Indian Couple Builds 18-Property Empire In Australia, Reveals Bold Strategy

NDTV

21-07-2025

Rasti Vaibhav and Rupali Rastogi, an Indian couple who moved to Australia with modest means, are gaining widespread attention for their remarkable success. According to Daily Mail, the couple came to Australia in 2006 and have since built an impressive property investment portfolio, now owning 18 properties at an estimated $11.3 million. The couple, with IT and banking experience, started their investment journey in 2011 with a 10% mortgage deposit. They began by buying land and building a $440,000, four-bedroom house in Fletcher, a suburb of Newcastle.
Their properties are strategically located in areas such as Sydney's outer west, Melbourne's north, Brisbane's fringes, and south of Perth. According to Mr. Vaibhav, one of the biggest mistakes Australians make is prioritising saving for a mortgage deposit to live in a desirable suburb as owner-occupiers, only to find prices have surged out of reach. They argue that buying a home to live in may not be the most strategic decision for Australians, citing the potential benefits of investing in property instead.
"It's very emotional - I live in my own home and I can choose to change the décor as and when I like it" - but just be aware that it's very costly. The traditional way of what people have learnt about debt... is that "I need to have my own home and then when I am paid off, then I'll be looking at investments," Mr Vaibhav told Daily Mail Australia.
The couple has flipped the traditional approach to homeownership. Instead of buying a $3.5 million home in a desirable Sydney suburb, they're renting a place in Narraweena for $100,000 a year. Meanwhile, they've built a substantial property portfolio that's likely to appreciate faster than wages. Mr. Vaibhav noted that paying $230,000 annually in mortgage repayments for a similar home nearby wasn't worth it.
Sydney's median house price is around $1.6 million, making it challenging for first-home buyers to save for a 20% deposit and afford stamp duty.
"They have to keep saving, keep earning and if you look at the average rate of saving, that will take a few years for them to get to that point, but by the time they get there, the price has already shot up further. It becomes unaffordable for a lot of people on average. We chose the path that's not so conventional. It's much easier to think about rent-vesting. Live where you want to live for the lifestyle, for the friends, for the school, for the workplace," Mr Vaibhav remarked.
After living in Epping, they moved to Sydney's northern beaches, renting in North Curl Curl and later Narraweena, to be close to a selective school and the ocean. Their daughter's desire to live near the beach drove the decision, and they preferred renting to achieve this lifestyle rather than buying a house in a far-off suburb.
"When people can't afford to live in their desired suburb, what they do is they go a bit more further and when they're priced out, they go further out and all of a sudden, they realise they are so much (more west) to the CBD that they're spending about one-and-half hours one-way to their workplace. To us, saving those three hours per day is more important. It's also about the time and the peace that they're able to spend time with their loved ones in pursuing their hobbies that they want to do," he added.
Mr. Vaibhav and his wife prioritise building a property portfolio and enjoying a desirable lifestyle over homeownership. Despite the risk of eviction, they choose to rent in an upmarket suburb, securing fixed-term leases for stability. The couple has experience with renting, having lived in eight properties since moving to Australia in 2006.
The family plans to buy their dream home eventually, but is prioritising building their investment portfolio first. They intend to sell some of their properties to fund the purchase of their own home. "We have just delayed our buying a home - it doesn't mean that we'll never own our own home," Mr Vaibhav said.