Getting Started With Presm: The 30-Minute Setup That Replaces Your Property Spreadsheet
Step-by-step setup of your Presm account, the seven calculators to run on your first property scenario, and how to save your work for future reference.
The first 30 minutes on Presm should produce numbers you can actually use — not a tour of features, not a marketing pitch, but a complete financial picture of a candidate property scenario. This post walks through that exact 30-minute setup, working through a $750,000 Brisbane house purchase as the example, with each calculator's specific role in the workflow.
Step 1: Account Setup (3 minutes)
Create an account at app.presm.com. Account creation is included with your access — no payment required for the public calculator suite. The account allows you to save calculations and revisit scenarios as your situation evolves.
Required:
- Email address
- Password
- Basic profile (no income or financial details required at signup)
You can run individual calculators without an account, but saving scenarios requires sign-up. For investors running multiple property scenarios, save functionality is essential.
Step 2: Borrowing Power Check (5 minutes)
Open the Borrowing Power Calculator. This sets the price ceiling for everything that follows.
Inputs to provide:
- Annual gross income (PAYG, business, or rental — be honest about the mix)
- Existing loan balances (home loan, investment loans, car loans, personal loans)
- Credit card limits (the limit, not the balance)
- Monthly living expenses (use HEM benchmark if unsure: ~$3,800/month for a couple, no kids; ~$4,800/month with two kids)
- Number of dependents
Output:
- Estimated borrowing capacity in dollars
- Maximum LVR for the assessment
- Sensitivity to additional debt
Save this scenario to your account before moving on.
Step 3: Stamp Duty For Each Candidate State (5 minutes)
If you have not yet locked in a state, run the Stamp Duty Calculator for each candidate. Same purchase price, different states:
| State | Stamp duty on $750,000 |
|---|---|
| Queensland | $20,045 |
| New South Wales | $29,332 |
| Victoria | $40,070 |
| Western Australia | $30,415 |
The variance in duty across states is typically the second-largest cost difference (after the loan itself). For an investor not yet committed to a single state, run this comparison upfront.
Step 4: LMI Decision (3 minutes)
Open the LMI Calculator. Input:
- Property value: $750,000
- Loan amount: at the LVR you are targeting
Run the comparison at:
- 80% LVR: $0 LMI
- 88% LVR: ~$13,500 LMI
- 90% LVR: ~$15,000 LMI
- 95% LVR: ~$30,000 LMI
The right LVR depends on your cash position, the property's growth thesis, and the marginal cost of waiting longer to save more deposit. There is no single right answer — the calculator gives you the number for each scenario.
Step 5: Land Tax Across States (3 minutes)
Run the Land Tax Calculator for the candidate state with your existing portfolio plus the new property.
Example for an investor adding a Queensland property with $480,000 of land value:
- Existing QLD landholdings: nil
- Plus new $480,000
- Total: $480,000
- QLD threshold: $600,000
- Annual land tax: $0
For investors with existing properties in the same state, the calculator aggregates them automatically when you input the total land value.
Step 6: Loan Repayment Modelling (5 minutes)
Open the Loan Repayment Calculator. Input:
- Loan amount (from your borrowing power and LVR decision)
- Interest rate (use current investor rate, around 6.20% in early 2026)
- Loan type (IO for 5 years then P&I to 25 years is the typical investor structure)
- Term
Output covers:
- Year 1-5 repayment (during IO period)
- Year 6+ repayment (during P&I period)
- Total interest cost over loan life
- Cash flow position at the chosen rate
Stress test by re-running at:
- +1% on rate (to model rising rate scenario)
- -0.5% on rate (to model expected rate cut)
The deal should hold together at +1%; if it doesn't, the property is too marginal at current rates.
Step 7: Rentvesting Comparison (Optional, 5 minutes)
If you are choosing between buying your own home and rentvesting, run the Rentvesting Calculator.
Inputs:
- Current rent (your lifestyle market rent)
- Investment property purchase price and expected growth
- Lifestyle market property price and expected growth
- Income, deposit
- 10-year horizon
Output:
- Wealth created in each scenario over 10 years
- Crossover point where rentvesting overtakes buying-now
If you are not making this decision, skip this step.
Step 8: Save and Compare Scenarios (2 minutes)
Each calculator scenario can be saved to your account. Build a library of:
- Different states for the same purchase price
- Different LVR points for the same state
- Different rate scenarios
Compare them side-by-side to lock in the best path before committing capital.
Total Output From 30 Minutes
After this 30-minute setup, you have:
- Confirmed your borrowing capacity
- Compared stamp duty across states
- Decided on LVR and LMI position
- Modelled land tax exposure
- Locked in cash flow projection at multiple rate scenarios
- (Optionally) compared rentvesting versus buying
This is roughly the analytical work an accountant or buyer's agent would charge $1,500-$3,000 to produce — and it is now stored in your account for future reference.
What To Do Next
The 30-minute setup gets you ready to make an informed offer. Beyond that:
- Engage a conveyancer ($1,800-$3,000)
- Order building and pest inspections ($700-$1,200)
- Apply for formal finance approval through your broker
- Run any subsequent property scenarios in 5-10 minutes using the saved baseline
For a worked example using the full calculator stack on a real $935,000 purchase, see our Presm walkthrough post. For the comparison with traditional buyer's agent service, see our Presm vs buyers agents post.
Where Most New Users Get This Wrong
Mistake 1: Running calculators in isolation. Each calculator is useful, but the value compounds when the outputs flow into each other.
Mistake 2: Using rough numbers when actuals are available. The calculator's accuracy depends on the inputs.
Mistake 3: Skipping the stress test. Running scenarios at the current rate only is fragile.
Mistake 4: Not saving scenarios. Property hunting takes weeks to months. Without saved scenarios, each new candidate property starts from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an account to use the calculators?
No, the calculators run without sign-up. An account is required to save scenarios for future reference and comparison.
Are there premium tiers with additional features?
Presm's public calculator suite is included with your account. Investors who work with Rising Returns as clients receive additional advisory and platform access as part of their engagement.
How long does it take to learn the platform?
The 30-minute setup walked through above is enough to model a full property scenario. Most users are productive within their first session.
Can multiple users share an account for joint property scenarios?
Each user gets their own account. For joint applicant scenarios, the Borrowing Power Calculator supports two-applicant input within a single account.
Where can I get help if a calculator output looks wrong?
The calculators include explanatory text on the assumptions used. For specific questions about your scenario, the Help section in your account provides direct support.