What 5 Years in the Cairns Property Market Taught Us About Building Wealth
Most people think property success comes from timing the market perfectly, finding the next hotspot, or waiting until everything feels “safe”.
Our experience in Cairns shows something very different.
We didn’t build wealth by predicting the future. We built it by getting started, buying quality assets, and staying invested long enough for compounding to do the heavy lifting.
Below is exactly how our Cairns property portfolio has performed over the past five years and the lessons that matter if you’re serious about building long-term wealth.
The Numbers: 5 Years of Portfolio Growth
Between 2020 and 2025, our Cairns property portfolio delivered the following results:
2020
Portfolio value: $1,505,000
Loans: $1,233,805
Net equity: $271,195
LVR: 81.98%
2021
Portfolio value: $2,575,000
Net equity: $729,983
LVR reduced to 71.65%
2022
Portfolio value: $2,977,500
Net equity passed $1,076,543
LVR down to 63.84%
2023
Portfolio value: $3,092,500
Net equity: $1,230,804
LVR: 60.20%
2024
Portfolio value: $4,230,000
Net equity: $2,307,901
LVR dropped sharply to 45.44%
2025
Portfolio value: $5,150,000
Loans: $2,005,290
Net equity: $3,144,710
LVR: 38.94%
In five years, the portfolio:
Increased in value by $3.645 million
Grew equity by nearly $2.9 million
Reduced overall risk as LVR fell from 82% to under 39%
And this happened while interest rates rose, media sentiment turned negative, and many buyers stayed on the sidelines waiting for “clarity”.
Lesson 1: Time in the Market Beats Everything Else
The biggest driver of these results wasn’t leverage, renovation, or clever finance structures.
It was time.
Each year in the market stacked on top of the last:
Capital growth compounded
Debt reduced relative to asset value
Risk fell while optionality increased
Most people focus on the first 12 months after buying. The real magic happens in years 5, 10, and 15 when compounding becomes visible.
You don’t get this effect by waiting. You only get it by owning.
Lesson 2: Quality Assets in Quality Areas Matter
Not all property compounds equally.
Cairns is a market made up of micro-markets, suburb by suburb, street by street, even block by block. The difference between an average asset and a quality one widens over time.
Our focus has always been:
Established areas with proven owner-occupier appeal
Scarcity and land value
Strong long-term fundamentals, not short-term hype
Quality assets don’t just grow better, they hold value during flat periods and recover faster when momentum returns.
That’s how LVR falls even when you’re not aggressively paying down debt.
Lesson 3: Equity Is Built, Not Saved
If we tried to save our way to this position, we’d still be waiting.
The equity growth from $271,195 to over $3.1 million wasn’t created by higher incomes or tighter budgets, it was created by assets working over time.
That equity creates options:
Access to future opportunities
Portfolio restructuring
Risk management
Lifestyle flexibility
This is what people mean when they talk about property creating “optionality”.
Lesson 4: Every Portfolio Starts with One Decision
The most common mistake we see isn’t buying the wrong property.
It’s never buying at all.
Everyone wants confidence before they act. Confidence usually comes after you’ve taken the first step. Our first purchases weren’t perfect. They didn’t need to be. They just needed to meet a quality threshold and allow time to do the rest.
Why This Matters for Buyers Today
Looking at these numbers in hindsight, it’s easy to assume it was obvious. It wasn’t. There were moments of doubt, flat periods, negative headlines, and plenty of reasons to wait. But wealth isn’t built by avoiding discomfort, it’s built by staying disciplined when others hesitate.
If there’s one takeaway from our Cairns journey, it’s this:
You don’t need to predict the market.
You need to participate in it with quality assets, in quality locations, for long enough.
If you want deeper context on how this portfolio was built, including the individual property decisions behind it, you can read our full journey here:
How We Built a 9 Property Portfolio in Cairns
And if you’re at the stage of taking your first step or your next one that decision matters more than anything else you’ll do this year.
🚀 Final Thoughts: If We Can Do It, You Can Do It
We didn’t come from money. We didn’t win the lotto. We didn’t have high-paying mining jobs. We simply followed a proven strategy, backed ourselves, and acted consistently. And anyone can still do this today with the right framework.
Need help buying in Cairns, Port Douglas, or North Queensland Region? Our team is here to help. Get in touch today.
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