Mortgage Lifecycle Stage 0 – Maximisation
Entry point: Working full time and have some Kiwisaver.
You may find getting into your first home a near-impossible task and you may feel like life is not fair. Maybe you’re making little to no effort to progress financially, or perhaps you are saving frantically but feel like prices are going up faster. Your aim while in stage 0 is to gain control over your own finances through income allocation, setting up the right goal and having a proper plan in place. This will then get you into your first home significantly faster.
Goal: Build up a 10-15% deposit.
Win: Get the exact roadmap to get your friends in for a BBQ 3-5x faster.
Case Study: Martini and Vaea
Client Background
Vaea and Martini was your typical hardworking Kiwi family working in the public sector earning $80,000 – $90,000. They had 3 amazing children ranging from 9 – 18 and they resided in Hamilton.
Before
The objective – Owning a home for them meant security. It meant progress, it meant you own something you can call your own and enjoy with your friends and family.
The problem – Putting together a deposit seemed impossible. They felt like they have been saving forever but saw very little in their bank account, and property prices always seemed to be rising faster than they could ever save.
The facade – They told everyone that family was a priority and that was why they didn’t go for it. Truth be told, internally they felt defeated, and ashamed and did not feel like they had much control over their financial life.
After
The solution – Decided to get a strategy session with an hq adviser. They set up the right financial foundation by implementing income allocation in their spending habits. They also put a proper plan in place for their deposit goals and learned about what position they needed to be in before the bank would lend them money.
The result – Instead of waiting for another 3 years like they initially thought, they were able to get into their first home within 6 months with some proper guidance.
The celebration – They felt ecstatic. They took back control over their finances and were now making progress towards the future that they wanted.
Mortgage Lifecycle Stage 1 – Reduction
Entry point: Owning your first home.
The honeymoon phase of owning a home is over. You now realize what you own is not a home, but a 30-year mortgage that you are a slave to and the bank owns you. Your aim while in stage 1 is to reduce your mortgage as fast as possible. This then creates two options for you. Either continue paying it down with your income, or recycle your home’s equity and start building your investment portfolio which can pay your mortgage off for you.
Goal: Build $150,000 or more of usable equity.
Win: Save hundreds of thousands of dollars of interest by slashing your mortgage-free timeline by 10-20 years.
Case Study: Aaron & Shirley
Client Background
Aaron and Shirley were a young professional couple – an engineer and accountant in Christchurch, who were soon to have kids.
Before
The objective – They wanted to follow their friend’s footsteps, to buy in prestige school zones and buy a house with a modern ‘island bench’ kitchen.
The problem – Not sure what to prioritize, whether to upgrade their home now or later. Their mortgage was already hard enough as it is and it didn’t seem to go down. They didn’t want to sacrifice the lifestyle that they had.
The facade – Felt confused and overwhelmed with the different directions they could take. They wanted to keep up with their friends, but were worried about taking on additional debt.
After
The solution – Decided to get a strategy session with an hq adviser. Their new goal was to upgrade without increasing their loan significantly. They ended up with a plan to immediately pay down their mortgage faster, got a small top-up to renovate their kitchen and started reinvesting their equity instead. So when they upgraded later, they had rental income to pay for some of the additional debt.
The result – They are on track to pay off their ’30-year mortgage’ within just 10 years without sacrificing their lifestyle and they can see how much faster they would build their equity faster to upgrade later without big debt stress.
The celebration – Felt determined and proud of their progress. Got clarity on when and how they could achieve their financial goals.
Mortgage Lifecycle Stage 2 – Expansion
Entry point: $200,000 or more of usable equity* or cash.
Realising you can recycle equity out of your home into an investment property is a great moment to have, but caution, rushing into an investment property is not the fastest way to success. Your goal while in stage 2 is to buy properties that fulfill a specific goal in your larger plan. We’ve seen many people make property decisions that slowed them down significantly – unable to get finance additional properties for growth. We navigate you through this by looking ahead at how this investment will affect your future options. Will this purchase allow you to go on and buy another property – or will it stop you in your tracks?
*Usable equity in your home (Value of home x 80% Less your mortgage)
Goal: Buy your first 3 investment properties that will later transform into $80,000+ net cash flow.
Win: Sleep easy knowing you have created your financial safety net and certainty you’ll reach financial freedom.
Case Study – Keung and Candy
Client Background
Keung and Candy were a young professional couple in Auckland with 2 kids in daycare. Keung ran a consultancy firm with high growth and Candy was an architect.
Before
The objective – Wanted to build wealth to give their kids as many financial options as possible and retire their parents.
The problem – Time was money for them and they were simply too busy. Although earning more than the majority of their friends and had a lavish lifestyle, they had very little time for their kids, let alone the extra mental capacity to think about how to build their wealth.
The facade – Often overworked and at times burnt out. Felt like they were running on a hamster wheel to maintain what they had.
After
The problem – Decided to get a strategy session with an hq adviser. Got clarity on what their financial future should look like and what they needed to focus on. They put a plan in place to maximize their financial position to build wealth, set up tax-efficient structures and freed up more cash flow.
The result – Built a $2.1million property portfolio in 18 months to set up their financial future, knowing they are on the right path towards $150,000 passive income.
The celebration – Gained clarity and control of their financial future. Finally felt like their money was working for them instead of the other way around.
Mortgage Lifecycle Stage 3 – Optimisation
Entry point: 1 million dollars of property investment equity*.
Over time your plans change, the environment changes and bank policies change. Even if you followed a plan you need to continually reassess how you’ve allocated your capital. What are your new big goals? How can we transform your portfolio to achieve these goals? Do you need to trade properties (sell to buy again)? Do you need to restructure your mortgage to reduce cross-securities? Has your portfolio become lazy (high value but relatively low cash flow)? Your goal while in stage 3 is about carefully reshuffling lending, properties, and strategies to ensure your hard work is going to pay maximum dividends in the years to come.
*Total equity in your investment portfolio (Value of Portfolio Less Mortgages against Portfolio)
Goal: Unlock maximum cash flow from your portfolio while maintaining capital gains.
Win: An optimized portfolio that is achieving your new goals, whether that be cash flow so you can quit your job, or opportunities for large equity gains.
Case Study – Josie and Sandeep
Client Background
Josie and Sandeep were hardworking Kiwis – an IT consultant and Lecturer in Wellington. They had 3 beautiful kids and one about to move out.
Before
The objective – Had built a sizeable property portfolio over the years. They felt it was time to upgrade their home, work a little less and live partly on their investments.
The problem – They were asset-rich cash poor. Although lots of equity, the income wasn’t there. Still had to work to service the loan and the bank wouldn’t lend them more money to upgrade their home.
The facade – Although all their friends looked up to them, they felt stuck and defeated. Even though they seemed to be financially better off than many, in reality, they had fewer options because the interest rates were rising on their big mortgage.
After
The solution – Decided to book a strategy session with an hq adviser. They learnt how to set up a proper exit strategy. They also further expanded their knowledge in property investing and realize they can replace some of the lower-performing assets with higher cash flow assets.
The result – A mortgage restructure gave them both more financing options and cash flow. They also had a 2-year plan in place to turn their negative cash flow portfolio into positive $100,000+ passive cash flow and later downsize to their dream retirement home.
The celebration – They finally started to see how they can enjoy the fruit of their labour. Felt in control again and got clarity on exactly how to achieve what they wanted.
