¿We liked the idea of investing in bricks and mortar¿but we didn¿t want to manage a property ourselves.¿  

John and Pamela bought their first Defence Housing Australia (DHA) investment property in 1999. Ten years on, they own five DHA properties and plan to buy more.

?Property wasn?t our first investment; we had funds in a property trust, an equity trust, the stock market and superannuation,? says John.

Pamela adds, ?But we weren?t really comfortable with these investment decisions. We had taken other people?s advice, were paying a lot of money in fees and commissions and didn?t really understand what we were doing; especially when it came to shares.?

?We liked the idea of investing in bricks and mortar because it?s something tangible; you can see it and touch it,? says Pamela.

?But we knew we didn?t want to manage a property ourselves; so DHA seemed like a perfect option,? says John.

John first heard about DHA property investment by chance encounter with some secateurs and a rose bush while pruning a neighbour?s roses!

John explains, ?Her son worked at DHA and was involved in selling investment properties. It sounded interesting, especially with DHA being a Government entity, so I took his details.?

?I made a few calls and within a couple of days we had driven past a property and organised an inspection.?

?We were both really impressed with the quality of construction,? says Pamela. ?I must admit, I also started getting emotionally drawn in looking at the street and neighbourhood amenities, but John had other ideas!?

?I requested a copy of the lease because I wanted to be confident we were making a sound financial decision not an emotional one,? says John. ?I was really surprised when I read it and easily understood the terms...it wasn?t Shakespeare with confusing language or hidden meaning!?

John and Pamela also met with their accountant before committing to buy.

?We certainly didn?t make the appointment intending to get our accountant?s blessing,? says Pamela. ?Although it was encouraging that he thought highly of DHA?s investment program...and the rest, as they say, is history!?

?It?s really simple...we have invested with DHA many times and are quick to recommend it because we believe it is a relatively safe investment.?

?For us, it?s been hassle-free; we rarely get a phone call,? says John. ?Although we?re not really what you?d call hands off investors!?

Pamela explains, ?We live in the same state as our properties so we have taken the opportunity to inspect them. It?s not because we have to but more out of interest. Each time we have been really impressed with how well they are being looked after.?

?We pay a lot of attention to the local property market; how suburbs or towns are performing and what rental return we can expect,? says John.

?We have challenged the annual rental valuations, where we thought it was too low, but overall we have been very pleased.?

Pamela adds, ?DHA has never missed a rental payment in 10 years. There are not many property owners that can boast about that!?

John and Pamela have no hesitation in recommending DHA to family, friends and even acquaintances.

?I tell so many people I think DHA will have to put me on the payroll!? says John jokingly.

?We are looking to add a few more DHA investments to our portfolio so we can enjoy our pending retirement comfortably.?

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