Post by Garry Macdonald of Property Buyers Australia
Last week, we discussed the concept of leverage (using other people's money or debt) and how it works.
This week we'll consider the advantages and disadvantages of leverage.
Some of the advantages of incurring debt include:
It provides leverage and therefore facilitates the purchase of investment real estate with minimum cash outlay.
Debt enables you to continue purchasing investment property using a minimum of your own cash (subject to meeting the financial institution's criteria).
Because you are outlaying a minimum of your own cash, the 'cash on cash' return on investment is potentially much higher.
'Cash on cash' return simply means the profit you make compared to the amount of cash you needed to outlay
Some of the disadvantages of incurring debt include:
Increased risk as a result of using OPM (other people's money)...the higher the borrowings (debt), the higher the risk.
You need to be very careful when setting up your business structure.
"You must be able to 'pass the sleep test'...you must be comfortable with your level of borrowing and be able to sleep at night."
You should seek professional advice from your accountant and/or solicitor to maximise your return and minimise taxation.
Large amounts of debt often create stress.
You must be able to 'pass the sleep test'...you must be comfortable with your level of borrowing and be able to sleep at night.
There is a risk, albeit small, that housing values will fall and therefore you will be stuck with high debt levels on a reducing capital asset value.
You can minimise this risk by doing your research prior to purchase.
There is the risk of interest rate increases which increases your monthly loan commitments.
Prior to purchasing investment property you should ensure your debt levels are manageable.
Your initial calculations should factor in interest rate increases - we always factor in a potential 1.0% to 1.5% interest rate increase.
Good debt and bad debt
We have already defined debt as money borrowed.
However we now need to distinguish the two types of debt.
Good debt - refers to money borrowed for the acquisition of assets.
In other words good debt allows us to acquire things that will generate income and/or increase our net worth, eg borrowing to purchase quality real estate.
Bad debt - refers to money borrowed for the acquisition of liabilities.
In other words bad debt allows us to acquire things that neither generate income nor increase net worth.
In fact bad debt does the exact opposite to good debt.
"A wise man learns by the mistakes of others, a fool by his own" Latin Proverb
We've made many mistakes over the years AND we've learnt from those mistakes.
Remember, one way or another you will pay for your education...either by making mistakes and paying BIG TIME OR hiring someone who is already successful and learning from their mistakes.
The later is much quicker and safer AND that is what we do.
We would love the opportunity to discuss how we can help you build wealth in a low risk environment far more quickly than you ever thought possible. Call our office now on 1300 507 559 or simply drop us an email info@yourpropertybuyer.com.au and we'll arrange for a free no obligation discussion.
Here's to your property investing success!
Want to learn more? Get your free 10 DAY PROPERTY INVESTMENT MINI-COURSE straight to your inbox:
Name:
Email:
Next step: Check us out Facebook and join the discussion!
Garry lives on the sunny Gold Coast in Queensland with his wife and two children. Garry is a business man committed to helping other achieve their financial goals.
Garry and the team at Property Buyers Australia are excited to announce thier new Virtual Buyers Agent service designed to provide sound analysis to ensure you buy the right property in the right location at the right price. Check it out here.