How a Sydney dropout invested $10 million in a sub-minimum-wage real estate portfolio

A Sydney man who dropped out of high school and worked for minimum wage has told how he amassed a $10 million real estate portfolio in just over a decade.

Daniel Walsh, 31, left school at 15 and took a job as an apprentice electrician, earning below adult minimum wage, but managed to save half his salary.

This enabled Mr Walsh to purchase his first property in Thirlmere, south-west Sydney, close to his birthplace, in 2011 when he was just 19 years old.

He paid a 5 percent down payment of $34,000 — his life savings at the time — to secure the partially built property.

Daniel Walsh (pictured right), 31, has transformed his life from dropping out of school at 15 to a real estate investor and buyer with a $10 million portfolio

Mr Walsh and his wife Sophie, 28, (pictured) married in 2018 and “joined forces” in property investing

His timing was perfect as the Sydney real estate market added $100,000 to the home’s value in just one year.

Mr Walsh and his wife Sophie, 28, have since amassed a total of 13 properties worth a whopping $10 million.

The investor couple owes the bank $3 million, but $7 million in loans have already been repaid or written off by the banks due to property appreciation.

They’ve been able to pay off mortgage and maintenance costs with renters’ money while raking in an additional $100,000 in passive income each year.

Mr Walsh told news.com.au he ‘sacrificed’ a lot during his time as an apprentice and later as a train driver, skipping nights out with friends and eating out in restaurants.

“I understood that if I worked hard for 10 years, I wouldn’t have to do that for the rest of my life,” he said.

“I understood very young that this was not a sprint but a marathon, you want to build your portfolio over 15 and 20 years [at least].’

Rather than partying like other youngsters, Mr. Walsh spent hours conversing with mentors, reading books and watching television programs devoted to real estate investing.

Since securing his first property in 2011, he has bought homes in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, and “teamed up” with his wife after their marriage in 2018 to work together as a power investing couple.

Mr. Walsh went from working as an apprentice, earning less than minimum wage, to owning 13 properties totaling $10 million in just over a decade

In 2017, Mr. Walsh founded his own property buyers agency, Your Property Your Wealth, advising aspiring investors

The couple live in one of their $2 million Sydney properties.

Posting on Facebook for his wife’s 28th birthday in November, Mr Walsh said the couple had been through “good times and some difficult times”. [times]but we never gave up and always worked as a team.

“Making life with you was epic,” he said.

The couple is expecting their first child this month.

In 2017, Mr Walsh started his own property buyers agency, Your Property Your Wealth, which he ran as a side hustle while still working grueling hours as a train driver.

Mr Walsh quit the job after nearly crashing a train while falling asleep at the wheel and now works full-time as a buyer.

He has also previously worked as a refuse collector, traveling between Sydney and Goulburn and working grueling 12-hour night shifts and sleeping during the day.

Mr Walsh said he likes to work hard, but he and his wife also like to travel, having recently spent time in the Maldives and planning a trip to Bali in the near future.