What to Do While Waiting for Property Equity to Grow | 5 Smart Moves NZ Investors Must Know

Are you feeling stuck while waiting for your property equity to grow? You’re not alone—but the good news is, this can actually be one of the most powerful times in your investing journey. 

In this bonus episode, Debbie Roberts—Financial Adviser and Co-Founder of Property Apprentice—shares five smart and practical strategies you can use right now to set yourself up for success while you're in the holding phase. Whether you’re waiting for equity, a market upswing, or just your next move, this episode is packed with actionable advice tailored to New Zealand property investors. 

✅ What you’ll learn in this episode: 

• How to understand and leverage the NZ property cycle
• Ways to improve your borrowing capacity
• Tips to refine your strategy for long-term success
• Why building the right support team matters
• The #1 thing successful investors do during slow periods

💡 Remember: It’s not about timing the market perfectly—it’s about being prepared for when the next opportunity comes.
 
🎯 Want expert guidance with your investment goals?

🔹 Join our Lifetime Coaching Program:
Get lifetime access to proven strategies, expert coaches, and a tailored financial plan to help you reach your property goals.
👉 www.propertyapprentice.co.nz

🔹 Not quite ready?
Register for a free info session:
👉 "How to Succeed with Property Investing" (online and no cost): https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/auckland-events/

🔹 Prefer a 1:1 chat?
Book a free, no-obligation consultation with Paul here:
👉 https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/free-strategy-call/


🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this episode with someone you know who’s serious about property investing.
 
#PropertyInvestmentNZ #EquityGrowth #FinancialFreedomNZ #NZPropertyStrategy #PropertyApprenticePodcast

Transcript

 Welcome back to the Property Apprentice Podcast. I'm Debbie Roberts, financial advisor and co-founder of Property Apprentice. Today's bonus podcast, we are diving into a topic that many property investors find themselves facing. What should you do while you're waiting for your equity to grow? It can be frustrating when the market isn't moving as quickly as you'd hoped.

But the good news is that this is actually the perfect time to prepare for your next move. So let's talk some strategies.   📍 Number one, understand the cycle so you can maximize your benefits.  First things first: property's a long game. It's not uncommon to hit plateaus where equity growth is slower or when you might not meet bank lending criteria.

This is why understanding the property cycle is so important. We are currently in a phase where some markets are flat or recovering slowly, but smart investors who aren't in a position to purchase at the moment use this time to strengthen their foundation. For example, increasing their income and or rents when possible,   📍 paying down debts to increase available equity,  considering non-bank lending options, restructuring their lending to maximize their options moving forward, et cetera.

Study historic trends. Look at how long recovery phases typically last, and I think you'll find it's much shorter than most people think. Learn to recognize the signs of upcoming market shifts because when the next upswing comes and it will come, you wanna be ready to act, not just react. In fact, I'd say aim to go for one step better than that.

Buy before the next upswing happens if you can. Number two,   📍 get clear on your strategy.  Waiting periods can be the best time to reassess your goals and fine tune your investment strategy. Ask yourself. Is my current portfolio aligned with my long-term goals? Do I wanna build capital or increase cash flow or both?

Am I positioned to take advantage of the next opportunity? Whether it's a buy and hold strategy,   📍 renovation, rent, buy, renovate, rent, refinance, repeat,  new builds a trading strategy like flipping or development. This is the time to learn the ins and outs of these strategies. That way when your equity or bank lending position improves, you already have a clear action plan.  📍 

Number three, improve your borrowing capacity.  You might not be able to purchase another property just yet, but you can work on your borrowing power. Review your income and expenses. Can you pay down some of your existing consumer debt? If you've got any? Could you restructure existing loans to improve your cash flow?

Are you in the best possible position for your next mortgage application? Even something as simple as ensuring your accounts are tidy can make a difference when applying for finance.   📍 For example, avoid missing automatic payments or going into unarranged overdraft.  If you can pay off your credit card in full each month.

Prove to the bank that you are good at managing your finances.   📍 Number four, build your team.  Great investors are not lone wolves. On the contrary, they're supported by a strong team.   📍 Use this downtime to connect with financial advisers.  Mortgage insurance and investment adviser, accountants, property managers, and of course experienced coaches or mentors.

If you don't already have a team you trust, now's the time to start nurturing those relationships because when the opportunity strikes, you wanna be able to move quickly with a team that's on the same page as you.

  📍 Number five, invest in your education.  This is perhaps the most powerful thing you can do while waiting for equity to build.   📍 Invest in yourself. Learn about market analysis. Understand tax implications. Brush up on your negotiation skills.  These are not just nice to haves, they're essential tools in your investor toolbox.

Although it may not feel like it, not seeing your equity grow as fast as you like, doesn't mean that you're stuck. In fact, this is one of the most valuable times to learn Why? Because education prepares you to make better decisions faster when things do turn in your favor. The more you know the fewer costly mistakes you'll make.

For example, if you invest in learning about property investing, it gets easier to spot red flags in a potential deal. Assess the true profitability of a rental, avoid overcapitalizing on renovations and structure your purchases in a tax efficient way. Some people stop at simply learning how to buy a property without taking the time to understand why, when, and how a particular strategy works and what to do after you've bought the property.

It's important to give careful thought to the reasoning behind each step. Should you focus on capital gains or cash flow in your current situation? Are renovations smarter for your portfolio than new builds right now? Would rentvesting or joint ventures be worth exploring? By taking the time to understand these various strategies now, you'll be better informed to help choose the right one for you rather than just following trends or rushing into a deal when your equity finally improves.

One of the most underrated benefits of joining a program like ours is that you get to learn from real experiences, including the costly lessons others like us have already gone through, so you don't have to reinvent those wheels yourself. In our coaching program, we talk through real life experiences from our coaches and our clients, so you don't have to learn everything the hard way.

And this brings me to a very important point.   📍  📍 If you are serious about property investment and you want expert guidance every step of the way, not just when times are booming, consider joining the lifetime coaching program at Property Apprentice. It's a one-time investment that gives you lifetime access to coaching.

We also give you access to resources, real world strategies that actually work in the New Zealand market. You'll learn how to navigate market cycles, evaluate opportunities, and make confident and informed decisions, whether your equity's growing or not. You'll also get a full, individually tailored financial plan to give you a roadmap of how to get from where you are now to where you wanna be financially.

Head on over to www.propertyapprentice.co.nz and register for our Lifetime Coaching Program today.  And   📍  📍 if you're not quite ready for that step, join us on one of our free online information sessions called "How to Succeed With Property Investing" to learn more about how we can help you with your journey and give you some more free education.

Or you can book a no obligation free meeting with my husband Paul. That's www.propertyapprentice.co.nz.  Remember: every property investor has periods of waiting. What separates the successful ones is what they do during those waiting periods. So use your time wisely, grow your knowledge, strengthen your financial position, fine tune your strategy, and when you're borrowing capacity does improve,

you'll be more than ready. Thanks for tuning in. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and share this episode with someone else who's also on their property journey who you think might benefit from this. Until next time. Thanks for listening. 

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