TRADING VERSUS LONG-TERM CAPITAL GROWTH
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Articles by John Rowe.
There is a lot of talk about the current property boom in Auckland and how prices will continue to rise due to the high demand for housing. There are two ways investors can benefit from those capital gains, one less risky than the other.
Strategy 1
The first strategy, which we've seen a lot of people doing, is to buy a property in a high capital growth area, with the idea of holding on to it long-term in the hopes of making a financial gain. The trouble is, most high capital growth properties generate negative cash flow due to their low yields. In other words, the rental income doesn't cover the cost of owning them.
At the end of the day, a profit will be made if and when the value increases, but this poses three risks:
• Pressure on cash flow, having to contribute to the costs of owning the property from your own pocket. If something happens to reduce your personal income, you may not be able to hold on to the property.
• Possibility that the increase in value will not be as great as expected.
• Chance that the market will correct and the bubble will burst before you decide to sell, reducing or eliminating gains.
Strategy 2
The second option is to trade - buy property and on-sell quickly for a profit. Yes, you have to pay tax and the profit will be smaller, but your exposure to risk is greatly reduced.
If you buy for the right price and/or add value in some way (e.g. with cosmetic renovations), you'll be able to sell for more than you bought the property for and make a tidy profit. You are not relying on long-term growth, nor do you have to cope with a drain in cash flow.
What's more, you can repeat this strategy multiple times, so at the end of the day your total profit will be as much as, if not greater than, the capital gains you would have made from a long-term hold property.
We believe that in this market, trading is a superior strategy to holding a low yielding property long-term.
John Rowe
Retired Partner, Consultant to GRA
© Gilligan Rowe & Associates LP
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Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide only a summary of the issues associated with the topics covered. It does not purport to be comprehensive nor to provide specific advice. No person should act in reliance on any statement contained within this article without first obtaining specific professional advice. If you require any further information or advice on any matter covered within this article, please contact the author.
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Hi Salesh, I just wanted to send you an email on behalf of GRA to say how fantastic we have found your company to date. As you know, Ben and I joined GRA a couple of months ago and have just found you so amazingly helpful in getting our new property set up correctly and sorted out. We have what I would consider a rather complicated structure as a result and it’s a fantastic feeling to know that we are getting everything done in the best way possible. We have just had approval to put a minor dwelling on the property which will make a massive difference in terms of cash flow and obviously value, something we would never have even thought of without GRA and which we are very excited about. During the buying process we attended a seminar with Matthew and from the outset thought he was fab. We therein signed up for property school and found this nothing short of fantastic. The content was relevant, up to date and comprehensive, but more importantly it was taught in a way that we could actually understand and really get value out of. I wanted to mention also, that everybody GRA have recommended to us has been just so efficient and absolute masters at what they do. A wonderful network of people that we feel very lucky to now be able to call on. From Kris Pederson and Bryan Rist who put our mortgage together to the insurance guys they then referred us to, I’m super impressed. Within GRA, Ellery has probably turned things around for us faster than I’ve ever known before, something which we appreciated so very much when it came to crunch time. She’s always a pleasure to deal with and again, we’re stoked. We’ve just settled on the property today and are about to go and get the keys. I’m pretty pumped and hence this email is probably rather excitable. So, a massive thank you to you Salesh, the partners for such a fabulous 6 weeks at property school and everyone at GRA for their help. May this be the start of our property empire. Thanks again, - A & B - July 2015
Gilligan Rowe and Associates is a chartered accounting firm specialising in property, asset planning, legal structures, taxation and compliance.
We help new, small and medium property investors become long-term successful investors through our education programmes and property portfolio planning advice. With our deep knowledge and experience, we have assisted hundreds of clients build wealth through property investment.
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