Your Real Estate Questions Answered

Our panel of real estate experts answers more questions from API Readers for the February 2007 edition.

Is it too late to invest in real estate?

Question: I’m 64 and have $320,000 equity in my house. I’m thinking of selling the house, renting and investing this amount in a real estate property. Unfortunately, I’ve moved too early from some previous properties and missed out on lots of money. I’m planning to work for another two years full-time and then work as a consultant. Is it too late for me to do anything in the real estate property market?

Answer: As you suspected, the key issue here is your age, which affects your investment real estate horizon, risk tolerance, and cash flow requirements. Investing in residential properties requires a long-term view; at least seven to ten years to give compound capital growth ample opportunity to do its work. Every time you buy real estate property, you incur entry costs including stamp duty and conveyancing. When you sell the real estate proerpty that’s generated rental income, you’ll pay capital gains tax as well as the usual agent’s commission and advertising fees. If you buy and then sell within a few years because you need cash to fund your retirement, entry and exit costs will chew up a substantial proportion of any capital growth the property has achieved. Additionally, because property real estate isn’t a liquid asset, it can take months to find a buyer and complete settlement. If you do need cash quickly, the ball is in the buyer’s court and you may be forced into selling for less than fair real estate market value. This may sound strange coming from a property adviser, but in your situation it may be better to consider investing in superannuation. I suggest you speak to a financial advisor about your options. – Mark Armstrong

After a big loan

Question: I’m a real estate investor in Perth. I want to take my investments to the next stage but the banks say my salary isn’t enough to give large equity loans. I want to borrow $1.5 million to $2 million to buy a house. I have equity on my present house as a deposit (20 per cent) and the remaining 80 per cent loan would be on the house I’m buying. My salary level is $100,000. How can I address this problem?

Answer: Despite your considerable equity, your problem is your income, which isn’t high enough to sustain the repayments required for such a large loan. The interest on a $1.5 million loan is more than $100,000 per year. This is more than you earn, so I can’t see how you would be able to meet you repayment commitments. And although you’ll receive rental income from the new real estate property, lenders generally only take around 75 per cent of the gross rent into account when determining ability to pay back the loan. I suggest you consider real estate investment properties in a more modest price range. If you buy several modestly priced properties over a period of time, you’ll build a portfolio that generates enough rent to boost your working income substantially and puts you in a much better position to pay back a $1.5 million to $2 million loan. Then you’ll find the banks will be more willing to come to the party – Mark Armstrong.

Making a joint real estate purchase

Question: My brother, his friend and I are looking to buy a real estate property in Cairns. We won’t be suing the first homebuyers grant as there are three of us, and we were wondering what we should do about the free stamp duty etc. for first homebuyers. As we’ll be getting the real estate property contract in all of our names we weren’t sure whether to take advantage of the first homebuyer perks or save them for when we buy our own properties separately. We were also wondering if a solicitor would be the best professional to write out the joint contract. We were also going to apply for a 100 per cent capital loan as we were looking at renting the real estate property out to start with. Is this wise?

Answer: You’re probably right to be cautious about using your first homebuyers concessions. If you receive the Federal Governments $7000 first Home Owner Grant for this particular puchase, none of you will be able to claim the grant for any real estate properties you may buy individually, further down the road. The same applies to the Queensland Government’s first homebuyer stamp duty rebate, which is available for real estate properties purchased fro less than $500,000. To get the stamp duty rebate, none of you must have owned property at any time previously, in Queensland or elsewhere. You must also be living in the real estate property as your principal residence, not renting it out. The rebate is calculated according to the value of the real estate property you purchase. The more your property is worth, the lower the rebate. For example, if you buy a property for $300,000 to $309.999, you’ll receive a stamp duty rebate of $2000. If you purchase for $410,000 to $419,999, you’ll receive $900.

If the three of you can afford to purchase without the first Home Owner Grant and the stamp duty rebate, it might be an idea to save these in case any of you decide to purchase a principal home of residence individually in the future.

Yes, it’s a wise idea to have a solicitor draw up a joint venture agreement so that all three of you understand your financial commitments. The joint venture agreement should also specify how long you will hold the property real estate, and spell out a contingency plan in the event that one of you decides to sell your share.

Regarding your questions about borrowing 100 per cent of the property’s value, I don’t know all the particulars of your situation, so I can’t advise on particular loan options. However, you should keep in mind that the more you borrow relative to the real estate property’s value, the greater your risk in the lender’s eyes, so they may charge a higher interest rate – Mark Armstrong.

For more Bricks & Mortar Q&As, go to www.apimagazine.com.au. If you have a question for our experts, you can send it to: editor@apimagazine.com.au.

This information is of a general nature only and does not constitute professional advice. You must seek professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances before acting.

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Real Estate Investment

In Part 5, Monique Wakelin talks about what to watch out for when deciding what proper real estate assets you should consider in the December issue of API Magazine for the article: ‘Take Control: How Home Equity puts you in the driver’s seat’.

It’s not unusual to hear tales of woe from both first-time and seasoned real estate investors who have fallen for the traps and failed to achieve the capital gains they expected. Some of the most common mistakes that could potentially cost thousands of dollars include:

Investing in speculative sectors of the residential property real estate market. These include off-the-plan developments that concentrate on “inducements” such as rental guarantees, offers of finance or tax breaks. The “inducements” often mask a propensity for low or no capital growth.

Faulty real estate asset selection. You can select a real estate investment property in the right suburb but in the wrong street. It may be that the surrounding buildings and aspect detract from its attractiveness and long-term growth potential. The wrong building style can also be a slow mover, even if it’s in the right area.

Failing to understand the importance of scarcity value. The higher the demand for the asset and the less supply, the greater your capital gain in real estate will be.

Buying a real estate investment property for tax benefits, stamp duty savings or rental guarantees. On a properly selected investment property, these factors are an added bonus rather than the primary reason for the purchase. Nobody ever becomes financially independent concentrating on saving tax.

Failure to check major body corporate expenditure. The fees charged on some apartment developments canbe astronomical. In the case of some CBD high-rises, body corporate fees can be between $3000 and $4000 a year. This is a major part of an investor’s outgoings and an unnecessary expense.

Paying too much. An overpriced real estate property will take a great deal longer to catch up with its true worth and to start producing capital gains than one that was bought at the right real estate market price to begin with. Always do your homework in regard to prior benchmarking in real estate value.

Failure to diversify locations and building styles within a property portfolio in real estate. Not all real estate sectors of the property market move in a uniform way – even in the high demand areas. Diversity in a real estate portfolio can help the investor ride out any short-term anomalies in one area or market sector.

Relying on historical statistics. Most of the property real estate data we see is already three months old. This puts the investor in the position of trying to make tomorrow’s decision with yesterday’s news. You can’t beat on-the-ground homework for the most accurate picture of where the market is and where the real estate markets are moving.

Lack of independent information. When seeking advice from anyone in an advisory capacity, always check their qualifications, length of time in business, affiliations, any vested interest, what they abse their recommendations on, what ongoing services they provide and ensure their fees are paid by you, the customer, and not by other interested parties. Always ensure they have unrestricted access to the real estate market.

The cost of waiting for the “ideal” circumstances. This could be a wait-and-see attitude to interest rate movements or whether the property real estate market is going to soften. There’s no right or wrong time to buy an investment real estate property. If investors apply the long-term principle then the cost of waiting can be very expensive indeed!

Monique Wakelin is the co-founder of Wakelin Property Advisory, www.wakelin.com.au, a Melbourne-based property consultancy. For more home purchasing and real estate investment tips and checklists, please visit this link.

A Pep Talk for First-Time Buyers

Another great article written by the RBC Royal Bank for the Westcoast Homes & Design November 2006 magazine for real estate, mortgages and pre-construction condo developments in the Pacific Northwest and Lower Mainland.

The Royal Bank answers some questions about how to qualify for that first mortgage. Think that buying a home is out of your reach? Think again! Stop talking yourself out of becoming a homebuyer and consider your options. There are many common concerns plaguing the minds of first-time homebuyers – and solutions to these that may surprise you.

“I’ll never save enough money to make that 25 per cent down payment.”

You could be right, but you may not need that 25 per cent nest egg. Special mortgage insurance is now available to allow for a down payment of as little as five per cent of the cost of a first home. There are even No Down Payment mortgages available. These mortgages are insured against default by either Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) or Genworth Financial Canada.

“Most of my savings are currently tied-up in RRSPs.”

As a first-time homebuyer you can actually borrow up to $20,000 from your RRSP (up to $40,000 per couple) to help buy and build a qualifying first home. You can repay your RRSP in annual instalments over 15 years. Contact your local taxation office or mortgage specialists about this Home Buyers Plan sponsored by the federal government.

“What about all the extra costs of buying a home?”

Up-front cash requirements can be a particular concern to first-time home buyers. Most mortgage lenders now offer valuable features such as a cash bonus to help with closing costs or access to additional credit to help with your decorating and furnishing expenses.

“It’s a big financial commitment. What if my circumstances change?”

You can choose a mortgage lender that gives you the flexibility to adapt to changing situations. When you talk to a lender, discuss the ability to skip mortgage payments during a rough period an dthe flexibility to increase or pay down your mortgage as your priorities change.

Consult with your lender to arrange a pre-approved mortgage that takes into account your lifestyle and spending priorities. To crunch the numbers on your own, check out the mortgage calculators and tips from first-time buyers on the RBC Financial Group website at www.rbc.com.

For helpful advice and to arrange for a mortgage specialist to visit you at your convenience visit www.rbc.com or phone Royal Direct at 1-800 ROYAL 9-9 (1-800-769-2599).