Who needs a salary when you have property investments?
I have always been interested in property and wanted to build a property portfolio. Although I knew that investing in property could be lucrative, I was not fully aware of how lucrative. This quickly changed after my first property investment.
I had ample time to educate myself on property investment as I did not have funds or financing capacity to acquire my first property yet and was not aware of all the ways one could acquire property without capital or financing capacity. My wife (girlfriend back then) and I attended seminars, read books and met with property investors. This part of our journey was extremely important as this preparation and education helped us build a successful property portfolio.
In one of our previous articles, Build a Significant Property Portfolio With Actionable Goals, we discuss the importance of actionable goals in your property investment journey.
I owned a small business for a while and then got offered a job with a lucrative salary for someone my age. I never wanted a job as I was very passionate about business, but when I received this offer, the first thing that went through my mind is that if I took this job, I would be able to get financing for my first investment property. Looking back today, I am very thankful for the jobs and bosses I had, not only for the financing capacity it created, but especially for the experience and exposure I gained.
A couple of months after I took my first job, we pulled the trigger. We looked for a property BELOW market value and we were fortunate to acquire our first property WAY BELOW market value. Acquiring a property below market value gives you protection against the downside of property investment and has so much upside potential.
In one of our previous articles, Ready, Set, Negotiate!, we discuss why someone would sell a property below market value.
We bought a small 2 bedroom apartment for 25% below market value! The total amount of “work” to acquire that property was probably equivalent to two weeks’ work. Even though we could not “cash in” immediately, this transaction made me more money than my entire year’s salary that year!
I then realised why investing in property is so lucrative! We refinanced this property a few years later, and the funds made available were enough to acquire three more properties (deposits and transfer fees). I don’t like selling properties; I would rather refinance.
Property is a great way to invest and a great hobby to have while working or running a business. At that time, property investment was a hobby for me. Today I am in property investment full-time because it enables me to do what I love! In our article, 5 Reasons You Should Invest in Residential Property in South Africa Now, we discuss why NOW is such a great time to invest in property.