James Bouterakos is a plumber working for a commercial company in Melbourne. His wife Steph is at home raising their two young children. The household runs on one income, James stretches it as far as it will go with overtime and 12-hour days, and there is not much room left over at the end of the week.
He had been interested in property for years. Before joining Positive Property, he and Steph had already bought an investment property independently, inspired by the same books that George Markoski references: Rich Dad Poor Dad, the idea that assets build wealth and a wage alone does not. Acting on that belief, James purchased a commercial property in Victoria. He structured it through a trust, which he later discovered cost him tax benefits he could have accessed through a different vehicle. The property generated income, but capital growth was negligible. It sat there, paying its way and going nowhere.
“I wish I bought a residential property eight years ago instead of buying a commercial property. Just because of the growth.”
He had learned the first lesson of property investing the expensive way. Location and asset class matter more than yield, and buying what you know is not the same as buying what works.
Three Years, One Persistent Plumber
James joined Positive Property approximately three years before his belt ceremony. The first three years did not produce a settled property quickly. Borrowing capacity was constrained by the commercial mortgage, and the arrival of a second child tightened it further. An early expression of interest on a Perth property was rejected by the finance team before it reached contract stage. A stage one purchase at Bode Desert fell through when the bank failed to release funds before the builder’s deadline. Two near misses in three years.
What kept James in the program was what he had read in George’s book before the fund release drama had even begun.
Property investing for tradies with constrained borrowing capacity is not a sprint. James understood that and stayed. His coach Charmaine worked with him throughout the borrowing capacity period. When stage two at Bode Desert became available, the finance was in order and the contract went through.
Beaudesert: $121,000 in One Year
James and Steph settled their Bode Desert property in May 2025. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, one car space. Purchase price $444,000, funded with a ten percent deposit drawn from existing equity. At the time of his belt ceremony, the current market value was $565,000, representing a profit of $121,000 in approximately one year.
James’s response to that number was immediate and unambiguous.
“Fantastic. That’s me working my ass off doing 12-hour days overtime and still not even getting that.”
The comparison is precise. A plumber on commercial rates, maximising every available overtime hour, cannot generate $121,000 in a year. A single residential property in the right location, selected through a research-backed process, did.
Alongside the Bode Desert property, James and Steph are finalising a second property through a self-managed superannuation fund, racing against a legislative deadline that would prevent new residential property acquisitions inside SMSFs. At the time of his interview, the ATO registration was pending and the contract was close.
“I’m really, really pushing.”
What Property Investing Looks Like When You Have Children to Think About
James talks about his children the way most tradies talk about overtime: as motivation, not burden. Having a second child tightened the household’s financial position for a period. It also clarified what he was building toward.
“I’m thinking ten steps ahead. I want to work harder.”
The question he raises about the next generation is one George shares: whether James and Steph’s children will be able to afford to buy property in Australia at all, given the trajectory of homeownership rates and the increasing competition from institutional investors. The answer James is working toward is not a prediction about the market. It is a portfolio built while the opportunity still exists.
“A kid’s going to be able to afford to buy property in the future? That’s the question.”
Three years of persistence through borrowing constraints, a failed settlement, and the demands of a single-income household with two young children produced one settled property, a commercial asset, and a superannuation property in progress. James is not finished.
“Just do it. What have you got to lose? Knowledge is power.”
All figures are approximate and based on information provided at the time of James’s interview. Current values may differ. James and Steph’s results reflect their specific circumstances, portfolio decisions, and market conditions at the time of purchase. Individual outcomes will vary.
For anyone who sees their own situation in James’s story, here are four ways to move forward:
- Grab George’s Free Book: The roadmap 3,500+ Australians have used to start building wealth through property. Get your free copy
- Watch the Positive Property Show: Live every Thursday with real market data, member wins, and the strategies that drive them. Watch on YouTube
- Join 9,000+ Australian Property Investors: Connect with smart investors sharing tips, wins, and strategies in Australia’s most active property community. Join the group
- Watch the Free Training: The exact strategy James and thousands of other members use to build portfolios of 5 to 10 properties and create money for life. Watch the free training