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136 | Four Corners and Q&A – The Property Bubble, Being Burnt and Afraid to Invest: What Not to Do

Well folks, after Awe-Guest, it seems like a long time since our last Q&A!

So a lot of you have been writing in to us wanting to know our view on Four Corners’ recent episode on property investment in Australia, Betting on the House.

Now, there was a bit of doom-and-gloom in this episode and we want to talk about it.

To do this, we’re going to answer YOUR hard questions about property investment — the difficulties, the consequences of poor asset selection, bad property investment advice, the fear of debt and the “1 – 2 property block”.

 

Note: Ben’s reference to PIPA’s Framework on regulating Property Investment (very, very important stuff) can be found if you click here.

 

Today’s Questions!

Hot Markets & The Overall Economy from David:

Hi Team,

Wanted your thought on this “bubble” topic and the actions we see from ASIC and APRA with the banks.
The way I see it (I am an Australian working in Malaysia, with 1 property investment in WA and 1 being built in NSW Blue mountains) the rate increases are short-sighted and will hurt more than they help.
With increasing rates it means more money is pumped into paying debt. This means there is less for discretionary spending (going out, movies, dinners, gifts, holidays). With less mining and less manufacturing, Australia needs these service based industries to grow. With less spending on them, due to rates, they will shrink — this in turn hurts our overall economic situation … almost starts to lead us down the “R” word path and a certain “bubble” correction.

Would it not be better to strict things in Sydney and Melbourne markets as a standalone action by:

  1. Restricting bank refinancing and equity accessing for those hot markets – ensure LVR at 70% minimum for a refinance
    2. Ensuring all investment purchases in those hot markets have 20 – 25% deposit minimum
    3. Assessing loans for investment on 10% interest rate for P&I
    4. Limiting foreign investor purchasing in the hot markets?

This will mean the wider economy can continue, other markets needing a boost can see a rate cut maybe, and first home buyers in ‘hot markets’ do not get squeezed out.
Is it that easy?

 

Asset Selection (Numbers versus Emotions?) from Anne:

Thanks for your fascinating podcast! Just had a quick question regarding looking for investment property. I often hear that the property should have owner/occupier appeal, and yet I also hear that you need to take your emotions out of the equation and just look at the numbers! How do you balance these seemingly conflicting ideals? I am trying to just look at the numbers on an area, which I personally would not live in, and am finding it difficult.

 

Why Most Investors Stop At One from Andrew:

Hi Ben, Bryce and Ivise,

My question is about moving onto the 2nd property. I have often heard statistics such as the overwhelming proportion of property investors stop at 1 investment property. I understand that cash flow is king. I really want to know why or how investors get “stuck” after 1 or 2 properties. Is it their fear of debt or high LVRs? Obviously, the serviceability assessment by banks and recent government changes and APRA regulations has put a slow down on the investor space but these statistics were around long before the changes.
I am of the belief that you purchase what you can afford, manufacture some equity, wait for your property to grow in equity to move on again, and again, and again …
I don’t mind sharing my details as there would probably be many listeners out there in similar situation:

I am 33, single income family on $110,000 a year — currently renting in regional QLD due to work. I used a buyer’s agent to purchase my first investment property, a 3 bed, 1 bath and 1 garage in Birkdale QLD on a corner block in March 2017 for $455k. The property manager had it rented in under 2 weeks of being on the market. It currently has a 4.9% gross yield. There is $65k in the redraw, which means the property is neutral, which is good as it is in a trust. Further to this, I am adding an additional $1400 a month to the redraw. I will be ready to go again in a few months. (Yay?) I plan on adding a bathroom and bedroom to the property after the tenants finish their 12 month lease. My strategy is to buy, renovate, hold.
I really hope to receive some information about the “1 – 2 property block”. If this question makes it to a podcast, I’ll be very satisfied as I know many investors would have this question.

PS – Bring back the sign off in different languages!
PPS – awesome book — read it twice already

 

 

124 | Q&A – 20 Minutes Saved 20 Years of Regret, Investing in Airbnb, Property Spruikers, Buying Cash Flow Only and the Cost of Commission

Alright folks, it’s that time again… you ask, and the boys answer!

After receiving a tabletop full of new topics, we’ve taken our cue this week from an anonymously-sent testimonial.

Turns out an earlier episode of Why You Shouldn’t Invest in Property saved a listener from being “sold a lemon by a spruiker”! Yep. Unfortunately guys, the property spruikers are still out there, so Bryce & Ben will be answering similar questions on the red flags to look out for, like:

  • How to sniff out the so called “educators” and get your trust back
  • What your next move should be to fix bad property advice
  • How 20 minutes stopped 20 years of regret
  • What the consequences are with ‘fee for service’ and ‘working for commission’
  • Why the right asset selection can flip spruikers on their heads
  • What finance in the first two stages of property investing are
  • Why negative gearing is really only a moment in time
  • How long and how many properties you need in the accumulation phase
  • What ‘buying only for cash flow’ is, and its risks and rewards
  • Investing in regional areas and factors to consider
  • How to spot the difference between a genuine property educator vs a spruiker

and (SUPER TOPICAL)

  • Airbnb Investments: Are they worth considering?

This is a goodie, especially for those who don’t want to feel the sting of bad investing!

(For those who want to know the website Ben talks about, it’s PIPA.)

Questions from this episode

Anonymous Listener (as continued from their nightmare situation, which the boys will read out):
… We have about $200,000 of available equity, but we are now not sure what our borrowing power is as our previous broker was also linked to the spruikers and we don’t trust what they’ve told us. In your opinion, what should our next move be? Ideally we’d like to invest in Melbourne or Sydney but are not sure if it’s the right time to get into these markets.

Andy:
Can you guys talk about finance in the first two stages of property investing? How do we go about understanding the numbers e.g. loans, consolidation and what is involved – how  everything works with the finance and loans, what to do with the loans from accumulation stages to consideration stages and onwards?

Jonathan:
Hi guys. I’ve recently started listening to your podcast and think it’s great. I’ve recently attended a seminar with ‘XYZ’ company, ‘XYZ Education’ they call themselves. Just wanted to know if you had heard anything about them? I understand there are many of these ‘mentors’ out there — those that are ‘fee for service’ and those that work off commission. These guys are the latter. Any thoughts, comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Kate:
What do you think about the idea of buying for cash flow only? I live in Adelaide and there are many areas within 60-90 mins of Adelaide where you can buy quality character properties for less than $250,000. If only earning an average income, and planning to buy and hold for 15-20 years, do you think a larger portfolio of properties like this may be less risky than one or two closer to the CBD, which will have substantial holding costs?

Eddie:
Hi. I am an avid listener to your podcasts and I started listening to them since 2015, but I have stopped for a year. I have recently bought another investment unit and have started listening to them again. I am currently at Episode 51 and it is great because I can listen to them nonstop without having to wait for the next one to arrive in my podcast. Great work, I really enjoy your shows.

I have a question regarding Airbnb. I know it is not aligned with your property investing strategy and overall investing mantra. But recently, it has taken the property market by storm and there are many investors who are doing this to become positive cash flow. It is sort of the elephant in the room and there is a lot of talk about it out there, whether it is in high-rise holiday resorts, or brick and mortar family homes. People are doing it. I have recently bought an apartment (yes: high rise, high density, tourist destination, lifts and caretaker) and so far I am cash flow positive, after netting all costs including cleaning, rates and body corporate. I only manage the bookings of the apartment and outsource everything to a cleaner who doubles up as my meet-and-greet host. I also have insurances to cover those times when needed, and I do everything above board.

I would like your views on how your look at Airbnb investment as part of an investment strategy—if it is something that you are interested in discussing. Thanks.

If you enjoyed this Q&A episode, don’t forget to rate us on iTunes (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. Any questions or ideas? Feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/

108 | Five Ways To Improve Affordability

Back in Episode 102, Bryce and Ben discussed if we are facing an affordability issue and when Jan Somers appeared on our show last month, she mentioned that her aunt was also concerned about housing affordability back in the 1950s. Now, with the Federal Budget just a couple of months away, this topic appears yet again, and it seems to be the favourite amongst our politicians.

This time, the debate is about improving affordability for first home buyers. Now, don’t get us wrong. The Property Couch believes in the Great Australian Dream and owning your home. But as mentioned before, your first home will not be luxurious nor will it tick all the criteria of your dream home. This is about setting the right expectation because you would get to your dream home, and you would be able to get that quarter acre house eventually. But it will not happen overnight. You need to work for it, and you need to be smart with your decisions especially when it comes to money and planning for the future. Your first home, may not be your dream home but this does not mean that your second or third home wouldn’t be.

That is why education around property and awareness on the risk of investing in property is so important. This is one of the suggestions that Bryce and Ben chat about to improve affordability in the Australian Property Market. Tune in to find out the rest.

And the other stuff mentioned in this episode are:

  • Has the Way We Look at Financial Stability Changed Since the Global Financial Crisis? – Speech by Michelle Bullock, Assistant Governor (Financial System) of RBA: Listen/Read Here
  • Core Logic’s Pain and Gain Quarterly Report : Download Here
  • Fact Sheet on Guarantor Loan : Download Here
  • Bryce’s video on the four players in the industry is part of the Property Formula video series. If you are interested to watch this, you can Register Here

 

And as always, if you like this episode (Five Ways To Improve Affordability), don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel and our Facebook page. Any questions or ideas? Feel free to drop us your thoughts here: https://thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/

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