26 Nov Semi-retired and living off property – Bryan Loughnan
We love success stories and we know you do as well. Jess and her partner Belinda are in their mid-30’s and are already what many would consider ‘semi-retired’. Bryan Loughnan tells us their story and how they have built their portfolio.
Transcript:
Kevin: Sometimes some of the best lessons we can learn in life are lessons from the journeys of others. It certainly saves us a lot of angst and a lot of pain along the way. I’m going to tell you about a success story now.
A young couple in their mid-30s, already well on their way to becoming semi-retired because of some very smart investments. They worked with a buyer’s agent by the name of Bryan Loughnan. Bryan is from Propertyology.
Good day, Bryan. How are you doing?
Bryan: Hi, Kevin. Well. Thanks for having me.
Kevin: Good, mate. Thank you for sharing this story with us. Tell us a little bit about this couple.
Bryan: So, Jess and Belinda are a young couple. They came to us about two and a half years ago now. Both of them earned properties in their own right prior to getting together. And now they’re looking to continue their investment journey.
They had a lot of capacity – probably the ability to buy a $700,000 or $800,000 property given the equity they had and some cash flow that they had from other properties – but understood the importance of minimizing risk as they were growing a portfolio and reached out to us to get some of our experience and help them invest.
Kevin: Tell us about the journey that you took them on, because I think when they came to you they already had some property in their portfolio.
Bryan: Yes, absolutely. They came to us and said they probably had the capacity to buy a property up to $700,000 or $800,000 but they weren’t keen to buy one property; they wanted to make money.
As investors, we all want to make money, but we need to understand that minimizing risk in that journey is important as well. Key for us in minimizing risk is in diversification. Whether you are a share investor or a property investor, you should be looking to diversify.
They came to us. They had two properties. Since then, we’ve actually helped them buy two other properties, so rather than buying one property in one location for $700,000, they split that down the middle and they managed to secure two really good properties in two completely different locations.
Kevin: How were you able to help them? Obviously, it was sitting down with them and analyzing with them on where they need to go.
Bryan: So, a little bit about what’s the existing portfolio? That was important. So, where are their existing properties, and what are the industries that drive the economy in those particular locations? So, understanding that one of their properties was on the Sunshine Coast, so very tourism-dominated, and the other one was on the north coast of New South Wales. Already very different locations, but helping them to continue to build their portfolio into yet another state, another completely different location, and a really exciting location for them.
Kevin: What are some of the lessons that you would tell aspiring young investors from the experience that you picked up with this couple? What are some of the lessons that they can learn from?
Bryan: Jess and Belinda are extremely great savers, and I know that not everyone in their late 20s and early 30s can be fantastic savers; everyone has to enjoy life. But they really worked hard and understood that by putting that money away early, they were really going to be able to set themselves up for their future, continuing to diversify their portfolio, and build a portfolio that wasn’t just based on one property or one asset class.
They’re now in their mid-30s. They call themselves semi-retired. They’re two years traveling around Australia at the moment, and they’re only in their mid-30s.
Kevin: Bryan, before I let you go, mate, obviously buyer’s agents are becoming more and more accepted in the Australian property investment market. How should someone prepare themselves before they come to see you?
Bryan: The first thing I’d say is pick up a phone and speak to a buyer’s agent. Don’t be afraid. Don’t think you have to have everything ready to go at that time. Pick up the phone. At least open communications.
At Propertyology, we’re very strict on we need a pre-approval in place before we actually start the search for property. It’s a hectic time buying a property, so making sure you have all your ducks in a line before you start is important. From a negotiation’s perspective, it’s really powerful for me as well.
I would certainly say, don’t put it off. I encourage people to look. If they are looking to invest or are interested in their future, pick up the phone and give a buyer’s agent a call.
Kevin: Good idea. Bryan Loughnan is a buyer’s agent. He’s with Propertyology. And we thank him for his time. Thanks Bryan. Talk to you again soon.
Bryan: Thanks Kevin.
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