I'm glad I found this website This is helping me a lot. Ryan I do not mind at all. So basically what you are all saying is that I can switch my loan to an interest only loan even though I will still be living there for a while until we find the right place and by the time that settles and we build etc…?
Cheers Pri
Yes. If this property is going to become an investment property in the future then it would be ideal to convert this loan to interest only now. Set up an offset account against the loan (if the lender allows) and deposit any savings in there. When you're ready to purchase your next PPOR, you can withdraw the money from your offset and use it towards your new PPOR purchase.
Hey thanks for the replies. Can i get a real life example of the sort of price-range you work in, amount you spend on renovations how much rent is, how much the loan costs you, how much you sell for? Sort of along the lines of: buy property for $300 000, rent for $_ _ _, renovations cost $_ _ _, rent after renovations $_ _ _, sold for $_ _ _, loan repayments: $_ _ _? Average amounts are fine. Also do you do this in your spare time or as a full time job/career? Thank you so much, Cheers -Larry
Hi Larry
There was a write up of my our (wife and I) story in Your Investment Property in December 2010. It has some of these details. I'm happy to send you a copy of the article if you like. Just pop me an email.
[Thanks. So I'm guessing that after the repair is done, you similarly request photos of the finished job from the agent? I'd assume that regardless of what job was done at that time, payment would already be made to the tradie. I just have concerns about repairs and payment being made sight unseen. Surely there are horror stories of shoddy jobs being done.
Although in practice, even if I inspected the finished product myself, it'd be hard to argue against payment if the job wasn't done to standard.
I've yet to ask openly about good and bad PMs. So far as I can tell, it appears that bad PMs are like bad tenants or bad tradies and you'll only know after you've used them once, and you'll be stuck with them for a while too until the lease expires. Speaking of which, would you happen to know of any good (or bad) PMs or tradies in the Geelong area?
Hi Fword
Sorry, I missed this one before.
It depends on the value of the repair. If it's relatively minor and seems reasonable then I trust their judgement. If it's a major job (which I've been lucky to avoid so far) then I'd request some pics.
The best way to find a decent PM, in my opinion, if through referrals from other investors. As for Geelong, I don't know of anyone in that area. If you post a separate thread on it you might have some luck.
It appeared there was some confusion as the head office wanted to know why I was not just doing a new loan once I found the property.. I stood firm, told them what I wanted and it was done.
Good stuff. Just shows their lack of understanding of how to structure finances for investors. It's a good thing you knew what you were doing.
Intrigue wrote:
My only fear is whether it was correct for tax purposes to have it stated that the amount borrowed was intended for the purchase of an IP although apparently this is still considered 'personal use'. I made sure it was stated in notes that the intended purpose was IP (hope thats right).
As long as those funds are used exclusively for investment purposes than it's all good. Because you've got it set-up as a second facility it will be easy to track.
Intrigue wrote:
I also spoke about the future loan and crossing. Again the loans manager said much like the above, it didnt matter, the bank would still have access to everything anyway. I mentioned difficulty in selling property or using equity in future, she continued that it made no difference and that what people say is not correct… I didn't know enough about why it important not to cross so I was unable to make a suitable argument.
The reasons are endless – I've got a one pager that gives some excellent reasons as to why it should be avoided. Feel free to shoot me an email if you'd like a copy.
Intrigue wrote:
They dont make it easy for newbies.
Nope they don't – that's what us brokers are here for
Can i ask what sort of properties do you go for? Do you aim to purchase cashflow positive properties or do you aim to renovate the property to make it cahsflow positive or do you just aim to fix it up and sell it for profit using rent to lessen the amount you have to pay on the loan?
Hi Larry
I'm a bit greedy. I tend to look for something that will offer decent growth and a high enough yield to bring it close to cashflow neutral or positive. I spend quite a lot of time researching areas that I'm interested in. I also aim to purchase properties that I can add value to – usually through cosmetic renovations. The effects of adding value are twofold – I add some equity and can achieve a higher rent. I also allow tenants to own a "small" pet which also equates to higher rent (due to a lower supply of pet friendly rentals). Depreciation also helps with cashflow. I love tax return time
Head over to Gagebrook – you should be able to buy two or three for that price
http://www.allhomes.com.au recently started listing Tassie properties. You could suss out the prices of Hobart suburbs using this website (it's a nice and easy website to navigate – us Canberrans love it).
Hi all, I'm very new to this site and i hope that someone can help me. We built a house and moved in about 1 year ago. I now hate the area we are in due to several factors. I'm now faced with a dilemna : to sell or not to sell. Friends have advised to keep the property and make it an investment property. I'm worried that we do not have enough equity to buy as price of land has almost doubled since we bought in 2009. But someone also mentioned that this means our land would have almost doubled as well which means more equity. My home loan is 'portable' but not sure what that means. We want to build again but not sure what and how to do that. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks
Hi Priz
Welcome to the forum.
If you suspect that your property has increased in value, you may be able to tap into some of this new found equity and use it as a deposit towards your next purchase.
Basically, depending on which lender you are currently with, you may be able to "top-up" your current loan to 90% of the properties value (which will incur some mortgage insurance). You could then use that "top-up" portion as a deposit and purchasing costs (stamp duty, legals, etc) on your next purchase.
If you're seriously considering turning your current property into an investment you should (if you haven't already) convert that loan to interest only and set up an offset account. You can then place the equivalent of the principle portion of your repayments (and any extra cash you may want to save) into your offset account. When it turns into an IP you can withdraw this money and use it towards your next property (your new principle place of residency). This effectively increases your tax effective debt whilst reducing your non-tax effective debt.
I know where you're coming from. We self manage the ones that are close by and outsource the management on those that aren't.
This is where it's extremely important to have a good property manager on board. I usually seek advice for good PMs via forums like this, from investors I know that are within, or have investments, within the area. I also call a few to have a chat – see how many vacant properties they have on their books, what sort of rents their achieving, how they screen their tenants, etc.
I have no probs with repairs being carried out without my involvement. You can request that the property manager sends you photos of the issue that needs repair – if you feel that the price is unjustified you could call around and source some quotes.
thanks, so there are rental properties that would produce positive cashflow (ie pay for themselves) ?? are they hard to find? Why would the tenant not just take a loan out on the house if the amount of rent will cover the loan??? Sorry about the newbie questions but im new to this.
Don't apologise for the questions – that's the forum is here for
They are possible to find and as Scott mentioned above it's particularly the case in regional areas where the rental yield may be quite high but the capital growth isn't as spectacular. I wouldn't say that growth doesn't occur in regional areas – it can be more sporadic (compared to urban areas) and less consistent but over time a regional IP that's held for the long-term should produce results. If you grab a copy of Australian Property Investor or Your Investment Property magazine you can analyse the capital growth and rental yield figures in all areas of the country from the stats in the back.
If the rent coming in exceeds the mortgage repayments (which are generally interest only on an investment property) plus holding costs (rates, management fees, etc) then the property is considered cashflow positive.
If the rent coming in is less then the mortgage repayments and holding costs then the property is cashflow negative.
To answer your question about whether the rent from a tenant covers the loan repayments. If it were cashflow positive then yes, if it were casflow negative, then no.
PS – no need to cross, if you have enough equity in another property to provide 20% plus costs. You would simply add a new split to your existing mortgage, for 20% plus costs. Set it up Interest Only , as its being used for investment purposes. You would then get a stand alone NRAS investment loan with one of the lenders I've mentioned, for 80% LVR.
You don't even need that much. If you're willing to pay some LMI then 10% plus costs may be enough.
I get the impression there are other people out there, like me, who want to start investing, but have many more questions and not enough answers, and also, no one to help them.
Hi Redcake
Welcome to the forum.
You've come to the right place. There's a wealth of info and plenty of experienced investors on here that are always willing to help.
I can't speak for that person but do you know if they are investors themselves? Do they understand how to structure finances correctly for ownership of multiple properties? These are some of the main advantages and value add of using an independent mortgage broker that does understand these factors and does invest in property themselves.
I'm using Ray White at the moment – the new property manager within Ray White that's taking care of my IP is doing a great job. The one that looked after it before wasn't so good. I was thinking of changing to the Professionals but everything seems to be ok now.
Not wanting so sound unhelpful but the good ANZ banker that you recommended in another post should be able to help you out here – that's what he or she are being paid for. If they're not answering your questions or you suspect that they're not structuring the deal correctly then it might be best to seek advice from an independent mortgage broker that understands investors and what it you're trying to achieve.