Property advice: How many houses you need to own to comfortably retire

There was no standard number of properties required for a comfortable retirement, investment specialists said, because the answer depended on the income each investor wanted. PIPA chairman Peter Koulizos estimated about $2.5 million in unencumbered property was needed to generate $100,000 in rent, while The Property Mentors chief executive Luke Harris put the required asset base closer to $3.33 million.