Should I Sell My Investment Property for Bitcoin?

In a recent episode of Your Life Your Terms, financial advisor Peter Dunworth, who once dismissed Bitcoin when it traded at $3, explained why many of Sydney’s wealthiest families are now selling investment properties and reallocating those funds into Bitcoin.

For real estate investors facing rising debt, tightening yields, and slowing growth, his view is straightforward: Bitcoin increasingly outperforms property in liquidity, maintenance, fees, effort, returns, and long-term macro trends.

Liquidity: The Hidden Cost of Real Estate

Property is one of the slowest assets to turn into usable capital. Selling means appraisals, inspections, negotiations, settlements, and exposure to price swings driven by interest rates. In markets such as Canada and Australia, higher rates are extending sales timelines and forcing sellers to compromise on price.

Bitcoin, by comparison, is liquid at all times.
It settles globally in minutes, can be sold in tiny fractions, and does not depend on banks, buyers, or favourable market conditions. Many of Dunworth’s clients, often in their fifties or sixties, are liquidating investment properties simply because they are tired of being locked into assets that take months to unwind.

In fast-moving markets or during emergencies, liquidity is essential. Bitcoin provides it and property does not.

Maintenance: Time, Stress, and Declining Value

Owning rental property requires constant attention. Landlords deal with leaking roofs, tenant disputes, insurance claims, strata meetings, regulatory compliance, vacancies, and aging buildings. In cities such as Sydney and Toronto, where per-capita GDP is declining, net rental yields are coming under pressure while expenses continue to rise.

Bitcoin, once securely held, has no maintenance at all.
A properly configured self-custody setup, such as a collaborative multi-signature arrangement, removes ongoing effort entirely. There are no tenants, no repairs, and no regulatory changes to react to. For retirees or anyone wanting freedom from high-maintenance assets, this difference is significant.

Fees and Costs: Real Estate Slowly Bleeds You

Selling property typically involves 5 to 6 percent agent commissions, legal fees, transfer taxes, and capital gains tax. Holding property means rates, insurance, repairs, and strata fees, all of which tend to increase in over-indebted economies.

Bitcoin’s costs are minimal.
Transaction fees are very low, especially on Layer 2 networks such as Lightning. Secure self-custody removes custodial fees and counterparty risk. Long-term Bitcoin holders rarely trigger taxable events, which means they keep much more of their upside compared to property investors who must sell or refinance to generate returns.

Effort: Property Is a Part-Time Job, Bitcoin Is Not

Between tenant management, maintenance, market fluctuations, refinancing, and cash flow monitoring, property ownership often becomes a second job. Dunworth observes that returns typically flatten after 10 to 15 years as leverage declines, which creates a natural ceiling on capital growth unless owners refinance or sell.

Bitcoin requires very little ongoing effort.
Once you understand the basics of custody and secure your wallets, the system simply runs. Dunworth’s firm guides clients through the setup process, including collaborative custody, estate planning, and preparing heirs to take over. After that, investors can focus on their lives instead of managing their assets.

Returns: Property Is Slowing While Bitcoin Accelerates

Over the past several decades, property in Australia and Canada has appreciated by roughly 7 to 8 percent per year. Much of this growth was driven by population increases and expanding household debt. Those forces are now weakening. Debt saturation, worsening affordability, and demographic stagnation are placing structural pressure on housing markets.

Bitcoin’s long-term performance is dramatically different.
It has compounded at more than 50 percent annually in recent years, supported by absolute scarcity, increasing global adoption, and the growth of institutional infrastructure. Dunworth describes Bitcoin as a “triple-point asset” that functions as a store of value, medium of exchange, and unit of account. With a fixed supply of 21 million coins, it is absorbing monetary value from assets that previously held store-of-value premium, including real estate.

In other words, property is slowly being demonetized while Bitcoin is being monetized.

Macro Trends: The System Is Straining and Bitcoin Is the Release Valve

Dunworth highlights several major forces reshaping global markets:
Governments are heavily indebted. Fiat currencies are losing purchasing power. Institutional adoption is rapidly normalising Bitcoin. The United States may consider strategic Bitcoin reserves. Bitcoin-backed bonds could create new collateral markets. AI and energy growth are increasing demand for verifiable digital property.

At the same time, younger generations cannot afford the homes their parents bought. This is a clear signal that the traditional system is overextended.

Bitcoin is increasingly emerging as the trust-minimized asset of the digital era.

A Note on Risks

Bitcoin remains volatile and can experience price swings of 30 to 50 percent in short periods. Property provides stability and tangible utility. Selling real estate may trigger capital gains tax and should be discussed with professionals. Dunworth often recommends beginning with a 2 to 10 percent allocation and increasing exposure as understanding grows.

The Bottom Line

For anyone exhausted by the burdens of property or seeking asymmetric upside, reallocating into Bitcoin may be a rational and potentially transformational decision.

As Dunworth often says:
“Every cycle creates a new generation of people who regret not buying earlier.”

In a world of infinite fiat and finite assets, Bitcoin’s advantages are becoming harder to ignore. If you are reassessing your property strategy, the orange pill may not only be an investment, but a long-term legacy.