Buying Property in Australia from Overseas
A Guide for Aussie Expats and Foreign Investors
Your Property Hound is a buyer’s agent service that specialises in helping overseas buyers – Aussie expats and foreign investors – purchase property in Australia.
Whether you are living in Singapore, Hong Kong, London, New York, Dubai or anywhere else on the globe, Your Property Hound can help you purchase your own home or investment property in Brisbane or surrounding council areas.
We recognise that living abroad can create many logistical problems that make buying property difficult:
- Travelling to inspect properties can be expensive, time-consuming and often impractical.
- Overseas buyers are generally not familiar with property prices and market conditions, and so risk paying too much.
- Properties which seem ‘perfect' on the internet can be disappointing when seen in the flesh.
- Different time zones make it difficult to:
- Communicate and negotiate with selling agent.
- Arrange finance, conveyancing, building and pest inspections, building works and property management.
- Apply for a Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) exemption certificate (if required).
Why Invest in Australia?
Property in Australia is favoured by overseas investors due to its consistent growth and stability. For ex-pats in particular, it’s a perfect, stable, long-term investment.
Strong Aussie infrastructure
Australian infrastructure is known worldwide for its high quality and proper regulation, due to a highly skilled construction workforce.
Future home base
Thinking about a return to Australia at some point? Investing in an investment property back home can give you peace of mind that you’ll have a stable home base when (or if) you do return.
Hedging against currency risk
Protect your future purchasing power in Australia by investing your capital in a stable, consistent asset. Especially if you’re living in a country where the currency is more volatile, this can give you much-appreciated peace of mind.
Top guidance for foreign investors
Generally, the Australian government is supportive of investors purchasing Australian residential properties. And while there are complicated restrictions in place, these can be easily navigated with the help of a qualified buyer’s agent.
Why invest in Queensland and Brisbane specifically?
Brisbane property values continue to surge, with further growth expected in the lead up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
Am I eligible to purchase property in Australia?
There are generally no restrictions on Australian citizens who live abroad purchasing residential property in Australia.
The Australian government and the Australian Taxation Office do place restrictions on foreign investors. Depending on your individual circumstances, you may require approval from the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) prior to purchasing residential property.
What is a foreign investment review board (FIRB) approval?
Generally, you do NOT require FIRB approval if:
- you are an Australian citizen living abroad;
- your spouse is an Australian citizen (not a permanent resident) and you are purchasing residential real estate in both names as joint tenants (not tenants in common);
- you are a New Zealand citizen and you are purchasing residential property;
- you hold a permanent resident visa for Australia and you are purchasing residential property;
- you are purchasing new dwelling(s) from the developer, where the developer has pre-approval to sell those dwellings to foreign persons
For more information see the FIRB website. (www.firb.gov.au)
Foreign investors are also restricted in the type of property they can purchase to the following categories:
- Vacant land
- An established dwelling for redevelopment
- A new or off-the-plan residential dwelling
How we can help when buying property in Australia
Your Property Hound specialises in helping overseas buyers purchase property in Australia, with a specific focus on Brisbane and surrounding council areas.
We tailor our services to suit your needs and are available by phone, video call and email at a time convenient to you. We will guide you through the purchase process with minimal stress or inconvenience.
Understanding your investment strategy
We take the time to understand your investment strategy and objectives: are you looking to buy one property in Australia, or are you looking to grow your property portfolio? Maybe you’re looking to maximise rental income, or are just trying to balance your risk tolerance in a confusing local market.
We’ll tailor all our advice and our solutions to your needs – and help you refine your investment strategy along the way!
Auction bidding
Auctions are a highly popular way of purchasing property in Australia, but this doesn’t mean you’ll be excluded as an overseas buyer who can’t attend in person. We can represent you at the auction itself, providing a strong and stable partner to ensure you’re making the right purchase. With our experience and deep understanding of the property market, we help you navigate the complexities of auctions with confidence and clarity, ensuring you stay focused and make sound decisions.
Working with us, you’ll always have an objective and experienced eye looking out for your best interests. You can learn more about our Auction Bidding assistance here.
Complete "search to settlement" services
We’ll help guide you through every stage of the purchase process, giving you complete confidence and peace of mind throughout. Our Search-to-Settlement service is the most popular service we offer, helping investors secure a property within 2-8 weeks on average.
Why work with an Investment Property Buyers Agent as an Overseas Buyer?
Your Property Hound is a Brisbane buyer’s agent and advocate that helps investors looking to buy property in Australia, regardless of where they’re from or the level of property investment experience they have.
We pride ourselves on the quality and depth of our research, making the complexities easy to understand. We will work for you to identify suitable properties, negotiate their purchase and guide you through the settlement process.
It’s an end-to-end service that supports everyone from experienced investors through to ex-pats approaching the Brisbane market for the first time.
Save your time
We’re expert negotiators when it comes to purchasing Australian residential property. We’ve got the know-how to get sales across the line. So, we get you results fast. On average? We buy properties more than twice as fast as the typical home buyer.
Save your money
A buyer’s agent is trained and experienced in property negotiation and knows many of the tactics used by selling agents. Using this knowledge, they can help counter those strategies and achieve the best possible purchase price for you.
In practice, this could easily amount to a savings of $50,000 on the purchase price of a $1,000,000 property (values in AUD).
Reduce your risk
Buying an investment property is one of the most monumental financial decisions you can make, especially if you’re choosing to invest in a foreign country for the first time. Done right, there is an opportunity to build significant wealth and enjoy new lifestyle opportunities. Done the wrong way, you could end up with the wrong property or paying too much, or even contravening Australian laws. It makes sense to seek professional advice and be fully informed before making a decision of this magnitude – don’t risk it!
Why Choose Your Property Hound?
Accredited and awarded
Our property investment specialists are recognised for their outstanding knowledge and analytical approach. Our owner and lead buyers’ agent, Matt Reeves, was the winner of REIQ’s Buyers Agent of the Year in both 2020 and 2021. Get to know our team and be sure you’ve got the right people on the case.
Transparent pricing & fees
We don’t do surprises at Your Property Hound. Our transparency starts with straightforward fees and information – see here for more information.
Honest team with integrity
Working with us, you can be confident that we’d never recommend a property we wouldn’t buy ourselves. We’ll always offer a balanced review of the property – no sugarcoating. We do not receive commissions or payments from any other source. We research each property diligently and provide detailed inspection reports outlining features (both good and bad) of the property and the surrounding area. Working with us as your local property guide, we will give you the confidence to purchase property that suits your needs, and the peace of mind knowing you are not paying more than you should.
We're completely independent
Working with us, you can be confident that you’ve found an investment property buyer’s agent you can trust. Our investment property-buying service does not have strategic relationships or underlying interests: our only commitment is to you. This means that we’ll help you find an investment property that fits your unique property investment preferences.
We're exclusively buyers' agents
Your Property Hound focuses on buying exclusively – it’s what we do best. This means that we don’t double as a selling agent and don’t have a vested interest in selling particular homes. Our experienced property investors are in it for you.
We listen to your needs
It’s not just about finding valuable investment properties with great returns, it’s about finding one that fits your unique needs and goals. Navigating the Brisbane property investment market can be tricky, especially as an overseas buyer. It can even be a challenge for buyers with existing investment properties in the area! We’ll give you insight and detailed analysis that helps you make the property choices that are right for you.
The Best Investment Properties in Brisbane
Need help understanding the Brisbane Property Market?
For Aussie expats and foreign investors looking to buy property in Australia, we’ve got a useful tool to help you understand the suburb you’re investing in. Before you start your property investment journey, you can take a look at our suburb profile tool to get yourself familiar with the local landscape.
With the combination of this tool and our expert advice, we’ll help you get your head around property values and what drives them. Specifically for overseas buyers, we can help you locate a property type that is designed to meet your current investment eligibility (i.e. avoiding established dwellings and advising on the availability of vacant land).
You’ll be able to find information on suburbs from as far north as Redcliffe, all the way to Middle Park in the south. From Samford Valley to the bayside suburb of Manly, we’ve got the complete picture to help you start shortlisting.
You’ll find information specific to the suburb for information that impacts housing prices, such as…
- House and unit prices
- Historic market performance
- Demographics
- Shops, restaurants and entertainment
- Schools
- Transport options
- Parks and green spaces
- Major employers
Frequently Asked Questions
An individual is considered to be a foreign person (or foreign investor) if Australia is not their usual place of residence, and they are not Australian citizens. (To have Australia as your usual place of residence, you will need to have been in Australia for more than 200 days over the prior 12-month period.) What am I able to purchase? Can I buy vacant land? Can I buy an established dwelling?
Between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2027, foreign investors cannot purchase an established dwelling in Australia. However, there are some exceptions – get in touch to see if these could apply to you.
Generally, you will be subject to capital gains tax on taxable Australian property. Check the rules and regulations from the Australian Taxation Office here.
A FIRB exemption certificate is a type of pre-approval granted by the Australian Government that allows foreign persons to make multiple attempts or bids to purchase residential property in a nominated state or territory, without needing to seek separate FIRB approval for each property. This certificate is especially useful in competitive markets, as it removes the need to make offers subject to FIRB approval, giving greater certainty to the transaction. As a result, offers made under an exemption certificate are more attractive to vendors, who often prefer contracts without conditional clauses that could delay or jeopardize the sale.
The exemption certificate is valid for 12 months from the date of approval and will outline clear conditions, including the maximum property value, the state or territory where the property can be purchased, and the type of property allowed (e.g., new dwelling or vacant land).
Yes, Australian banks will lend money to overseas investors looking to buy property in Australia.
No, an Australian bank won’t require you to pay a higher interest rate on the basis of your country of residence. The reasons they might charge a higher rate will have to do with your income status, rather than your citizenship.
We can help you buy a property in Brisbane
Find a better property at an even better price. Leave your property buying journey with our buyer’s agents – we’re Your Property Hounds.
