What actually happens when Wolfe Property runs the whole deal for you, who it suits, and who should stay hands-on.
Hands-Free started by accident. Some of my early clients were CEOs and All Blacks. They had the equity, the appetite and the discipline to invest well. What they did not have was the time to ring agents about new listings every week, or to sit on a shortlist until the right one came up.
So we ran the projects for them. They made the decisions, our team did the work, and the results were exactly what a hands-on client would get, minus the hours. It worked so well that Hands-Free is now open to any qualifying client, and it is the option a growing share of our investors choose.
This is what it is, what it is not, and how to tell if it is right for you.
What is Hands-Free property investing?
Hands-Free is Wolfe Property's done-for-you option inside the Accelerate and Multi-Unit Boardroom programmes. Our team finds the property, negotiates the purchase, runs due diligence with the local Power Team, project-manages the renovation and hands the finished property to a property manager. The investor approves each major decision and owns the result, without doing the day-to-day work. It costs $35,000 in Accelerate and $70,000 in Boardroom, and targets the same 8%+ (single dwelling or duplex) and 10%+ (multi-unit) gross yields as every other Wolfe Property project.
What Hands-Free actually means
Hands-Free is the same Wolfe Property strategy, delivered for you rather than coached to you. Every deal still has to hit the same target: cashflow positive from day one, an 8%+ gross yield on a single dwelling or duplex in Accelerate, 10%+ on multi-unit in Boardroom, and a revaluation that unlocks equity for the next one.
The difference is who does the legwork. In a Hands-Free project our team runs:
- The property search and filtering, including off-market deals that never reach the public
- Negotiation support through to going unconditional
- Due diligence, managed with the local Power Team on the ground. This is where most deals are won or lost, so it gets the most attention: a building inspection read by people who know what a tired 1970s block can hide, rental appraisals on the finished property rather than the current one, a renovation scope and quotes from trades who have done this exact conversion before, and a full cashflow calculation that includes interest, insurance, rates, maintenance and management. All of it lands in front of you before the deal goes unconditional, so the decision is an informed one, not a hopeful one.
- The renovation, project-managed end to end with trades who have done this exact conversion before
- Handover to a property manager. We work with local property managers to get the property tenant-ready and listed, so it moves from the last day of the renovation to producing income without a gap.
You are never on the tools, never on site unless you want to be, and never chasing a quote at 9pm.
What you still control
This is the part people get wrong. Hands-Free is not handing over your money and hoping. You still make every major decision, with full information in front of you.
You decide which deal to pursue, and you see the post-renovation rental appraisals, the renovation scope and quotes, and the cashflow calculation before you commit. You approve the renovation scope and budget. You sign off the major steps along the way. Our team brings you the options and the numbers; you say yes or no.
Think of it as being the owner of the project rather than the project manager. The decisions stay yours. The daily phone calls and hourly emails do not.
A Hands-Free deal, in numbers
A Boardroom client bought a block of six two-bedroom units in central New Plymouth, off market, for $1,350,000. Sea views, a substantial section with room for future development, and a rent roll of $1,670 a week across the six units.
The Power Team ran a cosmetic renovation across the block, $310,000 in total. No extensions, no added bedrooms. Here is how it came out.
| New Plymouth, six units | Result |
|---|---|
| Purchase price (off market) | $1,350,000 |
| Renovation spend | $310,000 (cosmetic) |
| Total investment | $1,660,000 |
| Rent before | $1,670 per week |
| Rent after | $3,346 per week |
| Post-renovation value | $2,165,000 |
| Net equity uplift | $507,890 |
| Gross yield on total investment | 10.5% |
Rent doubled, the block revalued at $2,165,000, and the client bought well below value, so the uplift was large enough to fully fund the deposit on another block. That is the whole model in one deal: cashflow now, equity out, go again.
The client approved the purchase, the renovation scope and the property manager. Everything else ran through the team.
Who Hands-Free is built for
Around 20% of our clients live overseas, and nine in ten invest in a region they do not live in. The model was built for distance from the start, so geography is rarely the deciding factor. Time is.
Hands-Free tends to suit three kinds of investor. Business owners and senior professionals whose hourly value is far higher than a project manager's. Investors based in Australia or overseas who want a New Zealand portfolio without the flights. And people who have done one renovation themselves, know exactly how much of their life it consumed, and would rather buy that time back on the next one.
What they have in common is the equity to move now and a clear-eyed view that their time is the scarce resource, not their capability.
Who should stay hands-on
I am going to be straight with you, because the wrong choice here costs money.
If you want to build the skill of finding and renovating property so you can repeat it on your own terms, choose the coached option. Hands-on clients learn by doing, with a coach beside them at every step, and by the end of the first project they can run the second one with far less help. Hands-Free clients still learn a great deal, because they see every appraisal, quote and decision along the way. But the fastest way to build the skill is to run the project yourself with a coach beside you.
If you enjoy the process, if walking a site with a builder is the part you are looking forward to, do not pay someone else to have that experience.
And if the extra fee would stretch your numbers, be honest about it. Hands-Free is $35,000 in Accelerate and $70,000 in Boardroom, compared with $25,000 and $50,000 for a single coached project. Many clients fund the fee through usable equity as part of their lending, but it still has to fit the deal.
Same result, fewer of your hours
Every coaching client ends up with the same thing: a property that pays them from day one, a revaluation that unlocks the next deposit, and a team that knows how to do it again. The only thing Hands-Free changes is how many of your own hours go into getting there.
Common questions about Hands-Free
Do I still choose the property?
Yes. The team shortlists and presents deals with the post-renovation numbers attached; you decide which one to pursue and nothing goes unconditional without your sign-off.
Can I use Hands-Free if I live in Australia or overseas?
Yes. Around 20% of Wolfe Property clients live overseas. Deal sourcers, inspections, renovation and tenanting are all handled in New Zealand by the local Power Team, and you approve decisions with full information from wherever you are.
How much equity do I need for Hands-Free?
The same as the coached programmes: around $180,000 of usable equity for Accelerate and $400,000+ for Boardroom, which covers the deposit, renovation budget and coaching fee. Your mortgage adviser confirms lending for your situation.
Is the Hands-Free fee extra?
Hands-Free is priced as its own option: $35,000 in Accelerate (compared with $25,000 for a coached single project) and $70,000 in Boardroom (compared with $50,000). All prices NZD including GST. Many clients fund the fee through usable equity as part of their lending.
Want to know which fits you?
A 15-minute discovery call is the fastest way to work out where you sit. We will look at your equity, your time and what you want the portfolio to do, and tell you plainly which option makes sense. No pitch, and if hands-on is the better fit for you, that is what we will say.