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Investment-Real-Estate

15 years - in the clear!

Many of you know that I have a fairly aggressive investing style when it comes to use of leverage to build a portfolio. Not everyone who reads this column wants to be a land baron, many just want a simple, bullet-proof plan that gets them to the coveted seven figures mark without taking any of their precious personal time or adding stress to their life. This article is for that person. 

I want to illustrate a painless strategy for any person with access to a down payment and some bank financing to acquire one simple investment property, and, with the help of some mortgage magic, to own this asset outright in 15 years. We will let regular inflation take care of the rest.

Now you might think it odd to learn that I find playing with a mortgage calculator a source of amusement. But I’m just so fascinated by what happens to the amortization schedule with seemingly minuscule adjustments to payments. My investor clients know I always advocate a 30 year amortization. It's the best way to ensure you have options and flexibility with your investment. Then, with a few simple tweaks, you can cut that mortgage in half.

Strategy 1: Switch to a bi-weekly payment
This alone will chop nearly five years off, and you won't even feel it.  

Strategy 2: Accelerate payments
This requires a little more discipline, but not the same kind of discipline you would need to walk by a plate of fresh cookies every day for the next 15 years without giving in. It’s just a set-it-and-forget-it decision to defer the benefit of all the glorious positive cash flow your duplex generates.  

Yes, the cash flow would make the payment on a brand new Lexus, but to be a net worth millionaire on one lone investment in 15 short years, you will need to abstain. So, we increase the payment by just enough to cut the amortization down another 10 years. Unlike your minimum monthly mortgage payment that is split almost equally between principal and interest, these additional payments go straight to principal. Not only will they have you mortgage-free a decade sooner, they will save you nearly $60,000 in interest costs.

Now, let’s talk about the other side of this equation: Property appreciation. The historical rate of real estate appreciation is 5.4%. At that rate, real estate doubles every 12-15 years. Many people have heard my two cent’s worth, that we have entered a sustainable growth period in the Okanagan that will more or less follow this historic trend for the foreseeable future. Now I can hear the skeptics already, so let me show you ACTUAL sales data for a duplex in Rutland that I recently sold to an investor, as it conveniently changed ownership every 12-15 years.

1976 - $55,000 (Oh it hurts to even see this number.)

1991 - $130,000 (If only my parents had grabbed a couple.)

2004 - $260,000 (When I bought my first. Wish I had the capital to buy more.)

2015 - $500,000 (This is roughly where duplexes have been priced at for last 7 years, I bought most of my duplexes at this price point.)

I did so out of the firm belief that history will repeat itself, and by 2030 or sooner, the market value of any of my Rutland duplexes will be in excess of one million dollars.

Let me show you how the actual numbers shake out, and how this conservative plan will require almost no input from you as the owner.

Each side of your duplex rents for $1950/mo (4 bedroom 2 bath). This means that your gross revenue for the duplex is $46,800 in Year One.

With your accelerated mortgage payments you will invest $31,824 of that revenue. *Minimum Payments ($21,871 @ 3%)

A highly competent property manager is well worth the $4,680 annual investment, so that you don't have to lift a finger or field a single phone call from a tenant. This same manager will see to it that your $3800 property taxes get paid on time. The same manager sees to it that your $1800 annual insurance premium has you well covered in case the unexpected happens.  

Now, when you add all that up, you will see that you still have about $5,000 per year in contingency money that will go towards preventative maintenance, coordinated by your manager, and will even cover a vacant month now and again, as is the case with holding property over the long term.

Your personal input can actually be reduced to an annual meeting with your manager to discuss your investment. Your only other job is to take a look at your monthly statements and send the annual report your manager prepares directly to your accountant. How’s that for painless?

If you want to see a proper analysis in black and white, including financial projections, of this exact example duplex, and multiple real world examples, email me and I’ll send a .pdf right over. 

So, dream with me for a minute here. You’re about 50 years old today, and you have a $100,000 nest egg, or access to 100k in equity in your primary residence. This simple strategy gives you a million dollar asset, paid off by the time you're at retirement age. The coolest part about this is that you now have options. If you want access to your capital, you could sell your property, pay some capital gains and take your money and run. 

Or, you could put a line of credit on the property for 80% of its new value, and take that $800,000 out tax free, reap the additional tax benefits of writing off the interest costs of the line of credit, and fund whatever passions you are now free to explore.  

There’s one other very attractive option to consider:

The revenue that this asset is still producing.  In Year One, we were getting $46,800. Now, 15 years later, it is $66,000 (based on 3% inflation), so maybe you keep collecting your cheques and travel the world? Heck, it could be a combination of the two. The possibilities are endless for those who do the uncommon.

All it takes is the decision to take matters into our own hands. 15 years from now, will we be laughing all the way to the bank to deposit our million dollar cheque, or will we be kicking ourselves thinking, “Why did I listen to the nay-sayers and give in to my fears?”

There’s no brilliance required to pull this off. You don't need to become an expert, or set up a complicated holding company. You just need to take the first step and call your realtor or mortgage broker. A duplex such as the one in the example is not particularly hard to come by but there aren’t usually more than a handful on the market at any given moment. Less than half a dozen change hands each month, will one of them be yours?

Again, for a .pdf analysis of one of these exact types of property that shows the performance of these duplex investments over time, just send me a quick email.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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About the Author

AJ is the owner of Kelowna’s downtown boutique firm, Vantage West Realty. The firm takes pride in breaking the mould when it comes to how they practice real estate. With a well-deserved reputation as a real estate renegade, Hazzi has been shaking up the Kelowna real estate scene since 2002.

Having been a student of real estate through two market cycles, AJ has come to see an absence of truly qualified professionals specializing in investment real estate. This has become AJ’s role within the firm and the community: To educate clients on how to achieve financial freedom through real estate.

Arming his clients with knowledge on where to find positive cash-flow, how to renovate for profit, and other creative avenues that most agents completely ignore, Hazzi has carved out his niche as a real estate investment advisor (REIA), and loves nothing more than educating people on the right strategy to capitalize on both boom and bust years.  AJ is a firm believer that the Kelowna market is rich with opportunity, if one knows where to look.

If you are in search of an advisor who practices what they preach, consider that AJ has built his own real estate portfolio up to include multi and single family cash-flow rental properties, development property, resort property, fix and flips, and commercial properties. By sharing the lessons learned from his own experiences, his clients get the knowledge and confidence to invest without having to make the expensive mistakes he and many new investors have made along the way.

His goal is to impart on people, especially of the X and Y generation, that depending on RRSPs and Government Pension Plans to look after us down the road is risky business. Most people don't realize that as little as one or two properties added to your real estate portfolio now, can secure a comfortable, even lavish, retirement.

Bringing a consultant's approach rather than the tired, old-fashioned sales approach, AJ and his partners offer a world class service from finding, pre analyzing, and negotiating your next acquisition, to property management, all tailored to today’s busy investor.

To hear what AJ Hazzi's clients have to say about his service view the testimonials.

Contact Information

For more details or to reach AJ Hazzi, please visit www.vantagewestrealty.com

Email [email protected] Cell 250.864.6433



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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