Julian Fadini: Why Regional Property Is Now Gen Z and Millennials’ Smartest Wealth Move

As Australia’s capital city property markets become increasingly unaffordable, a new generation of investors is looking regional and reaping the rewards.

Julian Fadini, founder of PRPTY360 and one of the country’s leading property investment strategists, said regional property will be the single most powerful wealth creation tool for Gen Z and millennial Australians over the next two decades.

Fadini’s reputation for smart property buying is so respected, many of Australia’s leading NRL players and upcoming sports people, seek out his services to buy into property to spearhead their wealth creation journey.

“With rising interest rates and entry-level prices in Sydney and Melbourne pushing younger buyers out, regional areas are not just the only option, they’re becoming the smarter one,” Fadini said.

“This generation is moving beyond the outdated idea that you have to live in the property you own. They’re focused on where the growth is.”

Regional investing: smarter, faster and more achievable

Fadini said Gen Z and millennial investors are embracing regional opportunities because the maths makes sense. Lower buy-in prices, higher rental yields and a more scalable path to building a portfolio are making regional investing an attractive wealth-building strategy.

“With the right guidance, someone in their 20s or early 30s can secure a quality property in a growth region, start generating income and be on their way to property number two before many of their peers have saved a deposit for a city home,” he said.

“In many cases, we are not talking a lot of money compared to what you need to spend in the capital cities.  Regional property is affordable.”

Young investors are shifting from ownership to strategy

The traditional homeownership dream is evolving. Younger Australians are embracing ‘rentvesting’, renting in the city while owning investment properties elsewhere and focusing on long-term capital growth rather than immediate lifestyle alignment.

“Ownership isn’t dead, it is just smarter. Gen Z and millennials are focused on financial flexibility, diversification and building equity earlier. Regional property enables all of that,” Fadini said. 

Why regional growth is accelerating

Fadini pointed to a number of key drivers pushing regional markets into the spotlight: infrastructure upgrades, interstate migration, remote work acceptance and the growing appeal of lifestyle towns.

“Places like the Sunshine Coast, Hunter Valley, Cairns, Ballarat and Toowoomba are no longer fringe. They’re becoming hubs in their own right and smart investors are getting in early,” Fadini said. 

He also noted that government incentives and increased demand for affordable housing are further strengthening the fundamentals in regional markets.

Gen Z and millennials are the most data-driven investors yet

According to Fadini, this new generation of investors is more analytical, more informed and more strategic than ever before.

“They’re not buying because their parents did. They’re buying because they’ve run the numbers, followed the trends and worked with experts. They’re turning property investment into a long-term financial game, not a one-time transaction,” Fadini added.