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260 | Q&A: Picking The Right Investment Strategy and Beware: Proposed Changes to QLD Residential Tenancy Act

How do you know if you’re following the right investment strategy? Like… how long are you meant to wait until you buy the next property? And how much should you look at spending? OR what about all the variables in the mix — say, you or your partner is about to take maternity leave, or your overall aim is to leave a decent inheritance for the kids? And where do cashflow-positive properties fit in to all this? (And what even are they??)

We get it folks… there’s A LOT to consider when it comes to picking and following the right investment strategy!! Let alone adding on top of that trying to factor in future costs, changes to income, individual needs and capital gains on each property!

So, in this special Q&A on property investment strategies, we’re going to answer a handful of our listeners’ very own questions that dive into the common dilemmas and unique situations folks are facing!

Plus, given the recent news, we’re going to touch on the proposed changes to Queensland’s Residential Tenancy Act as well!! Learn more about the ‘Opening the Doors to Renting’ Reform here.

 

Oh, and not to mention we have a very, very special gift for you…

(which we hope will even the par on the “Black Friday” discounts happening all over the globe, which let’s be honest, aren’t exactly designed to make your money work HARDER for you!)

 

FREE BOOK!! (yes, it’s a physical copy!) – The Armchair Guide to Property Investing – How to retire on $2,000 a week

www.TheArmchairGuide.com.au

 

Yes, really. We’ve got a stack of books ready to go in the office — and until we run out, we’re GIVING THEM AWAY! Here’s our crazy deal…. We pay for the book. You pay for the shipping.

CLICK HERE to Get Your FREE COPY of The Armchair Guide to Property Investing (just pay shipping, and it’s all yours, provided we have enough left!)

 

The Black Friday Announcements:

 

 

Today’s Questions

Question from Brad

Hi guys, awesome podcast! Very informative. My wife and myself are in a bit of  a unique position, we currently have a house on the family farm we pay minimal rent for. We recently bought our first home, which we are living in due to the First Home Buyers scheme, and will turn into our investment in February; my question is how long until we buy our next property? How much should we look at spending? How do you set up the next investment, as in interest only or principle and interest?

 

Question from Stephen

Hi. Just in relation to The Property Couch Facebook Page I was just wondering what makes a cash flow property if you could explain. Thanks all. Totally addicted to the podcast.

 

Question from Scott

G’Day property gurus, LOVE your work. For the case that we are holding multiple investment grade properties, have a strong cash buffer, and they are cashflow positive but not enough to fully live off. Is a hold strategy and living off the capital growth a possible retirement strategy? Of course, it’s important that they are growing at a faster rate than our living expenses, but can this strategy work long term in retirement?

The big pro for me is that it maximises the value of the inheritance which we’ll leave the kids. What are the watch outs for this strategy? Keep up the great work, and Go Pies. Scott

 

Question from Sara

Hi Bryce and Ben, thank you for your fantastic informative podcast. I listen to it a few times a week and am learning so much. I am a 36 year old woman and have a question regarding buying an investment property now, or family home in 3-4 years. I have $115K saved for a deposit. I am currently on maternity leave with my first baby and will return to work 3 days per week from March 2020 earning around $66K pa total (not pro-rata). I anticipate that I’ll stay at 3-4 days per week ($66-88K pa total) until we hopefully fall pregnant with a second baby in 2021. All of this means I will have part-time and maternity leave income until around 2023 when I’ll likely return to full-time work (earning around $115K pa).

I have wanted to get into the property market for ages but wanted to wait until I met a partner so we could consolidate our savings and buy a family home (and this only happened in the last 2 years). As it turns out my partner works freelance and has not been able to make enough to save for a deposit, so the responsibility for that is with me at the moment. We obviously hope that his earning capacity will improve. At the moment he makes ends meet with around 30K pa.

We currently rent in the inner city but would like to buy a family home in a regional area with a commutable distance to the city, as it is more affordable (median house price $650K), and offers a better quality of life for our family. With my work commitments we don’t see ourselves moving out of the city until after we have baby number 2 (so in 2-3 years).

My question is this: given that we don’t plan to move out of the city for 2-3 years should we keep saving during that time and then buy our family home in the regional area, or should we consider buying a 2 bd unit in the area we currently live (at around $500K) initially to live in (to save on stamp duty) and then as an investment property? I feel anxious about waiting another 3 years to get into the market as prices will continue to increase (albeit at a slower pace in the regional area), and at 36 years of age I am already leaving it very late to start out.  Additionally, if we were to buy a unit in the city, would we be able to use that as equity in buying a family home in 3 years’ time? Or would that mean we couldn’t get another loan? I know that our borrowing power will not be strong with me only working part-time and my partner’s low income.

I know you can’t give specific financial advice, but I thought this must be a common dilemma with the restrictions of maternity leave income bumping up against the pressures and timing of getting a foot on the property ladder. Thanks in advance for any insights you can offer,  Sara

Ps. Are you able to let me know when/if you answer my question? I’d hate to miss it.

 

 

 

258 | WARNING: The Unconscious Mental Triggers Property Spruikers Use To Trick You

Property investors who get seduced into Off the Plan and house and land packages are often seduced through a marketing process that targets universal, emotionally-driven mental triggers.

And after heaps of folks wrote in about last week’s episode where we spoke of the perils of investing in these types of properties, we’ve decided that today we’re going to lift the lid on what exactly these mental triggers are. So people can spot the spruiker from miles away! Because there’s a VERY big difference between marketing for marketing’s sake… and simply being sold into buying dodgy advice & dud properties.

Full disclosure: you will notice that some of these we actually do ourselves… and, yes, we’re being very explicit in this. The reason why we use them is simple… these tactics get people to take action. But getting people to take action on something that will ultimately help them… versus taking advantage of human psychology so people buy an asset or invest in bad advice that only the Spruiker will profit from…... well…… it’s about time we even the playing field here, don’t you think?

And folks… Property Spruikers do NOT want you to know this stuff. Full stop.

… ‘cos once you learn this stuff… you won’t be tricked quite so easily!

 

Free Stuff mentioned…

 

The Unconscious Mental Triggers

  • 13:36 – Mental trigger #1
  • 16:25 – Mental trigger #2
  • 20:46 – Mental trigger #3
  • 22:45 – Mental trigger #4
  • 25:50 – Mental trigger #5
  • 27:05 – Mental trigger #6
  • 32:11 – Mental trigger #7
  • 39:51 – Mental trigger #8

 

 

 

257 | The Exception To The Rule When It Comes To Off The Plan Properties & House And Land Packages

Recently, ABC’s podcast The Money ran a very poignant episode on the financial risks of unregulated property investment advice (which we highly recommend you check out – details below folks)… which revealed the pitfalls of buying Off The Plan properties and getting snagged on the end of “one-stop-shop” spruiker seminars.

As well as interviewing two unlucky folks who learnt about investing in Off The Plan in the worst way possible, the episode also features a property ”sales person” … and the look from the other side… is… well… let’s just say we’ve got something to say about it!

‘Cos as you know folks, we hold a VERY strong view on these types of investments — and we’ve been very vocal about this since we first started croaking out this podcast — so why then … would we have an “an exception to the rule”???

Well… that’s where today’s episode comes in! ‘cos if you’re going to go there….. (and many of you STILL write to us about investing in Off the Plan properties AND House and Land packages.… then we want to make sure you stay FULLY informed.

AND we’re also going through a Q&A on this tackle this exact topic, so you might get the answer you happen to be pondering right now!

 

CLICK HERE to Listen to ABC’s The Money podcast episode — The financial risks of unregulated property investment advice

 

 

Other Free Resources Mentioned In This Episode

 

The Questions…

Question from Brittany

Hey guys! Absolutely love your podcast. Wanted to share something I found. The offer is – buy an off the plan apartment, and get a free Mazda 2. Reeks of a buyer beware scam! Is this even legal? I have never seen anything quite like it and had to share it with you guys.

 

Question from Alana

I have been listening to your podcast, I have invested in a house and land package in Tarniet, I will be owner occupier . I will be investing with a friend, therefore half the debt will be mine we will be investing around 450,000 total. There are proposed schools next door and a shopping mall and train station going in. Everything in your podcast leads to don’t buy a house and land package… have I stuffed this up already?

 

Question from Juan — Is It ALWAYS A No To Buy Off The Plan?

Hi guys, First of all – thanks for your great material! It’s great, ‘specially for someone like me who is new to Australia, understanding the way everything works here is gold. I have heard most of your podcasts and also done some research online and I wanted to ask a question around Off-the-plan investments that I still can’t understand. Everywhere people say it’s a big NO-NO. I understand the risks involved (delays, not seeing the finished product beforehand etc) but my wife and I have found an OTP property in a suburb we like (Bentleigh, within the Mckinnon School zone) and we think it’s a good place to live. The developer has done at least 3 different developments in the area all of which we like the finishes and have built it in perfect timing. I wanted to ask why would this be considered a really poor investment? Are OTP properties definitely a NO? I understand the case of Docklands and closer to the city suburbs where you had thousands of developments which made the price go down but in Bentleigh I don’t think this is the case. I have subscribed to locationscore.com.au and the score is relatively well considering that I will live in this property and it’s within my budget. I just wanted to get a sense of your thoughts around this as I am a true follower of your words of wisdom. Hopefully you have some words for me. Thanks in advance and keep up the excellent work of empowering people like me with information. Juan

 

Question from Phoebe

Hi Property Couch,

I have a question for you. My partner and I recently signed a contract for a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in Camp Hill, Brisbane. It is a brand new apartment building (small block – only 7 apartments). We plan on living in the apartment (for now but would like to rent it in the future – roughly 3-5 years time). The developer originally wanted $569k, dropped it down to $539k and we signed a contract for $529K. When applying for a home loan, the property was valued at the property $29,000 less than the purchase price. Their report considered market direction, volatility and segment conditions to be of medium to high risk. This is very concerning for us as first home buyers. We don’t know whether the banks are just being overly cautious. What are your thoughts on this? I know you mentioned in your very first podcast, if you are buying new, you are most likely paying too much. We think the apartment is really good quality and ticks a lot of our boxes. Help! Thanks for your time.

 

 

 

 

 

RBA November 2019 – Signs that the Economy may be on the Up?

After three cuts this year alone, will we be expecting a fourth cut? It’s the first Tuesday of the month folks which means the Reserve Bank of Australia has just released their official cash rate!

And it looks like there are a bit more positivity coming into the economy! Here’s what Ben will be unpacking in this month’s session:

  • What’s happening in the US and the Fed Reserve?
  • Update on the US-China Trade Deal and how it’ll impact the rest of the world
  • The IMF Global Forecast for 2020
  • Where is Australia’s inflation trend going and where does the RBA wants it to be
  • Newest update from CoreLogic Housing Market Index
  • How’s the construction activities performing and will this improve the housing market?
  • Are there any positive bounce in consumer spending and sentiment following the tax incentives?

 

 

 

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

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