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Independent property advisory · advocacy

When the market shifts, advicematters most.

Whether you're buying, restructuring or asking if your portfolio still works in the new world — get a property strategy built on evidence, not opinion.

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As seen in / Trusted by
The Australian Property Show Coastal Advisory Australia news.com.au Ensombl (formerly XY Adviser) Hunter Headline
180+
Business owner clients
260+
Properties acquired
17+
Years' experience
$560M+
In property transactions (acquisitions & development)

Groundswell is built on real experience — not theory. Founder Tom Haigh's track record spans more than $560 million across residential, industrial, and commercial property — from acquisitions to strategy to property development — over a career of 17+ years.

Who we work with

Markets always shift. Our clients have a plan for it.

Rates move, rules change, cycles turn. The question isn't whether conditions will change — it's whether your strategy still works when they do. We advise five kinds of clients, and every one of them starts the same way: with a plan.

The pattern

Most business owners have solved the income problem. The wealth problem is different.

You've built something that works. The income is strong, the lifestyle reflects it, and the business rewards the hours you put in. But if it stopped tomorrow, the financial position would start to deteriorate within months — because almost everything still runs through one engine.

Income comes from what you do. Wealth is what earns while you sleep. Building one does not automatically build the other. The second engine — assets that work without demanding more of your time — has to be built deliberately. Very few business owners ever start.

The four parts

Every portfolio has four moving parts.

01 · Residence

Where you live

Is it secure, and is the equity in it working as hard as it could?

02 · Premises

Where your business operates

Owned or leased — often the most under-used part of the picture.

03 · Growth

Assets that build value

Residential property chosen to compound over time.

04 · Income

Assets that pay you

Commercial property that delivers income while you hold it.

Most people arrive strong in one and blind on the others. The Clarity Call works out where you stand across all four.

How we work

What working with us looks like.

Every Groundswell client follows the same structured path — from first conversation to long-term portfolio growth. Every engagement starts with a Clarity Call.

1

Clarity Call

A free 30-minute conversation to understand your situation and confirm we're the right fit. No agenda, no pitch — just a straight conversation.

Free · 30 minutes
2

Strategic Property Workshop

A 60–90 minute structured session through Direction and Reality. You'll walk away with a written summary and a specific recommended next move.

Every client starts here
3

Strategic Property Roadmap

For complex situations — a documented, evidence-based plan that sequences your 3–5 property acquisitions across your target timeframe.

When the situation needs it
4

Buyers Agent Service

End-to-end acquisition. We find, analyse, negotiate, and secure the right property — representing your interests, exclusively. No commissions, no conflicts.

Strategy executed
The methodology

Every engagement runs on the same framework.

The DRIVE Framework is the five-stage thinking process behind every Groundswell engagement. From defining your destination to executing your acquisition, every recommendation traces back to it.

D
Direction
Where do you want to go?
R
Reality
Where do you honestly stand today?
I
Intelligence
What does the evidence support?
V
Vehicle
What specific asset serves the strategy?
E
Expansion
How does performance compound?
Coastal landscape
Rooted in Newcastle

Newcastle's property advisory for serious business owners.

We know the Hunter Region like we know our clients — in depth. Whether you're buying locally or anywhere on the east coast, your strategy starts here.

Professional man in business attire
Meet your adviser

Tom Haigh — property strategist for Australian business owners.

Tom Haigh advises business owners on one thing: building a property portfolio that works as hard as the business that funds it. He's the author of The Second Engine, host of The Australian Property Show, and the founder of Groundswell Property. His approach is independent by design — no commissions, no conflicts — and grounded in evidence rather than opinion. His clients want a clear plan and a peer-level conversation, not a sales pitch.

Meet the team
Client stories

What our clients say.

1:00
Court Plumb
Property investor, Newcastle
1:00
Jono Dunn
Business owner, Newcastle
0:44
Tom Hesse
Financial adviser, Newcastle
"Tom had all the statistics on the best places to buy and did the background work for us — we just had to say whether it ticked the boxes. A genuinely easy, stress-free process, and the whole team made it feel comfortable."
Strategic Property Roadmap
"What really sold us wasn't the transaction — it was mapping out what it meant for us and our family. To help someone piece that together, from our perspective it's a no-brainer."
Strategic Property Roadmap
"The value of good advice is understanding what you're good at and what you're not. If your profession isn't buyer's advocacy, you engage a buyer's advocate — Tom gave us real clarity on what to do next."
Referral partner
Free self-assessment

Is your portfolio still fit for purpose?

Rules change, rates move, and a strategy set three years ago may not be the right one now. Answer ten questions about your position, your plan and your structure — and get a traffic-light read on where you stand. Three minutes, self-serve, no obligation.

Take the Property Strategy Assessment
Property • Strategy • Wealth
The Second Engine
Tom Haigh
The book — coming soon

The Second Engine

How Australian Business Owners Build Wealth That Works While They Don't.

A book for business owners who have built strong income — and are ready to build the wealth that doesn't depend on it. Written by Tom Haigh, Groundswell Property.

The Australian Property Show podcast artwork
The podcast

The Australian Property Show

Independent property strategy, evidence-based investing, and the conversations serious investors are actually having. Hosted by Tom Haigh.

Building the Second Engine — featured episodes
City skyline at dusk
Take the first step

We work with a limited number of clients each quarter.

If you're ready to have a proper conversation about your property strategy, here's where to start.

Book a Clarity Call
Free 30-minute conversation. No obligation.