Indian‑Origin Australian Investor Owns 23 Homes But Still Lives In A Rented Apartment: Here’s Why

Last Updated:February 18, 2026, 12:28 IST

Ravi Sharma, 32, is the founder of Search Property Buyer’s Agency. He has built a property portfolio worth about $25 million.

A young Indian-origin Australian property investor has surprised many people after revealing that he owns 23 investment properties across the country, yet still lives in a rented apartment.

Ravi Sharma, 32, is the founder of Search Property Buyer’s Agency. He has built a property portfolio worth about $25 million. His company was shortlisted as a finalist for Best Buyer’s Agency at the REB Awards in 2023 and 2024, according to LinkedIn.

What Do We Know About Him?

Sharma said he has about 20 odd properties in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia, with only one or two in Sydney and the rest across Australia. Despite this, he rents a three-bedroom penthouse in Macquarie Park, Sydney, where he lives with his wife. He pays nearly $1,420 a week in rent.

This approach is known as rentvesting. It means renting in a preferred area while buying investment properties in more affordable locations.

Why Does He Still Live On Rent?

Sharma bought his first property at 21. It was a three-bedroom house in Dubbo costing $190,000. Over the next 10 years, he expanded his portfolio by buying homes across Australia and renting them out.

He said buying in Sydney would have required a large deposit, tying up money that could not be used for further investments. He added that selling such a property could have led to losses due to stamp duty.

Speaking to Yahoo Australia, Sharma said, “If I wanted to live in Macquarie Park or any place in Sydney, in order for me to buy, I would have needed a large deposit, which would have got tied up in an asset that I didn’t think fundamentally would grow. While the idea of not having to pay rent sounded attractive, having all that money tied up, all that capital tied up in an asset that wasn’t going to perform, just meant that I had no choice. I’d be stuck in a property that even if I wanted to sell, I probably would have lost money just on the stamp duty alone."

Advocating for “rentvesting" first, where individuals rent a home in the location they want to live in and own an investment property in a high-growth or more affordable area, Sharma said, “Rather than going down the path of just buying anything you can afford to avoid paying rent. The options that you have [later] means that you’re probably going to end up in a better house in a better suburb, which is exactly what happened to me."

Sharma was named Australian Business News Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 in Property and Construction. He also runs a YouTube channel, Personal Finance with Ravi Sharma, with over one lakh subscribers.

News world Indian‑Origin Australian Investor Owns 23 Homes But Still Lives In A Rented Apartment: Here’s Why

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