How We Built a 9-Property Portfolio in 9 Years
9 Properties in 9 years- How we succeeded in the Cairns Real Estate Market.
Building a profitable property portfolio in Australia often feels out of reach for everyday investors. Rising prices, higher interest rates and affordability challenges make the idea of owning multiple investment properties seem unrealistic.
But over the last decade, we (Shaun and Nicole Craike) managed to build a 9-property portfolio in 9 years, all located across Cairns and while we are one property short of the very satisfying “10 properties in 10 years,” we’ll happily admit:
Quality beats a vanity metric any day of the week.
This blog breaks down exactly how we did it, why our portfolio works, and how you can apply the same strategy in today’s market.
⭐ Our Property Portfolio: A Snapshot
As of the end of 2025 our portfolio sits at over $5 million and features a unique mix of apartments, houses and duplexes that has been the secret to our stability, cashflow, and long-term capital growth.
Here’s how our 9 properties are structured:
Six High-Performing Apartments
Located across Cairns North, Cairns City, Manoora and White Rock, these apartments have delivered the strongest percentage growth in the portfolio. When bought under market value and in high-demand pockets, units and apartments can be a great investments at still obtainable price points. .
Two Well-Located Houses
We own two houses located in Edge Hill and Manoora. Houses give us long-term capital growth thanks to rising land values and strong owner-occupier demand.
One Full Duplex
Located in Earlville, this property is the quiet achiever, two income streams, low vacancy risk, and strong rental returns. It provides both stability and higher income potential. Anyone with the budget to secure a duplex this is a hard asset class to pass up on.
💰 Income Diversity: The Real Reason Our Portfolio Is Cashflow Positive
A lot of investors hit a wall because they rely on just one type of tenant. We structured our portfolio across three different rental strategies:
General long-term residential tenants
Airbnb / short-stay holiday rentals
Government-backed disability and social housing
This mix means:
Cashflow remains stable
Vacancies are less risky
Income continues even when one part of the rental market cools
It’s one of the biggest reasons why our portfolio has stayed cashflow positive, even through market fluctuations.
🔨 Where It All Started: Our Edge Hill Renovation
Our first renovator in Edge Hill purchased for $245,000 in 2016
Our first property together was a home in Edge Hill and let’s just say it needed a serious renovation. Instead of walking away, we leaned in. We did a lot of the work ourselves, increased the value and created instant equity. That equity became our leverage.
We:
Refinanced the property
Pulled out the equity
Used it as the deposit for the next purchase
Then we repeated the process.
This strategy, buying under market value, adding value, extracting equity, allowed us to scale without needing to save deposits the slow way. The properties themselves created the deposits. This is the model used by most successful investors who grow portfolios quickly and safely.
📈 Why This Strategy Still Works in Today’s Market
If you’re reading this thinking:
“That’s great for you, but the market’s completely different now.”
We hear you and you’re right. The Australian property market has changed. But the fundamentals haven’t. You can still replicate this success if you focus on:
✔ The right mindset
See opportunities instead of obstacles. Look at value, not fear.
✔ The right work ethic
Research deeply. Renovate strategically. Take calculated risks.
✔ The right advice
Whether it’s a buyers agent, broker or mentor, good advice shortens the learning curve and stops expensive mistakes.
🚀 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.
