When it comes to investing—especially in property—people often assume they need to be constantly active to be successful. But the truth is, in most cases, you only need to make one good investment decision every year or two. The rest of the time, it’s about avoiding the wrong ones.

I’ve worked with many clients who are incredibly eager to keep investing. While that enthusiasm is great, I often have to remind them: be patient. In property, it’s not about how many deals you do—it’s about making the right ones and avoiding the bad ones.

One of the golden rules I share is: Don’t buy lemons. These are properties with hidden issues that can drain your finances and limit your options in the future. Even worse? Properties in undesirable or risky locations—just because they’re cheap.

Recently, I had a client who was keen on buying a property in a floodplain. It was priced low, which made it tempting. But cheap doesn’t mean good. I explained the risks: over the years, we’ve seen many investors who purchased in flood-prone areas without proper guidance. Later, they found out the hard way—no insurance company wanted to cover it, and banks refused to lend on it. That meant they couldn’t sell or refinance. Their “bargain” became a financial trap.

Thankfully, after understanding the risks, this client walked away from the deal.

We also don’t recommend property trading as a strategy. You don’t need to be constantly buying and selling to be successful in property. In fact, most successful investors grow their wealth by making a few well-thought-out decisions and holding quality assets over time—not by chasing quick wins or flipping properties. Being too active often leads to higher risk, more stress, and unnecessary costs.

In the end, property investment is as much about protecting your downside as it is about chasing the upside. So take your time, do your research, and don’t be afraid to walk away from deals that don’t stack up—no matter how good they seem on the surface.

Because in investing, the costliest mistake is often the one you didn’t avoid.

In our upcoming workshop, we’ll dive deeper into “what not to buy”—covering the types of properties and strategies we don’t recommend, and why. If you want to learn how to avoid costly mistakes and make smarter investment decisions, this session is for you.