Property investors need to be fussy!

Every few months, there’s a story online about an investor in their 30’s that has amassed a property portfolio of 12 properties…and how you can do it too. Firstly, we shouldn’t be impressed by the number of properties that someone owns, as it doesn’t tell us anything about their wealth (equity). Boasting about the number …

Read more

Rental crisis, property prices, borrowing capacity and fundamentals – how will it affect you?  

It has certainly been a wild ride for property investors over the past 6 years. In 2017 and 2018, the banking regulator demanded banks reduce the volume of interest only loans, particularly to investors. The media called this the “interest only cliff” and predicted that many borrowers would face financial stress when loan repayments switched …

Read more

It’s all about gearing, not property

It is often debated which is a better investment, property or shares. It is my thesis that property is an okay investment, but not as good as shares. However, when you factor in gearing (the ability to borrow to invest), property becomes a wonderful investment – better than shares. Property versus shares The main advantages …

Read more

Why property prices have bottomed

CoreLogic data indicates that property prices in the 5 largest capital cities have fallen by 7.1% since May, when the RBA started hiking interest rates. Sydney has seen the largest price fall – down by around 10%, and Melbourne has fallen by 6.7%. But it’s not all bad news. House prices in Brisbane, Adelaide, and …

Read more

Governments vested interest in maintaining property price growth

There are many large and powerful institutions that have a vested interest in rising property prices. But all levels of government (i.e., federal, state and local) probably have the most to gain, as I’ll explain in this blog. This leads to two important observations. Firstly, the government is the main contributor to housing affordability pressures …

Read more

To what extent does rental yield affect your borrowing capacity?

The very first article that I wrote for a magazine was published 19 years ago! No wonder I feel old. The article was called ‘Unlimited finance…’. My thesis was that investing in high yield properties, doesn’t magically extend ones borrowing capacity allowing them to invest a lot more. Some investors believe targeting high rental yielding …

Read more

Focusing on rental income cost you $1m+ in lost wealth

An investment property’s total investment return will consist of rental income plus capital growth. I have written about the importance of maximising capital growth many times. However, often investors are tempted to focus attention on income (when selecting an investment property) too, as they seek to minimise the cash flow cost of holding the investment …

Read more