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We didn’t come from real estate. We came to fix it.
CQB Partners was built by professionals who spent their careers solving complex problems in engineering, defence, technology, and institutional asset management. We saw an industry where buyers were underserved, advice was conflicted, and decisions were driven by emotion rather than evidence. So we built something different.
Our Story
Our Mission : CQB Partners was established with a clear mission: to give property buyers access to the same quality of analysis, strategy, and execution that institutional investors take for granted.
Where We Come From : Our founding team brings experience from environments where the stakes are high, the analysis is deep, and the margin for error is zero. From advanced engineering research to service in the United States Army and managing assets within portfolios worth over a billion dollars. We built our careers in fields where precision is not optional.
That background shapes everything we do. When we assess a property, we don’t rely on gut instinct or market hype. We build financial models. We stress-test assumptions. We source independent data. We present our clients with a clear, evidence-based view of what a property will cost, return, and contribute to their wealth over time.
Operational Expertise : On the operational side, our team brings deep, hands-on experience across every facet of the Australian property industry, from property management and sales through to buyer’s advocacy. This practical expertise ensures every engagement meets the highest professional and regulatory standards, and that the day-to-day execution is as strong as the strategy behind it
Investment Discipline : Our team brings decades of combined investment experience across property, agriculture, and institutional fund management. We apply the same frameworks and analytical discipline to our clients’ portfolios that we apply to our own investment decisions. When we recommend a strategy, it’s grounded in the same rigour we demand of ourselves.
Led by specialists. Backed by a network of experts.
CQB Partners is led by a senior team with deep expertise in property strategy, financial analysis, and transaction management. Our clients also benefit from our extended network of hand-picked specialists across lending, legal, tax and building services, ensuring every angle is covered.
Steven Carroll
Managing Director
Steven Carroll is a career analyst and strategist who has spent nearly two decades solving complex problems across engineering, defence, technology, and institutional investment management. He founded CQB Partners to close a gap he saw between the sophisticated, data-driven approach that institutional investors use every day and the often surface-level advice available to everyday property buyers.
A former member of the US All-Army Biathlon Team who represented the United States at the World University Games, Steven brings the same discipline and precision to property acquisition that defined his competitive and professional career.
Sarah Dawes
Director & Licensed-in-Charge
Sarah Dawes is a property and financial services professional whose career spans more than two decades across real estate, insurance, financial planning, and buyer’s advocacy. She brings the kind of ground-level expertise that only comes from having worked across nearly every corner of the property ecosystem. Sarah’s early career was built in financial services, where she held business development and state sales management roles across major banking and financial planning institutions.
What We Stand For
Rigour
Every recommendation is backed by data, analysis, and independent assessment. We don’t guess. We don’t assume. We verify.
Accountability
We treat your capital as if it were our own. Every decision, every negotiation, every recommendation reflects that responsibility.
Independence
We have no financial relationship with any seller, developer, or product provider. Our advice is unconflicted. Always.
Service
Property is personal. We never forget that. Behind every brief is a family, a future, and a goal that matters.
Transparency
Our fees are flat and disclosed upfront. Our process is open. Our communication is direct. No surprises.
A full-service team around every client.
Property acquisition doesn’t happen in isolation. Beyond our core team, every CQB client benefits from access to our carefully vetted network of industry specialists:
Mortgage Broking & Lending Strategy : We work with experienced mortgage brokers who understand investor lending, ensuring your borrowing capacity and acquisition strategy are aligned from day one.
Conveyancing & Property Law : Our preferred legal partners handle contract review, due diligence, and settlement with precision and care.
Tax & Accounting: We connect clients with property-specialist accountants who can advise on structuring, depreciation, and tax strategy.
Building & Pest Inspection: Independent building and pest inspectors we trust to provide thorough, honest assessments.
Property Management: Trusted property managers who protect your asset and maximise rental performance from settlement onward.
