Kathy Faulkner

Financial Adviser (Property)

Hi, I’m Kathy, a financial adviser (Property) at Opes. I am a qualified financial adviser specialising in property investment.

I am the typical “mum-and-dad” investor who realised almost too late that pouring all our funds into our owner occupier was not going to provide us with the comfortable retirement we were seeking.

Luckily we had a meeting with Andrew Nicol who showed us how we could use leverage. We now have a diverse investment portfolio of townhouses and standalones in various parts of the country which will allow us to have the retirement we are looking forward to and not dreading.

Life doesn’t always work on the way you think, and our parents are testament to that where due to their shortfalls in planning and life throwing curveballs, they are in a situation where their children are now supporting them. I want to break the cycle. The most important gift that every person can give to their children is to create financial independence at retirement. Everything above that is what you should absolutely enjoy in your golden years.

Despite purchasing our first owner occupier at the age of 22, we had not leveraged the equity or knew how to go about it until we found Opes. I am proud that my son has just purchased his first owner occupier at the age of 22. He is already working out how he can leverage to buy his first investment property.

I have a Bachelor of Commerce degree (sooooo long ago!), qualified in South Africa as a Certified Financial Planner and now have my New Zealand certificate in Financial Services (Investments). So great I have the qualifications, but the real question is – how can I help you? If you are looking for a pathway to financial independence, are wanting to act but need those lights on the runway to guide you and want to speak to someone who has been through it or heard it before, I can help you

So my pearly words of wisdom that I go by are:

Break the cycle

Be the change

Take action

These are the things I ponder when enjoying the outdoors, ticking off New Zealand Greatest Walks, walking along the great Tongariro River, and spending time at all our wonderful beaches.

Here's what a client recently said about Kathy: "Thanks for all your help and guidance Kathy. It's been a pleasure working with you. Very much appreciate the hand holding".

What's it like working with Kathy?

Check out my featured episodes on The Property Academy Podcast:

Episode 1270 - Case Study Sunday: Mortgage Free at 37 … on a Single Income

Episode 1221 - Case Study Sunday: "Give Me My $12,000 Back!" How This Investor Got Their Money Back From a Financial Adviser

Episode 1081 - Case Study Sunday: "We Want To Travel The Country In Our Motorhome"

Episode 969 - Case Study Sunday: How This Investor Plans to Use Property To Build a $60k+ Retirement Income

Episode 1032 - Case Study Sunday: They Invested With A (Now) Bankrupt Developer ... Now They're Ontrack For $175k Passive Income

Episode 1130 - Case Study Sunday: $100k Passive Income By 58. How This Couple Plan to Do It

Episode 1487 - Case Study Sunday: "We had 2 advisers saying different things" Here's what Anita and Tim did

Episode 1550 - Case Study Sunday: Couple Saves 40% of Their Income And Are STILL Buying Investment Property!

Episode 1648 - Case Study Sunday: Breaking the poverty cycle with Sera and Quentin

Episode 1662 - Case Study Sunday: Tauranga couple invests for the future (Kate and Sean)

Episode 1683 - Case Study Sunday: 50k passive income in 7 years with Hannah Presswood

Episode 1690 - Case Study Sunday: We 2.5X our income by moving to Australia with Tamati and Liana

Episode 1753 - Case Study Sunday: We got hitched and bought 2 properties in 3 months

Or check out my featured episode on Property Live (webinar):

3 real Kiwi investors share their property portfolios + look at their numbers

Policies, Predictions & Property - How to invest in 2024 - listen from 49:20 where investors that I helped tell their story

How to run the numbers on an investment property in 2024 - Listen from 39 minutes where Matt & Stacey share how I helped them into their first investment and what they did to get there

Reviews
  • 5/5 stars

    Expert knowledge, advice and communication throughout this process

    We have had a great experience with Opes. Thank you Kathy for helping us start our journey towards our first rental property and both you and Liv for the ongoing support throughout this process. Appreciate all your expert knowledge, advice and communication throughout this process. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without you guys!

    Thanks also to Peter and the rest of the team in helping make this happen. We will definitely continue to work with Opes in the future.

    Christina B10/9/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    Her expertise and access to helpful tools made the process smooth.

    Kathy was fantastic in guiding me through my first investment property purchase. Her expertise and access to helpful tools made the process smooth. Thanks to Kathy and Olivia/Tina's clear communication and support, I felt confident and informed every step of the way. I highly recommend it!

    Uday P18/6/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    Their expertise and associated partners meant this was a smooth and stress-free experience

    Working with Opes partners has been brilliant as a kiwi based overseas as they have helped me walk through all elements of buying a property. Their expertise and associated partners meant this was a smooth and stressfree experience. I also appreciated thier transparency on how there business model worked and confident that they are working in my best interests. Kathy was a great consultant and supported all of my requriements - quite a stark contrast to working with Enable Me who charged a high fee and didnt provide the service!

    Kate B4/6/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    Knew their thing and were very helpful with information to help us make a decision

    Excellent services! The staff we worked with were professional, knew their thing and were very helpful with information to help us make a decision. They were up front about what they would make from our sale and yet we always felt like they had our best interest at heart. Very responsive to our questions and able to find the information we needed, linked us to services we needed, even though we also stayed with our own people. Their podcasts and youtube videos were excellent in giving us insights. They were there not only to the end but checked up on us afterwards. Cannot say enough about them and we will definitely look to use them again in the future.

    Fatu B22/5/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    Without a doubt, we'll be returning for future ventures!

    I'd like to extend a massive thank you to Kathy and the Opes team for orchestrating such a seamless experience in securing our first property. Their precise, impartial counsel throughout the process allowed us to take a step onto the property ladder with ease. And more importantly, Kathy's advice and guidance left us with a profound sense of confidence and assurance in our decision-making. Without a doubt, we'll be returning for future ventures!

    Debby H16/5/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    Their support has made the entire process smooth

    Kathy and Olivia have been the dream team for us.

    Kathy was the personal touch behind the podcast. Kathy helped us with a plan initially, and then helped us to find the right property to start us on our investment journey. She has been proactive and attentive throughout the entire process. We appreciated the regular updates on the build process, and Olivia was the glue that brought the process together at the pointy end, helping us to coordinate lawyers, banks, and builders. Their support has made the entire process smooth, and we have really enjoyed working with them both. Highly recommend!

    Deb & Ben15/5/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    Always going the extra mile for us

    "Outstanding! Thanks to Kathy, Olivia, and the entire Opes team, we're now one step closer to living our best life. Kathy was simply amazing throughout our first investment property journey. She offered invaluable guidance and support, never being pushy, and always going the extra mile for us. From our initial interaction to our property selection meeting to handover, Kathy's professionalism and dedication shone through. Olivia was great at following up and keeping us informed. We cannot recommend them highly enough!"

    Logan S8/5/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    To not deal with them is doing yourself a major disservice

    Every so often you come across people who are exemplary. Kathy and Olivia are a team like no other, a force in fact.

    I would be lost without them, their professionalism, exceptional level of service, care and attention to detail are simply unmatched. In a world of clicks, robots, call centers and increasing levels of artificial contact, Kathy and Olivia are a breath of fresh air, they shine high above the rest. When it comes to the world of property investment, it is crucial to seek out those that are experts in their field - Opes are the benchmark in my opinion after dealing with multiple other so called "property experts" I can 100% vouch for this.

    Kathy, Olivia, Ed and Andrew have all been instrumental in improving my own knowledge and confidence throughout my investment property journey. Their expertise in this field has been crucial to my property successes. Our purchase of 4 investment properties in the last 18 months quite simply would not have happened without their guidance and constant support.

    Knowing you have this strong team behind you at each and every stage, even long after the property has been purchased and rented, is a huge comfort.

    To not deal with them is doing yourself a major disservice.

    Anita G
  • 5/5 stars

    We would thoroughly recommend

    Kathy, Olivia and the team at Opes Partners were awesome to deal with. We purchased a property and we would thoroughly recommend.

    Vanessa W30/4/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    Easiest process I could’ve asked for

    Kathy and Olivia made purchasing my second property the easiest process I could’ve asked for. I travel a lot for work so their communication and organisation of all aspects of the purchase went above and beyond taking pressure off me and they never missed a beat. I’m so grateful for how they work and they are all lovely people to engage with. Definitely would recommend them if you’re looking to invest!

    Ere E
  • 5/5 stars

    Supportive and professional

    Very helpful, supportive and professional. Knowledgeable and helped me to understand every step along the way.

    Te Ahuru W5/4/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    Feels like we have hit the jackpot!

    We got hooked on the "The Property Academy Podcast" that features Ed and Andrew which is honestly where you should start. We reached out to Opes Partners and feel like we have hit the jackpot!

    Opes Partners is a team of professional and trustworthy industry experts. Stepping into the world of investment is not easy, but being under their guidance we felt really well informed. They use evidence based data from third parties so you know you are receiving factual information that you can use to make the best decisions to meet your own financial goals. Their entire process is incredible from the way in which they present potential properties, their format for showing you how you can meet your wealth goals to the incredible spreadsheets comparing property prices etc. Highly recommend Opes Partners, without a doubt. Reach out to them and experience what it is like to work with people at the top of their game!

    We were grateful with our superstar team made up of Kathy, Jason and Olivia. Total legends! But I hear all their staff are pretty outstanding. Do not hesitate. We just settled and are already dreaming about our next property and working with Opes Partners again.

    Sera H2/3/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    The team hold your hand through it all and make it so simple

    Cannot recommend the team at Opes more highly. Have been looked after by Kathy, Liv and Andrew at various points and have had all the scary and complicated parts of starting the property investment process taken out of the equation. The team hold your hand through it all and make it so simple. We opted for the path of least resistance and just used all the companies affiliated with Opes and while this is definitely not my style normally (research, research, research, compare reviews and prices, agonise over decisions), I can say that everyone we have dealt with has been professional, friendly and fantastic. They have complied a great team, a seamless system, and we are just so glad we didn't try to do it by ourselves.

    Rebecca D16/2/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    Provided ongoing help and support

    Great experience - the team at Opes provided ongoing help and support right throughout the investment property purchase. Special shout out to Kathy and Olivia who were amazing!

    Carl3/2/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    We are exceeding our dreams

    We would like to send a massive shout out to one of your team, Kathy Faulkner. We just had our 2nd meeting with her and are blown away by her professionalism, passion and expert knowledge. She has been incredible at making us feel heard, valued, seen and ready to take the colossal jump into building a property portfolio with Opes. The tools your company provide are incredible and take away a lot of guesswork, as you implement evidence based data. We are truly blown away by the level of comprehensive information you are utilising that therefore means a lot of our questions are answered.

    Excitement does not sum up what we feel. We are exceeding our dreams with the help and support of Kathy and Opes Partners.

    We have included a whakatauki that sums up this email. Thank you to Opes Partners and Kathy for helping us form our team.

    Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari kē he toa takitini

    My success should not be attributed to me alone; due to it being the accomplishment of the collective and not only the success of me as an individual.

    Sera R27/1/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    We cannot recommend their service enough

    We have just purchased an investment property using Opes Partners. We owe thanks to our exceptional team for getting us through the process and are extremely grateful for their expertise and support throughout. Our property partner, Kathy, was motivating and encouraging, our client relationship manager was diligently organized and our mortgage broker, Jason, was phenomenal with communications and frequent updates.

    The entire team have worked tirelessly on our behalf and we are excited for what the future holds for us and our property portfolio.

    Do yourself a favor and take action! Give the team an email, set up a consult, start listening to Ed and Andrew on their Property Academy Podcast and take control of your future. We cannot recommend their service enough and we plan to do a lot more business with them in the future.

    Tamati R17/1/2024
  • 5/5 stars

    Very happy with our experience at Opes

    My partner and I are very happy with our experience at Opes. Thank you to Kathy, Olivia and the team for picking us a great property, and facilitating the purchasing process. We will definitely continue to work with Opes in the future.

    Tim10/12/2023
  • 5/5 stars

    They do not pressure you to make any purchases

    Our experience with Opes was fantastic. Kathy Faulkner was our property partner. We found her to be very informative and helpful. They do not pressure you to make any purchases. They assess your financial situation and based on your goals, provide recommendations. This is backed up with great detail, including clear assumptions and expected cash flows. You are then allowed to make an informed decision in peace. They do really mean it when it's said they are there to help.

    Puli R18/9/2021