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For investors · Ready to build a portfolio

The valet service for busy professionals building wealth through property

Property investing, run like professional services. Strategy comes first. Research, selection and settlement are carried by a specialist team, from the first brief to well beyond settlement.

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2027 · Tax reform context

Tax reform is reshaping the property investment landscape

From July 2027, tax reforms will increase the focus on new property. For Active Property Investing, that isn't a change in direction. It's where we've specialised for more than 12 years.

Emma Allen, Founder of Active Property Investing

Twelve years refining
The API Approach

Emma Allen has spent more than twelve years, and nearly two decades in property, refining the approach behind every brief. It is built on disciplined research, tested through changing markets, and guided by one principle: strategy comes before property.

An award-winning entrepreneur, she is a contributing author in two best-selling Australian business anthologies and co-host of the Property Boss Mums podcast.

Today the specialist team carries that approach forward, holding every brief to the same standard: only the properties that survive the research reach a client.

Read Emma's story

A team that walks you through every stage

High-performing, and high on communication. From strategy and contracts to pre-settlement, settlement, and the handover to property managers, the team stays with you at every stage. When a market gets noisy, that is when the difference shows.

  • Emma Allen

    Emma Allen

    Founder

  • Chris Newell

    Chris Newell

    Sales Manager

  • Jana Abesamis

    Jana Abesamis

    Operations & Client Coordinator

  • Emilou Santillan

    Emilou Santillan

    Head Researcher

  • Ros Ronning

    Ros Ronning

  • Vincent Agcaoili

    Vincent Agcaoili

    Solutions Assistant

  • Chantal Agcaoili

    Chantal Agcaoili

    Client Service Coordinator

The engagement

A three-step consulting approach

Strategy comes first, then research and support carry the brief from the first conversation through settlement, and well beyond, property after property.

  • Consultation

    We help you build a real understanding of investing, prepare properly, and set the strategy that guides every recommendation. Strategy comes before property, and goals, structure and capital become a clear investment brief.

  • Research, review and selection

    Our researchers and a disciplined culling process assess market fundamentals, growth drivers, supply and demand, tenant appeal and future resale potential, opening up a considered range of quality investments matched to your brief, not to a sales target.

  • Support throughout the purchase

    We stay with you through acquisition and pre-settlement, for a smooth move into ownership and well beyond. New property is a process, not a transaction, and the builder remains responsible for the build itself, including construction quality and any defect resolution.

See the full process

Ten Australian markets, researched continuously

How a property earns its place
Client journeys

Real portfolios, built over years

Clients in your position. Where they were before we met, what we built together, where the portfolio is now.

  • ★★★★★

    Scaling from one property to a multi-state portfolio

    A Sydney professional who came in with one investment property and wanted a structured way to keep going. Four properties in, the strategy still drives the decisions.

    Portfolio scaling Investor, Sydney
  • Shane M Investor, Sydney
  • ★★★★★

    Renting in Sydney, building wealth across three states

    A dual-income couple who chose to keep renting where they live and invest where the numbers work. The portfolio is built around the life, not the postcode.

    Interstate rentvesting Couple, Sydney
  • Alicia and Dave Rentvestors, Sydney
  • ★★★★★

    Property inside a self-managed super fund

    A professional couple using their SMSF to build a long-arc portfolio. We worked with their accountant and broker so the structure and the strategy moved together.

    SMSF strategy Professional couple
  • ★★★★★

    Long-arc partnership

    Four properties in. Every brief still starts with the strategy, then the property comes after.

    Portfolio investor Sydney

150+ Australians trust Active Property Investing with their property portfolio strategy

The API team working alongside a client's broker, planner and accountant
Partner network

Your broker, planner, and accountant in the same room as your strategy

Property does not happen in isolation. The plan moves alongside lending structure, tax treatment, and depreciation. We work with the network around the client, not around them.

See the partner network
The fee model

Our service is complimentary

As licensed real estate agents working on the buyer side, we receive a marketing fee from the developer when a property is purchased. It is the same model that pays your mortgage broker.

The discipline that holds the model honest is the selectivity. In 2025, around 13 per cent of the properties we assessed reached a client brief. The strategy is written before any property is considered, and the property has to match the strategy before it is presented to you.

"Our reputation is worth far more than a fast fee."

Emma Allen, Founder

How the model holds honest

  • Strategy first

    The strategy is written before any property is considered.

  • Strict brief match

    A property has to match the brief before it is presented.

  • Selective by design

    In 2025, around 13 per cent of properties assessed reached a client brief.

  • Same model as your broker

    Fee paid by the developer, not the client.

  • Long arcs over fast fees

    Reputation is worth more than a single transaction.

FAQs

Common questions before the assessment

  • How long does an engagement usually last?
    Most clients move through strategy, selection, and settlement over a number of months. The partnership stage continues from there. Many clients are still on the books years later, working through their second, third, or fourth property.
  • How does API get paid?
    The service is complimentary to you. As licensed real estate agents working on the buyer side, we receive a marketing fee from the developer when a property is purchased, the same model that pays your mortgage broker. Most properties we review never reach a client brief. Our reputation is worth far more than a fast fee.
  • Are you a buyer’s agent?
    We are licensed to act for buyers, but we work as a property consultancy rather than a transactional buyer’s agent. The work is strategy first and research led, and we are paid the same way your mortgage broker is, by the developer rather than by you. Strategy, research and support, property after property.
  • What kinds of properties do you focus on?
    New property, primarily: house and land packages, townhouses and apartments, dual-occupancy and duplexes, and property held inside a self-managed super fund. You are the first owner, which means full depreciation, current build standards, fewer surprises at settlement, and a cleaner picture for the lender. The reasons sit in full on the Research and Selection page. Strategy drives the call, not personal preference.
  • Does API build the property or manage construction?
    No. API researches, supports and facilitates the buying journey. The builder remains responsible for the build itself, including construction quality and any defect resolution. Our role is to support alignment between the outcome and the original strategy, from the brief through to settlement.
  • Do you publish a list of available properties?
    No. Properties are matched to a brief, not browsed off a shelf. The selection page explains why a public list works against the methodology and what the alternative looks like.
  • Can you work with my existing broker, planner, or accountant?
    Yes. Most clients arrive with at least one professional already in place. We work alongside that network, or refer to ours where there is a gap.
  • What happens after I take the assessment?
    You get a short summary of where you sit, the move that would put you in a stronger position, and a clear next step. Either a strategy session, the Active Investor Path, or a tailored path through the resources. The assessment takes about five minutes.
Recommended first step

A five-minute assessment, and a clear next step

If you are ready to invest, start with the assessment. The team picks it up from there.

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