Get Started
For Active Investors

Every property beginswith strategy

A disciplined way to invest for busy professionals, research-led and carried by a specialist team from your first brief to well beyond settlement.

Start investor quiz Get in touch
The three-step consulting approach

Our approach to property investing

  • Strategy

    Strategy comes before any property. Together we define your goals and set the investment brief that guides every recommendation, a discipline refined over twelve years.

  • Research

    Our Disciplined Research Culling Process weighs each market against the fundamentals that drive long-term demand and tenant appeal, narrowing hundreds of possibilities to the few that fit your brief.

  • Support

    A specialist team stays with you at every stage. Our relationship rarely ends at settlement. Many clients return for their second, third and fourth property.

View our full process

Twelve years refining
The API Approach

Emma Allen has spent more than twelve years, and nearly two decades in property, refining the approach behind every brief. It is built on disciplined research, tested through changing markets, and guided by one principle: strategy comes before property.

An award-winning entrepreneur, she is a contributing author in two best-selling Australian business anthologies and co-host of the Property Boss Mums podcast.

Today the specialist team carries that approach forward, holding every brief to the same standard: only the properties that survive the research reach a client.

Read Emma's story
Emma Allen and the Active Property Investing team with an industry award

Our research culling process

This is the discipline behind that selection. Refined over the years, it assesses each location against the fundamentals that drive growth and tenant appeal: economic, population and infrastructure trends, town planning, public and private investment, and the risks sitting beneath the surface. We weigh risk against opportunity and share what we find, so you decide with confidence.

See our full process
The Research Culling Process: economy, infrastructure, population, planning and investment appeal assessed to surface the opportunity

Meet the team behind your
investment journey

From your first strategy conversation through to settlement and beyond, you'll work with specialists who understand your strategy and keep you informed at every stage. It's a coordinated approach that gives you clarity and confidence throughout your investment journey.

  • Emma Allen

    Emma Allen

    Founder & Director

  • Chris Newell

    Chris Newell

    Sales Manager & Principal Consultant

  • Jana Abesamis

    Jana Abesamis

    Contract Administrator

  • Emilou Santillan

    Emilou Santillan

    Research Manager

  • Ros Ronning

    Ros Ronning

    Business Consultant

  • Vincent Agcaoili

    Vincent Agcaoili

    Solutions Assistant

  • Chrezl Kiamco

    Chrezl Kiamco

    Executive Assistant

  • Chantal Agcaoili

    Chantal Agcaoili

    Client Services Manager

The thinking behind our fee model

  • Research comes first

    We assess five fundamentals: economy, infrastructure, population, planning and investment appeal.

  • Only 16% reach a brief

    Each one is tested against our strict research criteria.

  • Assessed continually

    Our pool of properties and locations changes daily.

  • Growth is the goal

    We facilitate the right opportunities and support the implementation to optimise success.

  • Complimentary service

    We receive a marketing fee from the vendor when a property is purchased.

The fee model

Our service is complimentary

We are professional researchers first, identifying locations with the fundamentals that support long-term investment and opening access to boutique developments and selected off-market opportunities.

As licensed real estate agents, we receive a marketing fee from the vendor when a property is purchased. Unlike the traditional real estate model, we don't present every opportunity we're offered. Each one passes through our strict Research Culling Process, measured against the fundamentals that drive long-term growth.

Start Investor Quiz

Australian markets we research continuously

What our clients
are saying

  • They were incredibly thorough, analyzing market trends and filtering opportunities to perfectly match my risk tolerance and budget. Highly communicative, proactive and transparent from start to finish.

    Diana

  • I have purchased five properties through API and when the time is right I will seek their services again. Their knowledge about property investment is second-to-none. Thanks Emma and your team for helping me to increase my net worth.

    Shane M

  • API have helped me build my property portfolio using their extensive knowledge and experience. I could not be any happier with their service and the result; I have personally referred a number of family and friends.

    Simone K

  • Emma and her team were extremely informative and helpful from start to finish, making all the right recommendations to guide us through a complex experience. Looking forward to expanding our portfolio with you in the near future.

    Louis Hu

  • Amazing from the start of my investment journey, liaising with my broker daily so settlement landed on the due date. Their attention to the investor’s needs is so professional. Looking forward to working with them again for the next investment.

    Pablo C

FAQs

Common questions from investors

  • How long does an engagement usually last?
    It depends on where an investor is starting from. When someone is financially and emotionally ready, we can move from strategy to selection in one to two weeks, with a contract secured within a matter of days. If there are steps to prepare first, we hold off on shortlisting until everything is in order. From there the timeline follows the property: something recently completed, or a build. Either way we support the investor over the month or months until they have their keys, and we help transition the property across to their property manager. Many clients maintain a long term relationship, touching base to test the market again, revisit how values have grown or cashflow has changed, and regrouping for their second, third or fourth property.
  • How does API get paid?
    Our service is complimentary. As licensed real estate agents, we receive a marketing fee from the vendor when a property is purchased. Unlike a traditional real estate model, we don’t present every opportunity we’re offered. Each one passes through our Research Culling Process before it’s matched to a client’s strategy and brief.
  • Are you a buyer’s agent?
    No. We are researchers first and foremost, advocates for research and the fundamentals of sound investing. We are not licensed to act for you in the transaction, and we work as a property consultancy rather than a transactional buyer’s agent. How a property performs is only one part of the picture: the ability to invest well is shaped by lending, buying structures, economics and legislation, and the many moving parts an investor has to navigate in a market that keeps changing. Clients come to us to facilitate the whole of it, the strategy, the shortlisting and the buying service, with support that continues property after property.
  • What kinds of properties do you focus on?
    New property, primarily: house and land packages, townhouses and apartments, dual-occupancy and duplexes, and property held inside a self-managed super fund. You are the first owner, which means full depreciation, current build standards, fewer surprises at settlement, and a cleaner picture for the lender. We are also expanding into commercial property to support SMSF investors, as the limited recourse borrowing arrangement (LRBA) rules for residential property held inside super have changed. The reasons sit in full on the Research and Selection page.
  • Does API build the property or manage construction?
    No. API researches, supports and facilitates the buying journey. The builder remains responsible for the build itself, including construction quality and any defect resolution. Our role is to support alignment between the outcome and the original strategy, from the brief through to settlement.
  • Do you publish a list of available properties?
    No. Properties are matched to a brief, not browsed off a shelf. The selection page explains why a public list works against the methodology and what the alternative looks like.
  • Can you work with my existing broker, accountant or financial planner?
    Yes. Most clients already have trusted professionals. We work alongside them, sharing the information they need to support your investment strategy and keeping everyone aligned throughout the process.
  • What happens after I take the Investor Quiz?
    You get a short summary of where you sit, the move that would put you in a stronger position, and a clear next step. Either a strategy session, the Active Investor Path, or a tailored path through the resources. The Investor Quiz takes about five minutes.

Five minutes to a clearer
investment plan

If you're ready to build your portfolio, start with the Investor Quiz. It helps us understand your goals and prepare for a strategy conversation focused on your next investment.

Start the Investor Quiz Not ready for the quiz? Get in touch.