I’m in my 20s, and I have a good job. My parents are encouraging me to buy an investment property. I get that I should invest my money in something, but I don’t know much about real estate (or investing for that matter), and the idea of taking out a mortgage does make me nervous. My parents bought property back in the 1990s so they think you can’t go wrong with property, but I worry that I won’t be able to take advantage of the same market conditions they had. Is an investment property the right move?

My view tends to be that an investment property isn’t the best place to start for most beginner investors. If you’re new to investing, jumping into a multiple six-figure asset is like jumping into the deep-end of a pool without knowing how to swim.

Property investment is not for the faint of heart.Credit: Simon Letch

I’m not saying property isn’t, or can’t be, a good investment. It can be – if you know how to buy the right property, for the right reasons, at the right time. In other words, do you know how to make an informed property decision – or are you just hoping it’ll work out well for you?

If you’re sitting in the second category – that’s understandable. There are a lot of accidental real-estate millionaires in........

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