The Property Couch | The Insider's Guide to Property Investing

SURPRISE! On this Boxing Day, we are having a joint podcast with Phil Tarrant from Smart Property Investment Show! Phil joined us back in Episode 52 talking about his journey as a property investor but in this Bonusisode (Bonus Episode), the focus will be on investing in property in 2017! Ben and Phil will be chatting about: * The health of the Australian Property Market in 2017 * Understanding the different market cycles and how economic activities and infrastructure development may change the market’s trajection * How to filter out all the noise regarding property investing and look at hard facts when making an investment decision * The prospects and returns from investing in apartments and city fringe location * What are their thoughts on the lenders’ out-of-cycle rate rise * What are the criteria lenders are looking for in an ideal borrower * The importance of borderless investing and buying counter cyclical when building out your portfolio   If you like this podcast: “Bonusisode – A Boxing Day Chat Between The Property Couch and Smart Property Investment Show”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/.

As Christmas is a time for giving, we thought today’s special Christmas episode should be none other than a Q&A session!  Topics covered today include debt-retirement and refinancing loans, how to go about upgrading your PPOR (Principle Place of Residence), whether it’s worth paying for a financial planner and more. (And click here for your free The Property Couch Christmas Pack!) Today’s questions are from the following listeners: * Chris on debt-retirement and refinancing loans: Hi there, was hoping you could ‘unpack’ the ‘reality of’ the following finance-related scenario for me. I understand there is an “accumulation phase” where the investor actively accumulates as many quality, appreciating assets as required/wanted before transitioning to a “debt-reduction” or debt-retirement phase in the property investment journey. I was hoping you could spend some time describing what this debt-retirement phase actually looks like, assuming the investor has between 3-5 investment properties all on interest-only terms. Changing all of these to principal & interest at the same time would probably be too strenuous on the budget, so is it a case of paying off the largest investment loan on principal & interest terms while refinancing the remaining loans as interest-only for another 3-5 years and start knocking off the balance of the largest loan? Or is it a case of building up the offset account of each loan evenly so that you end up paying less interest across all of the loans until you are in a position to pay the loan back in full? But in this scenario the banks will eventually put you on a principal & interest payment unless you refinance again to an interest only loan, so how do you juggle at least 5 investment loans potentially all coming off their interest-only terms within 12-18 months of each other, while you’re trying to retire the debt without blowing the family budget? ($150+ principal payment across 5 loans = $750 a week which would destroy most family budgets). Is it a case of focusing on one property at a time until the rent covers the principal + interest payments, before moving onto the next property or is it a case of continually refinancing to interest-only loans and building up the offset accounts? Is it better to focus on the largest loan first or distribute funds evenly across all loans? How do you actually go about entering the ‘debt-retirement’ phase on a portfolio of 5 investment properties (assuming all currently interest-only repayments with separate offset accounts but the interest-only period is expiring for all 5 loans over the next couple of years). This does not take into account the PPOR but we can ignore that part of the equation for the above scenario. * Bill on upgrading PPOR: My question is…I have paid off PPOR (home loan account closed) and would like to upgrade PPOR. What advice/suggestions do you have regarding using ex-PPOR as investment or sell off ex-PPOR to pay down new PPOR debt and then buying an investment property? * Anonymous on investing in a Financial Planner: G’day, I have a question that I think a lot of listeners would relate to and something you guys have not covered thus far.Firstly about me. I am 32 and have recently developed a passion to enhance my knowledge of residential property investment. I am in the Army and have a young family on my incom...

Keeping to our Summer Series tradition, Bryce and Ben are joined by yet another special guest in today’s episode; Nerida Conisbee – The Chief Economist of The REA Group: now the biggest digital real estate company in the world! With more than 20 years property research experience throughout Asia Pacific, Nerida also appears every Saturday on SkyNews Real Estate program, is an adviser on property market conditions to major Government bodies and has held senior positions within commercial agencies and major consulting firm. Leveraging on her experience and knowledge in the property industry, the three of them will be chatting about: * How are the two capital cities, Sydney and Melbourne performed in 2016 particularly in the apartment market and what’s the outlook for 2017 * What’s the level of housing affordability for property buyers across Australia * Investing habits between Sydney and Melbourne, and how these compare to major cities around the world and the drivers that are slowing down property listing in those two cities * Potential changes to the lifestyle trends in Sydney where houses are less affordable for young home buyers and how this would affect Melbourne * Research data and methodology in commercial real estate as compared to residential real estate * Seeing the GDP drop and finding that balance between the property market being strong and weak; therefore, knowing when the best time to sell is * The 2017 outlook for Perth, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin and Canberra and which market to invest in for 2017   We hope you enjoyed this podcast and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the topics brought up! And here’s the site that Nerida mentioned in today’s podcast: * Investment data for investors – Find out more * Demand Index – Download here   If you like this podcast: “Which Market to Invest in for 2017? – Chat with Nerida Conisbee”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/.

In today’s podcast, a much-anticipated topic features. But first, Bryce and Ben discuss the recently released GDP numbers for the September quarter. With a fall of 0.5%, what does this mean to us Australians? How will business confidence and the Australian Property Market be affected? And more importantly, is this a really bad thing? After discussions on the GDP as well as further mentions of our 100th episode (that’s coming up very soon!), today’s main topic – as stated in the title, is: “How to Negotiate to Win”. Not all of us are used to or are comfortable in negotiating as it can be quite confrontational. But Bryce and Ben do it on a daily basis so today, they’ve decided to dish out some of their most useful pointers and success stories to help you on your next purchase! Not only do they let us in on some of the most helpful tips, they also tell us what to look out for and common mistakes not to make. With one of Australia’s leading Buyers Agents opening up about the secrets of negotiating, this is definitely an episode to tune into. A couple of tips to listen out for include: * Understanding the Vendor’s motivation * Why you should treat the selling agent fairly   If you like this podcast: “How to Negotiate to Win”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/

Today we have another special vodcast episode; and joining Bryce and Ben on the couch is the President of the Real Estate Buyer’s Agents Association of Australia (REBAA), winner of The Buyer’s Agent of the Year award 2016 on Your Investment Property Magazine and Managing Director of Propertybuyer, Rich Harvey. As an established Buyer’s Agent, Property Investor, and expert in his field, today Bryce and Ben discuss the following areas with Rich:   * How Rich established his career as a property investor and eventually a Buyer’s Agent * What motivated him to get his first step on the property ladder and what’s his first investment property looks like * Some mistakes and lessons learnt in his property journey * The benefits of having a Buyer’s Agent and how to find one that you can trust * Type of properties that he considers as investment grade and other types of property to stay away from * The current cycle of the Australian property market and his predictions for the market in 2017 * Tips for finding the right resources to use when looking for investment properties     ps: We hope you enjoy watching this video and we would really like to hear what you think about it!   If you like this podcast: “Why a Buyers Agent is a Worthy Investment when Investing in Property – Chat with Rich Harvey”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/

After two weeks of Donald Trump-related episode, we think it’s time to get back to our listeners and answer some questions! But before that, Bryce and Ben kickstarted today’s episode with a quick update on interest rates and which directions we might be heading to in the next few months. And for today’s episode, they will be answering questions from:   * Cody on First home buyers – I recently listened to episode 87. Listening to the content of first home buyers not being able to get into the market unless prices fell 30%. What is your moral standing on this? Are you okay with our kids getting locked out? Do you consider yourselves and like-minded people responsible for aiding in driving competition and prices? Do you think there should be any assistant to our kids from a government policy standpoint to own their homes? Look forward to hearing your thoughts.   * Tom on Overseas Investing – Hi guys, just listened to the latest podcast…thanks for the shout out to London, where I have just moved to from Australia. I have 2 IPs in Inner West Sydney and thinking I will be sitting on them to let them grow for a few years until I get back…London property is just ridiculously unaffordable! Would be interested in your thoughts on investing in overseas properties in countries such as NZ or the UK, from Australia, or vice versa and the process involved to purchase and manage. Enjoy what you guys are doing, and I think it’s the best podcast on IP in Australia. Thanks, Tom.   * Steve on Overseas Investing – Hi Guys, loving the podcast. In footy terms, you’re both ‘up and about.’ Question for Podcast: Investing in Property Overseas. You talk of ‘borderless investing‘, but that’s only Australia. Is it a bit un-diversified to put all one’s eggs in the ‘Australian Property Market’, just like a Pommy would be putting all of theirs in the UK market, or a Yankee putting them all in the U.S of A? You guys have read Kiyosaki, you must have dreamed of following the world’s market cycles like a real ‘world’ investor. My question is ‘Where can Aussies buy overseas?’ I know an Aussie buyers agent buying in the US for clients at the moment, and you hear of the Chinese buying here. Why aren’t we buying China? Thanks, Boys!   * Brett on Setting up an Offset Account – Hi guys, love the podcast, after meeting with a very respected investment mortgage broker, they suggested switching my PPR loan to interest only to help build savings for an investment deposit in an offset account. I couldn’t work out why this would be better than putting my money into the PPR loan to increase equity then drawing it out when there is enough. The money I draw out would be tax deductible on the interest, whereas the money I save in an offset, if I draw this out for an investment, this would keep my PPR loan higher and thus not tax deductible on the interest. Can you guys please discuss this as I am starting to lose respect for this particular broker. Thanks   * Nicole on Canberra as the next Investment Spot – Hi guys. Love the show particularly being a Victorian, I love the sports chat at the start

Today’s episode is special guest day and joining Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley is Australia’s leading property analyst and CoreLogic’s Director of Research, Tim Lawless, who will discuss the future of each state in Australia. Following on from last week’s episode of President-Elect, Donald Trump and the uncertainty his win will have on the market; Bryce, Ben and Tim move on to discuss what the positives to follow are due to the presidential win, even though it’s is still early days. So in today’s episode, the main areas these three will be talking about are: * Tim’s backstory and experience as a property analyst and how he got to where he is today * CoreLogic and research methodologies for the monthly reports * The potential risk if interest rates rise in Melbourne and Sydney * Wealth bases for Hobart, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and Darwin * What the government needs to do to help and stimulate employment for those states that are in decline * Trends in population and what this means for Australian property market * The uncertainty of Trump’s win and how this has affected the market and what potential effects are to follow We hope you enjoy this latest post and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the matters brought up…even if it is a response to their thoughts on Kim Kardashian or Kanye West running for the next US election! And here’s the reports mentioned in today’s podcast: * Monthly Housing and Economic Chart Pack – Download here   If you like this podcast: “Future of the Australian Property Market Post Donald Trump – Chat with Tim Lawless”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/

Today’s podcast is a particularly interesting one as it gets a bit more political than usual! From talks about Brexit to the results of the American election last night, Episode 89 delves deep into one of the most talked about general elections in recent years and its potential effects on not only the United States, but on the world economy. Less than 24 hours after the result of the American general election, Bryce and Ben both discuss the potential impact of the new president-elect, Donald Trump and how his presidency could affect the Australian housing market. From discussing whether or not Donald Trump’s approach to his presidency will be pragmatic, these two “property hacks” talk about the effect this will have on stock markets, trade and housing to name a few. The guys will no doubt have enough to keep you interested for the next 30 minutes with their thoughts and predictions of the final result. Start listening to find out more.   If you like this podcast: “What Impact will Donald Trump have on the Australian Property Market?”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/  

Last week’s podcast had been quite an interesting one! We strongly recommend you to listen to it twice to make sure you don’t miss out on Dr Andrew Wilson’s outlook on the Australian Property Market. This week, we are going back to Question and Answer episode and Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley will be discussing:   * Question on a career as a property professional from Hayden: To the Property Couch, I have a couple of career questions to ask but firstly I just wanted to share my investment story so far and why I think what you are doing is so important. If I had your advice earlier, my circumstances would be much different. I am currently 25 years old; I began my investment journey when I was 17. My father suggested using the money I had saved for a car to use it instead to buy a house. This was in 2008 when the Rudd government was handing out the huge first home owner grants, when I had my first meeting with a mortgage broker (not even knowing what a group certificate was) they were suggesting I buy an off the plan unit. So put signed up for one in Frankston, Victoria from a company thinking they were giving me good property advice. This purchase eventually fell through due to the bank evaluation not coming through at the correct price. Then I signed up for another off the plan unit in Langwarrin, and after two years they had not even begun construction because the council was saying there was endangered fish in the creek near by. So I pulled out of that one and tried to purchase one in Carrum Downs 6 months later and this one fell through because the bank wanted 20% of the loan. Friends and family were telling me to give up by this point because of how upset I was getting, but I stuck with it and purchased one in Langwarrin. This time, a 2 bed 1 bath unit. This then turned out to be a very poorly built unit and eventually I received an insurance claim of $20,000 to fix the poorly built unit. After 4 years, this property has not delivered any growth at all and doesn’t look to in the near future either. Then I purchased a 1 bed 1 study 1 bath unit in a high rise in Ipswich, Queensland and this property has a lift, pool, spa, sauna, underground car park and a concierge.Even though I have made nearly every mistake you could make and still haven’t made a cent off property, I’m still obsessed with it and read and listen to every book and podcast and attended any event I can. I want to work in the industry to try to prevent this from happening to someone else but I’m not too sure what exactly I want to do. I was wondering if you would share some in-depth insights into mortgage broking and being a buyers agent. As much detail as you could would be helpful such as their daily tasks; (A) The pros and cons to each and how much they get paid? (B) And your thoughts on mortgage broking franchises or are you better starting off on your own? * Question on new developments from Brad: I realise that you guys are biased towards investing in established homes, usually with a short disclaimer on how you may have invested in new developments at some stage in your lives. In the interest of a more balanced argument, I feel it would be beneficial to offer someone in the industry who focuses on investing in new developments the chance to put their views forward. Just as there are good and bad established homes the same rings true for new or off the plan developments.

If you were at the Sydney Property Buyer Expo last weekend, you probably listened to this episode already but for those of you who weren’t there, Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley recorded a LIVE Podcast with Dr Andrew Wilson on the Future of the Australian Property Market! Dr Andrew Wilson is the Chief Economist for the Domain Group and is an appointed housing market expert and adviser to the Federal Government funded, Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network. He holds a PhD and Masters by Research in Housing Market Economics and has previously held senior property and construction research positions within industry, academia and government. So for today’s episode, the three of them will be talking about: * Why is he so optimistic about the Australian Property Market? * With Sydney and Melbourne experiencing double-digit growth in recent years, are there any trend or changes to investing in residential property? * How long with Sydney and Melbourne’s property market continue to grow at the current rate? * What is the level of investors’ activity in Melbourne and Sydney and how will this affect these cities in the future? * Is there a housing under-supply issue in the Sydney metropolitan area? * What is the outlook on other states such as Perth, Brisbane and Darwin? * Will there be a different type of property market cycle in the future and where are we heading to? * How will the demographic in metropolitan areas changes and the ratio between tenants and owner occupiers   As mentioned in the podcast, if you would like a copy of Dr Andrew Wilson’s slides (Australian housing markets report; Sydney back to the boom – The rise and rise of investor), just fill in the form below and we’ll send it directly to your email:   If you like this podcast: “What’s the Future of the Australian Property Market? – Chat with Dr Andrew Wilson”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/

Have you heard about the myth that all property double in value every 7 – 10 years? If this is true, it is certainly an irresistible offer! But if it is true, why isn’t everybody investing in property? Unfortunately, based on the report recently released by Core Logic (download link below), this is simply not true. In fact, only three capital cities in Australia had doubled their median house prices in the last ten years and so, for today’s episode, Bryce and Ben will be doing a bit of myth busting.   They will also be answering a question from Stacey: Hi Ben & Bryce, I have a question about the suburb of Cranbourne in Melbourne… I recently went to a property seminar in Melbourne and the presenter was telling us that Cranbourne will be a big growth area in the future, along with Pakenham, Officer and another suburb I cannot recall. Do you think this is true? Only because my partner has a house in Cranbourne he has invested in and is renting out at the moment, and we are not sure whether to hold onto it or not. Many thanks guys and I am loving your podcasts.     Free resources mentioned in this podcast: * How many suburbs have seen median prices double over the past decade? By CoreLogic, October 2016 – Read here * FREE Tickets to the Sydney Property Buyer Expo (Coupon code: PBE16BRYHOL) – Get them here * Salvation Army Moneycare Day – Learn more here   If you like this podcast: “Does All Property Double In Value?”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/  

Are you into economics, numbers, trend lines and the Property reports released by CoreLogic? If you are, this episode is just for you! It can be a bit heavy and we recommend you to download CoreLogic Monthly Housing & Economic Chart Pack for October 2016 to have a full understanding of what Bryce and Ben would be talking today. Their focus is on Page 10 of the report, titled Investor lending is picking up again as owner occupier lending fades a little. Bryce and Ben are also a bit concern about the current market’s movement and if we are heading towards a bubble-like scenario. If so, would now be a good time to invest in property? Tune it to find out more!   PS: They will also be talking about the recent article Ben contributed to Australian Property Investor Magazine regarding Timing vs. Time in the Market and the differences between these investing concepts!   Free resources mentioned in this podcast: * CoreLogic Monthly Housing & Economic Chart Pack, October 2016 – Download here * FREE Tickets to the Sydney Property Buyer Expo (Coupon code: PBE16BRYHOL) – Get them here   If you like this podcast: “Is NOW The Time To Invest In Property?”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/  

Yes, we know it can sound a bit contradictory. This is a property podcast with two of Australia’s top property experts and we even did an episode on why invest in property! So why would we talk about not investing in property? Well, the fact is, investing in property is not the perfect type of investment for everyone. There are certain times in an investor’s journey where it is simply a bad time to start investing. There are also times when investors need to first reflect on their mindset before they start. Property investing is a high-value investment, and you’ve heard us repeatedly saying that it is for the long-term. It’s like following a recipe. If you don’t have all the essential ingredients in place, it’s best if you don’t cook the dish. So if you don’t have everything in line, it may be better for you to stay away from it for the time being. So in today’s episode, Bryce and Ben will be sharing a few reasons on why you shouldn’t invest in property. The first is when you decide to invest purely for tax purposes.   Free resources mentioned in this podcast: * CoreLogic Pain and Gain report – Read here * Money SMART Report – Download here * Webinar with Bryce Holdaway and Jane Slack-Smith on Renovating an Ugly Duckling – Register here * FREE Tickets to the Sydney Property Buyer Expo (Coupon code: PBE16BRYHOL) – Get them here   If you like this podcast: “Why you Shouldn’t Invest in Property?”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/  

If you are new to property investment, don’t you want to know what the sophisticated property investors are doing? Why would you want to reinvent the wheels? It will certainly save you more time and money if you understand the norms and fundamentals from those who have already experienced the journey. So this time on The Property Couch podcast, our hosts will be discussing the practices of a sophisticated property investor. Their discussion will be based on the recently released PIPA Annual Investor Sentiment Survey. It’s the only sentiment survey for property investors in Australia and has a unique sample of Australia’s property investment community. Distributed via PIPA’s extensive investor networks, it provides a rich insight into the views of Australia’s investors. Some of the key findings discussed in this episode are: * What do investors feel about the long-term merits of real estate? * Does negative gearing really matter? * What kind of dwellings are the sophisticated property investor going for? * How much attention are they giving to the property market cycle? * Where do they get their advice from? Tune in to start listening!   Free resources mentioned in this podcast: * 2016 Annual Investor Sentiment Survey – Download here * Webinar with Bryce Holdaway and Jane Slack-Smith on Renovating an Ugly Duckling – Register here * FREE Tickets to the Sydney Property Buyer Expo (Coupon code: PBE16BRYHOL) – Get them here   If you like this podcast: “Do you think like a sophisticated Property Investor?”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://www.thepropertycouch.com.au/topics/  

It has been 3 weeks since our last Question and Answers episode, so it’s about time for another one! Thank you again for sending in your questions. For today’s podcast, we will be answering these questions: * Question on tenants vs rents from Mark: Is it better to keep a great tenant on a lower rental, than push for a great rental return and gamble with the quality of new tenants (and subsequent vacancy in between.) * Question on exit strategy from Tom: Hi, I would like to hear more about exit strategies when time is not on my side. I have just turned 50, with my youngest child in yr 12 and eldest living in eastern states. My principal place of residence (PPOR) is paid off (value $1.1M) and I have 2 investment properties with a combined value of $1m. But an investment loan of $1.2m. The reason for the negative Equity is that I have been capitalising. The investment interest whilst I directed all rental income into paying off my PPOR. So now I need to know what is next. My goal is to retire or work reduced hours in and on a corporate role by age 55. I am presently in a well-paid job paying about $220k and have about $270k in super, which I am contributing up to the max.$35k pa. I can’t get my headspace around what to do next. any suggestions would be appreciated. * Question on investing in property overseas from Sean: Would be great to hear your thoughts about investing in property overseas as part of a portfolio, particularly NZ. There’s some “wave rider” type activity gaining momentum around Auckland, which has become a heated market it seems. * Question on career in property investing:Hi Ben & Bryce, Firstly I would like to say you guys are doing an awesome job with the podcast. Have been listening from the start and as a born and bread Victorian now living in NSW I love the footy talk!!!!I would also like to congratulate you on your book “The Armchair Guide to Property Investing“. I will be handing it out to numerous friends and family as I believe it is gold when starting out and not knowing which direction to go.So some background on my situation. I started educating myself 2 years ago with every property podcasts/book I could find and now believe I have the foundations for property investing going forward with the right team around me (coach, broker, accountant, solicitor & acquisitions team).We moved to the Hunter Valley to set ourselves up to give us more “choices” in the future. I am currently on a high income of $140k as a coal miner but to be honest, my heart isn’t in it anymore and I don’t enjoy my work (except the pay each fortnight).The reason for reaching out to you guys is because we currently have a 3 year plan (possibly shorter) to move back to the Geelong area to be closer to our family and also closer to Melbourne because we live and breathe AFL. By then we plan to have 2-3 good capital growth properties in our portfolio in major cities utilising the high income (currently in process of acquiring property in Brisbane as I write this email).By the end of 2016 my goal is to complete a Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management because I believe that everything revolves around finance in creating wealth through property. I am also working towards 1-2 weeks work experience with my property acquisitions team to see how everything operates on the ground. My question to you guys is what else would you recommend I do over the next few years in preparation to help transition into the property investing line of work (educating others to create wealth or something down that path).