It finally happened!

I'm pleased to announce that I finally made the plunge after finding a property that was suitable to my lifestyle and future plans. I found a nice, well-positioned 3bedroom townhouse in Maylands, which is walking distance from the river and approximately 5-6km from the city.

The property came in under 500k, which allowed me…[Read more]

Hi Merlin.

The search for that elusive first property continues! The situation is as follows –

I can honestly say I've been looking for a property to buy for about 6 months now, with the last 3-4 months of that being very focused, and my primary ambition. I'm putting a lot of my time in effort into it, for what seems like very little result…[Read more]

Ok guys… just an update on the situation as it stands.

Have met with mortgage broker and they have advised me that due to my financial circumstance (good loan serviceability, stability in job/house, no debt etc.) that I could secure a mortgage of up to 800k for a first house! 800k!
I was shocked to figure it would be so much.

I plan on…[Read more]

Hey guys,

The corporate real estate I was looking at is a small (just over 60 sq m) office space, with a couple of rooms.

I think I'll wrap my head around residential IP's before delving into anything corporate, but I'll discuss it with my broker in the future. The same goes for buying within my super. That may be a bit beyond me at this…[Read more]

Hey,

The loan structure makes sense now. I think it may cost me a bit more than I had earlier calculated, but it's still not going to be a huge cost to me at the moment. Thanks for the advice on the API mag data, I'll check that out shortly.

Will be heading to a broker in two weeks time, when I'm back in Perth. I'm thinking your idea of going…[Read more]

Thanks Derek.

So how should that affect my calculations – given that I'm already assuming only 80% of rental return will go back into the mortgage? 
Actually – I'm operating on the figure of 80% rental return from Merlins earlier post – maybe he already calculated property management into that? If not, would a figure of 70-75% be…[Read more]

One last thing…

I've entered the calculations into a calculator and I'm getting pretty big differences here (based off 360k mortgage/6% interest/80% rent return of $400 pw). The shortfall I'm seeing between the mortgage repayments and 80% of the rent comes to $178 p/w.. or around $9256 p/a. This is significantly more than what you've mentioned?…[Read more]

Merlin,

Thankyou so much for this. This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for.

While I don't think I'll be looking at purchasing two properties in one hit, I would like to follow the path of adding a relatively cashflow neutral property shortly after purchasing my first PPOR. I think your figures behind the $375k purchase / rent…[Read more]

Hey Merlin,

Very interesting idea. And it makes good sense. But how likely is it that I could secure a $700-800k loan with no collateral (no existing PPOR/IP's under my name)?

Sadly, I need somewhere to live too. And while I'm sure the divorcees would love me, I kind of like my living situation at the moment, albiet an expensive one.

I think…[Read more]

Hey,

I agree, I'd much prefer to have a fellow investor, and someone who has done this several times before, than a pen pusher for a franchised business helping me with these important decisions.

I may be thinking old-fashioned, but isn't it easier to have someone you can talk face to face with to organise all the details? And won't a local…[Read more]

Hi Derek,

I could definitely sell the shares to shore up $25k and have some left over, which it sounds like I may need.
Could you provide an estimate for how much the extra fees (Loan establishment, valuation, solitors fees) would total? Is it under $10k? And are there any other fees or expenses in purchasing an established house that I should…[Read more]

Great feedback guys. I appreciate all your responses.

Jamie – in your first post you mentioned borrowing the funds for the deposit rather than using my own savings. How does one do this? What sort of loan/interest rate are we talking here? Sorry if this seems a stupid question but I'm not really sure how this would work.

Also, will it be harder…[Read more]

Gents, 

I'm very glad I asked you all this question. You've definitely shaped my decision to go with an interest only loan and seek out a broker who will accommodate this wish.

Armed with the new knowledge that stamp duty concessions are available to first home buyers making a  purchase under 500k, I think it stands to reason that I will limit…[Read more]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the quick replies – You both seem to know what you're talking about.

Jamie – I hadn't even thought of that. How well do the tax deductions stack up? And what if i reside in the house for 10 years (just an example)? If I had to wait that long to start claiming the interest on the loan as a tax deduction would it still be a…[Read more]