Cash Flow Positive Property

How I, A Grandmother,
Made $652,000 In 18 Months Through
Cash Flow Positive Property Deals
!

 

Wow $652,000 income over an 18 month period! This was far beyond my wildest dreams. I could never have imagined I’d achieve this and so much more, all from working through a process and different strategies.

Life for years was full of hardships for me! My children were 9 & 11 years of age when my husband died and for the next 15 years, my belief was that if I worked hard, I’d gain financial independence for my family and I. How wrong I was! I held down 3 jobs and of course worked 7 days a week. But week after week I was not making ground on my finances.

It took me a long time to act and looking back, I think there were 2 things stopping me from moving forward.  The 1st was I didn’t value my own worth and the 2nd was I didn’t know what else I could do or where to start! I looked at almost every opportunity under the sun – small businesses, network marketing, franchising and the list went on.

Then I got to property. Research revealed that property doubled in value every 7 to 10 years. I felt comfortable with that one but my knowledge at that stage was practically ‘zilch’.

 

Where and how do I get started in the property market?

This was the question that kept coming up for me. I felt I was in a maze with no one to ‘hold my hand’ and help me. My story I’m sure is no different to many others, just with variations.

I had absolutely ‘no capital’ to put into any property deals, regardless of the outcome, let alone knowing what a good property deal was. I had to figure out a process that worked for me and of course in those days, I did everything the long and hard way!

I found that there were some really well published strategies like ‘Negative Gearing’, where I could incur tax-deductible losses every year, in the hope of profiting from gains and increased land/property values in the future.
This could have worked for me if I had the funds to get started but it felt like buying a ticket in the lottery. It didn’t make sense, as a solid investment. I wanted strategies where I could ‘estimate the profit’ I could make, so then I could make an informed decision about choosing a property investment and more importantly, I could see how it could move me to financial independence!

 

 

What Property Strategies
Could Make Me A Profit I Could Calculate?

 

I started talking to all sorts of experts – real estate agents, accountants, lawyers and most importantly successful investors (some of whom have continued to be my mentors to this day). After a lot of research I had my answers:

  • To work out my specific strategies to fit my property deals.
  • How I’d apply those strategies in different locations and markets.
  • My criteria, to determine if a deal is worth pursuing or not.
  • What process would I follow to ensure a property deal is successful?

This may sound simple, but let me tell you it wasn’t. For each strategy and approach, there was a lot of information to digest. What I wanted was a simple ‘tick-the-box’ system in order to apply my strategies to deal after deal. To get this, I had to start at the beginning and develop a system. 

I’ve taken all of my experiences, condensed it and developed my ‘10 steps for achieving incredible profits from property’.

I’ve given you the things I learnt along the way, that now make the process easy for me to repeat. I’ve also included the steps and resources I’ve used, as well as hints and tip’s to support my thinking! 

I wanted to share my ‘10 simple step process with you, so you don’t have to go through all the hard work that I had too

If you’re looking for a specific part of my process, simply click on the appropriate step below. Otherwise, continue reading this list for all of the details.

 

 

My Simple 10 Step Process:

 

Step 1: How I Choose a Property Strategies that worked for me!

I first Ak myself :

  • What type of property do I want to invest in ?

    This is my starting point.  Should it be - residential, commercial, vacant land or industrial property?

  • What process will I use to purchase property?
    Vendor finance,  lease options/rent to buy, sub-division, renovation, buy and sell and many more!

I will work through which strategy suits your personality, risk profile, your available time and resources available, as in money.

Step 2: When choosing a location, the question I 'm most asked is "where do I start to look?"

I’ve heard people say that when buying property, the three most important things are Location, Location and Location! But every strategy has different ‘ideals in terms of location. I’ve found that the location and my strategies must be well matched, to gain the outcome I’m looking for.

 

Being an absolute beginner, my first question to Jill was “where do I start” and again Jill guided our team through this minefield. Always patient and by sharing her experience, she taught us what type of property could work for us.  

Di Gillespie–drumrolls@hotmail.com

Diane

 

 

 

 

 

DianeGillespie

 

Step 3: How do I find a property with potential?

Where do I start? Once I’ve decided on my strategies and location, it’s a numbers game of researching properties. I’ll be sharing my time saving techniques with you but I had to also get my head around the idea that ‘my time was money’ and to value my own worth.  This certainly cut down wasting my time, on sites that I felt had no potential.

 

Step 4: Has working and leveraging with the 'right' team, been a good move for you?

The question I asked myself is, ‘do I want to work as a single entity in property or would I rather work closely with others, as part of a property team?’

I’ll share my thoughts with you on working as a team member and the leveraging that comes from it. 

My ‘A’ team is made up of people who have the same goals and direction I do.  Yes they must be on the same page that I’m on and aligned in our thinking.  My ‘B’ team is made up of agents, surveyors, town planners, project managers, designers, tradesmen, and the list goes on. I’ll go through the benefits they bring to my deals.

 

Step 5: The next important question I ask myself is, 'is a deal feasible or not?'

Before I sign anything, I make sure that the project stacks up on paper. I use my checklists and resources to give me the % return I can expect to make from a deal.  This takes the emotion out of my end decision, to buy or not.  This can save me from making some costly mistakes.
                              
My numbers have to ‘stack up’ for me.  It can make or break a deal.

 

Step 6: I don't let a shortage of money stop me from finding
the 'right' deal!

Once I’ve identified a profitable deal, I then look for people who can help me. This includes money partners as well as expertise partners. Often this enables me to do ‘no-money-down deals.’

 

Step 7: Plan for Profit - How can I 'value add' to a property?

A good deal can become a great deal with some extra planning. I look for creative ways to tweak the entry strategy, timeframes and approach to maximize profits. I also look for multiple exit strategies to ensure that all the options are profitable.
                           
I always keep in mind, that my end profit is made on the purchase of a property and not on the sale!

 

This led us to my business partner & I buying our first Investment Property at Casino in northern NSW.  The exciting thing is that because we had the new tools to know where to look, our property in the 3 months after  we did the exchange on the site, had gone up $25k in value.  Wow!!  Not bad for a $175k investment.

Liane Simons - lianes@westnet.com.au   
Liane Investment
‘Liane’s investment property that increased in value before she settled’
Liane
Liane Simons

 

Step 8: Negotiating on a deal can be exciting and rewarding

Once all the ducks are lined up, I start the negotiation. I find it’s important to take all the emotion out of the process (at my end), to get the best outcome I possible can. This is business for me. I won’t be spending the rest of my life living in these properties.  It’s purely a deal I’m working on.

 

Step 9: Part of my winning process is to monitor and fine tune my strategies, during a development process

The property market is continually changing and I’ve got to constantly monitor and allow for these changes to occur. Neglecting this step can cost me dearly. Paying attention to it can make an already-profitable deal, even better by taking these simple steps. This is definitely a step I don’t overlook.

 

Step 10: What market will you be selling too?

This step is so important for me. Of course I’ve designed my end exit strategies at an earlier stage of the deal, but  if I don’t know who my end purchaser will be when I’m wanting to sell, then I have no direction.   It’s like driving to a new destination without a roadmap.  I must know who my target market is from Day 1.

 

Here’s More Information on
Each of my 10 Steps
..

bigtick Step 1:
  How to Choose a Property Strategy that works for me!
 

This was where I started out, when getting into the property market.

My time was a very big factor. How much time did I have available to put into property finding and researching? I knew I wouldn’t benefit if I over committed myself time wise. There had to be a property strategy that’s ‘tailor made’ for me, that will fit around my availability. 

I asked myself, ‘what area I’d feel most comfortable working in?’ After buying 2 family homes, the residential market was the one I was most familiar with. At the same time I wanted to open my thoughts and learn more on investing in commercial property, buying vacant land or industrial markets. But to do justice to any one area, I couldn’t take them all on at once, I was starting at the bottom!

I must say, at that stage I felt overwhelmed and was specializing in the ‘fear’ factor and so doubting my own ability.  My thinking had to change.  Knowledge became my strength! Researching and finding strategies for me to buy property, with no capital to my name was my mission.  I was starting to think ‘smart’ not ‘hard’!  I wasn’t going to stop my search, till I found a way for me to move forward.

There were a number of potential development sites I found in the Goulburn area of NSW.  It was Jill’s down to earth approach and logical assessing of the viability of potential sites that I found most helpful.  I also learnt a lot about councils and the best way to deal with them, their timeframes and all the statutory processes, plus the need to be very liberal when factoring in all costs when budgeting.  I also learnt that developing gives me the power of choosing when to exit, whether it be post sub division, post DA, or at the completion of building.
Chris Tamsett - chris@clearacres.com.au

There are a number of ways I can purchase property and to give a better understanding of each of these processes, I’ll step through it each point:

What is Vendor Finance?

When I purchase a property the most common way to finance a site would be to go through a lending group such as banks, credit unions or brokers. I would borrow 70% to 90% by way of a mortgage loan and would have to find the balance of funds myself. 

Vendor Finance is a little different and can be a very useful tool to use. There are 2 main ways I go about this.

I buy a property with bank finance and pay say 8% interest to the bank. I then on sell the same property under Vendor Terms to another interested party, charging them 10% interest. In other words, I become the ‘bank’ to the new purchaser.  I could also mark the sale price up by 10%, 15% or 20%, if I so desire.

Here’s a summary of how it works:

Step 1 – I buy a house:
Purchase price is $200,000
I Borrow 80% @ 8%
I put in the 20%-cash

Step 2 - I then on sell that same house using this vendor finance strategy:
With the 20% mark up on the site, I’d sell it for $240,000
Interest charged @ 10% (being 2% above what my interest is on the property) on the amount owing, after the buyer pays the required deposit.
 

My above example is one of my cash flow positive deals.  My buyer hasn’t got the normal 20% deposit to purchase a house through normal lending avenues.

Here is another of my strategies that I use:

Not putting any money into a deal appeals to me. Here is how it works. When negotiating on the purchase of a property, my offer to the vendor/seller is that they leave 20% of the capital (sale price of the property) in the deal.

I purchased a house for $200,000 
I borrow 80% from my lender.
The Vendor/seller leaves 20% in sale so I don’t have to find that deposit.

I have to make my offer to the vendor/seller attractive to encourage him/her to take up my deal.  I could offer him say 12% return on his money for a set period of time or what ever I feel is a fair deal at the time.

The benefits to me are:

  • I don’t have to find the 20% deposit/cash which helps my cash flow.
  • If this property is an investment, then all my interest payments are tax deductible, including the vendor’s interest.  I always go back to my Accountant for his advice on this point.
  • If in a 12  – 18month period, the value of the property has increased, I would re-finance and pay the vendor out their 20%. I’d always negotiate at the beginning, on the length of time I’d require these funds, before paying the vendor out.

The benefits to the vendor/seller are:

  • They could be downsizing their home, giving them excess funds as there new purchase is cheaper. They may not need these funds to work with but are looking for cash flow & interest on their money. A good rate of interest on that money could appeal to him/her.
  • The vendor is on a pension and is looking for a good monthly return on funds.
  • If I can solve the ‘needs’ of the vendor, then I could have a deal that suits us both.  Through communication I may find that they would dearly love a holiday or another dream that is out side their financial boundaries. By me thinking outside the square for this one, so often I can come up with an attractive offer.  I always keep in mind that ‘want’s and ‘needs’ are two very different ways of thinking?????

It is a great re-assurance to know that Jill is only a call away to give us the direction that  we need. We are able to bring our projects to the table and work through Jill’s main focus points – we are still on a huge learning curve and have come to realize that not all our deals are a viable proposition – again Jill is there to guide and help us.                                                  

  Di Gillespie – drumrolls@hotmail.com

 

How can I make 'Lease Options' or 'Rent to Buy' houses work for you!

My strategy could be as follows:

  • The house next door to where I’m living really appeals to me and it’s just become vacant. Potentially, if I could do a ‘rent to buy’ or a ‘lease option’ on this property, I’d have access to the house.

I could do a renovation on the house, paint job and or a backyard tidy up whilst occupying it. Of course, I’d have this all legally documented to cover my input and worth before going into this deal. The value of the house could increase dramatically over a 12-18 month period, should I complete all of the above.

  • I’d approach the owner with a ‘rent to buy’ offer for an 18 month period. This is a ‘legal agreement’ that has the purchase price set out at the beginning, before I do the improvements. I also have written into that agreement, that I’m able to complete renovations on the house during that time. 

The benefits to me by doing a 'rent to buy':

The current owner pays all expenses on the house. He/she could have mortgage payments, rates, insurance, land tax which comes out of their pocket, not mine. Yes, I only have to find the rent money and also fund all of the improvement costs.

I could also be living in the house at the same time as renovating.

I start off by doing all of my figures for say the proposed 18 months to see how viable this sort of deal would be for me. I’d work out buying as against renting and all out goings over that period and see which way would benefit me the most. 

The benefits to the owner by doing a 'rent to buy':

  • If the going rental on this house was say $400 per week. I could offer the owner $450. He would be getting an extra $50 per week but as to how much more I’d offer him would depend on my profit and feasibility that I’d do up front.
  • My feasibility/sums (explained in later eclasses) would also have to project what the worth of the property would be at the end of 18 months, with improvements. I could even be in a position to offer the owner say $600 per week rent, if it was a really good deal. 
  • This could be a cheap way for me to gain access to a property and to have a place to live whilst doing all necessary work on it, at the same time. I emphasise that it must fit into my lifestyle.

My experience with A Lease Option is that it is very similar to Rent to Buys. Contracts of sale are drawn up at the beginning of both exercises but with a Lease Option, you lease or rent the premises but have an ‘option’ agreement in place which gives you the option to buy the place at the end of a set period, at the price originally agreed upon.

An agreed amount is paid to secure an option, which can be as small as $1 or $5k (depending on the value of the house) and the circumstances, but if I don’t proceed with the purchase of the property, I’d forfeit my option fee. I always seek legal advice when entering into one of these deals.

How can I benefit from doing a Subdivision?

My aim of course is to ‘value add’ to any property that I buy and I’ve found that subdivisions are a good process to use. I’ve written eclasses on this process and explain how to get it all underway from the date of exchange/deposit, even though I don’t own the site.
                        
I could have my application to Sub-divide in at Council, well prior to settlement. This process I use with each subdivision. The last one I did, I received my Development Application (DA) approval from Council, 4 days after I settled on the property. Time is money and it must work for me! In my eclasses I also go into ‘boundary readjustments’, which are very similar process to subdivisions.

How do I renovate with the end sale price in mind?

I always ask myself the following questions and gain clarity, before spending a cent on a site, that needs renovating:

  • What does a property warrant having done to it to make a good profit?
  • Do I need to do a backyard make over, a paint job or a general tidy up or a complete renovation on the house? How much will I improve on the current value of the house and what will it cost me?
  • How much of this work if any do I want to do myself!
  • My time is money!  On my feasibility, I charge myself out at say $200 a day to do work on a renovating project. This way I’d see if it is more beneficial to get someone in to do it or to use my time. I came to the charge of $200 per day with the thought that I’m not costing myself out as an executive, but as a hands on worker.
  • I leave my emotions at home when buying fixtures and fittings.  This is my investment, not my home. Using my emotion could cost me money. I’m not renovating for me, I’m renovating to sell!
  • I always ask myself, ‘to whom will I be on selling too? If I over capitalize on the value of property, then it’s not a good deal. 
  • I keep in mind that the longer it takes me to complete work on a site, the more I’d be paying out in holding costs. Getting the right people in could save me money rather than waiting for me to do the specific jobs!

Above I mentioned a 'Lease Option' where I leased the house, with the option to buy. The other way is to buy under an Option - with no lease.

I’ve found this a very good way to buy time!

If I was applying to council for approval to do major renovations to a house and knew that this could take 15 months to go through that process. I wouldn’t want to be paying holding costs on that property, from Day 1, because waiting for council’s ok process could be a slow one.

I could approach the current owner directly or by way of an Agent to put an ‘option to buy’ agreement in place. This would give me the option at the end of a set period, to purchase the property at an agreed amount, as set out in the contract of sale, when the agreement is set up.

I am mindful not to make my option period too short in timeframes.  If I’m waiting on council to give approval for my application to subdivide or construct, this process could be very very slow.  This can make or break my deal. I always allow extra time to cover this. 

I go into much more detail of ‘buying with options’ as one of my strategies in my eclasses. I like the option process, as it’s one that can work to my benefit.

This is another way of making other people’s money, work for you.

The house next door to where you are living, really appeals to you and it’s just become vacant.  Potentially, if you got access to the house you could do a renovation, paint job and or a backyard blitz.  The value of the house would increase dramatically over a 12-18 month period should you complete all of the above.

Approach the owner with a ‘rent to buy’ offer for an 18 month period. This is a ‘legal agreement’ that has the purchase price set out at the beginning, before you do the improvements.  You also have written into that agreement, that you are able to complete renovations on the house during that time.

Would you like some one-on-one
hand-holding by Jill?  Click here
to find out how to register for my
mentoring program for
just $99 per month.

 

bigtick Step 2:
  When choosing a location, the question I'm most asked is "where do I start to look?"
 

• If I’m developing in a more expensive area, then of course my cash entry point will be higher than in a less expensive area.

• I keep in mind that often I could do a number of smaller property transactions with less risk, less financial input and in a quicker timeframe than one large project, where costs and time seem to be far higher and take longer to complete.

• I’ve found that development in country or outer areas of cities will often be a quicker process through council, rather than at the higher end of the market in busy suburbs.

This is not always the case, but has worked for me on a number of occasions. The bigger the project, the greater the risks and longer timeframes associated with them and council hold-ups can cost me dearly.

• I always feel that I like to do developments within a 2 hour drive from my home. That way, I am very accessible if I need to go up and back to the site in a day. If I have to fly or a longer drive, then that limits me quite a bit.

• I make all my deals manageable for me. I set out as I mean to finish and I want all projects to be working for me, from Day 1 on every level.

• It is so important that I get to know my area/council like the back of my hand, where I want to buy.  This is such an asset, although initially time consuming, but once I’ve got all of the facts in hand, I keep repeating the same process and strategies.

• It’s so important that my good location and strategies are well matched. 

• If I’m working in the country, I look for an area that has a population of over 12,000, as I need to on sell my property when ready.  If the population is low, I won’t have the same turnover rate because I’d not have the number of people available to buy my house when I got to the selling stage.

• I always look at the infrastructure of a town. What are the schools, shops and developments like? Is there growth in the area to warrant me buying?

• For me to proceed, there must be more than one industry in a town to support families and growth. If that one industry dies the town does also and that doesn’t help my investment!

• After doing a number of multi-dwelling developments, a few years back in the suburbs of Sydney, I thought there had to be an easier way to make money and to use my time more affectively.

There were continual hold ups with council, whilst awaiting approval of plans. Every decision, whether large or small, would take another month and another month and another month. This was no good for my ‘holding costs’ and can so affect my end profit.

I couldn’t believe my luck when I went to a south coast (NSW) council to submit plans. I was asked to take a seat and the town planner would view the plans and see if there was anything else I needed to supply. Wow! I didn’t have to wait 6 weeks to hear that. This was music to my ears. Timing is a very important factor when working with councils.

 

bigtick Step 3:
  How do I find a property with potential?
 

The big factor here is to take any emotion I may have, out of buying! I don’t look on a site as if I’m going to live there. I make sure I distance myself from that kind of thinking! This is business!

One of my Golden Rules is ‘Who will I be on selling too.’ I always ask myself this question as I want to buy a site with the end outcome well in view.

My research from RP Data is invaluable. This tool gives me past sales in an area, sizes of blocks and the demographics of an area. Plus when the site was last purchased and the sale price! I gain so much information for this source.

I make sure I don’t spread myself over a number of council areas by trying to work in each one. I get to know one council and use the local agents, surveyors etc to gather additional information.  They usually live and work in the area and their input is so invaluable to me!

Most council’s on the web have the DCP (Development Control Plan and LEP (Local Environment Plan) which I can download. I’ve found that the different states have different terminology but I can usually find what I’m looking for, if I head towards the planning area on a council site.

This is my guide as to what I’m able to do in an area. By knowing my zoning, it tells me what I would be able to develop on a site, before I start. No use proceeding with the idea of putting 3 townhouses on a site if the zoning won’t allow this to occur.

In the relevant eclass, I discuss using my time to my greatest advantage, when looking to find deals that work and those that don’t.  I put a value on my worth which of course flowed onto my time.  Until then, I hadn’t been doing this and such a good strategy to get my head around, but initially a difficult one.  I had to put a $ worth on my time.  Where to start with this one?  It was overwhelming.

The other factor that came out of this one for me was that ‘until I valued my own worth, no one else was going to value it.’

 

Jill, I am developing my skills with the same eye for detail and level of energy you have.  Your knowledge and inspiration are impressive to say the least.
Jock Wallace–jock@jwconst.com.au - www.jwconst.com.au

 

bigtick Step 4:
  Has working and leveraging with the right team been a good move for me?
 

Again I need to ask myself ‘do I want to do property deals alone, or as a part of a team’?
                                                
Being a team member may not be for everyone and that’s ok, but the leveraging I’ve gained from working as a part of a team, has been invaluable for me.

I’ve heard it said that we are only good at 5% of what we do and the rest we should leave up to those that can do my 95%, better than I can. 

My experience gained from working as part of a well organized team and leveraging from its strengths and experience has been invaluable. I’ll go into this in depth in a couple of my eclasses. I also give pointers of what makes a team work and what doesn’t plus how to put a good working team together.

Looking back, I’d been working as a sole entity for many years and it certainly hadn’t given many ticks over that long period.  This changed once I became a part of an active team.

It was so important to get the ‘right structure’ working in my group! We all had common goals and knew where each of us fitted in the team. 

For a team to work well, all members can’t all be good at the one task. The many other areas of development won’t be cared for. There has to be balance in the group for it to work well, so that all jobs are covered.

All team members must be aware of their strengths and weaknesses.  Yes our strengths may be on our list but defiantly not the other. Me for one, never wanted to visited my weaknesses.  That was another thing in my too hard basket. It’s so important to work thought all of these points when forming a group or having a new member come into it.

Another avenue I also cover these days is ‘profiles’.  Where exactly do I fit?  Am I a creator, good at making deals or just want to do the back end tasks associated with a group.  This then defines each member’s specific areas that they are good at.  This group makes up my ‘A’ Team

I also have my ‘B’ team, made up of solicitors, estate agents, surveyors, builders, pest inspectors, concreters, specific people at council that I’ve built a relationship with. I can turn to any one of my ‘B’ team and get the information I need in a ‘heart beat’.

My ruling is, that I treat others the way I would like to be treated, with honesty and integrity and I get back what I give out.

With each deal I do, I do it with my A & B teams. They are my support, guidance and backstops.   I can make a very rounded decision on a site with my team’s expertise at hand.  I’d like to come back to a point I made earlier that I came into property with ‘no money’. This is where my team gave me my start.  I so value what I have these days!

The other thing I want to mention is that money is often such a driving force in our lives, but I’ve come to realize that ‘wealth is not measured in what I have in the bank, but what my worth as a person is’! As you can imagine, I haven’t always thought that way and once I started to value myself the money just keep rolling in.

The other point was to get my head around ‘my money working for me instead of me working for it’ and being owned by the obsession.

 

You gave me inspiration Jill and the motivation to ‘kick start’ my future not only in property development but also my own personal development!  I thought property investment would be a lot harder than is actually is and was unsure where to start.  You helped me understand that by working with other people and asking the right questions, it needn't be so daunting.
Leona Ryan – single mother of 2 - lzeryan@hotmail.com

Leona & family

Leona Ryan & Family

bigtick Step 5:
  The next important question I ask myself is,'is a deal feasible or not?'
 

Yes I’m a ‘baby boomer’ and find many ‘gadgets’ available to me these days are not user friendly! They are mostly written by academics, who don’t speak my language. So how do I go about doing the numbers bit when I initially see a property?

  • I do my figures on ‘the back of the envelope’ as I call it. Some stick by this method, but I like to go that step further and do a ‘feasibility’ on the deal, which covers all aspects of what I am wanting to do.
  • I like to work through a ‘tick list’ if I am doing say a subdivision, to make sure that I don’t leave any of my costing out, which can alter a deal.
  • My feasibility also gives me a % profit on a deal, which must always come in above 20%, or I won’t go any further. It allows me to re-look at the figures I’ve put in and how to define and clarify those costings, if it’s going to work or not.
  • Before I sign any contracts or legal documents, the deal must always stack up. My feasibility is only as good as the figures I put into it and this is where my A & B teams come in very handy with their expertise and advice.

I will cover all of this in my eclasses and also give separate ‘check lists’ for you to ‘tick off’ the jobs required in doing subdivisions, renovations, vendor finance process etc. How could I do say a subdivision, if I didn’t know the steps required to complete it from the beginning.

With the help of my computer and phone I do the majority of work and research on a potential site, before leaving home. That way I don’t waste my precious time. I let my fingers do the walking.

 

bigtick Step 6:
  I don't let a shortage of money stop me from finging the 'right' deal!
 

I’ve so often heard it said, ‘I can’t get into the property market until I get some money’! I’ve broken through all of that negative thinking of ‘I can’t’ and it is a definite ‘I can’ for me!
                   
Often this ‘I can’t’ mindset has been growing with us from childhood or we gather bits from our parents.  I include myself in this one.  It takes a different thinking pattern to toss this one. 

I’ve found that there are so many ways to get into property using other people’s money.  I have listed a few of them below:

I could choose to do a Joint Venture (J/V) with an existing house owner.  Often I’ve found that this can be a win win situation for all that I do these deals with.  Some people will want to learn the process of developing along with me and I’m more than happy to share my experience with them. Others will only want to see the ‘bang for bucks’ at the end.

One of my strengths is to see the potential of a site, where the site owner often can’t.  This allows me to come up with the solution to their problem and often a good deal.

Before I’d approach an existing owner of a site to do a J/V, I’d have all my facts and figures at hand to make a presentation.  I must be sure of what I’m doing and the outcome I’m looking to achieve.  This is where my A & B teams are such an asset to me.

An advantage of doing a J/V with an existing site owner is that I don’t have to cover outgoings on the property.  By doing it this way, the site still belongs to the owner and all expenses are his/her responsibility, not mine. How good is that?

If working in a team, then the capital input can be divided evenly so that everyone has a small capital input, which may be more manageable to do deals, depending on the team.

Other deals could be structured differently, as so often I’ve found that one team member may have money and no time or the other way around, they may have time but no money. 

Time is a valuable asset and I always make sure I don’t underestimate it.

I’d ask the question, do you know your own worth! You may have many and varied skills, but not be aware of them such as:

  • Finding sites to buy.  Do you get a buzz out of sourcing property?
  • Being a good communicator and people person.  Negotiating on deals, building relationships with your ‘B’ team, talking to neighbours who may want to do a J/V with the group.  Is this you?
  • Research may be your area and such an important one.  How good are you are getting all of the facts and figures?
  • Gardening, tidying up and maybe the backyard make over is an area you enjoy.
  • Keeping financials and book work in order, is so necessary. Can you do this job?

Once I knew what I was good at, then I could make a contribution to my team.  It became my asset.  I could bring points of worth to the table that others may not have.

Yes I may have been money poor when starting off, but time rich but at the same time I had to make the most of the time I had available. How valuable is time to those who haven’t got much of it, as their work commitments keep them fully occupied? 

 

We are enjoying working through the e-classes and found them to be very useful. When we went to look at investment properties, we were able to look at the properties in a different perspective. Jill you have also been very helpful with advice on questions we’ve had and always quick to answer back whenever needed. We recommend Jill's e-classes highly to those who are new to investing in properties.
John & Susanne Ellis – hubertzellis@optusnet.com.au

 

John & Susan

John And Susuan Ellis

bigtick Step 7:
  Plan for Profit - How can I value add to a property?
 

I’ve found that a good deal can become a great deal with a little extra planning. 

As I move forward through each of my eclasses, I talk about my ‘thinking outside the square’ with thoughts such as:

  • How I tweaked my entry strategies and sharpened my negotiating skills?
  •  How can I finance deals to my advantage?
  •  The impact of doing relevant research and my due diligence on sites and how it’s become second nature to me
  • How beneficial is getting to know the areas I’m working in?
  • All of these points, I use to my advantage. 

I never forget that my profit on a site is made on the purchase and not on the sale!

When looking at potential sites, I always have a number of exit strategies in place from Day 1. This enables me to look at the bigger picture. If I proceed to purchase and the property market changes, I can then go back to my list of exit strategies and refocus my thinking, to suit me and the current times!

 

Looking at actual property sites with you Jill was invaluable.  It helped me understand what to specifically look for and how to save time by finding the properties with true potential and not wasting my time on those which clearly don't have potential to make a profit.

 – Leona Ryan – single mother of 2 - lzeryan@hotmail.com]

 

bigtick Step 8:
  Negotiating on a deal can be exciting and rewarding
 

I so enjoy the ‘art of negotiating’ these days, but must admit this has not always been the case. When starting in property, I doubted my own worth and ability to be able to hold my own in property discussions, let alone negotiating. Oh how that has changed!

 You may feel that it’s not an area you’d enjoy doing, and if so, leave it to one of your team members who has these skills. For me when starting out in property, I was scared stiff, but it didn’t mean that I wasn’t suitable to the task. Patience patience and more patience, plus the thought that knowledge is confidence building!
 
By taking all of the emotion out of a deal, then I can see it for what it is! I must say that I used to be guilty of this one. I would grade houses on ‘would I live in this one or not’? That was in my past life as I call it now, these days it’s a straight yes or no, as easy as that.

Negotiation is an art! Always try and get the agent/vendor to submit their price first, that way you have the lead with counter offers.

Before starting negotiating, I work out the following:-

  • What timeframe would best work into my plan to settle? A longer settlement allows me time to submit Development Applications (D/A’s) at Council for renovations, subdivisions, or dwellings.
  • Can I gain access to the house to work on it, if renovating during the deposit/exchange period. Would there be any other steps I’d need to check out to allow this to happen?
  • I want to lodge a D/A with council to do a subdivision or renovation asap after deposit/exchange occurs.  What do I require that would allow me to achieve this outcome, as at that stage, I still don’t own the site?
  • If there are items in a house that I’d wish to purchase along with the house itself, I bring this into my negotiating.

In one of my houses, I ended up with a new stainless steel fridge and microwave that matched the rest of the new kitchen appliances.

I was rather excited about that deal as in addition to this, I got a 6 months settlement period and was allowed access to work on the house, during that time!

  • I always give my ok to release the deposit to the vendor after deposit/exchange occurs, if I feel comfortable with the situation and it is working to my advantage. I also consult my solicitor on this on before proceeding.
  • With each of the above suggestions, I’d bring a new point in with each counter offer, but definitely not all the points once. This then gives me bargaining power.
  • I don’t feel guilty that I’m stringing out the negotiations with the Agent or owner, this is business. I do it with ‘ease and grace’.

I’ve found that it’s easier to negotiate what I want in a deal, prior to deposit/exchange rather than after. My bargaining power has gone after the deposit/exchange period occurs.

 

bigtick Step 9:
  Part of my winning process is to monitor and fine tune strategies during a development process
 

I always keep in mind that the property market is continually changing. I constantly monitor and allow for these changes to occur. I again look ‘outside the square’ as to how I can make improvements on my strategies. Market changes could come because of supply and demand or interest rate changes. This step can be a costly one, if I choose to ignore it.

Opportunities come my way when I least expect them. This is the exciting thing about what I’m doing in property. For example, after settlement I may meet up with a builder who’s wanting to get into the market! He may have skills I don’t, which could benefit the deal, so at that stage I could do a J/V with him.

The builders contribution to a deal could be all work and materials needed to bring the dwelling up to the level required, to on sell the house. This could be a good situation to be in, if my new figures where still to my advantage and fitted in to the 20% profit margin I allowed at the start.

I may not make as big a profit margin as originally anticipated but could still be a win win situation all around and save on the amount of capital I’d have to outlay, if I went ahead and did the alterations myself. My capital saved, could fund other deals for me. 

This above deal is one that I’ve put into place on one of my houses and it has certainly benefited each of us.  A worthwhile venture!

 

bigtick Step 10:
  What market will you be selling to?
 

From Day 1, apart from having my exit strategies in place, I’d also ask myself to whom would I be selling my site too,’ when the time was right. If I didn’t have this in place, then I’d be moving forward aimlessly, renovating, subdividing etc. not knowing which market was out there that would fit my deal, when I sold.
                                 
If I had no direction, I’d be at risk of over capitalizing on my site if doing a renovation.  Would I be buying say light fitting to my market or for me!!!!

If I did a subdivision and built 2 x 2br units on the new raw site, only to find when I was wanting to sell them, that the market was requiring 2 x 3br.  Would I be left with new units I couldn’t sell?  What would that do to my profit margin and gaining the return I originally anticipated.

Would you like some one-on-one
hand-holding by Jill?  Click here
to find out how to register for my
mentoring program for
just $99 per month.

I’ve put together some ideas that I’ve found beneficial when selling a property: 

  • If building townhouses, I could sell each dwelling ‘off the plan’. This step is usually put into place after council’s approval of plans, stage. (Approval of my DA) 

A deposit is taken to secure the future sale and settlement happens on completion of the dwelling, some months down the track, or often longer. This way, I’d be certain of the number sales prior to building, rather than waiting till the end. 

If I’ve been able to secure a number of pre-sales, then this greatly assists me in my borrowing power with my lender when wanting finance to move forward and build, as they are guaranteed of their return.

The draw back is, that usually to sell ‘off the plan’, usually my sale price would be below market value by up to 20% (this varies depending on the cost of the dwelling) where as, if I sold on completion of the dwelling, I would get current market value.

Part of my selling technique could be, that the new owner could have a say in paint colours and bench top finishing to suit them, which often appeals to the new owner!

I start my marketing with say an Agent, prior to completion of works if building or renovating, but make sure all of the structural work has been completed first.

I’ve so often found that when doing a renovation it is my vision, not someone else’s and the prospective buyer cannot visualize what the end product will look like.

I also have the cosmetic items as in paint colours, light fittings etc to show people who are viewing my site to assist them with what the end picture will look like.

  • I don’t use multi-listing Agents on my properties. Multi-listing means that I’d sign agreements to sell my property with a number of agents. More often then not, there are no ‘open for inspections’ on the site.

The same focus by a single agent is not there when a number of agencies are involved. If a sale occurs then they have to split their commission.

  • I’ve developed my skills of ‘thinking outside the square’ and the benefits are enormous.
  • Another one I’ve found is to come up with the solutions to other people’s problems and good deals can come from this one.  Not everyone is visual.

Each of my weekly eclasses are full of tips and information I’ve gained from property developing.  I thought you may like a look at the points I’ll be covering in your 1st weekly lesson.

Welcome to your first eclass with Cash Flow Positive Property Deals.

In this eclass I'll be covering:

tick
What is a Cash Flow positive deal and why do I find it better than negative gearing?
tick
An example of a Cash Flow positive property deal.
tick
One of my Cash Flow positive property deals in Cessnock.
tick
Steps and timeline of my Cessnock deal.
tick
How the wrap worked out to increase my profit and monthly Cash Flow
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When and how will my new buyers actually own the house?
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What profit have I made on this Cessnock deal

 

The Easy Way Too Do It!

If all of the above seems just too hard, there is an easier way. For just $99 per month, you get access to my mentoring program to guide you in detail, every step of the way!

Plus I will be interviewing ‘ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things’ in Cash Flow Positive Property deals. At the end of each interview I will be giving a written summary, setting out the key points that each of these people have found important, in obtaining their goals.

With each of these people I’m interviewing, they bring their strategies and ‘know how’ to the interview. I can so often relate to where many of these people started from, as part of my story is so similar to their’s. The important thing is to listen to these tips, as many of them may be useful with other projects you’re working on.

You can submit any questions you may have to me as you work through each eclass.  Also as a member, you can have regular contact with me to discuss any deals you are doing or queries arising from them.  I wish I had that access when I was starting out in property developing, it would have saved me a lot of stress and anxiety!   

"You are an awesome lady, you touch each and every one of us in a magical way and you inspire us all to reach for the stars and achieve our dreams and aspirations."
 Linda Narbeth – Wilton Property Group- narboz@bigpond.net.au]

 

I know the importance of having someone there to help and assist when trying to figure out how to get a deal done. I’ve set up a FAQ page with answers to the most common queries.

Good luck to each and every one of you on your very special journey into Cash Flow Positive Property deals! I so value my growth these days and can’t get the smile off my face as this awesome journey of mine continues to grow on every level of my life. It’s so exciting and I feel so blessed.

 

Good luck to each and every one of you on your very special journey into Cash Flow Positive Property deals! Remember if I can do it you can too!  You are a very wealthy person!

 

Kind regards,

Jill

Jill McIntyre

Would you like some one-on-one
hand-holding by Jill?  Click here
to find out how to register for my
mentoring program for
just $99 per month.

 

LEGAL INFORMATION: Every effort has been made to accurately represent my product and its potential.  Please remember that each individual’s success depends on his or her background, dedication, desire and motivation.  As with any business endeavor, there is no certain guarantee that you will earn any money.