Noob needs help

I would avoid the seminars as there’s usually a hidden agenda and the information can be very biased.

I find the greatest source of information to be the forums, this and the other one. Plenty of posters asking great questions and experts answering them.

I’d also recommend surrounding yourself by like minded people and those who have ‘been there’. Depending on where you’re located there’s quite often meetups you can attend where it’s just a social gathering for a chat.

All great advice – in particular “Catalyst” recommending to start at the local library & “Jacqui” pointing out that if you start with understanding your financing ability it would save you so much time.

You’ll find that you will be able to answer your own question as to whether your single income will be enough to commence. You’ll also find that every answer to every question about investment will be: “it depends”. Eg: Is a single income of $1 million enough to commence with property investment? What if that person spends most of it on fast cars & on gambling or is very sick and needs to spend it on medication? It changes everything. Some people earn heaps & live pay to pay, others earn very modest amounts and have investments. Of course the opposite is also true, some low income earners waste all their income & some high income earners budget wisely and have their money work for them.

I’m still learning, reading tonnes of books & also putting some of it into practice. I don’t think that should ever stop.
I post very large replies mostly because I am a pleonastic but it also helps me learn that way. Writing about stuff helps me question whether I really believe it or not. I am sure that the length of my posts have annoyed some members but I have not had any complaints so far. :)

The library will give you a much better sense of what type of investors are out there, what type you are or want to become. It will also help you to know some financial ideas & products. Please remember that books cannot beat talking to a broker for that kind of financial detail. Brokers look at your situation in particular & find the right financial products to suit you. Books are written for audience masses, brokers are talking to you alone.

Many books are outdated so they have details of loan products and ideas that no longer exist or no longer work in the current environment – I still think that these books are beneficial for you to read as mostly it’s “Chew On The Hay, and Spit Out The Sticks” type of learning. The books cover the full spectrum of all types of investors so some books will say:- do only this, others will say:- do only that – and the rest will say:- do a bit of both. There is nothing in books that’s a one size fits all remedy for investments. What works for one investor may not work for another (even if given the exact same property with the same expenses). We all have different personalities, risk profiles, needs & goals.

A book that I have read a few times is called “47 Biggest Mistakes Made by Property Investors and How to Avoid Them”. It opened my eyes to a few things that I never thought of before. I’ve also read a lot of books by Robert Kiyosaki & from Steve. I used to borrow 5 to 10 books at a time. I didn’t read every page on most of them. I’d start reading chapters that I thought interested me more and progressed from there. No one remembers everything that they have read in books, but what they have remembered is what they found important. Don’t use them as manuals because they are not – some books are titled as if they were manuals & some authors are very adamant that they are completely correct and that everyone else is wrong. Don’t believe anything that you read – (it may all be accurate and true but you need to follow up with your own investigation of what you have read by speaking with brokers, accountants, lawyers, agents, family, friends etc). You are teaching yourself about yourself.

An interesting thing I read once was to ask yourself “WHY” use property as an investment? Have you chosen property over some other type of investment for any particular reason? Is it because you think that it is safer to invest in property than to invest in shares or investing in something else? You need to question that very thought. All investment is risky business when your education is low. Don’t look to learn what you do not know just yet, start with questioning what you believe to be *absolutely true* and then find the answer. Play the devil’s advocate with yourself & also when around others in conversations about investment. It’s challenging to do but you could learn heaps. It’s not like school where there is only one answer & you are either correct or incorrect.

I have learnt that investing is NOT done in property or in shares etc. Investing is done in people – as in engaging great accountants, bankers, friends etc. I think that’s what “Catalyst” meant regarding Networking being key.

Cheers & wishing for even more wealth to you.

Where are you located?

If you prefer face to face there’s likely to be someone on the forum that can assist.

If you don’t mind communicating via email/phone then you can select any broker from anywhere in the country.

Cheers

Jamie

It sounds like you’re in the “Asset rich, cashflow poor” situation. Lenders are increasingly focusing on serviceability nowadays.
Have a chat to a good mortgage broker and get a feel for exactly where you stand as far as borrowing ability goes.
If you can access some equity you may want to consider high cashflow options such as U.S. Property, or granny flats, etc.