GRA Blogs

Articles by Salesh Chand.

Property Investment Strategy August 2020

AUTHOR: Salesh Chand
Partner and Director of Business Services

POSTED: 10 August 2020

In this blog I share my current property investing strategy (as at August 2020), because there is a window of opportunity for investors that is likely to close soon. I outline the main points below.

Finance

At present, some banks are lending 80% on investment properties, which is good news for investors. At the same time, however, the banks are getting more challenging to deal with. They are checking spending behaviour, job certainty, serviceability etc., and rumours are that their lending criteria will only get tighter over the next 12 months. Therefore, we as investors have a limited but golden opportunity to refinance and extract working capital for future investments.

In my opinion, it would therefore be prudent for investors to restructure the finance on their portfolios to 80% now in order to release working capital. With interest rates so cheap and economists and banks saying they are likely to remain low for at least five years, there has never been a better time to borrow. In my view it makes sense to refinance, and this is what I am doing at the moment.

By refinancing so you have access to funds, you will be able to act quickly if you spot a good deal, which brings me to my next point – the property market.

Property

I work closely with a number of real estate agents, and they inform me that they are incredibly busy at the moment. The market is buoyant and there are lots of buyers – first home buyers, parents buying for their children, Kiwis returning from overseas, and people upgrading. Combined with the current low interest rates (which make borrowing attractive), the result is high demand for properties.

On top of this high demand, there is not enough housing stock. This means there is a lot of competition in the marketplace, with buyers fighting for the same properties – and in some cases purchasing houses without even seeing them.

There are also more people looking for places to rent, so rents for houses are consequently increasing. This translates to better cash returns for buy-to-hold investors.

Because the market is so hot at present, you should have your finances ready so that if you see a good deal you can jump on it ASAP. As I see it, prices are going to keep rising – not only due to high demand but also because the cost of new building is going through the roof, which will push up the price of existing housing stock.

Summary

In summary, although there is considerable competition for houses at present, in my view it is a great time for investors to take advantage of the low interest rate environment and add to their portfolios (as long as the numbers work, of course). If you'd like help with property investment strategies, attend one of our seminars or arrange a property strategy meeting with one of our consultants.

Request a Meeting

Salesh Chand
Partner and Director of Business Services

09 522-7955

saleshc@gra.co.nz

© Gilligan Rowe & Associates LP

Did you like this article? Subscribe to our newsletter to receive tips, updates and useful information to help you protect your assets and grow your net worth. We're expert accountants providing expert advice to clients in NZ and around the world.

Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide only a summary of the issues associated with the topics covered. It does not purport to be comprehensive nor to provide specific advice. No person should act in reliance on any statement contained within this article without first obtaining specific professional advice. If you require any further information or advice on any matter covered within this article, please contact the author.

Comments

Testimonials

This letter is to express my appreciation for the assistance and encouragement of both Anthony Lipscombe and particularly John Heaslip over the last financial year. The period since activating my trading trust has been one of considerable stress, as well as personal development, as I embarked on this as a relative business neophyte with virtually no awareness of the contemporary requirements of running a business, particularly the financial records aspect. During much of this period I have therefore felt considerable out of my depth. However I have been lucky enough to have had the benefit of the advice and support of John Heaslip in rationalizing what was a fairly chaotic set of records of the first year property trading. I am able to say that John in particular, has been unstinting in his attention to my needs and has done so in a manner which has never alluded to my extremely rudimentary grasp of managing a business, or even of being unable to set out a spread sheet properly. The result of the above guidance is that now, although my trading trust would still not be able to operate without the advice of GRA, I do least feel a sense of satisfaction that I have got to my present point without major disaster and that my property trust does now have some kind of firmer basis for any future activities - Name withheld by request

Seminars and workshops for property investors, business owners and anyone seeking to create and protect their wealth.

View all our upcoming events

Learn More

Investing in residential property?

Put this at the top of your reading list.

If you're investing in residential property, seeking to maximise your ability to succeed and minimise risk, then this is a 'must read'.

Matthew Gilligan provides a fresh look at residential property investment from an experienced investor’s viewpoint. Written in easy to understand language and including many case studies, Matthew explains the ins and outs of successful property investment.