Property investors are ready to grow. Are they getting the lending experience they need?
New research from Agile Market Intelligence and Bluestone Home Loans paints a clear picture of Australia's property investor cohort: financially stable, actively planning to expand, and often finding the lending process harder than it needs to be.
The Consumer Pulse Spotlight: Property Investors drew on more than 18,000 survey responses, including a targeted sample of over 1,500 property investors, to map their financial behaviour, lending experiences, and future plans.
Investors are confident and growing
Two-thirds of property investors feel financially secure, compared to just under half of all Australians. Nearly half report positive monthly cash flow, and their priorities reflect it: only 8% say covering day-to-day costs is their main concern, compared to 23% of the broader population.
A third plan to purchase residential investment property in the next 12 months, roughly 3.5 times the rate of the general population. A further 16% expect to take on new investment lending. The intent is there.
The demand runs deeper than existing investors
It's not just current investors looking to expand. A third of property investors feel they're missing out by not owning more properties. Among non-investors, one in four feel the same way about not being in the market at all. That's a significant pool of latent demand that doesn't show up in transaction data, and one that brokers are well placed to reach.
Where investors are hitting friction
38% of investors who have sought investment lending said the process with a traditional lender was harder than expected. Most pushed through and found a way, but 9% gave up entirely, representing a pool of motivated borrowers who may still be sitting on that ambition.
When asked what would make investing easier, Australians pointed to three recurring themes: a lending process that feels rigid and exclusionary, a lack of accessible guidance, and costs (rates, stamp duty, deposits) that remain prohibitive.
The opportunity for brokers
42% of property investors say they're open to non-bank lenders, nearly double the rate of the general population. Many already know alternatives exist. The barrier often isn't convincing them to consider a non-bank option; it's simply raising it.
59% of investors use at least one professional adviser, with accountants (46%) the most common. Brokers (21%) are already part of this network, but aren't always the first call. Building referral relationships with accountants and real estate agents, who often enter the conversation earlier, is one of the clearest paths to reaching investors before they've already made their lending decisions.
Note: Fieldwork was conducted in March 2026, prior to the Federal Government's May 2026 Budget announcement of proposed changes to capital gains tax on investment properties.
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