Why ‘practice makes perfect’ in property investment

Should he go for it or just wait until he can get a full-time job and save up on some money?

Smart Property Investment’s Phil Tarrant and Momentum Wealth’s managing director Damian Collins share their thoughts on investing early and why property investment takes some good practice to master: 

What’s your first tip for Braedan?

Phil Tarrant: My first tip would be at 23 years old, you’ve been studying for about five or six years—mate, [I suggest you] go and do some traveling first is what I would say! Go and enjoy yourself. That said, you can have your cake and eat it as well, but you’ve got to have fun before you do anything. That’s what I did, and it’s probably the best thing I ever did personally.

Damian Collins: The best thing I did after uni[versity], before I started my accounting career, [is when] I went and traveled around the world for three months and it’s the last time I’ve had three months off. There’s always life ahead, Braedan, and good on you for being positive about it at 23. It’s amazing ... [But] you aren’t going to get a loan. Pure and simple. On your own.

Can he start his investment journey through a family loan guarantee?

Damian Collins: If you are going to invest and you’re not going to take our advice and travel, then it’s a personal question for you and your dad as to whether your dad’s going to stump up the money. Because effectively, even though he may not loan you any cash, your dad’s signing his life away for the equity loan. They’ll take a mortgage over your father’s house, and he’s more than likely going to have to be an income guarantor as well. Just be careful on that.

What would be the best real estate market in Australia to begin with?

Damian Collins: I think Sydney and Melbourne are probably going to do the best this year, but they’re running out of legs in terms of their cycle, so it’s not really much point getting into the last five or 10 per cent. In terms of Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane, nothing is going to run away this year. We’ll certainly start to see some improvement in those markets, but you’re not going to miss out [on] a huge amount by sitting out for 12 months until you get your own full-time job.

Should Braedan jump in or just wait it out for a while?

Damian Collins: Look, things can change. Who knows where you might end up in terms of career and everything. Good on you, Braedan, for being so keen to get ahead, but I think in your circumstances, I’d be just, maybe, sitting out until you get your job. I don’t think you’re going to miss out on a lot in the next 12 months. When you get your full-time job, get your life set, then have another think about getting back in.

Phil Tarrant: Those inspirational stories that you’ve heard about of Gen Y, millennials who are sort of bucking the trend and investing in property and doing quite well in – the one observation I would make on that is that the people who are doing that are pretty driven. They’ve really crystallised their strategy, they’ve crystallised what they’re trying to achieve through property investment. And to be fair, most of them are doing without something as well. So if you’re really going to go down that path and start investing in property, you’ve got a chance of getting four, five cycles before you hit retirement. If you can get in, great.

What’s your final advice for young, budding investors?

Phil Tarrant: Don’t overexpose yourself. Get some skill sets around money management, understanding how you can service a commitment or having a loan. Practise doing that first before you get into the marketplace – make sure that you can actually do whatever you want to do before you actually want to go and do it. If you can get that right, then you can confidently go and start investing in property. I’d go and speak to a good broker and really understand exactly what the requirements are around getting finance.

Tune in to The Smart Property Investment Show’s Q&A session to know more about how investors can prepare themselves in the face of interest rate hikes, how buyers can find the right products to suit their needs, and more of Phil and Damian’s thoughts on some of the most frequently asked questions about property investment.

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