In this episode, Sam Black sits down with Brendan Lowbridge from MoneyLinks to unpack how aspiring developers can make the leap from renovating to their first small-scale development, such as a duplex project.
They explore why many investors—despite having strong equity positions—struggle to progress due to serviceability limits or lack of accessible capital, and how joint ventures (JVs) can be the bridge to get projects off the ground. Brendan and Sam break down:
- The key reasons people turn to JVs (e.g. one party has equity, the other has borrowing power).
- How to structure ownership correctly through trusts, companies, and unit holders.
- The importance of defining roles and responsibilities early—before engaging solicitors.
- Why “available equity” is different from “paper equity” and how to set up funding in advance.
- How to avoid stamp duty traps when changing entity ownership mid-project.
- The importance of accountants and lending specialists in mapping both the purchase and construction phases.
- How to build a complementary team—leveraging different strengths rather than duplicating them.
The conversation emphasizes planning with the end in mind, building a reliable team, and treating joint ventures as real businesses, not handshake agreements.
