“I can’t do that… because I don’t have enough time!” How often have you said these words? I often hear the same words when I speak to potential investors. They tell me: “I want to buy a property, but I don’t have enough time to find a property, do the research, read everything, understand everything, choose a strategy.” So they never get started. Most people have work commitments or family commitments or both and are extremely time poor. Read on for some of the ways I help time-poor investors successfully get started in property. It’s all about learning to play follow the leader.
The principle of leverage
In property we talk about the principle of leverage, using ‘other people’s money’ (OPM) to grow our portfolio. For time-poor investors I recommend the same principle of leverage by using ‘other people’s experience’ (OPE) to make it easier to get started. If you don’t have the time, then leverage off someone who has the time and the experience. You do not have to do everything yourself. There are plenty of people out there who are already successful in property and can help you shortcut the process of getting started. There are companies that can guide you with strategy, education, planning, finance, and property selection, and help you step by step through the process. You just have to find the right fit with a mentor or a company that you trust, and let them lead you to your goals. a plan and a goal. Your plan should include a series of steps you need to take to achieve your goal. By breaking it down into steps, the time you need seems less daunting. Your mentor can help set a timeframe, such as a week-by-week list of actions you need to take to get closer to your goal of buying a property. Week 1 find a mentor; week 2 contact a broker or bank; week 3 find the best strategy; week 4 find your team, etc. Taking the first step can be quite easy and then you are on your way in the game.
Is your partner holding you back?
A common scenario I see is one partner has the time and is ready to invest, but the other partner who hasn’t the time wants to do all the research before making any decisions. I have spoken to couples who have big goals in property, such as 15 properties in three to five years. This is an achievable goal, especially with the right financial means; however, I fear that unless the time-poor partner can allow the other partner to move forward and make the decisions, they may never get started. Learning to play the game could make all the difference to achieving their goals.
Finding the right team
When considering buying a property it does take a lot of time to do everything yourself. You could be constantly on the phone, on the internet, attending open homes, and going to all the banks to find the best loan, so it is hard to know where to start when you are time poor. By finding the right team who can help you at each step, you can leverage off their time. Let a broker do all the work to find you a loan; let your trusted mentor or company who have done all their research recommend the best area and best property; put your trust in your mentor to guide you step by step through property selection, contracts, and recommending a property manager who will find you the best tenant. By having a team you may realise that this makes life so much easier, and before you know it you may be on to your next property purchase!
Follow the leader
Those investors who are time poor who want to get started in property definitely need to let go of the need to do everything themselves. Flying solo certainly gives you a sense of control, but flying in formation with a team is not only more efficient but you can learn everything along the way by following the leader and arriving at your destination sooner. I did just this by following Ian Hosking Richards and I can say that follow the leader is the best game I have ever played!
Lindy Lear is a successful property investor who had a late start into investing, yet has grown her portfolio to eight properties in three years. She is a qualified property advisor and general manager of Rocket Property Group, and she won the Reader’s Choice Award in 2009, 2012 & 2013 for Property Investment Advisor of the Year. Lindy is passionate about helping others realise their goals through investing in property, and can be contacted on 1300 850 038 or visit www.rocketpropertygroup.com.au
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Disclaimer: while due care is taken, the viewpoints expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Your Investment Property.
