Borrowing to invest in property is a popular and highly effective wealth accumulation strategy if it’s implemented correctly. However, loan structuring can often be an afterthought. The reality is that loan structuring and maximising your borrowing capacity are almost just as important as buying the right property. This blog sets out how to structure your loans…
Having helped hundreds of property investors finance their acquisitions, I have been able to gain a great perspective as an “outsider” with regard to how property investors go about making their investments. There are some common things that the vast majority of investors do not do, which I think negatively impact their chances of success….
As a completely independent advisor, I have no vested interest in how my clients invest. Whether they invest in property, shares, or any other asset class makes no difference to my life. Of course, I want them to invest in assets that are most appropriate for them and assets that provide the highest returns without…
It is often suggested that it’s a lot more difficult for people to buy their first property compared to many decades ago. It is true that property is a lot more expensive. However, I would like to suggest that in many respects, buying a property today is easier than it was many decades ago. I…
Borrowing capacity has reduced by around 30% over the past year due to the impact of higher interest rates and the increased 3% interest rate buffer that banks must use to calculate your borrowing capacity. This was eloquently depicted in this chart by CBA in February 2023. I wanted to explore the common strategies that people can use to…
If you sell a dud investment property, you may have to pay capital gain tax (CGT), selling costs and then stamp duty again when you reinvest… it can be a very expensive exercise! And if you have owned the property for a while, it is probably putting money in your pocket each month (i.e. more…
A common question I receive is ‘How much should I invest in property?’ That is, how do you know when you have enough, and should you start investing in other assets? It’s a good question because it invites people to consider their goals and develop a long-term strategy to achieve them. I set out some…
Most homeowners and investors are long-term borrowers. That is, they will have a mortgage for many decades. We must realise that over many decades, there will be periods where interest rates will be higher than the average and vice versa. The average standard variable rate since 1959 is 8.20% p.a. Noting that most borrowers enjoy…
Inflation reduced from 7.8% in the December quarter to 7.0% in the March quarter, which was good news, of course. Many economists believe that inflation (CPI) will continue to decline over the coming months. However, history tells us that when inflation has exceeded 8% (like in the US last year), it has taken over a…
All investment asset classes move in cycles. Investment returns are almost never linear. As such, investors must expect good and bad periods, which is why patience and discipline are big contributors to an investor’s success. I suspect that commercial property investors’ patience and discipline are about to be tested. This asset class is facing a…
