Property Capital Growth

History and Growth of House Prices

Property in Australia has always been a key wealth builder for Australian families and has proven to be a relatively safe investment as long as it is in the right area, has the right infrastructure around it, is professionally managed and you know in advance of the associated costs to hold it.

Property markets move in cycles, reflecting the underlying strength of the economy, political factors, demographic trends and market sentiment.

Professional property investors understand that what they are really buying is time, and therefore investment property should only be considered where the investment time frame is 10-15 years or more.

The graph shows the market cycles and time between peaks whilst the table below shows where over 10 to 15 years of ownership, over 48% of investors doubled their money and after 15 years or more a staggering 95% of investors doubled their money¹². Conversely it also demonstrates that investors that cannot hold on long enough are likely to only make a very small profit or even a loss from the decision, especially after purchase costs and sale costs are taken into account as well.

Over longer time periods, property prices and rental demand are mainly determined by fundamentals such as jobs and infrastructure.

When it comes to investing, one of your greatest allies is time.
It has a moderating effect on property investing risk, and the longer you hold an investment, the more likely you are to enjoy capital growth.

It’s important to get the formula right to buy enough time! Luckily, we have one that has worked for over 25 years.

Cash Flow of Property Investment

The core concept behind property as an investment is that it should grow in value over time.

History shows us that you need to be able to hold onto your property over the medium to long term (10-15 years) to see the best results. That’s why its important to conduct a cash flow analysis to discover the true holding costs after any rental and tax benefits are taken into account. This will tell you how much you, or your SMSF, may need to contribute towards the property (along with the rental income) to meet the loan repayments, council rates and other property costs. We like to work on a ‘cost per week’.

There’s little point in looking at a property that will cost you $200 per week if you can only afford to invest $100 a week.

Whilst this seems like common sense, it means that sometimes you may need to select the next best location, or next best property from your list in order to keep in line with your budget or you risk over committing and having to sell your investment property before you achieve the growth you want.

Here’s an simple example of property cash flow¹³ based on a couple earning $100,000 and $45,000 per year. You’ll see that the tax structure and type of property can vary the cost per week substantially so its important to get it right.

Property Investment Journey

The average price of a home in major capital cities and major regional areas of Australia has continued to rise over the long term. By leveraging your tax and structuring your finance properly, combined with careful research on properties within your budget, you can reasonably expect to build wealth over the long term through the safety of property. The table above shows that a property purchased for $400,000 today could be worth between $800 to over $1 million in around 15 years time. It’s this passive equity that you can use to help fund your lifestyle in retirement or sooner.

Property Investment Strategies

Basic Concept of Investment Property

Often when first purchasing the property there will be little to no equity available and sometimes might even be negative if you borrowed extra for costs like stamp duty and legal costs.

As time goes on the property should experience some capital growth. At the same time, the debt level often remains the same as when you started as most investment loans are interest only.

The difference between the value and the debt is called equity which can now be used to help achieve your goals.

Buy and Sell Investment Property Strategy

Perhaps the simplest, it involves selling the property once you believe there has been substantial growth.

Pro’s – You can use the money to pay off debt like home loans and credit cards.

Con’s – You will likely pay capital gains tax and agent costs which could eat into the profit and you will no longer have the asset which could have grown in value further.

Draw on Equity Investment Property Strategy

Involves borrowing on the available equity by establishing a line of credit.

Pro’s – You don’t need to sell the property to access the money (tax free) and whilst the debt will increase, so will the value over time.

Con’s – You need to have significant growth and a number of properties if you intend to do it multiple times or take enough money to live on.

SMSF Investment Property Accumulation Strategy

If using an SMSF to purchase property you could direct your employer or salary sacrifice contributions into the loan to repay it faster.

Pro’s – A debt free property in Super could create more tax free income in retirement.

Con’s – You can’t access the equity personally nor recoup or redraw your contributions once paid into the loan. Seek advice before engaging in a property via Super Strategy.

SMSF Investment Property Retirement Strategy

You may choose to sell the SMSF property in retirement and access the equity or profit tax free.

As you are now fully retired you can use the cash to fund lifestyle or pay off other debts and enjoy your retirement. Seek advice before making a decison with your super.

Claim Your FREE 60 Minute Property Investment Strategy Session with me, VALUED AT $619!

In this FREE Property Investment Strategy Session, Prowealth CEO Daniel Goodwin will show you how to create a plan to secure your financial future.
LEARN HOW TO…

CREATE Instant Cash Flow of $50-100 per week from your existing Home Loan.

IMPLEMENT Tax strategies saving around 20% of the tax you pay right now and thousands over your working life. Get this wrong and it could easily cost you $100,000 in profit.

DISCOVER The strategy to pay out your home loan in 10 to 15 years and save hundreds of thousands of dollars in unnecessary interest costs.

AVOID The uncertainty of your Super and the share market by using your SMSF for a cash positive bricks and mortar investment property.

ACQUIRE A top performing investment property for as little as $7 a day, maybe even less.

UTILISE The investments you make now to enable you pay out debt, help your children get into their first home or simply enjoy the freedom of being financially secure.

Prowealth CEO and Leading Investment Property Advisor Daniel Goodwin has appeared and provided commentary in the following media publications and is the best selling Author of “10 Secrets of Professional Property Investors”

¹²Source- CoreLogic RP Data’s Pain & Gain report for the September quarter 2014.

¹³Figures above are based upon an $100,000 and $45,000 ownership split as shown, 4.6% interest only rate (6.25% for SMSF), council ($1,800), strata ($4,000 on units only), water ($350), insurance ($900) and estimated depreciation benefits (2019 built 210sqm house – $12,500, or 2016 built 200sqm house – $4,500) or unit (55sqm unit – $5,200) and repairs of $2,500 per year for the second hand homes. New house purchase price based on split contract of $220,000 for land and $280,000 for build contract. SMSF structure figures are based on SMSF balance of $200,000, SMSF income of $13,875 Super Guarantee Contributions (9.5% of $145,000 member income). Tax saving is year one. Excludes any structure establishment costs but includes annual costs of $4,520. Seek advice before using your Super. Pictures are for illustration only. Source – Prowealth Property Investment Calculator.

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