# #371: The Retirement Countdown - Is Adding One More Property to Your Portfolio Close to Retirement a Smart Move or a Step Too Far? Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-property-trio-formerly-the-property-planner-buyer-and-professor-1182693/371-the-retirement-countdown-is-adding-one-more-property-to-your-portfolio-close-to-retirement-a-smart-move-or-a-step-too-far Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-property-trio-formerly-the-property-planner-buyer-and-professor-1182693/371-the-retirement-countdown-is-adding-one-more-property-to-your-portfolio-close-to-retirement-a-smart-move-or-a-step-too-far.md Podcast: [The Property Trio (formerly The Property Planner, Buyer and Professor)](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-property-trio-formerly-the-property-planner-buyer-and-professor-1182693) Published: 2026-07-20T11:10:50+00:00 Episode link: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2026/07/20/the-retirement-countdown/ Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73066722/pt_ep_371_listener_question_scott.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-property-trio-formerly-the-property-planner-buyer-and-professor-1182693/episodes/371-the-retirement-countdown-is-adding-one-more-property-to-your-portfolio-close-to-retirement-a-smart-move-or-a-step-too-far Duration seconds: 3299 ## Resource This week, Cate and Dave answer a thoughtful listener question from Scott, who is approaching retirement with five investment properties, positive cash flow and a big decision to make. Should he borrow to buy a $500,000 Melbourne apartment, or focus on preserving wealth? Dave explores retirement planning, portfolio purpose, debt and cash flow, while Cate examines whether Melbourne's affordable apartments and units could benefit from changing investor behaviour following the recent negative gearing reforms. T hey also discuss investment-grade apartment selection, owner's corporation costs, and long-term capital growth prospects. This is a practical conversation for investors planning their next chapter. The Property Trio is: David Johnston, Mortgage Broker - Managing Director of Property Planning Australia https://propertyplanning.com.au/ Cate Bakos, Buyers Advocate - Managing Director of Cate Bakos Property https://www.catebakos.com.au/ Mike Mortlock, Quantity Surveyor - Managing Director of MCG Quantity Surveyors https://www.mcgqs.com.au/ 📩 Got a question you want answered in a future episode? Send it through https://www.propertytrio.com.au/contact-us/ Shownotes: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2026/07/20/the-retirement-countdown/ ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-property-trio-formerly-the-property-planner-buyer-and-professor-1182693/episodes/371-the-retirement-countdown-is-adding-one-more-property-to-your-portfolio-close-to-retirement-a-smart-move-or-a-step-too-far/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-property-trio-formerly-the-property-planner-buyer-and-professor-1182693/371-the-retirement-countdown-is-adding-one-more-property-to-your-portfolio-close-to-retirement-a-smart-move-or-a-step-too-far.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.