Property Investment

5 min read14 May 2025

Case study – Single mum invests in property (and it doesn’t always go to plan)

Becky, a single mum and high school teacher, began her journey to financial freedom through property investment. Discover how she’s building long-term wealth while raising a family.

Author: Kathy Faulkner

Kathy Faulkner, Financial Adviser and property investor

Book free session with Kathy

Reviewed by: Laine Moger

Journalist and Property Educator, holds a Bachelor of Communication (Honours) from Massey University.

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Becky was 39 when, as a single mum and high school teacher, she decided to take charge of her financial future.

So Becky made the bold move into property investment ... and it’s a decision she says has changed her life.

It all began in a rather unusual way: sitting on the couch, reading investment books out loud with a friend.

Since then, Becky has juggled a mortgage, an investment property, and the cost of raising a child.

It hasn’t always gone to plan, but she refuses to compromise on the things that matter most:

feeding her family well and
staying healthy.

This is Becky’s story: it’s about how she’s turning her reading sessions into long-term financial security.

What made you start investing in property?

Becky didn’t take her first steps into property alone.

“I had a good friend who was quite interested in doing better for herself. She came from Fiji to New Zealand to work, and she was making me read these investment books with her.

“So we read this Australian woman’s book about financial freedom and then I just somehow stumbled across the Property Academy Podcast.

“I sat in my car and listened to it for 12 or 15 minutes (whatever it was) a day for six months. That was enough really to teach me a lot about the basics.”

More from Opes:

How did you take your first step?

Once Becky decided to act, she used the “No Cash Needed” method. That’s where you borrow all the money to invest.

The Wellington home she bought about eight years had risen in value, so that gave her enough equity (wealth) to get started.

So she borrowed the deposit against her home and started looking for property.

“I’m a person of action and I have a lot of self-belief around what I can do. Even if I can’t do it, I still think I can. I guess for people listening, if you don’t think you can do it’s just about educating yourself and taking those steps.”

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing.

What hasn’t gone right?

Becky’s first investment was a 2-bedroom townhouse in Christchurch. She found a tenant quickly, but reality soon kicked in.

Initially, she thought she’d need to set aside $300 a week to top-up the property. That’s because the rent doesn’t cover all the rates, insurance, property management and mortgage.

But then interest rates started to climb. In reality, it climbed closer to $370 a week. That’s on top of her $500-a-week home mortgage.

Things got tight. Becky spent her savings and put travel plans on hold. She says her weekends became very boring — no travel, no extras.

“It was like having a mortgage for the first time … maybe even tighter. But I was fine. I wasn’t gonna let go of the property.

“Obviously interest rates were quite high too (at the higher end of predictions) and I’ve had to survive.

“The weekends have been tough. I haven’t been doing much on the weekends for the last year and a bit.

“I love travelling. I love going overseas. I love being independent, and I haven’t really been able to do that.That was a tough one, so I couldn’t do everything I wanted to, but it’s worth it.”

How did you manage to deal with the higher interest rates?

The financial squeeze was real, but Becky refused to lose sight of the bigger picture.

She could have stopped making extra payments on her mortgage; she could have made life easier for herself.

But she’s tough. She was determined to pay off her Wellington home before her son finished school, and giving up on that goal simply wasn’t an option.

Instead, she tightened her belt, got creative, and found ways to make her money work harder.

“I’ve done a few things. I stopped my KiwiSaver for one year. I got a border in the house and that’s been good.

“I got a pay rise at work (about 10k) from getting a management unit or two from the year, and it’s more work.

“I don’t want to be a deputy principal right now, but at least I knew this was something I needed to do.

“Then I quit my expensive gym. I found something local. There’s a local workout group that offers free women’s classes three times a week and a $15 local gym I can attend to fill in the other gaps. That’ll save me $50 a week.

“These are little sacrifices that you’ve gotta make. I just want it to grind through and get through and make it easier for myself this coming year.”

What wouldn’t you compromise on?

Even when money is tight, Becky makes sure she protects the parts of her lifestyle that keep her happy and healthy.

She refused to cut corners on two things:

Eating good food
Staying active and fit

“I’m not going to live off canned food or straight carbs. Feeding myself and my son well is non-negotiable,” she says.

“So saying, actually, I’m willing to compromise on my gym [and go to a cheaper one], but I am not gonna compromise on eating really well. I think that’s great because then you know that it makes it much more sustainable.

“I’m someone that loves to cook and I’ve tried everything. I’m not going to eat canned food or fast food because … well, fast food’s expensive and it makes you feel a bit crappy.

“So I just wanna feed my son well because I know that if I’m giving him good food he will actually cope with the busy life that we’ve got.”

What’s your advice to other investors?

After grinding through 18 months of tight budgets and high interest rates, Becky has her sights set on better times.

Today’s lower interest rates will take a lot of the pressure off.

She plans to rebuild her financial buffer and, most importantly, start travelling again, starting with a trip to Albania in 2026.

She says: “Make sure that you’re well in yourself. Make sure you’re actually taking the time to look after yourself. This has not kept me up at all. I’m happy with my property. I’m happy with making the decision to get into property and stay in there.

“So keep yourself well and give yourself space. And then, yeah, decide how you can make some cuts and be creative. Believe in yourself.

“I think there’s a really good message in here that property really should be supporting our life … rather than becoming our life.”

Kathy 001 2022 08 16 212440 fxys 2024 03 06 230709 kkgk

Kathy Faulkner

Kathy Faulkner, Financial Adviser and property investor

Kathy Faulkner is a Financial Adviser providing 5-star review service to 100s of Kiwi investors. She is a property investor herself and has a diverse property portfolio throughout New Zealand. Her financial advice career started decades ago in South Africa and she knows what it is like to start from the beginning and build wealth through careful investments and hard work.

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