show Website
    Navigating Property