Westan – great to see you back on the forums and I hope the move went OK. Where are you based – North or South Island?
Dave and I sold a significant chunk of our property portfolio last year – the deals that only serious investors would buy such as blocks of units. We did this because:
1. The price we got was nothing short of insane given the yields.
2. We thought the market of possible buyers would dry up quickly if rates increased and some of the hype went of the market.
In hindsight, we could probably have held on a bit longer and maybe eeked out a further $10,000 – but I was happy to be out of the market.
We are sitting atop a small pile of cash at the moment, pausing for breath to see what the market does and looking for the next opportunity. Yesterday we looked at buying a Video Ezy, we’ve also been looking into sale and leaseback of car washes, and we have an eye out for self storage places too (although these seem to be a bit pricy).
We still own about 130 or so properties though – mainly single family buy and hold houses and wrapped properties.
Cheers,
Steve McKnight
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Remember that success comes from doing things differently.
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Not suggesting that you sent it at all… just clarifying that I seriously doubt that the source was from us.
Although, with the number of e-mails we get a day, approx 30 or 40 of them are advice from our virus protection software that so-and-so sent a virus and it has been removed.
Bill it is likely that you have my e-mail address stored in one of your e-mail boxes, in a contact list or something similar.
Or alternatively, someone who has your e-mail address also has my e-mail address and the virus added the two together and tried to replicate itself via e-mail that way.
We are very anal in our office about being vigilent with viruses, so rest assured, it did not come to you via an infection at our end.
Cheers,
Steve McKnight
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Remember that success comes from doing things differently.
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Perhaps it’s also that, for those of us who believe in democracy, some have given up in putting their opinion. They’ve become disenfranchised, if you will.
I only clamp down when people can’t express an opinion in a civil way. Just as you have your say re people ‘helping’, the same is true of people being critical.
Let’s just lump it all in ‘opinionated’ so people who want to get involved on that side of the discussion can.
I think it’s quiet down here because people became sick of the bickering and moved on to more constructive discussion points in other forums.
Bye,
Steve McKnight
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Personally, with things as they are at the moment, I don’t think there’s too much risk of interest rates moving beyond 7.5% in the next few years.
I think the article assumes that investors keep gearing levels high (maybe on an I/O basis) – my advice is that if you have a plan for getting into debt, you also need a plan to get out of debt. Nearly all our loans are P&I.
Cheers,
Steve McKnight
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When the new forums came online I split up the one generic Property Plus into smaller forums so people with a particular interest could post to a more relevant area.
All old posts remain in the archive area.
Cheers,
Steve McKnight
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Talk about an interesting post. Note that I have moved it to opinionated as it is better suited there.
The idea behind the $25 is simply to stop the time wasters from e-mailing and doing nothing. I’d imagine that if you went on to buy then the fee would be rebated.
B&T asked that if I was doing it, what would I do and I replied strata the replies between those who were genuine and those who weren’t. The best way to do this… ask for a nominal fee. I never said the amount though (well, I can’t recall saying it).
As for making the deals public… you’re kidding right? That would be an insult for those who did pay. Forget it!
Personally, being privy to the amount of work that these guys have done to find the deals, paying a nominal fee to have a deal presented and the numbers analysed would be a good if not great way to leverage time.
I guess some people see opportunity, others don’t.
Bye,
Steve McKnight
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But… Leigh, I gave you a book close to Xmas… should I give everyone a free book in the sake of fairness, or should I show my appreciation and reward you for the help that you’ve offered me?
Perhaps the people concerned don’t post as much as some, perhaps they have helped out in other ways and this is one of the ways I am able to return the favour.
As you know and others know, I’m more than generous to people who help out.
Bye,
Steve McKnight
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Both Ch 9 and Ch 7 have done pro wrapping stories before, it’s just that the flavour of the month is now it’s ripping people off.
I invited Ch 9 to go back and interview the 3 people they spoke to a couple of years ago to see how it has worked for them, but they weren’t particularly interested in that side to the story.
I was not able to go on camera due to an agreement I have with Ch 7 and giving them an exclusive over the MAP.
Make no mistake, there are some who are doing the wrong thing and breaking the law… I see it as an issue of enforcing the laws which are there to protect.
Consumer Affairs here in Vic has started doing just that, so those doing the wrong things will hopefully be taken to task.
Bye,
Steve McKnight
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A quick check on the ‘main residence’ provisions seems to indicate that you are allowed up to six years if the dwelling is used for income producing purposes.
Something interesting though, if the property is not used for income producing purposes then it can be treated as the taxpayer’s main residence indefinitely!
For the specifics see a tax accountant.
Cheers,
There is a law about the length of time a property has not been a PPOR, but I’m not sure
Steve McKnight
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The discussion seems to be here that wrapping is about selling over priced houses to people who can’t afford it!
From my experience, this is rarely the case and is counter productive for both the investor (who wants cashflow… what good is a vacant house) and also the purchaser.
The key to a successful deal is to pre-qualify the applicant to ensure s/he can afford the repayments + ownership costs, both now and into the future.
Done correctly, I don’t believe that anyone is being taken for a ride as there is full disclosure of the profit and the risks.
Re price margin: The agreement often lasts for 25+ years, so a small annual capital gain will mean that the property is easily worth more than the contract price. If the gain is higher then the client cashes out early and moves on.
Re: interest margin: a +2% on my loan will still be a lot less than non conforming interest rates, which wouldn’t be available anyway unless the applicant had a 20%+ deposit.
In the end, wrapping is a private finance arrangement, where the underlying security is the property. As such, the interest charged is lower than for personal loans, but higher to reflect the risk to the investor.
No one holds a gun to anyone’s head. Instead, the way to do it (full disclosure), means the buyer goes into the deal armed with far more information than a normal sale.
*sigh* I accept some people execute the strategy poorly, but these are in the minority and I’m trying to work with authorities to tighten the rules to weed them out.
Talk of people being kicked out of homes and left on the streets is a nonsense. There are rights, and these rights are protected on the title to the property.
I advocate that there is a lot of benefit to be had when the stratey is executed properly… and have the evidence in the form of happy clients to prove it.
If you could meet the people who now have a home, and those who have the opportunity, perhaps you’d better understand how it can be used in a way where everyone benefits.
My vote is ‘good’, provided certain circumstances are met, namely affordability checks and full disclosure.
Regards,
Steve McKnight
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