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The Surprising Truth: Dead People Make the Best Property Investors
Yes, you read that correctly. Fidelity, one of the biggest asset managers in the world, performed a study on their best-performing client brokerage accounts. Over a 10-year period, they found that the highest returns came from accounts where the investor was dead. The second-best returns came from those who had forgotten they even had investments.
Of course, I don’t recommend dying as a property strategy—but the lesson here is incredibly relevant to real estate investing.
Why Does This Happen?
Most of the time, the market rewards investors who get into position and then do nothing. While it seems simple, it’s a lot harder than it sounds. Successful investing—especially in property—can be extremely boring. It’s hard not to tinker, not to obsess over interest rates, or not to try and “optimise” every decision.
But the market rewards patience and punishes emotional decisions.
Dead investors aren’t panic-selling during a downturn, and they’re not buying at the top of a frenzy. They’re not reacting to headlines. And when it comes to property, this mindset is gold. The best outcomes usually come from buying well and holding on.
Peter Lynch, who averaged a 29.2% annual return with the Magellan Fund, called it “cutting the flowers and watering the weeds.” The principle applies just as much to real estate: don’t kill off your winners too early.
Trading Property? It’ll Cost You
Frequent buying and selling in the stock market racks up transaction costs and taxes. The same is true for investment property.
Selling a property means paying:
- Stamp duty on the next one
- Agent commissions
- Legal fees
- Potential capital gains tax
These are real costs that eat into your returns. Property isn’t built for trading—and that’s a feature, not a flaw. It protects you from acting on emotion.
Even the Pros Struggle to Beat the Market
If we look at the performance of active fund managers—the smartest, best-educated, highest-paid professionals—the results are eye-opening. Over 20 years, 93% underperformed the index. In the last decade, 90% still underperformed.
So, what hope do everyday investors have? The answer: do less. Buy quality, hold long-term, and let the market do the work. It’s the same with property. You don’t need to outsmart the cycle—you just need to be positioned for it.
Yes, Even I’ve Made Every Mistake
Even working in the industry with constant reminders, I’ve made the mistake of over-trading. Over the years, I’ve FOMO’d in at the top, sold too soon, or dumped an ‘underperformer’ only to watch it surge.
Fortunately, I’ve learned. And now? I don’t sell property. I’ve never sold one. There’s never been a good reason to.
When holding costs drop, and the numbers make sense, I buy more. I let compounding and growth do the heavy lifting.
Don’t Wait for the Perfect Conditions
Right now, a lot of investors are sitting on the sidelines, waiting for interest rates to drop or borrowing power to rise. They think they’ll jump in when the time is right.
But here’s the truth:
By the time the average borrower gains 20% more borrowing capacity, property prices will likely have moved 20% or more.
You don’t get ahead by waiting for comfort. You get ahead by buying when prices are at macro lows, not when your lender says “yes” to more debt.
The key metric isn’t borrowing power—it’s price, and price timing is now.
A Final Lesson—From Those Who’ve Truly Seen the End
While we’re on the subject of death, there’s one more thing worth sharing. Palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware once compiled a list of the top five regrets of the dying. If you had to distil them into a rule for modern life, it might be:
“Don’t be a coward and allow yourself to be crushed into a form just to fit your circumstances.”
Here are the five most common regrets:
- Don’t ignore your dreams
- Don’t work too much and neglect your family
- Say what you think—don’t suppress your feelings
- Cultivate friendships
- Let yourself be happy
There’s a lesson in there for all of us: buy good assets, don’t overpay, then forget about them. Spend the rest of your time living, loving your family, doing work you care about, and being fully alive.
The Property Investor’s Edge
The best property strategy isn’t found in timing the market or chasing gains. It’s found in clarity, simplicity, and patience.
Buy well.
Hold long.
Ignore the noise.
And let time build your wealth while you get on with life.
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