Make decisions, take the hits, become a develo

Bob's tip: go light after a break from the gym

Soft skills weave through the process

Decision-making under uncertainty

Nothing is ever 100 percent: rates, market, bu

A call that proved right: pulling out of apart

A call that proved right: walking away from a

A good small call: lifts and 3m ceilings in a

The deal Bob wishes he hadn't done

Resilience: taking the hits without catastroph

Two builders went bankrupt: what happened

Find experts, set a plan, stick to it

Mindset: let go of the plan, keep the good stu

Leadership: organised, a plan, clear roles

Ten minutes a day on your systems

The valuation that expired a day before settle

Lead the experts without being one, don't micr

Self-awareness: your triggers show up in your

The architect and town planner who didn't get

Optimists, pessimists, and sticking to the fac

Confidence: property development is a confiden

Stop listening and do one step a day

The free November masterclass

Confidence is built, speed bumps and all

Competence first, then confidence

You have to know the game you're playing

Wrap up: a game everybody can play

Property development is a process, but woven through it are the skills that make the process happen: making decisions when nothing is certain, leading a team of experts, knowing your own triggers, and building the confidence to act.

Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton pick up where last week's people-skills episode left off. Bob explains what he did when two builders went bankrupt mid-project, the valuation that expired one day before settlement, and the architect and town planner who should never have been hired together. 

The takeaway: competence builds confidence, confidence is built one step a day, and whether your gap is a hard skill or a soft skill, you can build it. 

Property development is a game everybody can play, but you need to know the game you are playing.

Free Profit with Property Development Masterclass, Saturday 21 November 2026, 9am to 1pm AEDT. Register here: https://www.propertymastermind.com.au/events/profit-with-property-development-masterclass/

Hosted by Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton of Property Mastermind.

Property development is a process, but woven through it are the skills that make the process happen: making decisions when nothing is certain, leading a team of experts, knowing your own triggers, and building the confidence to act. Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton pick up where last week's people-skills episode left off. Bob explains what he did when two builders went bankrupt mid-project, the valuation that expired one day before settlement, and the architect and town planner who should never have been hired together.&nbsp; The takeaway: competence builds confidence, confidence is built one step a day, and whether your gap is a hard skill or a soft skill, you can build it. Property development is a game everybody can play, but you need to know the game you are playing. Free Profit with Property Development Masterclass, Saturday 21 November 2026, 9am to 1pm AEDT. Register here: <a href="https://www.propertymastermind.com.au/events/profit-with-property-development-masterclass/">https://www.propertymastermind.com.au/events/profit-with-property-development-masterclass/</a> Hosted by Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton of Property Mastermind.

Want to sky-rocket your property development career? Bob Andersen & Hilary Saxton are here to add value to your property journey, whether it be through high-quality education, guidance, and accountability. Stay tuned for weekly episodes!

Want to sky-rocket your property development career? Bob Andersen &amp; Hilary Saxton are here to add value to your property journey, whether it be through high-quality education, guidance, and accountability. Stay tuned for weekly episodes!

Property Mastermind - All Things Property Development

Property Mastermind Podcast with Bob Andersen & Hilary Saxton

Are you the weak link in your Property Development? Decisions, Setbacks and Confidence | EP 273

Not a builder? Not a problem

Bob's tip: big baits catch big fish

Builders and developers: two different roles

A developer's job in one sentence

A week in the life: duplex under construction

How long a site visit really takes

What developers don't do

Why you don't need a construction background

What you can leave to the builder

Jenny and Richie: nine apartments, no hammer

Hours per week during construction

Can not being a builder be an advantage?

Golden handcuffs: builders and good jobs

How much work at the start?

Finding a site and the time it takes

About four or five hours a week on average

The two busiest periods of a project

Henry: a senior job and three projects

How much learning before you start?

Watch the first third, then get started

Joint ventures and finding investors

A new student's list of JV partners

Have investor conversations early

The end of construction and marketing

Rapid fire: developer or hand it off?

Students from every background

Ollie the chef, Gary, Mark and more

No correlation with your background

Start with 10 hours a week, then less

Never set foot on a site? Do this

How proud would you be?

Free masterclass on 21 November

A lot of people think property developers are builders. Most are not. Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton unpack what a developer actually does, week to week, and why you do not need a construction background, a trade or a degree to do it.

Bob describes a developer's job in one sentence, walks through a normal week on a duplex under construction, explains what you can leave to the builder, and shares what a project really takes in hours: around four or five a week on average, up to ten in the two busy periods. Hilary and Bob cover the golden handcuffs that keep builders and well-paid professionals stuck, how much learning you need before you look for a site, why investor conversations should start early, a rapid-fire round on what the developer does versus hands off, and the chefs, pharmacists, marketers and telco managers who became developers through the mentoring program.

The takeaway: a developer coordinates people to create a project. Everyone else does the work. If you want to do it, you can, whatever you do now.

Free Profit with Property Development Masterclass, Saturday 21 November 2026, 9am to 1pm AEDT, live on Zoom: https://www.propertymastermind.com.au/events/profit-with-property-development-masterclass/

Hosted by Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton of Property Mastermind.

Not A Builder? Not A Problem. What Property Developers Actually Do | EP 276

Cheap decisions, expensive consequences

Bob's tip: $5 on Australia

Today: when to cut corners, and when not to

Draftsman, building designer or architect?

Architects who forget the build cost

Moving a window to cut the build cost

Non-standard windows: $100,000 extra

Ceiling heights and the hidden extras

Cantilevers, steel and fire separation

Is the cheapest consultant a good idea?

How Bob chooses a town planner

Over-engineered structural designs

What to look for besides price

Saving on finishes without losing value

Less stonework, same sale price

When down-specing hurts the sale price

Rentals versus owner-occupiers

The cheapest builder

Why variations cost you

Due diligence and consultant fees

Seven architects, fees 2.5 times apart

The cheap survey that cost more

Marketing and staging

Running our own Google ads

Doing the work yourself

What is your time worth?

Cutting corners on feasibilities

Costs new developers leave out

When you cannot let a site go

Saving money on education

The $10,000 walk-away

Build for profit, not for cheap

Everyone wants to save money on a development, but there is a big difference between being smart with your money and penny pinching. Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton work through where property developers can sensibly save, and where cutting corners ends up costing far more.

Bob covers choosing between a building designer and an architect, the non-standard windows that added over $100,000 to one duplex, why the cheapest consultant is rarely the cheapest in the end, how over-engineered structural plans inflate costs, where you can trim finishes without touching the sale price, builders and variations, the cheap survey that had to be redone, staging and marketing, doing jobs yourself, and the costs people leave out of a feasibility.

The takeaway: the goal is not the cheapest development, it is the most profitable one. Sometimes that means spending less and sometimes it means spending more. The skill is knowing the difference.

Free Profit with Property Development Masterclass, Saturday 21 November 2026, 9am to 1pm AEDT, live on Zoom: https://www.propertymastermind.com.au/events/profit-with-property-development-masterclass/

Hosted by Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton of Property Mastermind.

Cheap Decisions, Expensive Consequences: Cutting Corners in Property Development | EP 275

You don't need to be ready to start

Bob's tip: in heaven there is no beer

Why people wait, and getting off the fence

Was Bob ready when he started?

Ready and willing, not necessarily able

Finding your why

Bob's plan: a job selling land subdivisions

Nobody to learn from back then

What you don't need in place

Don't wait for all the ducks to line up

"I'll wait until the market settles"

Does a perfect property market exist?

Why now is a good time

Pockets: pick an area and dig in deep

Do you need to know the whole process?

The first three steps are what matter now

The danger of educating yourself for years

The man who did every course and no project

No site yet? What to do first

Why people stop after their first project

Build your team before you find a site

Who actually does it, and who doesn't

Certainty comes from moving, not waiting

How small hold-ups derail momentum

Confidence is built one action at a time

"What do I actually say?" Baby steps

Action, traction, momentum

What to do on Monday morning

The free masterclass on 21 November

Six things you don't need

A student whose project is running smoothly

Wrap up: in the game or on the sideline

Most people who want to do property development are waiting for something: enough money, enough knowledge, the right market, the right site, enough confidence. Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton unpack what ready really looks like, and why you are probably closer than you think.

Bob explains why he was not ready when he started, short on money, short on knowledge and with nobody to learn from, and went ahead anyway. He and Hilary cover why a perfect property market does not exist, which parts of the process you need to understand now and which can wait, the danger of educating yourself for years without acting, who to have on your team before you find a site, why people stall after their first project, and how confidence is actually built, one action at a time.

The takeaway: you do not need to quit your job, know everything, be a builder, have found a site, have a million dollars or feel completely confident. You need a reason, the first few steps, and the willingness to take them.

Free Profit with Property Development Masterclass, Saturday 21 November 2026, 9am to 1pm AEDT, live on Zoom: https://www.propertymastermind.com.au/events/profit-with-property-development-masterclass/

Hosted by Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton of Property Mastermind.

You Don't Need to Be Ready to Start Property Development (Here's What You Do Need) | EP 274

Are you the weak link in your Property Development? Decisions, Setbacks and Confidence | EP 273

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Property Mastermind Podcast with Bob Andersen & Hilary Saxton

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