b.The Best of Both Worlds (Loan)

The last part is here:   xox - Fuck-You-Up Loans

Sometime back I have always suggested no bank loans.

But with the cute and long depression underway, we are living in interesting times.

With the deep, deep, deep depression, property prices are very, very, very low. They are going down every now and then. In fact, one must learn to understand the psychic of the banks. Banks are now at very low confidence about the economy. They are not lending in big ways. Hence, if you have a solid job or strong cash flow, the banks will love you deep deep. But, they are still not lending.

There must therefore be a balance here.

Step 1:   Firm up your cash flow, say $200 per month. The bank only likes to lend only at $66 the amount (1/3). Further half that to just 15% of your monthly cash flow, i.e., $30 of $200.

Step 2:   Approach a bank and based on your $30 cash flow, find out how much you can afford to borrow from the bank, say $X.

Step 3:    Locate a property of say $2X-1.5X. Offer the owner $X. This is called a gap-down. You give the owner a rude gap-down. Some will bite. many don't. Be patient and don't fall in love with every property you visit. There is no property that one must buy. Be very, very slow in the acquisition.

Step 4:   Attend every single auction sale. Feel the fire-sale market.

Step 5:   Once you get it, renovate and rent it out for cash flow. It should be in the range of 15% and above. This is a trying times for most businesses. So a good yield is important, i.e., people can afford to rent but not buy, cos they are now poor bastards.

Step 6:   Once settled, the rental is stable and you feel no stress in cash flow and loan repayments. Go for the next purchase of another property. Talk to another bank and repeat the cycle. This next bank usually will feel extremely comfortable with you, even though you are already geared in your first property. Some countries don't even care about your other properties. They just worry about your current purchases. In white land, you can throw them back the keys if you don't like what you bought and no adverse repercussions.

In summary, the property prices are now very low. Banks are very careful in their lending, that means they are now very safe to borrow. There is little or no risk in loan defaults as the properties are priced "very" reasonably and hence, the yield (rental) is strong. One can foresee no issue in loan servicing.

It is for this reason I support the use of gearing, i.e., borrow from banks. Use it wisely. Don't over-gear.