About properT network
Independent Investment Property Advice Built Around You
We don’t start with a property. We start with you.
Investing in property is a significant financial decision.
Yet too often, the conversation starts with a property — a suburb, a house, a development, a rental yield or an opportunity that someone wants you to consider.
I believe the conversation should start somewhere else. With you.
Why are you investing?
What are you trying to achieve?
Where are you starting from?
What does your financial future look like?
And what role, if any, should property play?
That belief is at the heart of properT network.
Why I Built properT network
A Different Perspective On Property Investment
I founded properT network because, over many years working in financial planning and property investment, I came to recognise something important:
Buying property and investing in property are not the same thing.
A property can look good.
It can be in a popular suburb.
It can have an attractive rental yield.
It can be beautifully presented.
It can be marketed as an outstanding opportunity.
But none of those things, on their own, answer the most important question: Is it appropriate for the person considering buying it?
That realisation changed the way I approached property.
Instead of starting with what property should someone buy?, I became increasingly focused on the questions that should come first — the investor, their purpose, their circumstances, their strategy and the numbers behind the investment.
That is the thinking behind properT network.
Meet Stephen Lazar
From Financial Planning To Property Investment
My career in investment advice began long before property became my specialist focus.
I spent 15 years as a professional financial planner, helping clients consider their financial position, their investments and their longer-term objectives.
That experience taught me something that has remained central to the way I work today: an investment should never be considered in isolation from the person making the investment.
Your circumstances matter.
Your objectives matter.
Your timeframe matters.
Your existing financial position matters.
And perhaps most importantly, why you are investing matters.
After those 15 years in financial planning, I moved into property investment advisory and buyers advocacy.
I have now spent more than 19 years specialising in property investment, researching markets, assessing opportunities, analysing investment fundamentals and working with investors through the property acquisition process.
Those two careers have shaped the way I see property today.
I don’t see property simply as a house, apartment, townhouse or block of land. I see it as an investment asset that needs to have a purpose.
Three Decades Of Lessons
What Experience Has Taught Me
Over more than three decades across financial planning and property investment, I’ve seen investors approach property from many different directions.
Some start with a suburb.
Some start with a property they have seen advertised.
Some start with a particular property type.
Others start with how much they believe they can borrow.
And some simply want to know what they should buy.
But the more experience I gained, the more I realised that the property should come later in the conversation.
Because the same property can be an appropriate investment for one person and completely inappropriate for another.
There is no universal property. There is no universal strategy. And there is no substitute for understanding the numbers and the purpose behind the investment.
That is one of the biggest lessons my financial-planning background brought to my property career.
Why The Numbers Matter
Property Is More Than The Purchase Price
A property investment can involve your capital, borrowing capacity, cash flow, existing assets and future plans.
The purchase price is only one part of the equation.
Understanding how the investment is expected to work — and the assumptions underpinning it — is just as important.
That means looking beyond the way a property is presented and asking better questions about:
- The numbers.
- The research.
- The market.
- The rental fundamentals.
- Supply and demand.
- The risks and assumptions.
- And how the property fits the investor’s strategy.
My role is not to make that decision for you. My role is to help you understand what you are considering so that you can make an informed decision about your own money.
Start Here
Your Why Comes Before Your Property
One of the most important things I ask investors to do is something surprisingly simple: understand your own Why.
Why are you investing?
It might be about security.
It might be about retirement.
It might be about lifestyle.
It might be about having greater financial choice.
It might be about your family, your future or leaving something behind.
Or it might be something entirely personal to you.
There is no single correct answer. But knowing your answer can change the questions you need to ask about property.
Free Investor Resource
Download Your Own Why
I’ve created Your Own Why — a simple exercise to help investors identify what is really driving their investment journey before they start looking at property.
General information only. The worksheet is a reflection tool and does not constitute personal financial, legal, tax or lending advice. Please seek independent professional advice specific to your circumstances before making any investment decision.
Once you understand your Why, you can start developing your Purpose. Then your Strategy. And only then does it make sense to start considering the property itself.
What We Believe
Strategy First. Property Second.
This isn’t just a tagline. It is the philosophy behind properT network.
The property should serve the strategy — not the strategy be changed to suit the property.
That means understanding:
- Why you are investing
- What you are trying to achieve
- What role property may play
- What strategy may be appropriate
- What the numbers tell you
- What assumptions and risks need to be considered
- And why a particular property is being considered
Only then should you decide whether the property belongs in your investment strategy.
Knowledge Worth Sharing
Why I Do What I Do
After 15 years in financial planning and more than 19 years specialising in property investment, I have accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge about how investors approach property, where decisions can go wrong and what questions need to be asked before committing substantial capital.
I believe that knowledge is most valuable when it is shared.
That is why properT network is not simply about finding properties. It is about helping investors understand what they are doing and why they are doing it.
I want investors to become better informed.
To ask better questions.
To understand the numbers.
To recognise the difference between a property that is simply being marketed and a property that may genuinely fit an investment strategy.
And ultimately, to be comfortable making their own decision.
Our Philosophy
What properT network Stands For
At its core, properT network brings together three decades-plus of experience across financial planning and property investment, with a simple philosophy:
Understand the investor.
Understand the strategy.
Research the opportunity.
Understand the numbers.
Then consider the property.
The property is important. But it should never be the starting point.
Your Money. Your Investment. Your Decision.
I believe good advice should give you the information, research, context and experience you need to make an informed decision. Sometimes that means an opportunity makes sense. Sometimes it means asking more questions. And sometimes it may mean deciding that a particular property or strategy isn’t appropriate for you.
That’s part of the job. Because ultimately, it is your money. It is your investment. And it is your decision.
The properT network Philosophy
Strategy First. Property Second.
Property With Purpose.
Your Money. Your Investment. Your Decision.
Ready To Start With You?
If you’re considering investing in property, the first conversation doesn’t need to be about a suburb or a property. It can simply be about you — where you are now, where you want to go, why you’re investing, and whether property can play the right role in getting there.
Talk To Stephen About Your Investment StrategyOne Network. Nationwide Reach.
Part Of The properT network Family
Investment Property Melbourne is one specialist site within the properT network group — the same independent advisory approach, applied across states and property types.