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5 property investing lessons you never want to forget - featured image
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5 property investing lessons you never want to forget

What lessons can a smart property investor learn from past cycles? 

With our property markets now at a more mature stage of the cycle, it seems appropriate to reflect back on previous cycles to look at some of the lessons.

It would be a pity to have lived through challenging times in property without learning some lessons so that we are not destined to repeat the pain.

So let's reflect on this short video I made in 2013, which teaches us many lessons from the property downturn that was just ending at the time I recorded it.

http://youtu.be/YV_dRLvJrY4

So what can you learn from a downturn?

Probably the most important lesson we can all learn is to never get too carried away when the market is booming or too disenchanted during property slumps.

Letting your emotions drive your investments is a sure-fire way to disaster.

Lesson 1. Neither booms nor busts last forever

During a boom everyone is optimistic and expects the good times to last forever, just as we lose our confidence during a downturn. 17034015_l

Our property market behaves cyclically and each boom sets us up for the next downturn, just as each downturn paves the way for the next boom.

Let’s face it…while the news is much more positive today, we know that over the next few years the buoyant market conditions will be followed by a property bust and then another boom.

And over the next decade or so we’ll probably have a recession and we’ll most likely have another depression one day.

The lesson from all this is that even as you take advantage of our rising property markets, get prepared for the next phase of the property cycle.

During the last cycle, most investors didn't really have their downside covered or their upsides maximized.

Lesson 2. Beware of Doomsayers 

As long as I have been investing, and that’s close to 40 years now, I remember hearing people with excuses why property prices will stop rising, or even worse, why property values will plummet.

However in that time, well located properties have doubled in value every 8 to 10 years.

Fear is a very powerful emotion, and one that the media used to grab our attention.

Sadly some people miss out on the opportunity to develop their own financial independence because they listen to the messages of those who want to deflate the financial dreams of their fellow Australians.

Lesson 3. Follow a System

Smart investors follow a system to take the emotion out of their decisions and ensure they don’t speculate.

This may be boring, but it’s profitable. investing-system

Let's be honest, almost anyone can make money during a property boom because the market covers up most mistakes.

But many investors without a system found themselves in financial trouble when the market turned.

Warren Buffet said it succinctly: "You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out."

In other words, if you aren't following a system that works in all market conditions you will be caught naked when the market changes.

If you prefer to have consistent profits and reduced risk, follow a proven system. Make your investing boring, so the rest of your life can be exciting.

Lesson 4. Get Rich Quick = Get Poor Quick

Real estate is a long term investment yet some investors chase the “fast money.”

You’ve probably met people like that - they look for that deal that will make them fabulously rich.   chess-game-leader-investment-strategy-win-success-negotiate

When you see them a year later, they’re usually no better off financially and still talking about the next deal that will make them rich.

They are often influenced by the latest get-rich-quick artist with a great story about how you can join them and become stupendously wealthy.

Their stories can be very compelling, even hard to resist.

They often pander to the wishes of people who would like to give up their day job to get involved in property full time, but in reality it takes most people many years to accumulate sufficient assets to do this.

Patience is an investment virtue.

Warren Buffet said it right when he explained that:

“Wealth is the transfer on money from the impatient to the patient.”

Lesson 5. It’s about the property

You’re in the business of property investment, yet during the last boom many investors forgot the age-old property fundamentals of buying the best property they could afford in proven locations.

Instead they got sidetracked by glamorous finance or tax strategies and some lost out.

Smart investors do it differently. 39653963_l

They make educated investment decisions based on research and buy a property below it’s intrinsic value, in an area that has above average long term capital growth and then add value creating some extra capital growth.

These are just 5 of the many lessons that I trust you would learn from a property downturn.

We know that in some regions the pendulum swung too far into the positive during the last property boom, driven by greed and then swung too far into the negative during the downturn, driven by fear.

Learn the lessons that this downturn has taught us and the rollercoaster ride will not be as dramatic next time because you won’t let emotions drive your investment decisions... both fear and greed will drive you down the wrong path.

Promise yourself that as the property market rises you won't get too excited, then when the next downturn hits (and you know it will) you can just confidently smile because you learned the lessons that this downturn has taught you.

What are you going to do? 

If you’re interested in securing your financial future through property investment, now may be a good time to buy property – the property markets are moving before our eyes. 

And if you’re looking for independent advice, no one can help you quite like the independent property investment strategists at Metropole.

Remember the multi award winning team of property investment strategists at Metropole have no properties to sell, so their advice is unbiased.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned property investor, we would love to help you formulate an investment strategy or do a review of your existing portfolio, and help you take your property investment to the next level. Please click here to organise a time for a chat. Or call us on 1300 20 30 30.

When you attend our offices you will receive a free copy of my latest 2 x DVD program Building Wealth through Property Investment in the new Economy valued at $49.

Just click here to find out more and reserve your place.

About Michael is a director of Metropole Property Strategists who help their clients grow, protect and pass on their wealth through independent, unbiased property advice and advocacy. He's once again been voted Australia's leading property investment adviser and one of Australia's 50 most influential Thought Leaders. His opinions are regularly featured in the media.
5 comments

Hi Michael, How can I get access to any forclosure properties?

1 reply

Its very important that we should have proper knowledge about the property before investing in the real estate.

0 replies

WOW just what I was looking for.

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