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189 | Q & A – Vic Residential Tenancy Changes and “Legoland” in a Good Location

Folks, today we’re tackling your questions around some tough topics!

Because chances are, you’ve heard about the amendments that’ve recently been passed on Victoria’s Residential Tenancies Act — laws that allow tenants to keep pets and make ‘minor’ modifications to the property, regardless of the landlord’s wishes.

So we’re going to give our take on this, as well as take a deep dive on “Legoland” and whether or not these properties are worth considering if they’re sitting in a good location. Plus a certain Donald Trump gets a mention, as does the interest rate rise we’ve seen from the big banks right here on our home turf!

And why the tough topics now?

Well folks, it’s pretty simple… we’ve sweated out our brand new book, Make Money Simple Again (Get 30% off here), and now that it’s off to the printers… we’re ready to take on some of your other challenges!

 

Before we kick it off, just a shout out that PICA’S holding a limited-seating event on Tuesday 18th September at 6pm — to discuss on the amendments to the Victorian Residential Tenancy Act…

This is an exclusive event (only 60 seats available) with Yvonne Martin and will take place at Madgwicks Lawyers, Level 6, 140 William Street, Melbourne.

Register Here: PICA – Changes to the Residential Tenancies Act

 

And yes,

WE FINALLY FINISHED OUR BOOK, Make Money Simple Again!!!

Get 30% OFF IF YOU JOIN THE WAITLIST
(AND get it before anyone else!)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DETAILS: Make Money Simple Again

 

But back to the tricky Q & A….

 

Question — Chris on Tenancy Changes

I’m disappointed at your quick video overview regarding proposed rental tenancy changes in Victoria. I have no problem with most of the suggested changes but, how can you not be alarmed at tenants being given the right to have pets and make modifications deemed ‘minor’ – whatever that means? We are not just talking about picture hooks here! After investigating further, this may include security measures and air conditioning! Who pays for these? You flippantly dismiss the pet comment with a remark about ’tiles’. Are you serious??? What about carpets and polished floorboards taking a pounding from pets’ claws and their excrement! I will tell you from experience that any sort of steam cleaning and fumigating of carpets etc….even at the tenant’s expense is not the answer. I’ve had to on at least two occasions (where both urine and faecal matter was so prevalent) had no choice, but to change the carpets! Forget the floorboards – too damn expensive to re-sand and polish!  Please tell me that these abovementioned points are also concerns for you?

 

SpeakPipe Question – Emma on Rate Statement showing a Decline

I have a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1 car spot investment apartment in Maribyrnong. I’ve just noticed on my new rate statement that the Capital Improved Value and the Site Value have decreased. It is a long term investment, should I be worried? Or should I just enjoy the lower rates this year? Thanks!

 

SpeakPipe Question — Lucas about Trump and IO Loans

… As we know, America runs at huge deficits, and Trump’s now starting trade wars with a whole bunch of economic blocks and their interest rates are going up so it’s going to be harder for them to service their debt. Deficits are going to become bigger & in case that backfires, and causes another GFC situation, what impact will Trump have on the Australian housing market? And, also, we’ll probably have another compounding problem with tougher lending criteria and people having less opportunity to roll interest-only with banks. So I’d like to know what you think will happen to the property market if these things happen, which is the worst case scenario. Thank you.

 

Question — Nick on History of Sales

Hi, I am a casual listener of the podcast and a first time buyer looking for a place to live in Melbourne. We have found a townhouse in Thornbury, a property that ticks all the boxes for us and looks like a good price. However, the property is selling for only a fraction over that which it was purchased in 2014 and is amongst about 50 of other similar townhouses — the property next door is also for sale. It is probably the best located/nicest property we can afford that we have found in Melbourne but those seem like red flags from an investment point of view. I thought I might just ask and see if you might be able to point us in the right direction as to how much we should read into previous sale prices and also about what saturation means in the townhouse market? Thank you and keep up the rad podcasts!

 

 

186 | Q & A – Should You Pay Down the Principle Loan When Interest Rates are Low? Are Multiple Offset Accounts a Good Idea? PLUS The Step-by-Step Process to Buy an Investment Property!

“The people’s podcast” is EXACTLY that today folks! Because here’s the deal… it’s full-on, gold-packed Q & A Day!!

And we’re diving headfirst into…

  1. Offset accounts —is it a good idea to have multiple offset accounts? And should you offset your highest loan or the oldest loan?
  2. Investing in outer suburbs versus inner suburbs
  3. The step-by-step process of buying an investment property
  4. Buying a home (PPOR) versus an investment property (IP)
  5. Lending — should you pay down the principle of an investment property when interest rates are low?
  6. Why should you join PICA?
  7. TWO amazing LifeHacks from our community!

Oh folks, we don’t want to pick favourites — but even we’ll admit it — these are some solid questions from our listeners!

From start (Mindset Minute) to “Knowledge is empowering, but only if you act on it”… this episode is ALL YOURS!

Before we jump into the questions, click here to download Ben’s Data Dive on Better Price Point, Better Location and Better Returns or fill in the form below and we’ll send it to your email right away.

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Questions from Kyrillos:

  1. If you’re purchasing more than 1 property, can you get more than one offset account? And if so do you split all the cash between them, or is it wiser to pour in all the cash in the offset against a larger loan?
  2. To do with LocationScore — I’ve gone through and created a Spreadsheet of all of the suburbs within 50km of Brisbane’s CBD and found that most of the better-scored suburbs are actually quite far, in terms of the asset selection criteria you guys talk about. I understand that LocationScore is more of a demand versus supply score, so if you’re a Buy and Hold investor, at a suburb level, is buying in a better location still the better option?
  3. Would you be able to run through the process of buying a property? Could you run through a quick, step by step process of what happens when (research, when should you get building and pest inspection etc)?

Note 1: Looking for the link to join the Property Investors Council of Australia (PICA)? Learn more about their membership here!

Note 2: Keen to watch Ben’s Data Dive on Better Price Point, Better Location and Better Returns on Investment? Just click here or fill in the form below to get access to it.

 

Question from Cam:

My partner and I are wanting to buy 1st home. We are 27 years old, have $100,000 saved and are in our 3rd year of full time employment with a combined income of $150K. Should we be stretching ourselves to buy in the area we love FIRST, or should we be buying an investment property and hope to build equity and use it to purchase our Principal Place of Residence down the track?

 

Question from Sonya:

Hi guys, love the podcast. There’s a lot of talk out there about the risk of Australians switching from Interest Only to Principal and Interest loans. I’m currently paying Interest Only, with no interest to refinance as I am starting up my own business and currently don’t have any other income coming in. Half of my loan is fixed, the other half is variable. My question is: should I pay down the principle of my investment property while the interest rates are low to control the risk of a high interest rate at a later date and the Principal and Interest I would have to pay when my loan switches over? I’m less interested in the tax advantages, and am more interested in controlling risk and reducing my overall repayments. I know that the longer my Interest Only repayment is, the higher my repayments will have to be when it switches over — and that doesn’t sound great to me. I’m sure this, and the impact of Interest Only lending, is of interest to other listeners, so I hope you can provide insight. Love your work again. Cheers!

 

 

Data Dive! Better Price Point, Better Location and Better Returns

Fill in the form below and we’ll send it to your email right away! 🙂

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165 | Royal Commission’s Role in the Lending Sector and Q&A on Improving Loan Serviceability, Sell v Hold Strategy and Investing in Shares

Just a heads up, folks: we’re tackling a couple of serious topics today!

Because, not only are we diving into the world of the Banking Royal Commission (and what they do), we’re also answering a few voicemail messages about how to best service your loan, what to look out for if you considering investing in shares and having a crack at the million dollar question: should you sell or hold??

Yep, Ben will be donning on his Chair of PICA hat to address some of these topics, especially when it comes to choosing your mortgage broker wisely and making sure, as property investors our assets and financial wellbeing are well protected!

 

As part of this, we will be dropping the “F” word… Fraud.

It should go without saying, DON’T go there… but if you find yourself taking dodgy advice, you could find yourself in boiling water too. And remember — for the folks that haven’t signed up yet — you can get an individual Membership of PICA for as little as $5 to lobby government regulations and help us get rid of the “bad eggs” and spruikers responsible!

 

So, let’s jump into the SpeakPipe Q’s:

Question from Nick (from New Zealand) about Selling or Holding a House and Land Package:

I purchased a house and land package in Landsdale, Perth in 2012. It’s next to the parks, next to the school; it’s a beautiful place with nice places around it — should I play the long game and hold onto it? Or should I look at selling it & placing my money elsewhere? It’s cash flow neutral, so it’s not costing me anything. It’s rented out, I’m paying the debt down through my own cash flow… the only other thing is, I’m at university so if I sell it, I won’t be able to get another place — I wouldn’t be able to get a mortgage — for 2 years until I graduate. I know it’s a million dollar question — but should I sell it or hold it?

 

Question from Will about serviceability concerns with current lending regulations:

We’ve got a current portfolio of currently 3 properties, looking to buy our 4th and final property in late 2018. I’m a little bit concerned about serviceability since the new APRA rules? have been brought in with the big banks. I was wondering if there were any practical things we could do to improve our serviceability? The second part to the question: Is there anything we can do to increase serviceability with second-tier lenders and third tier lenders?

 

Question about shares from Jamie:

Through your podcast, Rich Dad, Poor Dad. In the book, it talks about using shares to raise a deposit to purchase property. I was wondering if you were aware of any podcasts or books or any other resources that are similar to your own podcast but talk about trading shares? It’s something that is less tangible than property and I have a harder time understanding it.

 

p.s. Make sure to check out PICA’s website: www.pica.asn.au

p.p.s. And the video that we talked about is called, Becoming Warren Buffet.

 

164 | Q&A – How to Avoid Poor Loan Structure

It’s Q & A Day, folks!!

Off the back of last night’s webinar, “7 Deadly Sins of Building a Property Portfolio” we’ve got plenty of questions leftover that we reckon are going to help you with ALL THINGS LOANS and INVESTMENT LENDING!!!

Before it kicks off though … we’ve got a BIG announcement (well, big news for Bryce!!)… so make sure you keep an ear out!

So, we’ve got SIX questions to get through, which will help you in avoiding poor loan structure and more importantly, your planning stage of building a property portfolio!

 

Question from Mark:

I have a PPR mortgaged at the moment, as does my girlfriend. We wish in the future to turn both into investment properties and buy a further property to live in long term. Should we be spending money doing any works to the properties that we currently live in? Or should we spend the bare minimum and save every cent for our “together” house?

 

Question from Laudy:

I thought they’d changed the PPR loans and didn’t allow interest only loans anymore — how can this be done?

 

Question from Dean

Can you use equity in your investment properties to wipe out your PPR mortgage?

 

Question from Chris:

I understand the concept of “tapping into property 1’s equity” but HOW do we do it? Is a Line of Credit an appropriate method? Is this with the same bank or a different bank? Thanks guys, appreciate the help!

 

Question from Matt:

In the case studies it shows the debt on investment properties being paid off over time. When do you switch from IO to P&I? Should you refinance after 5 years to extend IO period as long as possible or switch to P&I when your cash flow allows?

 

Question from Shanki:

Regarding loan structure, can I use the equity from 1 property to pay the deposit for 2 separate investment properties? Is it similar to collateral?

 

 

p.s. Here are all the links for today’s podcast!

 

 

 

162 | Q&A – Second-tier Lenders, Brisbane’s units market and the order in Investment Assumptions (PLUS a special appearance from Jeremy Sheppard)

We have a couple of treats in store for you today, folks!!

Not only is it Q & A Day — we know: it seems like forever since we had one, and we love ‘em!! — we’ve also created A BRAND NEW SEGMENT, which is kicking off on the Couch TODAY.

Yep. Think property markets. Think sneak peak. Think data!

Actually, speaking of data, joining us for a portion of today’s episode (hint, hint) is Jeremy Sheppard! He’s our other third of LocationScore.com.au and the pioneer of the DSR Formula, which collects, analyses and researches the level of supply and demand across every market and 15,000 suburbs in Australia!

(You would have heard his insights back on Episode 125 | Everything You Need to Know about Picking the Next Hotspot — Chat with Jeremy Sheppard or on our last Facebook Live!)

 

…. What will be covered from today’s questions?

  • Should you invest in a Brisbane unit?
  • What are the pros and cons of second-tier lenders?
  • Are the assumptions about property investing making you confused?

Alright folks, before we kick off the questions, you’ll notice soon that all of them are voice recorded messages! Yep, we’re officially prioritising all of our questions that come in through our SpeakPipe widget! So leave us a quick, 60 second voicemail here!

 

Question about Investment Assumptions from Matthew:

“I’m wondering if you guys can take a moment and reflect on the investment assumptions in property, particularly on stuff like, “Hey, you should always buy in this order for capital gains: you should by a free standing house, and then a townhouse or a free standing house and a duplex and a townhouse and an apartment”… all of these investment based assumptions, which are general rules of investing in property. It’d be good to examine when they’re true and when they’re not true with different cases. I look forward to your answer. Cheers guys!”

 

Question about Investing in Brisbane Units from Pia:

“I’m a 31 year-old single woman from Brisbane with a budget of $360,000. My question is about the Brisbane unit market.
My priority is investment and I’m open when it comes to the location or type of property I purchase, but ideally I’d like to buy a place I can live in for the short to medium term, and a Brisbane unit is the best fit in that regard. I’ve been looking a 2br, 1 – 2 bathroom units in a 3 – 10km radius of the city in older boutique blocks. I’ve heard all of the warnings about the oversupply of apartments in the Brisbane market at the moment, but I’m wondering if this is the time when “Others are fearful and I should be greedy”? Where do you think we are in the market cycle? Are Brisbane units about to go up in value or are we still looking at another couple of years of downward or flat growth?

 

Question about Second-tier Lenders from James:

“My question is there have been a lot of media articles and posts around lenders outside of the big four banks, or second-tier lenders…. What are the Pros and Cons of using these lenders?”

 

 

And our chat with Jeremy Sheppard?

  • Why there’s not much data in January?
  • Recapping what is Online Search Interest and should investors be worry about the impact the season would have on the property market?
  • What’s the BIG NEWS on Perth??
  • Auction Clearance Rates and who are the outperformers and underperformers in this cycle?
  • How’s the month to month trend for each of the state?
  • What does Adelaide and Gold Coast’s property market trend have in common?
  • How about Days on Market data for February 2018?

 

P.S. Leave us a Voicemail Message here.

P.P.S. Want to find the best locations to invest in? REGISTER FOR A FREE WEBINAR here!

 

 

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