The Property Couch

In Part 1 of the 5 Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia, Bryce and Ben talked about the Clarify, Evaluate and part of the Planning stage. To recap, Clarify is collect information about yourself and to set your goals from the next five years up to retirement. Some of the questions that you need to answer are why invest in property, how much are you spending each month, how much savings do you have, how much do you want to retire with and so on. Evaluate is to analyse these information and numbers that you’ve collected and pinpoint the shortcomings and identify the opportunities. Think about how you can save more, what is the status of your cash flow management, can you adjust your lifestyle choices to buy an investment property, is it time to refinance your home loan and more. In this part of the 5 Essential Step to Property Investing in Australia, we move on to Plan, Implement and Manage. We all know that Planning is not easy especially if you are planning 30 years ahead. But if you don’t have a plan, you plan to fail. What’s more, you need to be able to implement your Property Portfolio Plan confidently and make sure you arrange regular review to determine how you are faring.   Resources mentioned in this podcast: * Four Pillars of Mastery series * Beginner’s Guide to Property Investment Webinar   If you like this podcast: “5 Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia – Part 2”, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

In this episode of The Property Couch, our hosts think it is unfortunate that money management and smart investment planing are not part of the curricular in Australia’s school system. Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley re-emphasize the importance of understanding the fundamentals of money management and Property Investment. For those who have just stumbled on this property investing podcast, we strongly recommend you to check out our previous episodes especially the Four Pillars of Mastery series  because that’s where we discuss about the basics of this type of investment. In this episode, Bryce and Ben extend from that series and explains the Five Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia. All professionals need a process to follow and for Property Investors, in our view, this is the process to follow. Start listening the podcast to see how you can apply this process to build your own property portfolio. >> Continue: Part 2 of 5 Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia   Resources mentioned in this podcast: * Ep 3: Cash Flow Management * Ep 4: Borrowing Power * Ep 5: Asset Selection * Ep 6: Defence   Thanks again for all of our listeners out there. If you like this podcast: “5 Essential Steps to Property Investing in Australia – Part 1”, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

As promised in our last episode (Ep 14 : Should we buy in a boom and are we in a property bubble?) this time on The Property Couch, Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley talk about a new topic suggested by Aaron, one of our valued listeners. He has provided us with a case study and we think it’s a great chance to discuss about real life property investing stories in Australia. Here’s a summary of the question: “Why does some apartments that seem to tick all the boxes just don’t appreciate in price overtime? This block at Brunswick is close to the public transport, schools, cafes and lifestyle but based on the comparable sales, the apartments have only achieved very little if any price gain since 2010. Your podcast have been saying “Location First, Property Next”, but I’m confused with this property. Why is this place so cheap? If it’s because of the property itself, does it mean the location is not always the biggest factor? And finally, should investors seriously consider properties like this or stay clear?”   Start listening to the podcast to find out why this block of apartments is not appreciating in value and why they are not investment grade properties but more like investment stocks. If you are interested in investing in apartments, check out Episode 7 as well where we talked about investing in One Bedroom and Studio Apartments.   Resources mentioned in this podcast: * Top 10 Suburbs in Sydney in 2003 and what happened to them in 2007? * ABC News 24 – Property Bubble in Sydney and Melbourne?   Warning: This podcast is longer than usual but we promise you that it is jam packed with good quality and independent advice and point of view. However, remember that you should always get professional property advice before making any decisions. Thanks again for all of our listeners out there. If you like this podcast: “Real Life Property Investing in Australia : Case Study”, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

This time on The Property Couch, Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley talk about the hot topic of the month! Should we buy in a boom and are we in a property bubble? It is undeniable that there’s definitely a boom in Sydney and Melbourne is not far behind and we often received enquiries on how to buy in these two state. Well, the question should be more around is it wise to buy in these states? Bryce and Ben has spoken before about buying Counter Cyclical and this time they explain further why they don’t think it is good to join the bandwagon of investors and home buyers in these areas. Bryce and Ben will be discussing about the new changes implemented by APRA (Australian Prudential Regulation Authority) as well. This is especially crucial for investors that have done a pre-approval. The final topic discussed today is whether Australia is in a Property Bubble. A great analogy by our hosts is we are not in a bubble, perhaps more like a balloon. Interested to know what they meant? Listen to this podcast to learn more.   Resources mentioned in this podcast: * Should you be a Borderless Investor * How To Spot A Property Spruiker? * Renovation does not equal Riches * Top 10 Suburbs in Sydney in 2003 and what happened to them in 2007?   Thanks again for all of our listeners out there. If you like this podcast: “Should we buy in a Boom & are we in a Property Bubble?”, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

Thanks to all our listeners questions about Property Investment in Australia! They are great point of views and we are glad that the podcast is inspiring you in different ways. So for today’s episode, Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley will be addressing questions from: * Dan and Ryan : Should we buy an investment property in a high growth location and keep renting, or move a bit further out and get something we can afford? * Leah : Do you think the tax rules around negative gearing will change in the future, so as not to benefit those investing in multiple properties and how do you diversify your portfolio? * Mark : How do you identify high disposable income suburbs and if you’re buying in a block of units, how do you work out if there are more owner occupiers than renters in the building and area? Also, what do you think about dual living homes ie: granny flats?   We are hoping to answer all of our listeners questions in time. If you like this podcast: “Why Invest in Property?”, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

It comes as no surprise that Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley are huge advocates to investing in property. As property investment advisors and buyers agents, they’ve come across many different platforms of investment and have chosen property as their preferred vehicle. But, why invest in property? This is the main topic that Bryce and Ben will be discussing today particularly in terms of investing in residential property. They won’t be debating whether property or shares is a better option because both type of investments can be used depending on the investor’s circumstances and preferences ie: cash flow position, tolerance to risk, years to retirement and more. Instead, they will be sharing their own personal property investment stories, why they themselves, chose it and what kind of research do they conduct when investing in property.   In this podcast, Bryce and Ben also mentioned that not all investment properties generate profit and based on this report by CoreLogic (Pain and Gain), one of the thing we notice is properties held for a short period are much more susceptible to loss. Click on the image on the right to start downloading the report. For more information on CoreLogic, RP Data CoreLogic   If you like this podcast: “Why Invest in Property?”, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/      

Property Spruikers’ activity in this industry is not a new topic. It has been going on for a while and ASIC is trying its best to find and penalise these parties.  However, despite being a well known issue, there aren’t much else being done about it and at the end of the day, innocent investors are the ones getting hurt. Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley have seen many cases like this in their day-to-day role and unfortunately, they’ve a lot of experience in fixing bad property investment advice. It is an issue that they are very passionate about and it highlights the importance and the crucial needs for more regulation and education in this industry. Hence they are keen to share with our listeners on how you define a spruiker, what’s their classic tactic is when trying to win an investor over and how can you distinguish them. Start listening to the podcast now to find out more. Also, the RBA has just drop the official cash rate this month! Check out Ben’s commentary on the rate cut here.   If you like this podcast, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

It’s common to hear people saying things such as , “This property would give you heaps of depreciation benefits!” But do you know how does Tax Depreciation Schedule works when investing in property in Australia? This time on The Property Couch, Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley is joined by the Managing Director of BMT Quantity Surveyors, Bradley Beer to explain what tax depreciation actually meant and how does it work. It’s important to understand that depreciation benefits should not be the prime reason for investing in property because depreciation amount will eventually deplete. Hence, it is more important to select the right location and an investment grade asset and to regard the depreciation that follows as a additional benefit. Brad Beer had prepared two case studies for this podcast. The first is a $600,000 – $700,000 period home with a rental income of $22,880 per annum and the second is a $400,000 – $500,000 older villa with a rental income of $21,060 per annum. For access to the Case Studies mentioned in the podcast, please click here.   To download the BMT Tax Depreciation Application Form – Fill in the form below or click here   If you like this podcast, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

Last episode, we mentioned about Investment Stock vs. Investment Grade Properties and following that line of conversation, Bryce and Ben emphasized that some investors are just snatching up investment stocks now because they think that the property market is heating up and hence, are afraid of missing out. So this week, Bryce and Ben talk about understanding the property market trend and buying counter cyclical instead of chasing for properties which is potentially at the peak of their cycle already. This could potentially mean borderless investing for some of us and is especially true in Sydney where the property value seems to have overshoot the fair value.   What investors also need to remember is that each state has its own cycle but it’s not always easy to determine where the market is currently at. So how do you know if you are buying counter cyclical? A good source of information is the CoreLogic Monthly Housing & Economic Chart Pack where you get to see how the property market in each state had performed for the last 30 years. Click on the image to download the report.   It’s all about timing the market and avoid making rash decisions. Start listening the podcast to find out more! If you like this Insider’s Guide to Property Investing, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

The most anticipated topic is finally here! Investment Stock vs. Investment Grade Properties. Bryce and Ben had been talking about this for weeks and so, in this episode, they started off by explaining what they meant with investment stock and how it is different with investment grade. There are a lot of properties out there that are specifically built for investment purposes (investment stock) and we are certainly not low in supply on new developments but these properties do not necessarily guarantee good returns and growth (Investment grade). There are a lot more science behind asset selection and some investors are potentially becoming victims of bad property investment advices if they don’t know the difference. So, how do you determine if the investment property you are looking at is just merely a rock or a diamond in disguise? Listen to this podcast to find out more.   Also, The Property Couch has just reached a milestone: 1,000 downloads for our podcast! Thanks to all our listeners and all the reviews that we received. We are also receiving a lot of question from our New Topics page and we promise you that we will discuss them eventually. In the meantime, keep the reviews and questions coming via the iTunes store or our Facebook page to spread the word!

In this episode, Bryce and Ben answered one of our listener’s question on whether studios or one bedroom apartments are good investment properties. This a great question and is often asked by many especially when we are seeing a surge in apartments around the city area. Technically, we are looking at this question in two parts. The first part is about understanding whether a studio or one bedroom apartment is a good choice of investment? And the second part is; are they are good investments if they are in the city? Before we start discussing their potential as investment properties, we also need to understand the difference between a studio and one bedroom apartment. Bryce and Ben started this podcast by defining these types of asset class, the regulations surrounding them and how do they fare as an investment property. Listen to this podcast to find out more. Also, The Property Couch is close to 1,000 downloads for our podcast! Thanks to all our listeners and don’t be shy to leave a review or rate us in the iTunes store or our Facebook page to spread the word! If you have any questions or ideas like Matt does, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/ and we will discuss about it at our upcoming podcasts.

In this episode, Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley shares the last part of the Four Pillars of Mastery : Defence. Previously, they have spoken about Cash Flow Management, Borrowing Power and Asset Selection. If Asset Selection is the favourite part of the Four Pillars of Mastery, Defence is definitely the least favorite part. Most investors are always on the lookout for new investments or new ventures to go into, but the most important asset is actually the investor themselves. So, what kind of Defence do you need to put in place? Firstly, you need to know where your money is going and how much you used? Through that, you would have a starting point on what you should be defending. Listen to this episode to find out what other questions to you need to ask and who you should ask these questions to. If you like this Insider’s Guide to Property Investing, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/   ps: Happy Easter everyone!

In this fifth episode, Bryce and Ben disclose the third part of our Four Pillars of Mastery series:  Asset Selection. In previous episodes we talked about Cash Flow Management and Borrowing Power but Asset Selection is usually what most people are interested in. Well, let’s face it. Inspecting a property can sometimes be much more appealing than looking through the numbers. Having said that, it is in no way easier and in fact, because it creates such an emotional aspect to it a lot people make the most mistake in this section. Imagine going through a property and it has all the shiny taps and the stainless steels (or rather “The Bling!” as Ben put it), it can be quite tempting to just sign on the dotted lines and claim it your own. Bryce and Ben explains why you shouldn’t be affected by these things as a property investor and instead, to look at the other areas that are much more important. What are the other aspects of Asset Selection that you should focus at?  Listen to this episode to find out and if you like this Insider’s Guide to Property Investing, don’t forget to rate us at 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://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

Episode 004 of The Property Couch is a continuation of our Four Pillars of Mastery series. Last episode we talked about Cash Flow Management and how it is the first step to your property investment journey. Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley also shared a Flow of Money diagram to illustrate their points. In this episode, they talked about the Borrowing Power. Once you know how much surplus you have at the end of each month then the next step it to know how high is your borrowing power so you can go ahead and buy an investment property. But it’s not as easy as going into a bank or a mortgage broker and get a loan set up. It’s never easy, isn’t it? If you are serious about building wealth via property investment, then you need to make sure you plan ahead in terms of choosing the right package and structuring your loan correctly. Listen to this episode to find out more on borrowing power and if you like it, don’t forget to rate us at our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

In this Episode of The Property Couch, Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley talk about the four areas that each property investor needs to master. Property Investment is not just a transaction. There is a science behind it and in this episode, Bryce and Ben disclose the Property Investment Formula and how an investor can use it. They started off with the most complicated area: Cash Flow Management. Why is it the most complicated? That’s because cash flow management requires a lot of planning, observation and discipline from the investors themselves. In other parts of the Four Pillars of Mastery, you can get help from professionals but in this area, you need to be able to do it yourself because the advisor can only give you an indication not your actual number. Cash flow management demands a lot of time and effort but it is the first step to building your property portfolio and very likely the most important step. Listen to this podcast to find out more.   Below is the Cash Flow Management – Flow of Money chart that was mentioned in this podcast. If you are enjoying our podcast, don’t forget to rate us at our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) or our Facebook page. If you have any ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/