All Topics / Help Needed! / New to Investing

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • Profile photo of BezBez
    Participant
    @bez
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 21

    Hey guys, im looking to start investing in property soon and im just trying to learn as much as I can first..
    I have a few general questions which should be pretty easy for you guys to answer..
    #1 – Is the idea to buy a property that brings in enough money from weekly rent to pay off the loan ?

    #2 – Do people with say 20 properties have a HUGE debt ?
    They might be bringing in more money than they are paying out but on paper do they owe like $1,000,000’s

    #3 – If you buy a property that breaks even with rent recived and loan payments is it still a good investmant ?
    So its like a house/unit/etc for free, and just hope you can sell it for more than you payed ?

    Any help would be great!

    Thanks…

    Profile photo of L.A AussieL.A Aussie
    Member
    @l.a-aussie
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 1,488
    Originally posted by Bez:

    Hey guys, im looking to start investing in property soon and im just trying to learn as much as I can first..
    I have a few general questions which should be pretty easy for you guys to answer..
    #1 – Is the idea to buy a property that brings in enough money from weekly rent to pay off the loan ?

    #2 – Do people with say 20 properties have a HUGE debt ?
    They might be bringing in more money than they are paying out but on paper do they owe like $1,000,000’s

    #3 – If you buy a property that breaks even with rent recived and loan payments is it still a good investmant ?
    So its like a house/unit/etc for free, and just hope you can sell it for more than you payed ?

    Any help would be great!

    Thanks…

    Welcome to our world!
    answers to questions:
    1. That is the idea, but not that easy to do. Some people are happy to have a ‘negatively geared’ property. They treat is a forced saving towards an investment that will go up in value over time. I have a friend who has this mind-set. It’s a bit like putting $50 a week into your superannuation. If you have a neg-geared property you need good capital growth from it offset the cashflow drain. Other investors won’t buy an investment unless they make money from day 1.

    2. In the beginning, the amount of debt you accumulate is overwhelming. But keep in mind that it is tax-deductible debt, and it is being applied to an investment that (hopefully) will go up in value over time. It is not like ‘consumer debt’ that is applied against useless ‘stuff’ that everyone buys and is worth nothing after a few years. You will become very comfortable and actually quite proud of how much investment debt you have! It all relative. I am sure there are posters here with at least 2 mill in debt, but the rent income and tax benefits will cover it.

    3. A well priced, well positioned house/unit will always go up in value. If it breaks even with the expenses/rent that is also very good – as I said; some people lose $50 per week and don’t mind. This is ok, but how many properties can you afford if they all lose $50 per week? I want properties that make money every week. Then I can buy lots of them.
    And on the subject of selling for more than you paid; if it is making money every week, why sell it? That is investing for long term and ‘passive income’. That’s what I do – I don’t want to work, so I buy investments that provide me with an income.
    I think what you may be thinking of doing is ‘trading’ or ‘flipping’ in the short-term for a profit. This is a totally different mind-set and different strategies. You also need a booming market for it to work well.

    Cheers,
    Marc.
    [email protected]

    Profile photo of BezBez
    Participant
    @bez
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 21

    Thanks for the reply Marc :)

    Another thing i keep on thinking is…
    Say u have a propery that after loan payments you make a positive $10 a week…
    You put down $10,000 deposit on the property to begin with, wouldnt it take you 20years just to get your deposit back befor you “realy” start making any money on it…

    I need to keep looking but im finding it very hard to find anything that actualy gives a positive cashflow, let alone a decent one..

    Profile photo of ducksterduckster
    Participant
    @duckster
    Join Date: 2004
    Post Count: 1,674

    Go and buy some books
    There are two approaches – positive gearing
    and
    negative gearing
    buy API magazine and start buying the books advertised in the back of the magazine.
    Books are a cheap way to learn

    Comments may not be relevant to individual circumstances. If you intend making any investment, financial or taxation decision you should consult a professional adviser.

    Profile photo of Mortgage HunterMortgage Hunter
    Participant
    @mortgage-hunter
    Join Date: 2003
    Post Count: 3,781
    Originally posted by Bez:

    Thanks for the reply Marc :)

    Another thing i keep on thinking is…
    Say u have a propery that after loan payments you make a positive $10 a week…
    You put down $10,000 deposit on the property to begin with, wouldnt it take you 20years just to get your deposit back befor you “realy” start making any money on it…

    I need to keep looking but im finding it very hard to find anything that actualy gives a positive cashflow, let alone a decent one..

    The money used as a deposit isn’t spent – no need to get it back. Consider it locked away and earning money for you in growth.

    Since the large boom we have all enjoyed it is very hard to find good quality positive cashflow properties without chasing them too far out bush.

    Do some reading as suggested and meet with other investors. At some point it will all just click and then the world of investing is yours for the taking.

    Simon Macks
    Residential and Commercial Finance Broker
    [email protected]
    0425 228 985

    Comments may not be relevant to individual circumstances. If you intend making any investment, financial or taxation decision you should consult a professional adviser.

    Profile photo of AmandaBSAmandaBS
    Participant
    @amandabs
    Join Date: 2005
    Post Count: 549

    Hi Bez,

    In order to be successful in property investing you need to have a good system in place. Here’s a simple 7 step program for you:

    Step 1, sit down and work out your ultimate long and short term goals.

    Step 2, do a household budget to work out how much (if any) cash you have available to fund a property.

    Step 3, work out what type of investment strategy will work for your personal circumstances. READ, READ, READ Take into consideration your resources, level of risk and market conditions.

    Step 4, build a strong team of professional’s around you (ie. Accountants, Solicitors, Finance brokers etc.)

    Step 5, Research your target market.

    Step 6, Prepare a Feasibility Study

    Step 7, Finally negotiate the deal and Repeat !!

    For more details visit http://www.propertydivas.com.au

    Best wishes,

    Amanda
    “It is better to be inconspicuously wealthy, than to be ostentatiously poor…”

    Profile photo of L.A AussieL.A Aussie
    Member
    @l.a-aussie
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 1,488
    Originally posted by Bez:

    Thanks for the reply Marc :)

    Another thing i keep on thinking is…
    Say u have a propery that after loan payments you make a positive $10 a week…
    You put down $10,000 deposit on the property to begin with, wouldnt it take you 20years just to get your deposit back befor you “realy” start making any money on it…

    I need to keep looking but im finding it very hard to find anything that actualy gives a positive cashflow, let alone a decent one..

    You’re talking about a ‘cash-on-cash’ return; my favourite investment factor.
    If you put down $10k deposit, and the property netts you +$10 per week, then that is $520 per year.
    That is a cash-on-cash return of 5.2%. Compared to a bank term deposit this is not all that good, but when you factor in capital growth, and re-investing the $10 back into the property as debt reduction, the overall return looks much better.
    As I said in my first reply, a well positioned house etc, etc will always go up in value. Historically this at a rate of doubling every 7-10 years, so this is roughly 10% minimum.
    Your overall return on your money is 15.2% per year. Not too bad.
    But, if you leverage from that first property using the increasing equity and buy others with ‘no money down’ the return increases almost exponentially. I love it!
    If you can manage to do a deal where you only put in $5k of your own money and the return is still $10 per week, then you’re doing very well.
    You’re right about the +cashflow properties; they are harder to find at the moment. But keep looking.

    Cheers,
    Marc.
    [email protected]

    Profile photo of investor4investor4
    Member
    @investor4
    Join Date: 2005
    Post Count: 7

    G’day Bez
    Look, all the info passed on by others so far is all good. I got into real estate 2 years ago, and am now on an amazing journey. The best piece of advice, apart from reading and attending seminars, is FIND YOURSELF A MENTOR! Find someone who has been there, done it, and stick to them like glue. They are amazing people, and like Steve, most of them love sharing their knowledge.
    I have just come back from 6 amazing months in the USA, and am heading back there in Jan, with my mentor.
    Visit my website at http://www.pdpic.com and follow some of the links to other people who love property. You never know what might happen.

    Happy investing

    Phil D

    Profile photo of forsakenforsaken
    Member
    @forsaken
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 7

    Go to your local library, thats how I got started and whatever you do don’t read Steve Mcknights books. Some of the authors of other books (especially wakefield and Lomas) that I have read and the two financial advisers I have gone to think he is extremist. I also recommend you read all the old posts there is a wealth of knowledge mixed in with the crap.

    Profile photo of rafisrafis
    Member
    @rafis
    Join Date: 2004
    Post Count: 11

    Forsaken – That’s a bit rough.
    Reading Steve’s first book gave me the incentive to take action. I believer that I already knew most of what he was saying but hadn’t taken action. I am now a full time investor and have made more money through property in the last few years than I could have dreamed of working for an employer or even owning my own small business. I don’t think that there is anything to be scared of in Steve’s books or anything all that extreme. He obviously pushed the Mappers in the second book however they did it of there own will and were very successful.
    I am now in Steve’s results program homestudy program and although I don’t think I have learnt anything startling it has been good all the same. For a beginer I think the results program would be fantastic.

    Profile photo of summerskysummersky
    Member
    @summersky
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 22

    Hi Bez. You are asking reelly good, logical questions… I am sure you’ll do well.[exhappy]
    Mentor is good. Someone who has nothing to gain from your wallet though.

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