RBA July 2015 Cash Rate Cut

By The Property Couch July 8, 2015 in RBA Announcement, Videos

Today the Reserve Governor and the Board met and kept the cash rate at 2%. We saw changes in February and also in May of this year and now again, the Governor and the Board is basically just waiting to see what happens.

Commentary & Opinion of Ben Kingsley – CEO & Founder; Property Investment Analyst and Advisor and current Chair of PIPA Ben Kingsley is the Founding Director of Empower Wealth and Chair of Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA). A qualified Property Investment Advisor (QPIA), Ben holds a Real Estate Agency License (QLD), a Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management, a Diploma of Business and has become one of Australia’s leading experts in property investing for wealth creation.

(People watching/reading this should be reminded this is an opinion comment by Ben Kingsley, and should not be used when making decisions about financial matters without seeking further clarification and understanding of your own personal circumstances. This article is not advice you should rely upon. We recommend you to speak to a licensed professionals before taking any action with your financial affairs)

Episode 018 | What is a Buyers Agent and Do You Need One?

By The Property Couch July 3, 2015 in Podcast, Real life stories

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Folks, a good investment property is just like a bricks and mortar bank account!!

(Yep, that’s another great analogy from Bryce – just wait till you hear the cow one too!)

This means – it doesn’t need to have all the looks; it just needs to be investment grade.

And this is exactly where Buyers Agents come in!!

In today’s episode we’ll be taking a looking under the bonnet and hearing what a Buyers Agents life is like, unpacking their role in the property market and discussing what the KEY advantages of using them are!

Of course, since we’re sharing WHY you need a Buyers Agents, we’ll also be revealing WHERE you can find some great ones!

And we think we’re both in pretty good spots to be explaining it…We’re both experienced, qualified and licensed Buyers Agent in multiple states across Australia!

We’ll be sharing some stories from our past…

PLUS discussing the role that professional bodies such as the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) and the Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA) play in the property market.

Loads of good stuff in today’s episode, tune in now folks!

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Just starting your property investing journey? Check out our FREE Binge Guide to the Foundations of Property, Finance and Money Management, which show you which episodes you need to understand the basics! Or fill in the form below and we’ll email it to you right away.

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

1:59 – What are buyers agents?
3:05 – How the property market works in the United States vs. Australia
4:31 – Why an investment property is like a brick-and-mortar bank account
6:03 – A real example from Ben’s client
7:55 – Bryce’s cow analogy
8:58 – Why owner occupiers should use a buyers agents!
9:45 – We look at HOW many properties a week?!
10:13 – How buyers agents help with borderless investing…
11:55 – The #1 buyers agent criteria
12:49 – The role of PIPA and REBAA
14:33 – The #2 buyers agent criteria
16:00 – The different tiers of buyers agents
16:42 – The life of a buyers agent
18:00 – Why property is easier to predict returns on!
19:57 – Properties are driven by _____
21:00 – Advantages buyers agents bring! (With examples from Ben and Bryce!)
24:28 – A huge THANK YOU to all our listeners!

017 | Who’s Your Personal Banker?

By The Property Couch June 26, 2015 in Finance, Podcast

Did you know, to be a great Property Investor…

you need to be great in Finance!

This means you need to understand how to access money, and most importantly, understand how to use Leverage.

Yep that’s right! And to better understand this concept, we’re drilling down into the Borrowing Power pillar, found in our Four Pillars of Mastery framework.

In theory, investors are supposed to be thinking 2 properties or loans in advance, whilst setting up their current property.

Of course, the reason we said, in theory, is because most investors simply don’t know how to achieve this as they lack the knowledge and experience.

So, what happens next?

Well, unfortunately, they go to the bank hoping that the bank or lender will sort it out for them, but what folks forget is…the banker works for the bank!

Bankers typically don’t have the capacity to conduct a thorough analysis of all investors’ loan strategies and structures. It’s kinda like going to the GP and asking them to perform knee surgery (not safe or practical!)

That’s why in today’s episode we’re discussing how to maximise your leverage, the difference between cross-securitisation to stand alone lending (Hint: you should definitely avoid 1 of them)…

AND why you should choose a specialist over generalist EVERY TIME.

We’re also looking at the strategy and structure behind good lending and who your personal banker should be!

Tune in now folks 😊

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Just starting your property investing journey? Check out our FREE Binge Guide to the Foundations of Property, Finance and Money Management, which show you which episodes you need to understand the basics! Or fill in the form below and we’ll email it to you right away.
- First Name
- Email
- Are you also interested to have a better understanding of your cashflow position via our FREE Money SMARTS Platform?
- Yes, I do! Send me my free access to Money SMARTS Platform too.
- Name
  This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
27410
Free Report: 7 Common Mistakes when selecting a Property Loan
Beginner’s Guide to Property Investment Webinar

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

3:30 – Why property is all about finance!
4:33 – Why and how Ben started Empower Wealth…
7:44 – Great lending is based on _____ and ______
9:05 – The motto for using Lenders Mortgage Insurance…
9:50 – Why “drilling the dream down into a goal” is so important?
13:30 – The types of plans we build
14:30 – Cross- collateralisation vs. Standalone lending
16:10 – Examples of both
17:53 – Who is the Personal Banker?
18:35 – Specialist NOT a generalist folks!
20:05 – What your mortgage broker should look like
23:00 – What you can achieve if you get this right!
24:30 – Check out this free report on 7 Common Mistakes When Selecting a Loan!

7 Common Mistakes When Selecting A Property Loan

By The Property Couch June 26, 2015 in Free Resources

Whether it’s your very first home loan, your first investment property loan or maybe even a refinance of an existing loan, the decision you make about what lender and what loan product you choose carries a significant financial impact on you, so you need to get it right. As promised in Episode 17 | Who’s Your Personal Banker?, this special report is about ensuring that those of you just starting out, or those of you who need your financial affairs brought back into order, don’t make any common mistakes.

Click on the report to start downloading it.

Beginner’s Guide to Property Investment in Australia – WEBINAR

By The Property Couch June 25, 2015 in Free Resources, Property Investment

Apart from Property Investing Podcast, we want to be able to provide you with some visual demonstration on the theories and concept of property investment in Australia. That is why we’ve prepared this Free Webinar: Beginner’s Guide to Property Investment. Investing in Property is a high value transaction and mistakes can be quite costly so make sure you are fully prepared before making any decisions. Register today to learn more.

What will this Webinar cover?

Have you ever read an article that says, “We’ve build a $2 million property portfolio in under 5 years!” and thought to yourself, “How did they do it?!”. Well, you are not alone.

Property Investment is a popular choice of building wealth for a number of reasons. But to start building your portfolio is not easy. You need to know a few things:

How to start investing?
Where should you buy the first one?
Apartment or House? New or old?
How should you structure your loan?
Do you have enough?

Since it is your first time, you need to make sure everything is right. As we always say at Empower Wealth, property is a high value transaction and to screw it up will result in very unfortunate damage and they are often irreversible. So join this free webinar today and make sure you are on the right path!

If you register today, we’ll send you our Money Magazine Cover story: How to Earn $2,500 a week by Building a Property Portfolio.

What are the Attendees’ Saying?

Essential viewing for any aspiring property investors, ticks off all the basic requirements prior to entry. – Nick S.

That was great! The webinar and website info is really helping me build my knowledge bank before getting out there! – Michael M.

Really well explained especially for first timers. Great pieces of information provided. – M

016 (Part 2) | The 5 Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia

By The Property Couch June 19, 2015 in Podcast, Property Investment

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Aaand we’re back at it folks!!

Our first double part episode…ALL IN THE SPACE OF ONE WEEK!

Yep. That’s how important we believe these two lessons are!!

So today we’re finishing our “5 Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia” framework (Of course, if you haven’t already listened to the first part, tune in here) covering the last TWO steps of the process:

4. Implement (The researching and buying – often what too many people do FIRST in the framework)

5. Manage (The checking and monitoring of the property each year)

Combined, these 5 steps will guide you to effectively and successfully plan and achieve your life goals!

AND (in the wise words of Bryce) if you’d like to turn your dream into a goal, our business – Empower Wealth – offers tailored Property Wealth Planning strategies based on YOUR financial and life goals.

We discuss how these plans work and why they’re important…

Plus we define the 2 key metrics that Empower Wealth uses to create these insanely accurate financial plans!

(Did we mention these advanced calculations have been designed by Ben himself??)

If you’re interested in getting us to help you out with your property journey, check us out here!

There’s so much gold in this framework finale episode, tune in now folks!

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Ep 3: Cash Flow Management
Ep 4: Borrowing Power
Ep 5: Asset Selection
Ep 6: Defence
Episode 016 | (Part 1) The 5 Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia
Check our Empower Wealth’s Property Portfolio Plan
Just starting your property investing journey? Check out our FREE Binge Guide to the Foundations of Property, Finance and Money Management, which show you which episodes you need to understand the basics!
Here’s what it looks like inside!!

What to expect in this 90-pages long Cheatsheet?
- The Foundational Knowledge in each of the First 20 Episodes
- The Absolute GOLD that you should not miss out on!
- Short snippets of quotes from Bryce and Ben that makes all the difference
- Links to all the Free Resources that they mention in those episodes
- Additional bonuses that will help you in understanding the Fundamentals more!
- And of course… Charts and graphs that you can’t find on the podcast!
Interested? Fill in the form below and we’ll email it to you right away.
- First Name
- Email
- Are you also interested to have a better understanding of your cashflow position via our FREE Money SMARTS Platform?
- Yes, I do! Send me my free access to Money SMARTS Platform too.
- Email
  This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
46567

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

0:40 – It’s all strategy and tactics folks…
1:01 – How can you develop the best investment strategy for you? (And how we can help you!)
2:48 – The footy equivalent of what we’re teaching
3:41 – Plan to become, what you plan to become!
5:39 – What you need to factor into your plans…
6:38 – This part’s for those folks who want to do their own plan! (How we do it)
7:50 – Why Ben created Empower Wealth’s simulation software
9:39 – The #1st Key Metric in Ben’s software
10:26 – The #2nd Key Metric in Ben’s software (And why it’s so important!)
12:34 – Step 4 in our framework
15:50 – Step 5! (What often happens without a plan…)
17:38 – What happens when you DO have a plan!
18:18 – Great property investments only require HOW much time?!
20:31 – We’ve done a…webinar?! Plus a bonus you can get!

016 (Part 1) | The 5 Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia

By The Property Couch June 19, 2015 in Podcast, Property Investment

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Folks, we think Australia’s school curriculum should include money management and smart investing…

In fact, we believe so strongly that Aussies need MORE property education, that we’re expanding from our “Four Pillars of Mastery” series…

(Haven’t listened? You can check it out here!)

…into the first part of our “5 Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia” framework!!

Yep, that’s right folks, we’re giving you yet another free framework that’ll guide you on your professional investing journey!

Today we’re covering the first 3 steps…

Clarify (Understanding your financial and personal story, and your properties’ potential)
Evaluate (This is the art of understanding your cash flow – basically, crunching those numbers)
Plan (Putting a written plan into place)

We’re breaking down each section and explaining how you can achieve it, with insider tips that we’ve learned over the past 40 years!

We’ll also be unpacking the Microscope challenge and listing some real-life examples in action. Tune in now to upgrade your knowledge! 💃

p.s Make sure you check out the simulator that Ben mentions in this podcast, it’ll seriously help you to achieve these three steps!

p.p.s Continue to >> Part 2 of 5 Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Ep 3: Cash Flow Management
Ep 4: Borrowing Power
Ep 5: Asset Selection
Ep 6: Defence
Just starting your property investing journey? Check out our FREE Binge Guide to the Foundations of Property, Finance and Money Management, which show you which episodes you need to understand the basics!
Here’s what it looks like inside!!

What to expect in this 90-pages long Cheatsheet?
- The Foundational Knowledge in each of the First 20 Episodes
- The Absolute GOLD that you should not miss out on!
- Short snippets of quotes from Bryce and Ben that makes all the difference
- Links to all the Free Resources that they mention in those episodes
- Additional bonuses that will help you in understanding the Fundamentals more!
- And of course… Charts and graphs that you can’t find on the podcast!
Interested? Fill in the form below and we’ll email it to you right away.
- First Name
- Email
- Are you also interested to have a better understanding of your cashflow position via our FREE Money SMARTS Platform?
- Yes, I do! Send me my free access to Money SMARTS Platform too.
- Phone
  This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
49388

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

0:55 – This 80-year-old has an interesting story….
3:50 – Why you should start listening The Property Couch from the start!
5:12 – What we aim to do through this podcast…
7:00 – People spend THOUSANDS on this (and we’re giving it to you for free!!)
7:52 – The Microscope challenge property investors face
8:57 – The smart ones know THIS
10:00 – Lesson #1: CLARIFY
12:00 – Begin with the _____ in mind!
13:35 – Lesson #2: EVALUATE
14:00 – Why it’s the art of understanding…
15:45 – Why our simulator is so beneficial
16:27 – The 3 areas your money MUST cover…
16:57 – Real case study: Should we invest or buy a family home?
18:11 – Lesson #3 PLAN
19:00 – Why you should RUN if a property investment advisor asks you “Have you set up a self-managed super fund?”
19:35 – An interesting commentary on “solving” property spruikers…

Special Note:

Looking for a Qualified Property Investment Advisor? Use the Search Function on PIPA Website here or get in touch with us!

Our parent company Empower Wealth is a PIPA Member and all our advisors are QPIAs who are very capable in building a unique and tailored Property Portfolio Plan. You can learn more about our free and no-obligation initial consultation here.

015 | Case study: Property Investing in Australia

By The Property Couch June 12, 2015 in Podcast, Q&A, Real life stories

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While we’ve been sharing tons of wisdom with you over the past few weeks…

Today we’re putting knowledge into practice with the podcast’s first case study from Aaron, a valued listener of The Property Couch!

Aaron asks:

“Why do some apartments that seem to tick all the boxes just don’t appreciate in price over time? 🤔

This block at Brunswick is close to the public transport, schools, cafes and lifestyle but based on the comparable sales, the apartments have only achieved very little, if any, price gain since 2010.

Your podcast has been saying “Location First, Property Next”, but I’m confused with this property.

Why is this place so cheap? If it’s because of the property itself, does it mean the location is not always the biggest factor?

And finally, should investors seriously consider properties like this or stay clear?”

We’re unpacking each question and running through the 3 crucial filters you need to be applying to every property…

This includes explaining how this property might appear to tick all the boxes, but why it’s actually scoring none! If you are interested in investing in apartments, check out Episode 7 as well where we talked about investing in One Bedroom and Studio Apartments.

We’ll also be sharing who the #1 person you must impress as a property investor is, and what shine over size means!

So strap in folks, we’re doing a deep dive into this multi-layered question!

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Just starting your property investing journey? Check out our FREE Binge Guide to the Foundations of Property, Finance and Money Management, which shows you which episodes you need to understand the basics! Or fill in the form below and we’ll email it to you right away!
- First Name
- Email
- Are you also interested to have a better understanding of your cashflow position via our FREE Money SMARTS Platform?
- Yes, I do! Send me my free access to Money SMARTS Platform too.
- Name
  This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
99770
Top 10 Suburbs in Sydney in 2003 and what happened to them in 2007?
Watch Ben’s ABC News 24 – Property Bubble in Sydney and Melbourne? Interview
Looking for a Qualified Property Investment Advisor? Use the Search Function on PIPA Website here or get in touch with us!
Our parent company Empower Wealth is a PIPA Member and all our advisors are QPIAs who are very capable in building a unique and tailored Property Portfolio Plan. You can learn more about our free and no-obligation initial consultation here.

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

2:15 – The Question
4:50 – Developers try to sell you on THIS!
6:20 – How they price these assets
8:10 – The 3 filters you should apply to investment grade properties
8:40 – This was the biggest downfall!
10:51 – What we mean by shine over size
13:18 – How Aussie culture can affect property growth
14:50 – “Why is the property so cheap?”
15:40 – What does Acceptance of Density mean??
17:04 – How to determine if it has Owner-Occupier Appeal?
18:07 – The #1 person you must impress as a property investor!
19:10 – Ben’s “Mainstream Music Appeal” analogy
20:20 – Why we prefer ____ over ____ properties!
22:10 – This is why you should invest in a Buyers Agent
23:58 – Data from across the total market…
26:00 – Check out Ben’s interview on ABC!

014 | Should you buy during a Boom? (And are we in a Property Bubble now?!)

By The Property Couch June 5, 2015 in Podcast, Property Investment, Real life stories

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There’s no denying that Sydney and Melbourne are in a boom right now…But what does that mean for the everyday investor?

Here’s the deal:

We’re exploring WHAT you should be considering if you’re thinking of jumping into these heated markets…

WHY having the fundamentals of property selection is important during this time…

And discussing the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s (APRA) new changes to lending policies that seriously affect pre-approvals for investors!!

In fact, we’re answering if you should even be investing at all during a boom – After all, how do you know the market hasn’t already peaked?

We’ll also be sharing our strategy for dealing with booming markets! (Check out our episode on buying counter-cyclical as part of this!)

And remember folks…

It’s not a bubble, it’s a balloon! 🎈🎈

You heard it here first!! Now that we’ve verbally trademarked it (Yep, that’s 100% legitimate 😉)…what do we mean?

Well, you’ll have to tune in to find out!

All we’re saying for now is that Sydney’s currently in a property balloon…Listen in now!

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Just starting your property investing journey? Check out our FREE Binge Guide to the Foundations of Property, Finance and Money Management, which show you which episodes you need to understand the basics! Or fill in the form below and we’ll email it to you right away!
- First Name
- Email
- Are you also interested to have a better understanding of your cashflow position via our FREE Money SMARTS Platform?
- Yes, I do! Send me my free access to Money SMARTS Platform too.
- Comments
  This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
96407
Watch Ben’s Commentary on RBA’s release
Should you be a Borderless Investor
How To Spot A Property Spruiker?
Renovation does not equal Riches
Top 10 Suburbs in Sydney in 2003 and what happened to them in 2007?

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

2:08 – What you need to remember about the property market
2:48 – Why Sydney is in a balloon NOT a bubble!
5:10 – FREE data on Sydney’s top performing areas
6:25 – Should you buy during a boom?
7:20 – Why you need to have your property selection fundamentals right!
8:30 – Our strategy for our clients (& why we’re out of the Sydney market right now!)
10:30 – The “Common Sense” point of view
11:13 – A safe strategy for booming markets
11:53 – What is Compression Risk?
12:55 – What properties we’re buying in a boom vs. the typical properties we buy
13:57 – THESE are the times you should buy in!
15:00 – Why you should consider your Timeframe
16:58 – Does the Commonwealth Games impact property value?
18:55 – Are you up to date on APRA’s changes to lender policies?
20:25 – Our key message!

013 | Buy an investment property and continue renting or buy a home – Q&A Day!

By The Property Couch May 29, 2015 in Podcast, Q&A

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Right off the bat folks, a big THANK YOU to our listeners for all the questions they’ve sent in!

We’re excited to be answering a BUNCH of great questions in our FIRST EVER Q&A session!

We’ll be covering a lot of ground, from the crucial conversations you should be having before making ANY decisions to the type of research and data that’ll help you determine the best option for you. 📈

We’re also sharing our thoughts on the Government’s policies on negative and positive gearing, and explaining why removing negative gearing is actually a terrible idea!

Once again thank you to all our question submitters, we’re glad that this podcast has inspired you and we had tons of fun recording this one!

Listen in now folks, plenty of gold to help you make the right decisions.

P.s. In the future we are hoping to answer ALL of your questions, so please keep sending them in!

The Questions…

Dan and Ryan:

“Should we buy an investment property in a high growth location and keep renting, or move a bit further out and get something we can afford?”

Leah:

“Do you think the tax rules around negative gearing will change in the future, so as not to benefit those investing in multiple properties and how do you diversify your portfolio?”

Mark:

“How do you identify high disposable income suburbs and if you’re buying in a block of units, how do you work out if there are more owner-occupiers than renters in the building and area? Also, what do you think about dual living homes ie: granny flats?”

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Just starting your property investing journey? Check out our FREE Binge Guide to the Foundations of Property, Finance and Money Management, which shows you which episodes you need to understand the basics! Or fill in the form below and we’ll email it to you right away!
- First Name
- Email
- Are you also interested to have a better understanding of your cashflow position via our FREE Money SMARTS Platform?
- Yes, I do! Send me my free access to Money SMARTS Platform too.
- Email
  This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
13307

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

0:37 – Dan and Ryan’s Question
2:15 – What you need to analyse first!
4:00 – Why you SHOULD consider renting in a lifestyle location
5:25 – The conversation you need to have…
6:21 – Leah’s Question
7:07 – The fundamentals of gearing
8:35 – What we predict for the future of negative gearing policy…
9:10 – How the Government gets its revenue
9:42 – Our questions to the Government on positive gearing tax
10:35 – Why removing negative gearing doesn’t work!
12:50 – How do you diversify your portfolio?
15:03 – Mark’s Question
15:45 – Where and how you can find the income story!
17:00 – Why you should focus on small blocks
18:29 – ALL the data we use
20:00 – When is it best to have a granny flat?
21:23 – Some gold from Bryce!

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

What will this Webinar cover?

What are the Attendees’ Saying?

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Here’s what it looks like inside!!

What to expect in this 90-pages long Cheatsheet?

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Here’s what it looks like inside!!

What to expect in this 90-pages long Cheatsheet?

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

The Questions…

Free Stuff Mentioned:

Here’s some of the gold we cover…

Instagram

Free Resources

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