When it comes to investing in property everyone seems to be an expert and is full of advice, both good and bad. You’ll hear disaster stories by the bucket load and I often suggest that a lot of this information comes from people who have not experienced property investing themselves. You’ll hear “I have a friend that had a terrible experience when…” etc, etc. So going on this philosophy you’d be inclined to think that advice from someone who has done it before would be a lot more useful. Often it is, but you still need to approach it with a critical eye and always ask yourself when receiving advice from someone, what’s in it for them? This, I’d also strongly recommend when attending one of the many property investment workshops or seminars that are frequently marketed to the masses. There are lots to choose from and whilst some are very informative and useful, there are also ones out there that are simply a sales pitch.
When browsing through the blog from Scott Pape at The Barefoot Investor I came across the article below highlighting that even when the advice is coming from one of the most successful real estate tycoons of all time you can still be taken for a ride. Click below and read on…
Why You Shouldn’t Listen to Donald Trump – The Barefoot Investor
You definitely have to conduct your own due diligence when it comes to renting or buying a home! For us, after doing the math, we found it was $800 cheaper per month to rent than to buy our current condo. We have the means to buy the condo, but it makes more financial sense to rent and stock the $800 in savings away!
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Thanks for the comment Steve, I couldn’t agree more. Locally we always talk about the great Australian dream of owning your own house and there is still a lot of pressure to do so. Often I think people don’t sit down and do the sums though and look at what is financially sensible. There has also been a lot of media coverage over the last year or so about that exact topic.
http://www.news.com.au/realestate/renting/ask-the-property-professor/story-fndbatbk-1226534460846
http://www.theage.com.au/money/rent-all-thats-left-of-shredded-dream-20131012-2vfcw.html
http://www.theage.com.au/money/rent-all-thats-left-of-shredded-dream-20131012-2vfcw.html
Good on you for identifying what works for you, your savings will certainly add up!
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