australian property investor,worth to get?

The content has a great deal for new investors to learn. Lots of terminology and key points that they've previously had no exposure to, and reinforcing those terms and points each edition helps to solidify the learnings. For this reason I have on some occasions given as a gift a 6 month subscription to the mag, for friends I know that are starting to indicate they feel they would like to invest in property. A month or two into their reading, they are proudly showing off their knowledge and pleased they can keep up with conversation with more seasoned investors.

Naturally, as someone becomes more knowledgeable, some content then falls into the "I already knew that information" category, however there are some gems that crop up, different ways of doing things etc. In the constantly-changing minefield of finance, we do need to keep on our toes.

The one thing that is a shame is that deals are often reported upon in gross profits rather than net profits, thereby not highlighting and educating on large expenses such as CGT. It's a tough one since to report on actual net profits, stories have to wait till after the next financial year-end, but perhaps projected net could be considered. Too often the matters of CGT and income tax are left out, which can give a false impression to the uneducated reader.

 

Hi Yson,
Yes it's actually hard to get people to talk about when things have gone bad – although there should be a "lessons learned" element to these stories so readers can benefit . If you come across anyone let me know We have had an irregular "My property nightmare" column when we can find someone willing to share their story but I haven't come across too many late.

 

They're certainly easier to find.
Somewhat ironically (and after asking around the PC community for advice) I started purposefully looking beyond investor profiles with "x properties and x equity in x number of years" and tried to provide some more academic discussion. I then got a few emails form readers and subscribers saying the case studies weren't inspirational enough and didn't seem to have solid enough stories on how they built their portfolio. Can't please everyone it seems

 

No it was Freda McGavin. She was a Young Gun profile a few years back who held onto a Blackwater investment and saw the rent and value drop to a point where servicing became a problem. She's a really impressive study – put together a plan for getting out of debt. She was also an a Young Australian of the Year nominee for her work with an orphanage in the Philippines (a property she donated so it could be set up as an orphanage). I had a bit of a chat about her on Fox Business Real Estate the other week – here the link if you're interested:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1119025698212590

Would love to meet more of her ilk.

 

Agreed and noted Jacqui. I asked the journos to please request profiles also include LVRs with their portfolio table. Some refuse but others have stepped up. Sometimes getting the subjects to include tax and other holding cost information can be tough too.

 

The demand for digital subscriptions is growing – without doubt and certainly the more digital uptake there is, the better for us from a costs point of view. As such we thought lumping the two together gave subscribers the option. I don't think we increased the subscription price of the print mag when we bundled in the digital access (although this was before my appointment).

 

It's worth it for me. $120 a year (cheaper with discount) and if I only benefit from 1 paragraph in all 12 publications then it's more then worth it. Some of the 'heads up' I took away in the past has prompted me to thoroughly research in a certain direction which has yielded huge economic benefits. Its a no brainer for me.

 

Not us – never done this sort of thing.
I think the idea of awarding "investors of the year" is too subjective and little dangerous for credibility (which is hard to win and maintain as it is). We've also avoided the "Investment advisor of the year" and "financier of the year" etc. awards too. Probably hasn't been a wise commercial decision to avoid these but once again, it feels hard to manage effectively.

 

In my early days, I would go to the newsagent, check out the magazine's index, flick through the articles of interest and then make a decision or whether to buy or not. Most months I bought it.

Over time, I would have to say that I learnt a lot from the magazine - terminology, how to calculate LVR, DSR, yield, etc.

Probably the biggest help for me was the stories and how they assisted me to develop a strategy that I was comfortable with. I would read them and say "I can't do that" or "I wouldn't do that" ... In the end, I worked out what I could do.

I don't buy it now as I am past my accumulation stage plus PC takes up too much of my time .

 

Have you considered other titles?
Readers choice investor of the year based on stories throughout the year
Or :
up and comer of the year
Strategy of the year
Landlord of the year
Social media something(?) of the year
Reno bang for buck of the year

Get the guru advisors to narrow it down then get the readers to vote... Or even vice versa let the people choose their top 3 favs then get the experts to weigh things up and select a winner

 

Hi Albanga. We've been looking to expand the space devoted to renovations and projects so we can get more detail. Mind you working within the available space (and depending on how generous the talent can be with details) does make for a challenge. Also there's no denying that projects with big profits help us to promote the stories on the cover – and we do need to sell magazines, no doubt. My main aim is that once we have someone reading the pages, they'll also check out the discussion on, say, "How to qualify property advice", "Blowing the lid off property data" and "How to deal with finance problems when you're over 55 or self-employed" too.

 

Hey Bob.
I don't mind these at all – seem much better for credibility. Next time you have an awesome idea, PM me or someone else will pick it up!

 

I can find examples for most of those, either deals we've done ourselves or our clients have. Not sure how willing they are to talk though - wouldn't want to invade their privacy.

 

I am subscriber to the magazine and I feel that it's just another important information source for me. I feel that sometimes in life and in our investment journey, we do get tunnel vision or fixated into doing only what we know best. My personal view in life is to mirror other people's successes and make it my own to suit my needs. I do disagree with some of the strategies and IPs bought by some of the features ie buying OTP properties but they are real life examples and the contributors should be congratulated for putting their numbers and picture out there. Personally, for me I prefer to keep a low profile and maybe I'll get burned for saying this but for some people, having two IPs doesn't make you an 'expert'. I view investors as someone who has at least 5 decent IPs but even than you cannot be considered an expert.

 

Well said

 

Hey Dave.
I know – that's always the challenge, but I totally understand peoples need for privacy. Unfortunately the stories are a better read when readers can put a face and name to tale. We have done these anonymously before but they have to be a cracking yarn to justify anonymity from the publisher's point of view… drop me a line anytime with interesting ones though

 

Hey @Daisycutter4,
Thanks for taking the time to answer people's posts, it is much appreciated.

I think a tips and tricks section from professionals would be invaluable.
Even if you engage some ongoing professionals in all fields associated with property investing and got them to write one tip an article. I am sure you will find more than enough experts lurking in this forum and I am sure they could all apply some general tips that would be relevant for Everyone.

You could take it a step further and combine a topic and get all these professionals to provide a tip on that topic.
E.G. - A BA could provide a tip for how to find a reno property
A broker could provide you with how to finance for a reno
A taxation expert could advise how the structure it correctly (@Terry_w wrote about this a few days ago, how borrowing and structuring correctly can save you if it ever becomes an IP).
A property manager could advise on what things attract tenants when doing a reno.
A REA could provide a tip for selling a renovated property

.etc

 

You want my job albanga? This is a great suggestion.

 

Oh and it's great people take the time to post – both pros and cons. This forum is one of the best ways to talk to a concentration of the property investment community that is knowledgeable and wary. I learn a lot from these threads about what people think are the things that matter. We can't engage with circulation numbers and readership surveys the way we can engage on PC – regardless of whether someone reads our mag or not.

 

I reckon it is worth it.

API is not an academic publication. it is a good light read. It has a good combination of information for beginners and more sophisticated investors (such as development).

API builds a good connection between general public and property investors community ( such as PC).

After so many years of reading it, I am still finding it helpful, people's stories till inspire me. I am still eager to open the nicely wrapped plastic bag and glance through the headlines.

AND, after Kieran Clair aka @Daisycutter4 was appointed as the editor in early 2016, the quality of the contents has improved a lot. and still trending up.