Can you ever be “Too Old” to Invest in Property?
Have you missed the boat?
Is there ever a time when you’re just too old to invest in property?
The general response would be no, but there’s a caveat: you’ll be far more limited and your strategy will be very different the later you start.
That said, generating income from real estate should never be out of someone’s reach.
The hurdles can be higher when you’re older
Banks are likely to be more wary of handing out loans to baby boomers because they know that at some point, you’ll stop working and begin to live off your retirement funds.
Many loans work off a 30-year term, so a shorter loan term might mitigate your risk enough for lender approval.
Of course, you’ll need to be sure you can meet the higher repayments.
Another option is to look at purchasing through a Self-Managed Superannuation Fund, which is becoming a popular choice with many investors.
The three phases of developing financial freedom:
1. Accumulation phase
Clients who start investing later in life don’t have the luxury of time to make mistakes, meaning they must own the right assets being “investment grade” high capital growth properties.
2. Consolidation phase
The consolidation phase involves slowly reducing the debt on their properties, which conversely increases their cash flow when they need it the most – in retirement.
3. Lifestyle phase
The lifestyle phase is all about enjoying their golden years as well as managing and protecting their assets to make them last the distance.
Risk minimization:
Of course, any investment strategy involves some level of risk and this is especially true for investors starting later in life who only have a shorter period to grow a sufficiently large property portfolio to help fund their retirement.
Some of the many risk mitigation strategies include:
- Having a financial buffer in place which will allow them to cope to with any unexpected maintenance or vacancies.
- How to purchase their properties to in the most tax-effective manner and in the correct structures.
- Income protection and life insurance as well as landlord’s insurance to protect their interests.
- Estate planning because, while we never like to talk about it, it’s important to plan how we’re going to look after our family. This will include seeing a solicitor and preparing a will, choosing executors and organising a power of attorney.
- Finally it’s important that clients treat their investments like a business and regularly review their portfolio with their property strategist to track its performance, ensure they have the right loans and best interest rates, and assess when they’re ready for their next acquisition.
What kind of strategy can older people use?
The aim of purchasing property is to build an asset base through long-term capital growth, which only happens over a period of many years or decades.
Investors in their 30s have three or so decades before they need to sell.
If you’re older, there’s less time for capital growth to work its magic.
But the real estate market is a bottomless well of dwelling values, yields and growth potential – and there’s a multitude of strategy options for you to create a wealthy retirement, even at an advanced age.
You need to consider a number of factors, which means asking yourself questions like:
- When do I want to retire and how many years do I have left in the workforce?
- How much money do I need to sustain my lifestyle in retirement?
- What is my family situation and how will that impact my finances in retirement?
With the right advisors on your team, you could then consider some of these strategy options for people aged 50 and over:
A mix of property types: Your strategy could include investing in a blend of higher yielding properties such as commercial properties alongside high-growth properties that you can use to build your asset base.
Creating your own capital growth: If your budget and risk appetite allows for it, you might look at generating your own equity by renovating an established apartment or townhouse or even considering getting involved in a small residential development like a duplex to manufacture growth.
Joint ventures: If you can’t afford to investing in a quality property portfolio on your own to create enough wealth to retire on – or if you can’t satisfy the loan criteria of the banks to buy your first investment – maybe you could team up your children or siblings.
Most importantly, stay encouraged.
Even if you’re in your 50s, a property can still have a good 20 years to grow and mature in value before you sell for profit when you’re 70.
Of course, the old saying is true: the best time to invest in property is yesterday.
But without the benefit of a time machine, the next best time to invest is now.
A properly thought-out and well-managed portfolio, built with the guidance of professional advisors, can still work for you, regardless of your stage in life.
Brendan Leahy
I am the licensee of We Love Rentals and provide support to the team whenever needed. I began my real estate career over two decades years ago. While I loved seeing people achieve their dream of a new home for their family, I kept thinking that there had to be a better way of doing real estate – one with respect for the long term benefit of the client and one that focuses on customer satisfaction.
