Welcome to the Property Acquisitions Playbook! This book has been created to help you understand why your role exists, what success looks like and teach you all the things you need to know in order to do your role and meet your KPIs like a seasoned pro in no time.
Get stuck in, and as always, reach out to your leader if you have any questions 😊
We have broken each section down into modules with clear themes so you can return to the key sections you need across your time at InvestorKit.
Table of Contents
What is a Property Acquisitions Analyst
At InvestorKit, a Property Acquisitions Analyst (PAA) plays a critical role in helping our clients achieve their property investment goals. As a PAA, your focus is on sourcing off-market and pre-market properties, conducting detailed research to ensure the property meets our rigorous standards, and aligning every purchase with the client’s unique needs and strategic objectives. You’ll also provide end-to-end support during the purchasing process, delivering an exceptional experience that helps clients move closer to their financial aspirations.
Being a PAA is about more than just finding properties—it’s about collaboration, problem-solving, and consistently delivering outcomes. You’ll work closely with other departments to maintain purchasing momentum, while focusing on key results like successful purchases, client satisfaction through positive reviews, and maintaining accuracy in your work. This is your opportunity to combine your market expertise, attention to detail, and passion for helping people achieve their goals, all while contributing to InvestorKit’s mission of becoming the leader in the buyers agency space. Watch the below video to learn more about your role, what you do and how you do it from the customers perspective
What do I do?
Great question, at the end of the day your greatest measurement of success will always be the buying of property and the quality of the experience for your client, but let’s break it down further, your primary responsibilities are:
- Build and maintain relationships with real estate agents
- Source and secure off market, pre market and on-market properties
- Conduct due diligence
- Assess the value, rent and cash flow of sourced properties
- Allocate the right property to the right client.
- Present properties with the IKIT reporting and data.
- Provide exceptional client support through seamless service, collaboration, and results-driven solutions.
Where does Acquisitions fit in the organisation
Acquisitions is engaged right after a client has met with Strategy and has had a purchasing brief created. You, now armed with the knowledge of what our client needs to buy, work to source, present and secure the property for your client.
Here is a simple overview of the client journey:
Now let’s dive deeper into the specific ways you will help at each stage, Click on the headers below to learn more
The Role of the Acquisitions Team
Our acquisitions division is the backbone of our property-buying process. These deal hunters are on the ground across Australia, building relationships and securing properties that align with our client’s goals. Their mission? To only buy properties that Arjun himself would invest in.
How We Train Our Team
Buying property isn’t just about having a licence—it’s about expertise. Every acquisitions team member is trained and certified by InvestorKit in the critical aspects of property purchasing, including:
- 21-Point Due Diligence Checklist: Every property must pass this rigorous test.
- Accurate Property Pricing: Understanding both sale and rental pricing dynamics.
- Cashflow Analysis Certification: Proficiency in InvestorKit’s custom software, ARI.
- Negotiation Mastery: Real-world negotiation skills for working with real estate agents.
Even after certification, our team undergoes weekly training to sharpen their skills and maintain a competitive edge.
Vetting Markets on the Ground
When our research team identifies a promising market, our acquisitions team goes in to validate it. This involves:
- Building relationships with top agents, inspectors, and property managers.
- Uncovering local information about an area that might not be available online
- Ensuring the market has reliable local resources to support long-term property success.
Sourcing the Right Properties
When the strategy team hands over a client brief, we don’t rely on a static inventory. Instead, we actively search for the perfect property to match the client’s goals.
- 500+ Calls Per Week: Our national team contacts agents across the country.
- 2,000 Properties Sourced Monthly: With up to 70% being off-market.
- High Rejection Rate: 95%+ of sourced properties are rejected, ensuring only the best reach our clients.
Client Property Presentations
We ensure clients have all the information needed to make confident decisions. For every shortlisted property, we provide:
- Region Report
- State to State - Purchase Process
- Due Diligence Report
- Comparable Sales and Rentals
- Cashflow Analysis
- Raw Photos and Videos
If the client isn’t comfortable with the property? No problem. We move on to the next one.
Negotiating the Deal
Once the client approves a property, our team of expert negotiators gets to work. Their goal is simple: secure the best deal without overpaying. Negotiation is what they do day in, and day out.
What Happens After Purchase?
Once the deal is closed, the client can relax while we handle the tedious details:
- Contract review by solicitor/conveyancer
- Organising Pest & Building Inspections.
- Obtaining finance approval (if required)
- Connecting with the Property Management Team.
- Managing any required work on the property.
- Preparing for the rental campaign.
Looping back to Strategy
When the property settles, the hard part is over. The client enjoys the equity growth while staying looped in with their strategist, who tracks the property’s performance and provides ongoing guidance toward financial freedom.
What are my responsibilities?
Your primary responsibility is to bring clarity to the often overwhelming process of building a property portfolio, and to ensure that their journey to get there is as simple, stress free and memorable. But let’s get into the specifics, click on each primary responsibility below to learn more.
Build and maintain relationships with real estate agents
- Consistent communication with agents via phone, email, SMS etc.
- Conduct Quarterly Field Trips to agents.
Source and secure off market, pre market and on-market properties
- Develop strong relationships with agents and industry contacts.
- Use property platforms, market data, and targeted outreach to identify opportunities.
- Monitor listings, negotiate effectively, and assess property suitability.
Conduct due diligence
- Complete our 21 point due diligence process on each property to ensure we pick the best assets.
- Every property must be entered into the Due Diligence Bot and pass before proceeding.
Assess the value, rent and cash flow of sourced properties
- Compile accurate CMA & Rental reports
- Complete ARI Cash flow Analyser.
Right property, right client.
- Filtering clients in Attio by urgency and ensuring that the properties align with the client’s brief i.e location, budget, yield etc.
Present properties with the IKIT reporting and data
- Sharing the walkthrough video when possible.
- Providing our region reports
- Providing State to State Purchase Process.
- Providing the Due Diligence report.
- Sharing the CMA and Rental Report.
- Sharing the ARI Cash flow analyser link.
Provide exceptional client support
- Consistent communication.
- Explaining the next steps clearly
- Always providing timelines and deadlines to the client
- Explaining the roles of different team members.
What does success look like in my role?
Success for a new Property Acquisitions Analyst on our team means becoming a trusted advisor and a key player in guiding clients toward achieving their property investment goals, you are someone who meets and exceeds your KPIs regularly, and you continually invest in yourself.
KPI’s
KPI’s, or Key Performance Indicators, are possibly the simplest way for you to know if you are succeeding or not. And all our coaching and development programs, including this playbook and onboarding, are designed to make it easy for you to achieve them. If at any time you are finding it hard to reach some of these measures of success you can simply refer back to this guide or reach out to your leader for help. We are here to see you win after all. But lets break down what success looks like, starting with the KPI’s.
Quantitative KPIs:
Hold up! What is a Quantitative KPI? Quantitative means we can measure the output of these KPIs through data and numbers. They are easy to track as they are generally target, accuracy and outcome based.
Property Purchases:
Consistently meeting individual monthly purchase targets of 8 purchases for a SPAA.
How do I meet my purchase goals?
First, it’s starts with sourcing properties through agent relationships. Once you have the property, selecting a client which is best suited and preparing all the reports. After collating all the information present to a client and after getting the green light, secure the property. Once you know your conversion rates, reverse engineer what amount of actions are required for your desired outcome.
Agent Connections:
Establishing and maintaining a robust network of real estate agents, with a focus on sourcing off-market and pre-market properties
How do I nail this?
It’s all about managing your day to balance outreach and execution, meet your target number of agent connects per week.
CMA Management:
Maintain an average of 30 - 45 mins or below for CMA creation and cash flow analysis.
How do I become a speed demon
Repetition is key, the more CMA’s and ARI you complete, the faster you will become. Gaining market knowledge and using Attio to find the different expenses from state to state will allow you to speed up. CoreLogic and ARI have templates and information you can pre-load to save time for future reports that are needed.
Deal Ratio:
Maintain an average of 50% offer to success ratio
How do I maintain this average?
Ah, the art of the deal! Becoming an expert negotiator and knowing that speed kills. Having a buy price from the agent is great but do you have a buy price from the client, have they agreed to purchase at the top of the range or do you need to keep going back and forth? What terms have you got approval to use from the client? These are the tools to your negotiating toolkit.
Reviews:
Minimum of half (50%) your clients purchased to leave a Google testimonial, maintaining a 5/5 service rate.
How do I get a Google review?
Delivering an impeccable service and delivering a great result. Asking politely and gracefully for the opportunity to help someone that our client knows, is easy. Focus on the service and the result then ask for the opportunity to do it again for someone they know. And remember a gentle follow up goes a long way, people are busy and might forget.
Qualitative KPIs:
How does a Qualitative KPI work? These are generally tied to the way you deliver the quantitative KPIs. Think of them like this; Qualitative is the quality of your output. You could sign up lots of clients, but your consultations go for 3 hours, you don’t apply feedback and clients are chasing you all the time.
Collaboration:
Proactively work with the wider team, including portfolio strategists and client success to ensure a high level of customer service and purchasing momentum is maintained.
How do meet this goal?
- Don’t be a stranger, feel free to introduce yourself and build relationships internally within the larger team!
- Data being entered frequently and accurately into Attio.
- Regular meetings to ensure that communication is consistent and information is being shared.
- When unsure about a client, situation, information and another team can help, feel free to ask for assistance.
Effective Negotiation Techniques:
Consistently demonstrate an effective use of open and closed questions to overcome obstacles and handle objections.
How do meet this goal?
- As they say, practice makes perfect, role playing is a great way to sharpen the tools.
- Training resources like this playbook have great scripts, dialogues and calls to practice.
- Weekly team training sessions will touch on negotiation skills and techniques regularly and this could include new ones or reminder’s of old ones that are very effective.
Continual Development:
Attend all training, coaching and other professional development sessions provided by your leadership team and InvestorKit
How do meet this goal?
- First one is probably not a surprise - show up!
- Actively participating makes the world of difference, ask questions, share your thoughts, be curious.
- Follow the tasks which are required for relevant sessions. I.e provide recording for Growth Sessions.
Industry and Brand Knowledge:
Keeping your industry knowledge sharp and understanding InvestorKit’s value proposition, case studies, and processes, so you’re equipped to deliver a high standard of service.
How do meet this goal?
- Regularly review Research reports like whitepaper’s and region reports
- Listen to InvestorKit podcasts
- Follow and observe our social media accounts.
- When a new process is shared, implement immediately.
- Ask questions for anything that you are unsure about.
Key Behaviours for Success
Now you are probably wondering what Key Behaviours are all about. These are the foundational qualities and skills that we need to see from our top performers in the strategy division. Think if them as the divisional values that take you from some who simply meets their KPI;s, into a person who exceeds them regularly and is firmly on the path for pay rises, promotions and plenty of recognition from your clients, colleagues and leaders.
- Knowledgeable: Maintain a deep understanding of the real estate market, including current trends, property values, and legal requirements. This knowledge helps them advise their clients appropriately.
- Communicative: Effective communication is vital. The agent needs to clearly convey information and updates to their clients, listen to their needs and preferences, and negotiate effectively with sellers' agents.
- Patient: Buying real estate can be a lengthy process with many ups and downs. A patient agent can help clients navigate through times of stress and decision-making, providing support throughout.
- Proactive: An effective agent anticipates issues and opportunities. They actively search for new listings and potential fits for their clients, staying ahead of the game to secure the best deals.
- Detail-oriented: Real estate transactions involve a lot of paperwork and legalities. An agent who pays close attention to details ensures that all documents are accurate and deadlines are met, preventing issues down the line.
- Ethical: Integrity is crucial in real estate. A trustworthy agent upholds ethical standards, providing honest advice and transparent dealings, which is essential for building long-term client relationships.
- Adaptable: Markets and client needs can change rapidly. An adaptable agent can shift strategies and approaches to suit the current market conditions and client demands.
- Empathetic: Understanding clients' emotions and perspectives helps an agent to better meet their needs and makes the buying process more pleasant and tailored to individual expectations.
- Persistent: Real estate deals often encounter obstacles. A persistent agent doesn't give up easily, instead finding creative solutions to challenges, ensuring their clients' goals are met.
To bring it all together, A great Property Acquisitions Analyst combines deep knowledge of the real estate market with effective communication, ensuring clients feel informed and confident every step of the way. They are patient and supportive, guiding clients through the ups and downs of decision-making with calm assurance.
Proactivity and attention to detail are their superpowers—they anticipate opportunities, navigate challenges, and handle complex transactions with precision. They uphold the highest ethical standards, fostering trust through honesty and transparency, while remaining adaptable to shifting markets and client needs.
Empathy and persistence set them apart. They truly understand clients’ emotions and goals, working tirelessly to secure the best outcomes. A great PAA doesn’t just help clients purchase properties; they deliver confidence, clarity, and long-term success.
The impact of your role
As a Property Acquisitions Analyst at InvestorKit, your role is at the heart of transforming our clients’ property investment journeys. You are not just sourcing properties; you are empowering clients to make confident, well-informed decisions that align perfectly with their strategic goals. Many of our clients come to us with uncertainty—unsure of how to navigate the complexities of property investment or how to identify the best opportunities in the market. Your expertise brings clarity to this process.
By conducting meticulous research, analysing property value, cash flow, and market trends, and negotiating the best outcomes, you provide our clients with the assurance they need to take the next step. Your ability to match them with the right property at the best price instills confidence, helping them overcome hesitation and move forward with certainty. Ultimately, you play a critical role in delivering successful outcomes, ensuring our clients achieve their investment goals while feeling supported every step of the way. Your work doesn’t just impact portfolios—it transforms lives.
Check out some case studies from our clients, they will really impress upon you the outcome of what you do
Michael Thomas - The Terminator of investments
Raj & Sowji - $9m masterpiece
Aman & Charu - $500k P/A compounding growth!
Daniel Thai - 7 in 4 years!
Lorna Wang - Saved by the strategy
Nafiz - 20 year old champion
Renji & Bency - From mistake to magic
Cameron Galloway - Strategic visionary
And that’s it, you now know more about your role and what is expected of you, let’s move on to targets, commissions and how to grow your earnings!
Learning Competency Checklist
Below are the key competencies that must be demonstrated to successfully complete this module:
1. Role Understanding & Fundamentals
- Competency: Know the core responsibilities of a Property Acquisitions Analyst—including property sourcing, due diligence, financial assessments, and client support—and understand how these tasks contribute to client success. Also, be familiar with the 8 key qualities: knowledge, communication, patience, proactivity, ethics, adaptability, empathy, and persistence.
- Pass Criteria:
- Accurately describes the role’s main tasks and explains how they help clients achieve their property investment goals.
- Lists and explains all 8 key qualities and their importance in daily work.
- Fail Criteria:
- Fails to describe the main responsibilities or confuses the key qualities.
2. Building Relationships & Property Sourcing
- Competency: Understand the importance of building strong connections with real estate agents and using various methods to find quality properties.
- Pass Criteria:
- Explains how regular contact (calls, emails, visits) builds trust with agents and opens up exclusive property opportunities.
- Demonstrates knowledge of multiple sourcing methods—such as market data analysis, online searches, and targeted outreach.
- Fail Criteria:
- Cannot explain why relationships with agents matter or relies on limited, outdated sourcing methods.
3. Due Diligence & Financial Analysis
- Competency: Understand how to thoroughly check a property’s details and use financial principles to evaluate its investment potential.
- Pass Criteria:
- Clearly explains each element of the 21-point due diligence checklist and why every step is essential.
- Shows understanding of basic financial concepts (e.g., property value, rental income, cash flow) and explains how tools like CMA reports and the ARI Cash Flow Analyser support decision-making.
- Fail Criteria:
- Is unclear about the purpose of key due diligence steps or shows limited understanding of the necessary financial concepts.
4. Client Impact Understanding & Communication
- Competency: Understand how the Property Acquisitions role transforms client investment journeys and learn to communicate property information effectively.
- Pass Criteria:
- Provides specific examples that demonstrate how the role improves both the emotional and financial outcomes for clients.
- Clearly presents property information in a straightforward and data-driven manner.
- Fail Criteria:
- Cannot connect role activities to positive client outcomes or communicates property details in a confusing or incomplete manner.
5. Case Study Analysis
- Competency: Analyze real client success stories to extract meaningful insights about effective strategies and outcomes.
- Pass Criteria:
- Analyzes at least three case studies and clearly identifies the key factors and strategies that led to successful outcomes.
- Explains the reasons behind each success in a clear, understandable way.
- Fail Criteria:
- Is unable to extract meaningful insights from the case studies or fails to identify the strategies used.
6. Professional Qualities Application
- Competency: Understand and apply the 8 key qualities in daily tasks to enhance client outcomes.
- Pass Criteria:
- Provides practical examples of how to apply each quality (knowledge, communication, patience, proactivity, ethics, adaptability, empathy, persistence) in everyday work.
- Demonstrates how these qualities contribute to overall success in the role.
- Fail Criteria:
- Cannot provide concrete examples of applying these qualities or does not understand their relevance.
7. Market Knowledge Assessment
- Competency: Understand basic market analysis principles and how market knowledge influences property selection.
- Pass Criteria:
- Shows a clear understanding of market analysis fundamentals and explains how local trends and data guide property choices.
- Can articulate how market knowledge impacts the quality of property selections.
- Fail Criteria:
- Lacks a fundamental understanding of market analysis or is unable to explain its impact on property selection.
8. Process Management, KPI’s & Continuous Learning
- Competency: Understand the full property acquisition process, know the key performance indicators (KPIs), and value continuous learning.
- Pass Criteria:
- Clearly describes each step of the process—from receiving a client brief to closing a deal—and explains the purpose behind each stage.
- Explains the differences between Quantitative and Qualitative KPIs and lists the various metrics used to measure success.
- Shows commitment to ongoing learning through regular training and responsiveness to feedback.
- Fail Criteria:
- Cannot clearly explain the acquisition process or the reasons for tracking performance.
- Fails to differentiate between different types of KPIs or shows little interest in continuous professional development.