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423 | How This Reformed Spender Went From $336 To His Name To Getting his First Investment Property – Chat with Mathew & Olivia

 

Have you ever had just $336 to your name?  

 Half of today’s Summer Series duo has. 

As our last episode of 2022, we’re closing out the year with a seriously phenomenal Summer Series Story. 

Meet Mathew and Olivia – our first and only couple in our 2022/23 Summer Series!!  

Raised in two very different backgrounds, this couple had 2 very different expectations around money management and investing… 

With one a spender and the other a reformed saver, tune in to discover how this couple has settled their differences in money norms from emotional buying, to rising interest rates, and how they’re setting themselves up to achieve their next big goals in life. 

Another fantastic episode with TONS of great analogies (The trolley vs. The basket?? The Ego system vs the Ecosystem?!?), we’re closing out 2022 with a bang!  

A huge shout out to Mathew and Olivia for sharing your awesome story with the community. 😊  

Give it a listen now folks!  

 

 

P.S. As our last episode of 2022, we hope everyone has a safe and very Happy New Year from all of us on the Couch! See you in 2023 folks! 🎉🥳🎊 

 

Free Stuff Mentioned… 

  • Want help with your sequencing? Reach out to our award-winning financial advisory! Book a free, no-obligation initial chat with our team here and see how we can help you on your investing journey 😊  
  • FREE Lifestyle By Design App: Check out Moorr the APP, our money management platform that’s now officially available as an app on Apple and Android. Check it out today and completely change the way you view and manage your money!  

 

Want to work with Bryce & Ben’s Award-Winning Team? 

 

Here’s some of the gold we cover… 

  • 0:00 Happy New Year folks! (What a ride) + the cracker episode today!!  
  • 2:53 Organise your finances as a single or couple with Moorr the mobile app!  
  • 5:57 Meet Mathew and Olivia! (Our first and only couple!)  
  • 6:56 Mathew’s Money Story: Growing up In Leeds + becoming aware of his family’s financial situation  
  • 11:22 Olivia’s Money Story  
  • 14:27 Mathew’s First Hustling Business 😉 (and what he bought with it!)  
  • 16:07 What Olivia observed coming from a business-owning family!  
  • 18:15 Mathew’s Apprenticeship Years + Coming to Australia 
  • 19:46 How he switched from a spending to a saving mindset! 
  • 23:39 Affording her own car + How This Couple Met… 
  • 25:58 Does Mathew miss the party days?  
  • 27:18 THIS is how they merged their money management system 
  • 30:07 Emotional Buying: How to avoid it!  
  • 33:00 “It was confronting to see…”  
  • 34:06 The Trolley vs. The Basket  
  • 35:08 The flint that set Mathew’s love for property alight   
  • 36:38 How Mathew bought his first investment property!!  
  • 38:27 Auctions & The Game Of Bluff  
  • 42:53 What big plans are in store for this couple?!  
  • 44:57 Shifting mindsets around joint investment properties…  
  • 48:02 How are they feeling towards rising interest rates?  
  • 50:06 THIS was the biggest challenge they faced with their plan  
  • 53:46 How to NOT get caught up in timing the market!!  
  • 55:22 Mathew’s investing support network  
  • 57:45 The couple’s message to the community!  
  • 1:00:55 – Why did this awesome couple come on the couch?!
  • 1:01:19 The Egosystem and the Ecosystem  
  • 1:04:14 What an awesome power couple!  

 

422 | “I Lost My Safety Net”: A Tale Of Overcoming Loss And Finding Your Own Security – Chat with Jack

 

As our LAST Episode before Christmas, we’ve got a super heart-warming money transformation in store! 🎄🎅🎁  

Meet Jack: a 29-year-old teacher who grew up on Sydney’s northern beaches. 

From happily living at home, spending his days teaching and in his spare time surfing, his world was turned upside down at the age of 25.   

As this special Summer Series Guest says,   

“I felt like I’d lost my safety net.” 

Suddenly with no backup plan and no clarity about his financial future, he knew he had to make a change.   

Tune in to hear how Jack took control of his finances, from starting his dream small business to his first investing experience…. during a pandemic. 😲 

And did we mention…there’s a failed transplant, a touching list of mentors who have helped Jack along the way, and much, much more?!  

Folks, today’s episode is an extraordinary tale of overcoming loss, having grit and saying, “if it’s to be, it’s up to me.”  

A truly awesome episode that brought a warm feeling to our hearts, a massive thank you to Jack for your sharing your story with us.  

  

Free Stuff Mentioned… 

  • Want help with your sequencing? Reach out to our award-winning financial advisory! Book a free, no-obligation initial chat with our team here and see how we can help you on your investing journey 😊  
  • FREE Lifestyle By Design App: Check out Moorr the APP, our money management platform that’s now officially available as an app on Apple and Android. Check it out today and completely change the way you view and manage your money!  

 

Want to work with Bryce & Ben’s Award-Winning Team? 

 

Here’s some of the gold we cover… 

  • 0:00 There are just SO many chapters in this story!  
  • 2:23 – Welcome Jack!  
  • 3:03 – Growing up with an abundant lifestyle… 
  • 6:28 – What he learned from his Dad  
  • 9:02 – Jack’s first bank account + foray into investing   
  • 12:40 His turning point   
  • 14:28 – How a small business idea became a reality!  
  • 15:51 A kidney transplant gone wrong…😮  
  • 18:04 Losing his dad 🙁
  • 23:24 – He could’ve gone down this path…. 
  • 25:27 The Mentors He’s Met In Life  
  • 27:07 – What was Jack’s first investment? (and how his approach has changed over the years!)  
  • 27:43 – His first property-buying experience….during the pandemic!?  
  • 28:51 – So how did he keep investing during COVID!?   
  • 29:26 – The 2nd property he brought: The trade-offs and ultimate result  
  • 31:53 THIS was critical for him to get his foot onto the property ladder!! 
  • 34:33 – Finding Scarcity & His Decision-Making Process 
  • 39:30 – Why is Jack doing what he’s doing? (aka. His Life Goals!)  
  • 44:13 – How has he been impacted by the rising rates??   
  • 45:50 – How & why should Jack stay on his investing path…  
  • 49:43 – Why did Jack want to come onto The Property Couch?  
  • 52:01 – Jack’s words of wisdom for the community!  
  • 53:32 – Sequencing: How can people in positions like Jack move forward?  
  • 55:40 What should you do if you have no idea where you want to live?!  
  • 58:39 – Phew! What a testament to building on good money habits!  
  • 1:03:33 – Merry Christmas to our TPC Community!   

 

421 | “I walked away with nothing”: How To Start Again and Build Your Financial Peace From Scratch – Chat with Jessica

 

“I worked hard my entire life and I had nothing to show for it…” 

 

Folks these are the words from today’s super special guest before she began her complete financial and self-described personal transformation.   

Born into an amazing family with terrible money management…Jessica learned the value of being financially independent from a young age.  

So how did she end up selling the first house she built…with multiple debts…and “walking away with nothing…”?! 

Tune in to find out now and discover the amazing, breathtaking journey she’s been on since then. 

From a lucky break with her first property to borrowing her mum’s life savings to building half a house, today’s multi-chaptered saga is truly a nail-biting, heart-warming tale with lots of laughs along the way.  

A true inspiration to investors everywhere – A huge THANK YOU to Jessica for sharing your story on the couch today.  

 

 

Free Stuff Mentioned… 

  • Want help with your sequencing? Reach out to our award-winning financial advisory! Book a free, no-obligation initial chat with our team here and see how we can help you on your investing journey 😊  
  • FREE Lifestyle By Design App: Check out Moorr the APP, our money management platform that’s now officially available as an app on Apple and Android. Check it out today and completely change the way you view and manage your money!  
  • See Jessica’s half-a-house below…

 

Want to work with Bryce & Ben’s Award-Winning Team? 

 

Here’s some of the gold we cover… 

  • 0:00 – The incredible story in store… 
  • 2:02 – Meet Jessica!  
  • 2:42 – Growing up with amazing parents, who were terrible at money management… 
  • 4:18 – How Jessica funded her love of horses!   
  • 7:18 How did her family’s financial stress appear in her life?  
  • 8:29 – She still has her first bank account?!?  
  • 10:28 – The trade-offs in life    
  • 13:37 – From Hospitality to University to Bangalow  
  • 15:24 – “I walked away with nothing…” 
  • 16:55 Her Lucky Break: Putting down the $5K deposit for her first property!  
  • 18:23 – Getting out of debt…   
  • 21:25 – A word of advice from Jessica on cars!   
  • 22:43– Building half a house?! (Check out the pics in our show notes!)  
  • 27:42 – Gardening while listening to us…and where it led 
  • 29:57 – Thanks mum & dad!!  
  • 32:01 – “And then I did something I wouldn’t recommend to anyone…” (& how she bought a winner!)   
  • 36:25  One of the most powerful things Jessica has gained from our podcast 
  • 38:23 – Her next investment project…. 
  • 41:15 – A note on Nambucca Heads 
  • 45:22 – Jessica’s goals for the future 
  • 46:40 – Turning Australia’s ship around, co-share living and the future of Australia’s property market (you heard it here first! 😉)  
  • 50:48 How does she feel about today’s rising interest rates?  
  • 54:55 – Ladies! It’s important to get onto the property ladder… 
  • 57:28 – (Psst…Our Moorr platform is now available as an app! 
  • 57:55 – A huge thank you all round!   
  • 1:01:49 – Seriously, what a transformational and empowering story!!  

 

420 | How She Did It: A Single Mum With A 7 Property Portfolio On 36K?! – Chat with Mandy

 

“Some days, I had to choose between feeding the kids and driving them 27km to school…”

 

Folks, some stories are just so insanely awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping that it’s hard not to listen to it twice (or three times!).

The story that today’s Summer Series Guest is sharing with us, is one of them.  

Meet Mandy: a champion mum from the remote town of Forbes.   

Growing up with absolutely NO money conversations around the table, she was constantly in “the bottom percentile” at school and at just 18, became pregnant. 

This is just the very beginning of Mandy’s amazing and transformational journey.  

Without giving away too much, tune in to hear as Mandy swings from her darkest period to her hustling years to now owning a flourishing property portfolio with 7 investment properties… 

While never earning more than 36K a year AND raising 2 young kids by herself 😮 

A truly heart-stopping, eye-opening tale that follows one woman as she grows up in a low economic demographic and proceeds to break through every mental, financial and emotional barrier placed before her.  

Thank you for sharing your incredible story with us Mandy, your vulnerability and openness is an inspiration to investors everywhere.  

Give it a listen now folks!  

 

Free Stuff Mentioned… 

  • Want help with your sequencing? Reach out to our award-winning financial advisory! Book a free, no-obligation initial chat with our team here and see how we can help you on your investing journey 😊  
  • FREE Lifestyle By Design App: We’ve just launched Moorr the mobile app! Take smart money management with you wherever you go, with tons of new exciting features. Check it our on Apple and Android and completely change the way you view and manage your money!  

 

Want to work with Bryce & Ben’s Award-Winning Team? 

 

Here’s some of the gold we cover… 

  • 0:00 – The amazing story we’re diving into today… 
  • 2:34 – Inspired by Moorr!   
  • 3:42 – Meet Mandy Sweeney 😊  
  • 4:16 They NEVER talked about money?!?  
  • 6:46 – The #1 biggest thing she learned from her parents  
  • 8:59 – “We knew the value of the dollar”  
  • 9:36 – The Baby Boomer Era: All about paying off the mortgage 
  • 11:25 – Her First Job & Hating School  
  • 14:33 – A diverse family history: No university degrees & no animosity! 
  • 16:36 Pregnant at…18?!?   
  • 17:10 – The foray into property investing (+ her first child)   
  • 19:22 – Mandy’s Money Management System   
  • 21:24 10 years later, her life completely changes again….  
  • 22:31 – The first house flip   
  • 25:24 – The Car Loan She Just Couldn’t Take (to buying a block of land??!)  
  • 27:29 – “I knew I was destined for low-wage earning”   
  • 28:59 How she’s never bought a house with her own money!   
  • 29:54 – If she’d stayed in a relationship, then THIS critical habit wouldn’t have changed…. 
  • 33:16 – The Transformative Power of Reading 
  • 36:23 Why Mandy didn’t discuss property with her family or friends  
  • 38:36 – Buying houses like she buys shoes?!? (+ her retirement goals)  
  • 40:45 Everything Goes Downhill & How She Got Out Of It!  
  • 42:38 – “I had to choose between feeding the kids and driving them to school”  
  • 46:00 – Earning 35K and sending her daughter to a 34K boarding school… 
  • 51:12 – Fast Forward: 5 dual-earning properties?!   
  • 51:55 – Buying an ex-banking building?! 
  • 54:58 – How Mandy set up her kids financially…   
  • 57:21 – “A dollar earnt is not the same as a dollar given”   
  • 58:48 What does her property portfolio look like today?  
  • 1:01:35 – This is what drives her… 
  • 1:03:08 – How does she implement her MoneySMARTS?  
  • 1:07:52 Mandy’s message to the community   
  • 1:10:22 – The Challenges with Financing in Smaller Towns
  •  1:18:01 – WOW! What an unbelievable story… 

 

RBA Cash Rate December 2022: Has Australia Reached Its Inflation Summit?

As we start to close out the year that was, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has just released its last official cash rate for 2022!  

As global economic outlook shifts to a more “positive” note with the US and Australia seeming to have escaped a recession, have we just received another early Christmas present from the RBA?  

Tune in to find out if the cash rate has been paused for the first time in 7 months, plus Ben unpacks these key themes in this month’s economic update: 

  • The slowing of interest rate hikes in the US  
  • A case for pausing interest rates in Australia moving forward  
  • How the property market will finish out 2022 and begin 2023 

Quick tip! If you’re keen to forecast your cashflows through this period, use the handy MoneySTRETCH feature on our free money management platform, Moorr. Click here to sign up or log in. 

 

Plus, Ben also includes his latest news and commentary on…

👉 The RBA’s Official Cash Rate!  

👉 Adjusted OECD Global Outlook Forecasted Figures 

👉 Why US interest rates will always go higher than Australia!  

👉 China’s low inflation figures yet Zero COVID Policy economic chokehold  

👉 Is the Eurozone set to go into a recession in 2023?  

👉 Has interest rates finally curbed spending here in Australia?  

👉 Employment levels reach record highs!  

👉 Property prices continue to tumble (Note: Folks, there is no such thing as a typical National Dwelling Property!  Tune in to Episode 418 where we explain why it’s all about “markets within markets”!)  

👉 Ben’s Big Property & Economic Predictions for 2023 

👉 CoreLogic’s Home Value Index: 31 November 2022   

Plus much more! 

 

Free Resources Mentioned:

🔥 The RBA’s Financial Stability Review – October 2022

🔥 Episode 418 | The Hidden Forces Driving Property Values

🔥 Related Episodes:

 

And One Final Word…

If you’re worried about your finances or if you have no clarity on your cash flow position, we strongly recommend you to organise your finances now. It’s more important than ever to have a clear view, down to the exact cent, on how much you’re spending each month and how much surplus you’ve got. If you don’t know it, then log in to your Money SMARTS Platform here and update the numbers.

Don’t have an account yet? Create your free access below and we’ll also send you an e-copy of the instruction manual which is also our best-seller book, Make Money Simple Again. Just fill in the form below and we’ll email it to you right away.

 

 

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and is an opinion comment by Ben Kingsley. The information contained in this video is for Australian residents only. The information does not take into account the particular investment objectives or financial situation of any potential viewer. It does not constitute, and should not be relied on as, financial or investment advice or recommendations (expressed or implied) and it should not be used as an invitation to take up any investments or investment services. No investment decision or activity should be undertaken on the basis of this information without first seeking qualified and professional advice.

The Property Couch, its employees or contractors do not represent or guarantee that the information is accurate or free from errors or omissions and therefore provide no warranties or guarantees. The Property Couch disclaims any and all duty of care in relation to the information and liability for any reliance on investment decisions, claiming the use or guidance of this publication or information contained within it.

For more information, please visit: http://thepropertycouch.com.au

 

 

 

 

 

 

419 | Proof Is In The Portfolio: From Leaving School At Year 11 To Owning A $4.5M Property Portfolio – Chat with AJ

 It’s finally here folks. It’s the time of the year we’ve all been waiting for (that’s almost better than Christmas 😉).

Today we’re kickstarting the VERY FIRST episode of our 2022-23 Summer Series!!!  

And boy do we have a FANTASTIC lineup of guests for our 5th Summer Series, each with their own absolutely amazing, jaw-dropping stories which are all about this year’s theme… 

What Drove You To Act?   

Inspired by the crux in every movie.

The inspirational light bulb moment.

The Penny Drop “A-ha” moment.

These are the pivotal moments that every successful investor has faced in their property investing journey.  

From their origin story to their darkest-before-dawn moments to their “rising from the ashes”, we’re kickstarting this awesome series with the unique story of AJ.  

 

 

 

We’ve all heard the idea that life’s about making the most of your youth and you can “figure the rest out” later, but what happens when you choose the life-changing and highly rewarding path of delayed gratification?   

Well folks, you’re about to discover what happens because this is the inspiring story of AJ. 

From growing up in a financially tight household to the pivotal moment in his childhood that transformed his entire family’s dialogue around money… 

He’ll be sharing how he invested in his FIRST property at just 16 years old (Yep. You read that right! And did we mention he COMPLETELY self-funded it?! Tune in to 15:22 to find out how!) 

The failproof investing style that’s bought him his successful 6-property portfolio (and you can implement it too!)… 

And all of life’s journeys in between, taking him from Afghanistan to Antarctica to Darwin and beyond. 

There are also NO budgets, a divorce and some truly great words of wisdom from AJ tucked in between the pages of this week’s episode. 

A truly impressive and stirring story. A ginormous thank you to AJ for taking the leap of faith with us this year and sharing his amazing story with our community.  

 Listen now folks for an instant boost of motivation! 😊  

 

 

 

P.S. And for those parents who are tossing up, ‘how much should I be telling my kids about money?’, listen to 1:03:58 to find out how Bryce & Ben are navigating this tricky question.  

 

Free Stuff Mentioned… 

  • Want help with your sequencing? Reach out to our award-winning financial advisory! Book a free, no-obligation initial chat with our team here and see how we can help you on your investing journey 😊  
  • FREE Lifestyle By Design App: Check out Moorr the APP, our money management platform that’s now officially available as an app on Apple and Android. Check it out today and completely change the way you view and manage your money!  

 

Want to work with Bryce & Ben’s Award-Winning Team? 

 

Here’s some of the gold we cover… 

  • 0:00 – Woohooo!! It’s the 1st Ep of our 2022-23 Summer Series!!   
  • 1:55 – We launched Moorr the APP!  
  • 3:53 Welcome Andrew! (aka. AJ)  
  • 4:30 – He did THIS at just 14?! 😮  
  • 7:55 – How did AJ pick up his family’s tight financial situation?  
  • 8:50 – The Money Story Growing Up  
  • 10:05 This completely changed his family’s dialogue around money… 
  • 10:44 – AJ bought his first investment at HOW old?! (This is INCREDIBLE folks…) 
  • 11:44 – The university push & changing generational beliefs  
  • 15:22 – He saved THIS amount in his first year…and what he almost bought (Thanks dad!)  
  • 16:48 The Process & Structure Behind His First Property  
  • 20:26 – The second property & getting his trade   
  • 21:10 – “I only went to year 10 but I can work that out…” 
  • 23:31 How AJ buys his properties with no emotional attachments 
  • 26:22 – Being shipped out with the army & the third property   
  • 29:30 – A tenant of 19 years?! How AJ deals with his tenants    
  • 30:53 – Moving from Darwin…    
  • 33:03 – The ONLY splurging he does  
  • 34:23 – He’s never had a budget?! How does he do it?!?  
  • 36:01 The Biggest Investing Driver For AJ  
  • 37:25 – He fell into this investing fallacy… 😉   
  • 38:38 – Overcoming relationship breakdowns & joint investments  
  • 42:46 – Meeting the love of his life…before moving to Antarctica?!?  
  • 44:04 NSW folks: Beware Gazumping!!  
  • 47:49 – The journey to finding his dream family home…  
  • 51:15 – “It’s funny to pay more for one property than the entire sum of 5 others”  
  • 53:38 – Debt levels & the Golden Q: Is he done with his portfolio?!  
  • 57:04 – The Trade-Offs 
  • 59:04 – AJ’s message to the community 
  • 1:02:48 – How much should you be telling your kids?! 
  • 1:03:58 – This is how Bryce & Ben navigate it…  
  • 1:07:45 – Thank you for sharing your story AJ!!  
  • 1:11:36 – Ben’s changing up?!?!  
  • 1:08:35 – A fantastic start to an awesome lineup of guests…  

 

TPC Summer Series 2022/23 is HERE!

It’s finally here folks.

It’s the time of the year we’ve all been waiting for (that’s almost better than Christmas 😉).

Today we’re kickstarting our 2022-23 Summer Series!!!  

And boy do we have a FANTASTIC lineup of guests for our 5th Summer Series, each with their own absolutely amazing, jaw-dropping stories which are all about this year’s theme… 

What Drove You To Act! 

Inspired by the crux in every movie.

The inspirational light bulb moment.

The Penny Drop “A-ha” moment.

These are the pivotal moments that every successful investor has faced on their investing journey.   

From their origin story to their darkest-before-dawn moments to their “rising from the ashes”, this year’s Summer Series is one you DON’T want to miss folks… 

 

Here are all the episodes! (P.S. if the link is not available, that’s because the episode is not out yet 😉) 

 

P.S. And if you’d like to see an accurate snapshot of your money story and financial position, we’ve just released Moorr the App!! Take your great money habits with you wherever you go and stay focused on your Lifestyle By Design.

Check it out in the Apple store here or on Google Play here for Android users. Or, if you’d like to view it in a web browser, log in or create your FREE Moorr account here to get started!

 

418 | The Hidden Forces Driving Property Values

“Property is a voting machine in the short term and a weighing machine in the long term.” 

Folks, these words form the beginning of one of our most important episodes (and also our LAST formal episode for 2022!! 😮 But don’t worry, we’ve got an AMAZING Summer Series coming at you next week. But back to this week…)  

In light of the rising housing values, we’ve heard SO many people say, “Surely property prices can’t go up anymore?!?” 

And this is exactly what we’re speaking to when we’re divulging…  

What Drives Property Values?!  

From economic activity to human interest and behaviour, what actually causes these prices to go up? Is there a secret framework to help you accurately predict which markets are about to “boom”? (Spoiler: Yes there is! 😉)  

And ultimately, “is it possible for them to keep going up – and is it bad if it does?!” 

In Ben’s words, “Today’s episode is a MEGASODE!!!”. Tune in now to hear all of this evergreen wisdom and more!  

 

 

P.S. Massive Black Friday Sale Incoming!!! 

We turned our chart-topping, evergreen property investment book, The Armchair Guide To Property Investing into an audiobook!

Normally valued at $37, we’re doing something super special this year… We have created an awesome bundle!

For Black Friday, we’re offering our Property Couch community this bundle for just $4.95!!

We’ll be releasing what’s in it and how you can get it – with a massive 86% discount – in tomorrow’s email, so keep your eyes peeled in your inboxes tomorrow!

 

Free Stuff Mentioned… 

  • WE’VE LAUNCHED THE MOORR APP! Check out our FREE brand-new Lifestyle By Design app with the same great MoneySMARTS system (plus more cool features!). For Apple users click here, or for Android users click here.  (or our web version here!) 
  • It’s Black Friday Tomorrow!! Keep your eyes peeled for an email tomorrow with an 86% discount on something very special… 😉
  • Free Report: Read Relationships Australia’s latest 2022 findings here.  
  • Free Article: Read Money Mag’s Article on “Aussies to spend $6.2 billion on Black Friday sales” here. (From Ben’s What’s Making Property News)  
  • Examples: See some examples of Singapore Properties at Chestnut Drive ($20M) and Nassim Road ($56M!) from 1:27:25!   

 

Want to work with Bryce & Ben’s Award-Winning Team? 

 

Here’s some of the gold we cover… 

  • 0:00 – The Gold Today  
  • 1:59  IT’S HERE! We have reached this amazing milestone with Moorr! (And this is how much it costs…) 
  • 9:20 – Woohoo!! Our Summer Series starts NEXT WEEK?! 
  • 10:44 – Money creates relationship problems for 1 in 5? 🙁  
  • 20:25 – This is the BIGGEST fear for most investors… 
  • 22:31 – Why this episode is so important (and how the idea was born!!) 
  • 23:53  The Weighing vs Voting Machine 
  • 26:32 – What Drives Property Values in the SHORT TERM (The Affordability Answer) 
  • 28:32 – Beware the Block Effect!  
  • 31:08 – From Detroit to Broken Hill: what happens when demand and supply fail  
  • 37:25 Here’s what you should be considering… 
  • 38:15 – What Drives Property Values in the LONG TERM?!? (plus, a bonus Scene Setting Story from Ben: “When the first fleet came….”)  
  • 40:16 Land is valued based on its P___ U___ 
  • 41:28 – The 7 types of land in Australia (+ their use!)  
  • 49:30 – The power of repurposing land  
  • 51:18 …and this is where human behaviour comes in!  
  • 53:49 – The Veblen Social Psychological Model (& its 6 factors!)  
  • 58:08 – Why are certain mega-rich pockets sustainable?!  
  • 1:00:12  THIS is the most important indicator of long-term land value!  
  • 1:00:51 – Causation vs. Correlation!  
  • 1:01:54 – The Flywheel Concept (aka. Why property prices WILL continue to go up!)  
  • 1:08:40 – This is the role of politicians!  
  • 1:10:53 – Key Takeaway #1  
  • 1:11:02 – Will Sydney be ever knocked off its perch?!  
  • 1:13:22 – THESE are the factors we look at!  
  • 1:15:56 – Key Takeaway #2   
  • 1:19:50 – Key Takeaway #3 
  • 1:23:12 – Key Takeaway #4: Singapore: A prime example of this! (See our show notes to see these examples!)   
  • 1:30:16 – So… What does this all mean?!? (And how can you apply it?!)  
  • 1:32:09 What about Lifestyle Locations?  
  • 1:34:33 – Let’s Recap (and let us know what you think on our socials!)  

And… 

  • 1:36:06 – Ever wanted to sign a document…digitally? Here’s how.  
  • 1:38:30 – It’s true 🙁 Australians really do try to ‘keep up with the Joneses’… 
  • 1:40:15 – psst — Check out Moorr to avoid falling into this trap!  

 

417 | Home Deposits Made Simple – Chat with Julia Hartman, Michael Ragavan & James Bowe!

One of the greatest barriers that an investor will face when entering the property market is… 

Saving for a home deposit.  

With high housing values and a steadily rising cost of living, saving for that first big leap onto the property ladder can seem daunting to some and impossible to others.  

Here to part the sea of confusion and simplify home deposits, we’ve got a fantastic number of guests on the couch (In fact, this is the MOST guests we’ve had on at a single time 😮)  

Please welcome…  

Julia Hartman, founder of the Ban Tacs group and Chief Technical Tax Advisor for Empower Wealth Tax! No stranger to the couch, she’ll be breaking down the Australian government’s latest and greatest home deposit schemes to help you understand how you can maximise the benefits from it.  

Michael Ragavan from Our Leg Up, an innovative and revolutionary platform that seeks to tackle the problems around borrowing power, skyrocketing Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) and Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) stopping investors from getting into the market. 

And last but not least…. 

James Bowe from OwnHome, a mind-blowingly cool product that helps home buyers pay off their mortgages while living in their property.  

Tune in as they dissect and break down the many ways people can save and afford their home deposit, and how it is possible to buy your home with just $35K!   

A super exciting, insightful and practical episode, listen in now!!  

 

 

 

 

P.S. We have NO commercial ties to any of these businesses – we just think the work their doing is life-changing stuff, and good enough to be shared with the community.  

 

Free Stuff Mentioned… 

 

Want to work with Bryce & Ben’s Award-Winning Team? 

 

Here’s some of the gold we cover… 

  • 0:00 – Here’s what we’re covering today… 
  • 3:59 – Is FOMU stopping you??  
  • 9:59 Welcome back Julia from Ban Tacs!  
  • 11:53 – THIS is why Julia wrote the blog!  
  • 13:11 – Is it possible to buy a home with $35K?!  
  • 14:35 – What is the First Home Buyers Guarantee (FHGB)?  
  • 15:37 – Here’s how it works… (You can read the blog here!)  
  • 19:09 – This is basically what you’re deciding… 
  • 20:43 Who would benefit MOST from this?? (+ who qualifies!)  
  • 22:20 – But what if I want that money back from my Super??  
  • 25:17 What does this look like...as a Sole Parent?  
  • 26:26 – You have to pass these 2 tests!  
  • 28:36 – As a Couple with Children  
  • 30:55 – As a Couple with no Children 
  • 35:01 – And, as a Single Person with no Children! 
  • 40:05 – South Australia: “It’s a brain drain for the other states!”  
  • 43:42 Meet Michael from Our Leg Up! (& what problems they’re trying to tackle!) 
  • 45:28 – How does “Our Leg Up” work?  
  • 47:25 – Rising LVR and LMI: What’s considered a good rate today?  
  • 48:59 – Let’s break it down: What’s a Charge (aka. Equity investment)?! 
  • 50:50 – “It’s lazy equity”  
  • 52:49 – How does this help first-home buyers??  
  • 53:55 – The process of developing Our Leg Up + what’s next!  
  • 55:01 – …and this is why it’s a Win-Win situation!  
  • 58:01 – If you’re interested, here’s how you can learn more! 
  • 58:40 – What criteria does Our Leg Up look for?  
  • 1:01:55 Meet James from OwnHome + the challenges their tackling… 
  • 1:03:49 – This is how the idea was born! 
  • 1:04:48 – How this 4-step journey works!  
  • 1:07:02 – “You share the capital growth”  
  • 1:08:24 – Who are they trying to help?  
  • 1:11:32 – How does OwnHome make money?  
  • 1:13:47 – Why is there a time expiration? 
  • 1:14:46 – Paying LMI, Capital Gains Tax & Stamp Duty!  
  • 1:20:28 – How do they get their Capital Reserve?  
  • 1:21:39 Limitations and future plans for this business! 

And… 

  • 1:24:54 – Julia’s Special Appearance Life Hack: CGT Record Keeping & the best way to do it! 
  • 1:29:56 NSW’s (great) Stamp duty legislation change!  

 

Free Report: Home Deposits Made Simple – Two Years at $200 Per Week and No LMI

This blog was originally posted on Ban Tacs and written by Julia Hartman, founder of the Ban Tacs group and Chief Technical Tax Advisor for Empower Wealth Tax. 

This report is referenced in Episode 417 | Home Deposits Made Simple – Chat with Julia, Michael & James! Give it a listen now. 

Combine the First Home Guarantee with the Super Saver Scheme to buy a home and nearly one-third of your deposit becomes tax savings.  If you have a child, the government will provide you with mortgage insurance at no cost, so you won’t need the full 20% deposit.

The ideal candidate for this arrangement is someone who is on a good income (this means the tax incentives are greater and they can afford the repayments on 95% of the purchase price) but are struggling to get a deposit together, possibly because of high rents in the area or recent difficulties that have passed.

While this blog assumes that the saver has not ever owned a house before, some of these concessions like the government guarantee for sole parents can apply to subsequent purchases of a home.  Individuals can also utilise the Super Saver Scheme, even if their partner has previously owned a home.

 

The First Home Owners Super Saver Scheme

This scheme allows you to withdraw some of your superannuation to buy your first home but will require you to make voluntary contributions first.  The gift is, these contributions can come from before-tax dollars.  If you play your cards right, this means you are only taxed at a rate of 15% on the earnings that you put aside for your home deposit.

For example, if you decide you can afford to save $200 per week from your take-home pay, here are the 2022-2023 tax rates:

 

If you earn $140,000 a year, your marginal tax rate is 39%. That means for every $10,000 you earn you only get to take home $6,100.  If instead, you put the money into super where it is only taxed at 15%, you will have $8,500 tucked away in super, saving for your deposit.

Now at $140,000, your employer will be putting $14,000 into super for you, under the guarantee.  In total, you can only have $27,500 in tax-effective (concessional) contributions a year.  To stay under the cap of $27,500 you could put an additional $13,500 into super to save for your home.  If you have been on similar or lower wages over the past couple of years but have not made any extra superannuation contributions, then you will have over $20,000 in unused cap.

This can be carried forward for up to 5 years allowing you to contribute more than $27,500. Under this super saving plan, you are allowed to contribute $15,000 a year, after the 15% tax.  That is a maximum contribution of $17,647 from your before-tax wages.  This can be achieved with just a little help from your accumulated unused caps from previous years.

In short, the scheme allows you to redirect $17,647 of your before-tax wage into super, leaving you $15,000 a year towards your deposit.  If instead, you had taken the $17,647 as wages you would have lost 39% in tax leaving only 10,764 or $207 per week in take-home pay.  This arrangement will increase the amount you can save by nearly 50%.

Note: If you have already made some voluntary contributions to super these may also qualify to be withdrawn to buy a home. 

At the end of two years, you have a $30,000 deposit, plus a bit of earnings and hopefully some savings too.  Let’s say you have $35,000 to use as a deposit plus savings for the stamp duty which should be minimal on your first home.

 

The Technicalities:

In the tax return for the year that you withdraw your deposit from the super fund, you need to include the amount in your tax return but you get a 30% tax offset.  For many people now that might mean a top-up tax of 9%.  That is their tax rate is 39% including Medicare so 9% after the tax offset.  But from 1st July 2024 people earning between $45,000 and $200,000 will only have a tax rate of 30% so the offset will fully cancel all the tax. This means you will need to pay the Medicare levy. If you are reading about this now then you probably won’t be ready to withdraw until after 1st July 2024.

What happens if you decide not to buy?  You have at least 12 months to find a property with an automatic extension of another 12 months but if you still haven’t purchased a home and don’t want to put the money back into super you will be taxed at a further 20% on the amount.

In both cases make sure you have private health insurance if this is going to take your income as a single person with no children beyond $90,000 or a couple combining beyond $180,000.

You must apply for a release of the funds before signing a contract

Once your savings have been released, you have up to 12 months (or other period allowed) from the date you requested the release of FHSS amounts to sign a contract to purchase or construct a home.

The contract you enter into has to be for a residential premise located in Australia. It cannot be any of the following types of property:

  • any premises not capable of being occupied as a residence
  • a houseboat
  • a motor home
  • vacant land except for house and land packages.

Note: If you purchase vacant land to build a home on, it is the contract to construct your home that must be entered into to meet the FHSS scheme requirements. The contract to construct that home must be entered into within 12 months (or other period allowed) from the date you requested a release. In this situation, you must not have purchased the vacant land before applying for a FHSS determination.

 

How to Buy a House with $35,000

A lot depends on the price of houses in the area you want to buy in but there are also incentives for families.  Here is a guide to how much you will have available to spend, without having to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance, depending on the dynamics of your household.

It is important to note that there are two tests you need to pass with the bank and it doesn’t matter how well you do on one, you still have to pass the other.

  • The first test is having enough deposit. This is achieved without mortgage insurance by either having saved 20% of the house price or qualifying for the government deposit guarantee discussed further on.
  • The second test is your ability to meet the repayments, which is determined by how much you borrow in relation to how much you earn and your family dynamics. Here is a link to a useful calculator to help you calculate this.

The following addresses your family dynamics and what your $35,000 deposit will allow you to buy.  You still need to run through the calculator (from the second test) above to make sure the bank will lend you that much.  That is the catch with low deposit borrowings.  If you only have a 5% deposit then you have to pay off a whopping 95% of the purchase price whereas a 20% deposit for the same house will result in a much smaller loan and smaller repayments because you are only paying back 80% of the purchase price.

Here is the plan based on your family dynamics; continue reading even if you are single as there is a plan for you too.

The catch is these guarantees have a limited number of places and are touted as family housing assistance, so it is assumed that having children will help.  In particular, single people with children can qualify with as little as a 2% deposit.  Nevertheless, let’s look at a few scenarios to show how any household dynamic can buy a house in 2 years.

Sole Parent – The government will guarantee your deposit when you have as little as 2% but you still have to be able to afford to pay off the 98%.  If you have $35,000 plus stamp duty as a deposit then you can borrow $1.715 mil but, of course, you probably can’t afford the repayments on such a large loan.  The point here is it’s not the deposit that will hold you back but t your ability to repay the loan. You can check your ability by using this calculator to see what the banks will lend you. If you have a good income, however, you should have no problem getting a modest home in most parts of Australia.

Couple with Children – The government will guarantee your deposit when you have as little as a 5% deposit.  The “ability to repay” test should be a lot easier to pass with two incomes and with two incomes over the last 2 years you may have managed to save two lots of $35,000.  But let’s say you haven’t had two incomes for the last 2 years because one parent has been at home with the children.  Now they have returned to work, your savings are diminished but you have stuck with the Super Savings Scheme for the working spouse so together you have just $35,000.  From a deposit point of view, this will allow you to borrow $665,000, allowing you to purchase a house for $700,000 assuming, now that you are back on 2 incomes, that you can afford the repayments on $665,000.  This might not get you into inner Sydney but it should get you into most areas.

Couple with no Children –  You may not qualify for the government guarantee on your deposit unless you move to South Australia – see more information below.  Nevertheless, don’t give up on avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance!Let’s see how you can get the 20% deposit together.  If you have no children then both of you can participate in the Super Savings Scheme so you will have a $70,000 deposit which will allow you to borrow $280,000 which, on two incomes you should have no problem repaying.  The trouble is this only gives you $350,000 to spend on a property so possible, but very limiting.  Just one extra year of saving through super will give you a $105,000 deposit allowing you to buy a property worth $525,000 which is getting much closer to the mark.

Single Person no Children –   You should seriously consider moving to South Australia while you have no family commitments and taking advantage of their 3% deposit guarantee, more details below.

Otherwise, let’s look at how you could get together a full 20% deposit.  With only one income, the ability to repay the loan may be an issue.  Use this calculator to see what the banks will lend you.  While the $35,000 from the Super Saver Scheme will certainly help, you are going to have to save another $300 per week out of your take-home pay over those 2 years, and even then you will only be able to spend around $350,000.  You may need more time, a second job, perhaps move to South Australia, live a frugal lifestyle for 2 years, move back in with your parents or decentralize but it will be worth it.  Two years is not that much time in your whole lifetime to get to the next level of wealth creation.  It is that first house that is the hurdle, after that you have a great source of cheap borrowings for further investment.

If you do make some extra savings over and above the contributions to Super, consider living off them at the start of the third financial year of saving so that you can contribute all of your wages into super for a few months to get the tax benefits on another $15,000.  The maximum is $50,000.

 

How the Federal Government Guarantee of Your Deposit Works

The places for this are limited and released each year so it is a step of faith to save through super with this in mind but as you can always choose to withdraw those savings from super and pay the top-up tax, it is no longer a case of “buy a home or your savings are lost until you retire.”

If you qualify for the government guarantee, the bank treats you as having a full 20% deposit for that side of the 2 tests.  They don’t charge you mortgage insurance on the shortfall because the government is the mortgage insurer.  Of course, you still need to repay the full amount that you are borrowing.  To be clear, the government are only guaranteeing your deposit, not paying for it.  So if the government offers a 15% guarantee because you only have a 5% deposit you still have to make repayments on 95% of the purchase price, which is test number 2.

This guarantee also has an income cap of $125,000 for singles and $200,000 for couples but this is as per your notice of assessment, taxable income.  This means that those contributions to super will not be counted as your income for this test.  A win-win!

You also need to be an Australian resident over 18 intending to live in the property.  There is also a cap on how much the property can cost depending on the location – you can go to this page and put in your area’s postcode to determine the cap on specific locations.

For more information, click here.

 

How the State Government Guarantee of your Deposit Works in South Australia

How clever is South Australia!  This is the perfect scheme to attract skilled labour to the state.  To qualify for this government guarantee you have to have an education level of certificate III or higher and live in or move to South Australia.

The lender is a South Australian Government organization and they only require a 3% deposit provided you can afford to pay off a loan for the other 97%.  Houses are generally cheaper in South Australia as it is.

For more information, click here. 

 

Ultimately the message is, don’t give up. House ownership can be done!

To read the original blog on BAN TACS – National Accountants Group, click here. 

 

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