Building Wealth the Right Way: Why Accreditation Matters in Australian Property Investment

When Australians search for reliable property investment advice in Australia, they find an industry that remains largely unregulated. That freedom creates opportunity—but it also leaves the door open for high-pressure spruikers and poor outcomes.

Since September 2013, Empower Wealth has chosen to swim against that tide by becoming an active member of the Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA) and ensuring every one of our advisers holds the Qualified Property Investment Adviser (QPIA®) designation. Here’s why those badges of integrity—and the values behind them—should matter to you.

Why PIPA & QPIA® Accreditation Elevates Property Investment Advice in Australia

Accreditation	What It Involves	How It Protects You
PIPA Membership	Adherence to a strict Code of Conduct, continuing professional development (CPD) on an annual basis and independent complaints scheme	Signals professionalism and ethics to regulators, industry peers and search algorithms
QPIA® Qualification	Six in-depth modules on strategy, risk, cash-flow modelling, lending, tax and ethics, assessed by independent examiners	Ensures consistent, evidence-based advice and a client-first approach

A PIPA-commissioned survey found 96 % of investors would choose an accredited professional over one who isn’t—a resounding vote of confidence that signals credibility. If you’d like to learn more about the advocacy work that PIPA is working on, please check out their website at www.pipa.asn.au.

The Spruiker Problem

Let’s be brutally honest, the spruiker problem is not something new. Without national licensing, spruikers have filled the gap with glossy seminars and “sign-today” incentives that often saddle buyers with overpriced, under-performing property.

The recent court action against DG Institute shows how damaging these tactics can be: the Federal Court found the company made false or misleading representations about its property courses between 2017 and 2022.

So… here’s some of the classic red flags to look out for:

• High-pressure countdowns (“$10 k cashback if you commit by lunchtime”).
• Hidden developer commissions that can run to tens of thousands per sale.
• Too-good-a-deal gimmicks such as rental guarantees, unrealistic growth promises in just two years or so or NRAS or SMSF deals pushed without regard to your goals.
• Staged testimonials or “success stories” on their website with vague details and can’t be independently verified.
• Vague or shifting answers when you ask for hard data, past performance or written projections.
• And the most commonly used tricks… the Tax Benefits Allure.

Empower Wealth has been calling out these practices for more than a decade. If you’d like a deeper dive into how spruikers operate—and how to protect yourself—explore our long-running series of explainer articles (some of these videos are a bit old but that just shows how long this issue had been going for):

• Seven Tactics of a Property Spruiker
• Property Spruikers Named and Shamed (Real Estate Talk)
• How Do You Spot a Property Spruiker?

These pieces have become some of our most-read resources, helping Australian investors recognise the warning signs and steer clear of flashy promises that rarely deliver. In fact, considering the increased activities in recent years, our partners, Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley have dedicated a whole chapter on this topic in their third best-selling book, How to Retire on $3,000 a week – The Property Couch’s Playbook to Passive Property Investing.

Quality property investment advice doesn’t chase today’s headlines; it plans 40 years ahead and is tailored to each household’s unique circumstances.

Just as importantly, we walk the talk: Empower Wealth operates on a transparent, fee-for-service model—no hidden kickbacks, no “exclusive” stock lists, and no pressure to sign on the spot. Our mission is to raise industry standards while guiding clients towards sustainable, long-term wealth.

Property Is a Long Game — and That’s Exactly How We Plan for It

Property is not a scratch-and-win ticket; it’s a marathon with hills, dips and the odd head-wind. History has made that crystal-clear:

• Global Financial Crisis (2008-09) – while Australia dodged the full-blown US-style crash, some markets still copped a bruising. High-rise, off-the-plan and so-called “B- and C-grade” stock on the Gold Coast saw resale prices slashed by 30-50 %, with projects such as The Oracle in Surfers Paradise changing hands for barely half their original contract price.
• 2017-19 credit squeeze – APRA’s lending caps and the Banking Royal Commission clipped national dwelling values by about 9 % peak-to-trough, reminding investors that easy finance can shut off quickly.
• 2022 rate-shock correction – the fastest RBA hiking cycle since the 1990s shaved 5 % off values in a single calendar year. In fact, we are still feeling the impact of this with nearly one in five Melbourne units are still selling at a loss in 2024.

The pattern is obvious:

Inferior assets and over-leveraged strategies suffer first and heal last.

In our opinion, property investing can never be a get rich quick solution because real estate moves in multi-year (sometimes multi-decade) cycles AND the entry and exit costs are simply too high. Which is exactly why we build each and every recommendation around our Property Portfolio Plan—a forward-looking blueprint that maps out up to forty years of asset selection, cash-flow management and debt reduction. Take a closer look at what’s under the bonnet: Explore the Property Portfolio Plan ›

Here’s what the plan covers:

• 12-, 20- and 40-year projections stress-tested against interest-rate rises, vacancies and lifestyle changes.
• Personalised acquisition timeline that aligns with life events—children, career shifts, retirement goals—so you never feel over-exposed.
• Cash-flow buffering and offset modelling to show how surplus income, tax benefits and redraws can accelerate debt reduction.
• Diversification strategy across states, dwelling types, price points and of course growth/yield property to soften the impact of any single market slowdown.
• Exit and legacy options so you (and the next generation) know exactly when to consolidate, refinance or retire off the debt.

In May 2025 we quietly hit a milestone that still makes the team smile: our 5,000th Property Portfolio Plan delivered.

That’s more than 5,000 Australian households who now have a clear, data-driven and tailored roadmap guiding their property decisions—through booms, busts and everything in between. If you’d like the full story behind the milestone (and a peek at the insights we gleaned along the way), you can read it here: Celebrating 5,000 Property Portfolio Plans ›

Industry Advocacy: Helping Regulation Catch Up

Regulation may be slow to catch up, but that doesn’t mean the world of property investment advice in Australia is standing still. And when it’s planned well, residential real estate remains one of the most reliable ways to fund a comfortable retirement—typically less volatile than shares, underpinned by steady rental income, and backed by the long-term scarcity of well-located land in Australia.

Behind the scenes, there are two independent, not-for-profit bodies pushing hard for higher professional standards and fairer policy settings—and we’re right behind them.

Organisation	Who They Represent	Core Advocacy Priorities
Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA)	Advisers, buyers’ agents, brokers and allied professionals	• A national licensing framework for property-investment advice • Mandatory disclosure of referral fees and commissions • Ongoing education plus a formal complaints scheme
Property Investors Council of Australia (PICA)	Australia’s two-million-plus everyday property investors	• Protecting negative gearing and sensible tax settings • Opposing punitive rental reforms that shrink rental supply • Grass-roots education via webinars, petitions and policy briefings

Both bodies share a simple aim: make property investment safer, fairer and more transparent for ordinary Australians. By contributing data, expert commentary and direct policy feedback, we’re helping regulators close the loopholes that spruikers exploit—while ensuring responsible investors are heard when tax or tenancy reforms are on the table.

For full transparency, Empower Wealth’s founder Ben Kingsley served as PIPA Chair (2012–2017) and is the inaugural Chair of PICA. He continues to make policy submissions, provide research support, host advocacy content across our platforms, and attend parliamentary hearings around the country to ensure everyday property investors are heard and protected.

If you have any questions about ethical, evidence-based property investing—or simply want to understand how accreditation safeguards your journey—our team is always here to help.