When starting out, many investors fall into the trap of choosing properties that they would like to live in themselves, and sometimes this can result in buying properties that are unsuitable for letting. As people it’s only natural that we aspire to own and live in bigger and better homes, but as investors, it’s not wise to apply this thinking to our decisions. When looking for properties to build up our portfolios we must think in terms of the tenant and end goal. If we think in terms of ourselves, we’ll most likely end up with a portfolio of more expensive properties that will produce lower returns. What’s more, we’re likely to overlook properties that could have turned out to be extremely profitable. With Sydney investing in property, emotions have to be cast aside. Deciding if a property purchase is right for you should be based solely on what you want to achieve from your buy to let. If you are principally after income, you should be looking for cheaper property. If you are looking for equity through capital growth, you should be looking for more expensive properties.
Let’s look at why the return is the amount of rent you will receive expressed as a proportion of the purchase price, and therefore, the lower the price you pay for Sydney investing in property. The more rent you will receive as a proportion of the purchase price presuming that you finance this deal with a mortgage. You need to think that a cheaper price means taking out a smaller mortgage and the cheaper the purchase price, the more rent you will receive in relation to the mortgage. What’s more, it should also be easier and quicker to pay off a mortgage that’s smaller. Looking at it from another angle, if positive cash flow is in part calculated as rent less mortgage, then investing in property to cheaper areas should boost cash flow. So, if the primary goal is income to buy in letting the strategy should certainly include cheaper. Therefore, probably smaller properties that are likely produce higher yields in comparison to larger, more expensive properties. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that this strategy will be without challenges because the reality is that more problems tend to arise from cheaper properties.
They can be prone to more troublesome
tenants, to longer void periods and for some reason, they seem to experience
ongoing repairs. And all of this can impact heavily on your cash flow. There’s
also another aspect to take into consideration when going for cheaper
properties in cheaper areas. Properties of this type tend to experience less
than average rates of capital growth. Prices increase at a slower rate in areas
that are cheaper in comparison to properties located in more desirable areas.
So if you’re looking to achieve fast capital growth, buying cheaper buy to lets
probably isn’t the strategy for you. It’s important to realize that successful Sydney investing in property is not just about finding the cheapest properties though.
Understanding your prospective tenants and what they want should also play a
large role in your decisions and comprehensive research is key. Before
purchasing and investing in property, take the time to ensure that there’s
sufficient rental demand for this type of home. The price when buying a
property and then hoping for the best is not the way forward.