Finding renovator properties with Stash

How do you actually find good renovator properties?

Great renovator properties don’t just rely on the property itself – the suburb matters just as much.

Using our Find Suburb search, you can quickly identify suburbs that have:

• A healthy mix of lower-end and higher-end sales
  This spread represents the “renovation uplift” – the price gap you can capture by adding value. This is done using the IQR (Interquartile range) search which lets us search for suburbs with a tight range (everything is similar which is bad for renovators) or a wide range where there is lots of variety which is great for renovators)

• Strong demand and improving fundamentals
  Think infrastructure projects, new schools, lifestyle upgrades, shifting demographics and rising owner-occupier demand.

By combining these signals, Stash helps you zero in on suburbs where renovation projects actually make financial sense, rather than hoping a reno deal appears on your favourite portal.

Once you’ve narrowed down the right suburbs, the next step is spotting properties with real value-add potential.

In Stash, you can:

• Filter for older homes, original-condition properties and larger blocks

• Review sales history, floorplans, overlays and land size in one place

• Quickly spot properties with “good bones” but tired presentation or dated interiors

Often, the best renovator deals are hiding behind bad photos, cluttered rooms or outdated styling. Stash gives you the context to look past the presentation and focus on the fundamentals.

One of the most powerful strategies in any renovator playbook is targeting long-term owners – especially those who have held their property for 30+ years.

Why is this so effective?

• Long-term owners usually have high equity, so they can be more flexible on price.

• Many of these homes are original condition, making them ideal renovation candidates.

• Older stock often sits on larger blocks in established streets.

• Owners at this stage are more likely to be downsizing, relocating or simplifying life.

With Stash, you can instantly highlight on-market listings that have been owned by the same person for 30+ years, so you can focus your time on the properties most likely to offer genuine value-add potential.

One of the most important parts of assessing a renovator is understanding the uplift – the gap between what unrenovated properties sell for and what renovated homes achieve in the same suburb.

Stash makes this comparison simple:

• See recent renovated and unrenovated sales side-by-side

• Compare land size, bedroom count, location and condition

• Estimate the potential end value before you commit to a deal

Why this matters:

• You can work out whether the reno cost + purchase price = profitable project

• You avoid overpaying for “projects” that don’t have enough upside

• You give your clients evidence-based numbers instead of gut feel

This step alone separates professional renovator hunters from casual investors. It turns “looks like a reno” into a clear, defensible strategy.

There’s renovator gold hidden in every suburb – you just need the right way to search for it.

Stash lets you search every property in the country by:

• Length of ownership

• Block size

• Year built

• Zoning and overlays

In seconds, you can:

• Highlight all the big blocks that have had the same owner for 30 years

• Isolate older homes that are likely to be original condition

• Map out future opportunities suburb-by-suburb

Instead of guessing where renovator stock might be, you can see it clearly on a map and build targeted campaigns around it.

Australia is entering a major demographic shift, and it directly benefits renovator strategies.

Baby Boomers own a large share of Australia’s freestanding homes – especially in blue-chip and middle-ring suburbs. Many of these properties were purchased in the 70s, 80s and 90s and are now held by owners who are at, or approaching, downsizing age.

What does this mean for renovator hunters?

• Many Boomers are sitting on highly valuable, original-condition homes.

• A lot of these properties are on generous blocks in established streets.

• Debt levels are typically low or non-existent, so decisions are driven by lifestyle, not leverage.

• Over the next decade, more of this stock will come to market as owners downsize, relocate or move closer to family and services.

In other words: the next 10 years may be one of the best windows we’ve ever seen for securing long-held, renovation-ready properties.

Stash helps you tap into this opportunity by letting you filter and target long-term ownership, block size and dwelling age – so you’re not waiting for chance; you’re working a clear strategy.

With Stash, you can:

• Target the right suburbs

• Compare renovated vs unrenovated uplift

• Identify on-market originals and long-term owners

• Tap into the Baby Boomer downsizing wave

• Find opportunities the portals don’t surface

Renovator deals are the classic needle in the haystack – but with Stash, the haystack becomes a map.