Do you sometimes listen to those seasoned property investors and wonder how they got started?

It’s quite simple actually – they probably started with just one investment property.

Anyone can realise the dream of achieving your financial goals through property investment.

If you’re not sure why you would want to get involved, here are the five best reasons:

1. Financial Independence

Now, more than ever, it’s important to make sure you have steps in place if you want to live comfortably in your retirement. The retirement age seems to be increasing, and people are no longer able to rely on the aged pension as a sole source of income.

If you start now you can build a property investment portfolio that will provide you with financial independence – whatever that means to you.

For some people that means one investment property that provides a rental return. For others, it means building a veritable monopoly of investment properties in an apparent bid to conquer the universe.

2. Take control of your own investments

The great thing about investing in property is that you’re completely in control of what you purchase, and you can take steps to ensure that you give yourself the best chance of achieving excellent capital growth or rental return figures.

The problem with investing in shares and superannuation is that you aren’t able to control fluctuations in the market – your role is very passive.

3. Grow your portfolio as your equity increases

Once you start investing in property, it’s sometimes difficult to stop. One investment starts to grow which allows you to purchase another, and before you know it you have a nice little collection of properties making money for you.

4. Capital Growth

If you choose wisely, you should be able to achieve strong capital growth on your investment properties. The key is to choose the right type of property in the right area. This might not be an area where you would choose to live – it just needs to be an area with lots of potential for growth.

5. Rental Income

If you hope to achieve a good rental income from your investment properties, you should purchase carefully, and keep your ideal tenant in mind. If you like the idea of renting to students, make sure you look in areas near a university or very near to public transport. If you would prefer to rent to a family, schools, shopping centres and parks might be more important.

But decide what’s most important first: capital growth or rental return. You might not always get a great rental return in an area that has a high level of growth.