Designing a Complete Path into the Australian Real Estate Market
Ultra High Net Worth Individual (UHNWI)
From opportunity to delivery—without fragmentation
An Ultra High Net Worth Individual (UHNWI) international client saw strong long-term potential in the Australian real estate market and decided to pursue a development-led investment.
The opportunity was compelling—but entering a new market brought complexity that couldn’t be managed through disconnected advisors.
Market dynamics were unfamiliar. Local partners needed to be carefully chosen.
Regulatory and FinCap requirements, contract structures, construction risk, cost control, and exit planning all had to work together—under one clear direction.
What the client needed was not advice in pieces, but a single, accountable partner who could design and manage the entire investment journey from start to finish.
Our Role
HashtagOne partnered with the client as an end-to-end strategic and execution lead, acting as the client’s local representative in Australia.
Our role was to design a clear entry path into the market—and then stay accountable through deal structuring, partner negotiation, construction delivery, and long-term value protection.
Rather than handing work across multiple parties, we focused on holding the system together.
Outcome
The client entered the Australian real estate market with confidence and control. Over time, the investment evolved into a large-scale, diversified real estate portfolio, designed for stability, income generation, and long-term value.
8,000 build-to-rent apartments were constructed and brought into operation, creating a stable, recurring income base.
3,000 build-to-sell apartments were delivered and successfully sold, realizing capital returns while maintaining disciplined risk exposure.
130,000 square meters of retail space were developed and placed under active management, supporting commercial resilience across the portfolio.
210,000 square meters of commercial land were structured and managed as part of the long-term investment strategy, preserving flexibility and future optionality.
Across all projects, capital was deployed with clear governance, disciplined cost control, and integrated risk management. The investor gained visibility, confidence, and control—while the portfolio continued to perform across different asset classes and market cycles.
Most importantly, complexity was not transferred to the client. It was designed, managed, and held together as a single, coherent system.
What we did
Designing the entry strategy
We began by clarifying the client’s intent: risk appetite, return expectations, and the level of control required in a foreign market.
From there, we assessed locations, asset types, and development models—not just for upside, but for resilience and flexibility.
The market entry strategy was designed to balance opportunity with governance, speed with control.
Building the right partnerships
Local partnerships were central to success—but only if structured carefully. We identified and evaluated potential development and investment partners, looking beyond surface credentials to assess alignment, capability, and risk-sharing behaviour.
Negotiations focused on clarity: who decides, who carries which risks, and how capital is protected over time. The goal was to build partnerships that could perform under pressure—not just on paper.
Structuring projects for stability and return
Based on the strategy, we structured two complementary development pathways:
Build-to-Rent:
A long-term hold strategy delivering approximately 8,000 rental units, designed to generate stable, recurring income and asset resilience.Build-to-Buy:
A development-for-sale strategy of approximately 3,000 residential units, structured to deliver capital returns while managing exposure and timing risk.Retail & Industrial:
Embedded retail space of approximately 130,000 sqm within the Build-to-Rent and Build-to-Sell developments, combined with a separate programme of approximately 210,000 sqm of industrial space, structured to support income diversification and balance the residential strategies.
Each pathway was designed with different risk, liquidity, and return profiles—working together as one portfolio.
Structuring the deal with the end in mind
Deal and contract structures were designed as part of a broader system, not as standalone legal exercises. We advised on transaction structure and negotiated key commercial terms to ensure alignment between:
contracts,
financing assumptions, and
long-term exit options.
Exit scenarios—sale, hold, refinance, or staged exit—were considered from the beginning, shaping decisions throughout the project.
Managing construction as an investment discipline
As the project moved into delivery, our role shifted into hands-on oversight.
We supported builder selection and contract negotiation, then represented the client throughout construction—monitoring progress against scope, timeline, and agreed quality benchmarks.
Construction was managed not just as a build, but as a capital protection exercise.
Holding cost and quality together
To prevent drift, we established clear cost-control frameworks and approval processes.
Budgets, variations, and procurement decisions were actively monitored, ensuring transparency and discipline at every stage.
Quality control was treated as integral to long-term value—not a final inspection step.
Designing exit and long-term optionality
Exit was not treated as an afterthought. From the outset, we designed clear exit pathways for different assets:
long-term hold and income generation
staged asset sales
refinancing and capital recycling
This ensured the investor retained flexibility as market conditions evolved.