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We welcome you to Portfolios. When it comes to property investment and finance you can rely on us as a great source of knowledge, real life wisdom, cutting edge information as well as a sound community base of active property people to help you grow your property portfolio.

With Portfolios - Property... Make it Happen

It’s Green for the property market

As we enter into the fifth month of 2011, are you wondering whether the market is going to gain traction and build upon some early positive signs? Positive key drivers are indicating that we are now in one of the most important selling periods of some time. What are the 8 key drivers that are making 2011 a strong year in property? Read on to get McGrath’s in depth Market Review for Autumn 2011.

The sub prime market in America caused all sorts of problems for the lending marker world wide, raising the cost of lending for lenders and of course increasing interest rates for the average borrower.
But the low doc market in Australia did not cause the same issues locally as the sub prime market did in the US. Why?
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In short the Australian Reserve Bank knew about the American sub prime market and long prior to banks being able to offer low doc loans was able to put a watch on the market and keep it under control.
“The term ‘Low Doc’ came about because borrowers need fewer documents to apply for a loan. Rather than provide payslips or tax returns, a borrower can simply state what their income is, a process called “self-verification”. Low-doc loans are primarily for self-employed people with limited records of their income.”
One of the controls over the low doc market has been the Australian Taxation Office. Unlike the IRS in America, the ATO has been watching the low doc market for people who understate the income on tax records for tax purposes and then ’self determine’ their income to be higher for the lender. With this stand over tactic the low doc market has not had the same free reign.
Back around 2005-7 when the low doc market was booming the Reserve Bank was more concerned about borrowers who used low-doc loans to overstate their income and get their hands on more money.
“In its biannual Financial Stability Review, early 2005, the Reserve put low-doc lending on its watch list, citing it then as a potential threat to the banking system.” This action perhaps protected many Australian property investors and home owners from the credit crunch that took hold from late 2008.
The rural / regional banks in Australia, perhaps desperate to increase their market share, were the major protagonists of low doc lending. Banks such as the Adelaide Bank was at one stage lending over 30% on low doc with Suncorp around 10% with the majors staying somewhat in single digits.
Today, in Australia, to be able to apply for a low doc loan you must be able to secure 20% of the equity yourself. Banks will no longer lend above this amount on a low doc loan giving the borrower and the lender a healthy buffer against loss. If you look on the Portfolios Property site you will see in each of our property deals we supply both low doc and full doc scenarios with lenders requiring 20% or more equity for low doc.
The lenders also manage the risk by requiring mortgagees to take out lenders insurance. Mortgage insurance protects the lender from default and can cost over $10,000 on an average loan.
The financial difficulty and bankruptcy clauses in the US has allowed them to become a nation of entrpreneurs, but has also made it too easy to default. The ‘get out’ clauses in Australia are much tougher than in the US. While lenders here went on a spending spree in similar proportions to America, the regulatory constraints of getting out of your debt in Australia is much tougher than overseas. In America lenders in many instances were simply walking away from the properties leaving the keys in the door and sometimes within months were back in another mortgage again.
Having a glut of properties worth nothing, with hge mortgages over them, and no one to buy them stung the American, and world financial system hard. This situation hasnt been and is unlikely to be repeated in Australia with tighter controls.
We recommend you review your loan types with Portfolios – low doc loans are still available and in the right conditions can be very profitable.
Contact Portfolios for more information.

The sub prime market in America caused all sorts of problems for the lending marker world wide, raising the cost of lending for lenders and of course increasing interest rates for the average borrower. We examined this in our last article on the sub prime market.

But the low doc market in Australia did not cause the same issues locally as the sub prime market did in the US.

Why?

Renovating For Profit
You’ve watched the lifestyle shows, dreamed of buying the do-upable dump and making a good return out of it.
All over the world people take on projects to renovate and make money from property. It is contagious, both challenging and rewarding.
But what happened to making the dream a reality?
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Portfolios is proud to be associated with Cherie Barber and Stephen Tolle and the Renovating For Profit team. It is a unique community of people that buy houses, do them up and sell them – for a living. The amazing thing about this community is it is made up of ordinary Australians like you and me. There are some who wouldn’t dare put a lick of paint on a wall or pretend to be the carpet layer, tiler, sparky and plumber all in one.
In fact most of these people are simply great project managers, I will come back to that later.
Renovating property is a rewarding experience that, given the right tools, structure, strategy and financial platform, will give you a very fulfilling career or some extra income.
I personally complete 2 -3 projects per year, look after the Portfolios group businesses and along with meeting our wonderful clients that is my plan. Business will give you a lifestyle, your deals will give you your financial wealth.
(sub headline) So how can I help?
When looking into renovation project there are plenty of aspects to consider.
The main 3 are: Structure, Strategy and Finance, other fine print considerations for you could be:
1. What is your exit strategy?
Are you going to renovate and hold or renovate and sell?
Always be prepared when you have to hang onto the property that you have the capacity to hold via income or equity.
2. What is your costs and profit margin?
Understand the kind of gains you can make and manage your improvements accordingly. Knowing your numbers for buy, renovation and end sales price are critical to success.
4. What improvements/ works do you need to make?
Are you just making cosmetic changes or major structrual or even extending the property?
Firstly make sure you can make the changes you want to – check with council and look at similar properties.
Your due diligence is your chosen area will make sure you know what is desired and the end sale price for delivering that to the market.
As you make more an more deals this job will get easier because you will be able to estimate better yourself. But in the mean time surround yourself with professionals. Dont be afraid you will be helping their businesses too.
5. What is your contingency?
I see too many developers, renovators and property investors that come in with a conservative estimate on improvement works and do not consider an contingencies.
Lets face it there are many and varied factors to property projects, allow in your plan to cater for these.
6. Become A Project Manager
Project management 101 – manage your project closely – watch your progress, scope and budgets.
Timing is also critical so use a program to manage day to day activities who is where when – what needs to be completed to allow other works to take place on site. And like your contingency build buffers into your program – rain delays, holidays, slack contractors.
7.  With each deal it gets easier
When I started out – like all of us – I made mistakes but in each case I have learnt far more from them,now I have the privilege of helping people avoid the mistakes I made, saving them valuable time and money.
There are aspects of this business that you will always rely on others to solve for you but increasingly you will be able to take on aspects of the deal yourself based on your growing knowledge – you will become more astute and will see potential everywhere.
(sub headline) Financing The Deal
So the deal looks good and you have done your due diligence, what now.
Make the time to work with the Portfolios Team on your plan, whats possible, the project, structure, strategy and then we can work on finance options.
We can even show you strategies how to finance the deal using other people’s money and time.
First things first complete our Portfolio Review and we will work with you through the steps to becoming that Professional Property person.
Make It Happen – you’ll love it.
Paul Pritchett

You’ve watched the lifestyle shows, dreamed of buying the do-upable dump and making a good return out of it.

All over the world people take on projects to renovate and make money from property. It is contagious, both challenging and rewarding.

But what happened to making the dream a reality?

Your Own Investment Property From $32 per Week
What if you could own your own investment property from just $32 per week? You could be realising return on invesmtent in excess of 700%
Portfolios investment property of the month is Chinchilla.
Chinchilla, located in the Surat basin Region is undergoing a massive build up of workers and their families, with a strong capital growth over the last 3 years and with the newly signed LNG deal with China this is a place to buy.
Chinchilla is located about 200km west of Brisbane with ever increasing job opportunities. Tightening rental availability has driven up rents sharply and will continue to do so.
The region has hospitals, schools and many amenities of normally much larger towns. Over $10 Billion being spent on Coal mines, a gas pipe line, rail links, gas exploration and waste water purification projects.
The government is also investing in rail in the Darling Downs, linking this region and its rich, diverse production with export ports such Gladstone.
According to investment sources the region around Chinchilla enjoys a 98% employment rate and a rental vacancy rate around 1%.
If you earn over $80,000 per anum we’d love to talk to you about this deal. We have turn key, brand new, four bedroom homes ready to be tenanted today.
If you earn under $80,000 then you might find this deal to be worth while with low property price entry, expected capital gains and expected rental hikes in the coming 12-24 months.
Chinchilla presents a great opportunity. You can view this and other properties in this region at www.portfoliosproperty.com.au or just go to Featured Properties.

What if you could own your own investment property from just $32 per week? *

You could be realising return on invesmtent in excess of 700%.

Understand Your Strategy, Then Check Your Loan Exit Costs
With the average loan for an investment property being refinanced every three years it is little wonder the banks have introduced fees to make you think twice about moving away from them.
Loan exit fees have become common place in the mortgage market. Today very few banks provide loans without them. But it hasn’t always been the case.
Lenders exit fees serve to discourage people from refinancing to other banks – or even with the same bank. They are designed to keep customers as long as the bank can.
The challenge for banks is that most home loans do not make as much profitability in the first few years as they do in the ensuing years. Banks need to recoup profit if the customer chooses to exit early.
Fees can range from $400, an average of major lenders around the $750-$1000 mark with non-bank lenders charging a percentage to exit of around up to 2.5%.
Whilst we dont necessarily agree with these exit fees it is something we have work with developing your strategy.
What you need to understand is your strategy affects the loan options and it is far more than just the interest rate.
At Portfolios we understand all consideration of your deal and the associated loan/s which is why we aim to offer up to three loan options into your strategy each with its own profile and considerations. Make sure you take the time to review and discuss.
For example if you are purchasing to renovate and sell  quickly  then we will offer up to 3 loans that typically would have  lower exit fees for great profitability in your deal.
However if your strategy is to buy and hold the property then the early exit fees are not so much of a consideration.
Portfolios will work with you to develop the right strategy that includes Structure, Strategy, the Property and Finance.
If you wish to look at your options and get started complete our FREE Portfolio Review and we will be in contact with you shortly.
Portfolios looks forward to working with you to …Make it Happen.

With the average loan for an investment property being refinanced every three years it is little wonder the banks have introduced fees to make you think twice about moving away from them.

Loan exit fees have become common place in the mortgage market. Today very few banks provide loans without them. But it hasn’t always been the case.