An Aussie couple have revealed the surprising investment approach that has turned them into rich-listers with a net worth of $153m while still in their mid-30s.

Scott, 37, and Mina O’Neill, 36, receive close to $6.2m in gross returns annually from a range of property investments, plus even higher income from business interests.

A significant amount of that wealth was accrued in the last two years alone, with the value of their property investments ballooning from $53m in 2022 to $105m – about $75m of which they hold in equity.

Those investments also allowed them to establish a company that’s valued at close to $70m and further leverage into $10m in other assets.

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Scott and Mina O’Neill at their Bellevue Hill home. Picture Thomas Lisson

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Plus there’s a swanky island home in Greece to throw into the mix – a destination where they now spend much of their downtime.

It’s an empire that started with $60,000 in funds that the couple had saved since they were teens, using it as a deposit for their first investment in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire more than a decade ago. Both grew up in regular income homes.

The couple claim the approach that helped them achieve such incredible wealth quickly was relatively simple: they target certain types of commercial properties that are strategically located and rarely vacant.

Mr O’Neill, who comes from an engineering background, said: “We’ve made a lot of money for our family from it. It’s changed our lives.

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One of the O’Neill’s shopping centres in Perth, which generates $750,000 in annual rent.

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“People have strong opinions about residential real estate but no one talks about commercial and it’s the commercial properties that can actually make you more money.”

The couple had originally started as residential real estate investors, but decided to start buying commercial properties instead after realising financing was easier if there were secure tenants and high rents.

Their first investments were cheap offices home to “recession proof” businesses such as doctor’s rooms. They then graduated to small warehouses, a much faster growth sector.

They eventually transitioned further into buying up small shopping complexes once they had more capital.

One of their investments includes a Brisbane industrial property.

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It was the latter purchases where the couple made a sizeable portion of their investment wealth over recent years, Mr O’Neill said.

Things also took a turn when the couple decided to quit their previous career and build a business around their investment successes, starting one of the country’s first commercial buyer’s agencies.

Their Rethink Investing business has since expanded to a range of other property businesses.

“In business, it pays to be the first,” Mr O’Neill said. “I think part of what’s made it a success, is that we’ve always been investors first.”

Their business success allowed them to start buying the same kinds of investment properties that wealth funds usually targeted.

The couple also own multiple food and beverage sites like this one.

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“Going for properties like medium-sized shopping centres brought us next level wealth,” Mr O’Neill said.

Shifting to commercial properties that others weren’t considering was the key to turbo charging the growth in their investments right from the beginning, he added.

“Most people own commercial property and don’t even know it. Super funds buy it and they have billions under management. All kinds of other funds are always buying.

“It’s because the opportunity to make a big return is much higher than with residential real estate. The risks are higher, but you can account for that if you know what you’re doing.”

The couple are one of the country’s most successful investors. Picture Thomas Lisson

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Mr O’Neill explained that commercial properties tended to be easier to finance and had hidden upside potential that other investors often ignored.

Ms O’Neill credited their early successes to a strong attention to detail and the willingness to take a plunge.

“With every purchase, you have to think, how much will give it back to your back pocket? Scott and I have a similar mindset when it comes to that.

“We didn’t get an emotional connection to any of our properties when we started … I think we’ve both always liked investing and we’ve had good investing skills.”

She added that having such a large investment portfolio has unlocked doors she never would have imagined.

“I love the flexibility we get. We can spend time with family overseas. A lot of the time we’re in Greece.

“We have the flexibility to choose to what we want to work on. We can do things we’re passionate about.

“And if business was no longer ours, the portfolio alone would keep us going. We could more than live off our investments. The business is now just a passion.”

SCOTT AND MINA’S EARLY BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS:

> Buy small offices home to recession proof companies such as doctor’s rooms and dentists

> Improve your prospects of getting financing for each deal by paying close attention to rental yields

> Focus on properties that attract the kinds of businesses that rarely move

> Diversity with purchases of warehouses, which have been chronically undersupplied and the top performing properties in the country

> Eventually graduate to small complexes offering a mix of businesses, which banks will often finance even for those on already stretched incomes because of the extremely high returns