Don’t Let Your Home Equity “Rust” Away! Use Your Home Equity To Invest In Real Estate! Equity Wasted & Unused Is Leaving Money At The Table! One mistake many make is that because they don’t have cash to invest, in real estate or any other investment, they won’t be able to invest properly in their future.By Sean MartinMany Canadians who have owned a home for a number of years have seen the value of their home rise at the same time that they have been chipping away at their mortgage. The result of this is many Canadians who may be cash poor, but equity rich. One mistake many make is that because they don’t have cash to invest (in real estate, especially after recent changes in Canada upping the minimum down payment for a rental to 20%), they won’t be able to purchase a property. However, if you own a home and have equity in it you may be pleased to find out that you can access funds to invest.You just need to utilize the power of leverage better. So how do you do that? You already have!When you purchased your home, you more than likely had a deposit of 5%-10% and had a mortgage for the balance. You used “OPM”, Other People’s Money, and started to build value in that investment. Keep in mind, your investment did not appreciate based on just what was borrowed, but on the value of your home (i.e.: $ 5000.00 down on a $ 100 000.00 home you are going to realize roughly 5% appreciation on that $ 100 000.00, not just the down payment.) That’s leverage. And you get to live there.Realize the gains which you are being kept from realizing in your present situation.Access the Equity In Your Property…This is the first step to use your home equity to invest in. If you own your own home and owe less than 80% of the value on your current mortgage, you have access to additional funds by refinancing. Although you can get a regular mortgage, many investors opt for a HELOC mortgage which allows them to re-borrow and principal they pay down on their mortgage. This is an important feature for investors, especially as they grow their portfolio, as eventually with 5 or 10 rentals, they are able to pay down their mortgage very aggressively using the positive cash flow from their properties. It’s a snowball effect: the more cash flow, the more you can pay down your mortgage, the more you can pull out of the equity, the more property you can buy, earning more cash flow… and so on.Once you have a mortgage or HELOC, here are some of the ways you can use it to invest in:Use it to Borrow / Leverage 100% of the Value of Any Rental Purchase- Using your HELOC, you can borrow the 20 – 25% down payment for the rental, and get 75% – 80% financing (if qualified) for a standard mortgage on the rental property itself. There are some properties that when financed strategically (rate is no longer the most important variable) properly will give positive cash flow even when you borrow the entire value. Those properties you may want to leap on!
Stay liquid for the unforeseen:- As you grow your portfolio, liquidity becomes more and more important. The more property you own, the more risk you are at for a number of issues to come up at once (i.e. vacancies for 2 properties, new roof needed for another, renovations needed on another). Having a HELOC with available equity will ensure that if you do have a “cash call”, you will be better equipped to handle it.But I Don’t Want To Be A Landlord but I Still Want to Invest in Real Estate…You can use your funds that you have borrowed inexpensively ( HELOC 3.25%-4% or a variable rate at 2.10%) and lend the funds to others through second mortgages. Yes, you can become the bank. Most people think of mortgage Brokers as someone to arrange a mortgage for a purchase. A mortgage Broker can also arrange for you to lend your funds to other individuals. Often this is facilitated through a second mortgage which you hold on a property. To do this alone can be intimidating and there is risk, but the reward is an interest rate of 12%-14%. Often a lawyer or accountant can also help find avenues to invest like this as well. To ensure the safety of your money, consider using an experienced Broker with access to an mortgage investment network specializing in 2nd mortgage loans. These Brokers will have their own underwriters and the proper tools in place to protect investors (you) should defaults occur. One channel I work with diversifies your funds into 3-4-5 different 2nd mortgages, syndicated with other investors like yourself. This offers protection from investing in 1 bad 2nd mortgage. Your exposure to risk is reduced in this manner. At the same time, should default occur they are in a position to pay the arrears on any 1st mortgage holder and purchase the property outright. This allows for sale to recoup what could have been potential losses. Should this type of action occur, your interest payments continue until the matter is resolved and your funds made available again for investing once again.TFSA / SELF DIRECTED RSP…If you are in a position where you have a self-directed RSP with your bank or financial institution can you use these funds to invest in mortgages?Most institutions will still not allow you to use the funds in your “Self-Directed” RSP to invest as your wish. Again, an experienced mortgage Broker can offer advice and show you how to continue to shelter your profits within a RSP, but invest in these products. There are financial institutions that will allow these profitable investments and a mortgage Broker can show you the options.A TFSA again has limiting rules with most banks and financial institutions. An experienced mortgage Broker will be able to guide you to helpThings to think about:- When you borrow for investment purposes, you are able to write off the interest portion of the payments. Make sure you speak with an accountant to ensure this works for your situation.
- Investing the funds from a TFSA, RRSP or RESP protect you from paying taxes on the income.- Even if you have a self-directed RRSP you financial institution will have policies prohibiting you from investing in second mortgage products. Ask me where to relocate your funds to maximize profits.- Release the equity in your house to invest, but divert it through your RRSP or TFSA 1st, especially if you have unused allocations from previous years available. Again, this should be done with the assistance of your accountant to ensure that it is done correctly for you and to keep the CRA happy. Always keep the CRA happy.- Most HELOC’s offered right now are Prime +.5%, or 3.5% today. Fixed rate refinance mortgages are available for as low as 2.54% and variable rate mortgages as low as 2.05%.- HELOC’s usually have interest only payments available to better your cash flow, while standard fixed rate/variable rate mortgages do not.- Make sure your HELOC is re-advance able! Not all are.

“Commercial banking” was defined in the previous edition of this book as the activity of a banking institution whose “principal business is to accept deposits, make loans, collect commercial paper, and arrange the transfer of funds.” Under the banking law from the adoption of the Glass-Steagall Act in the 1930s until the beginning of the 1980s, there was a distinct demarcation between commercial banks and other financial institutions, such as investment banks, securities firms, and commercial financial services conglomerates.AH this is changing. The types of institutions that can engage in traditional commercial banking functions have enlarged as a result of legislation giving additional powers to thrift institutions. The types of activities commercial banks engage in have expanded as a result of legislation at both the state and federal levels and as a result of judicial decisions dismantling parts of the wall erected by the Glass-Steagall Act to keep commercial banks insulated from the risks of dealing in securities. The “nonbank bank” explosion has started a restructuring of the banking market into holding companies capable of offering an array of financial services. In light of these developments, perhaps the most suitable definition is one offered by an English texi: “[B]anks come in all shapes and sizes, with different name tags applied indifferent countries, often quite loosely. Banks make most of their money from the difference between interest rates paid to depositors and charged to borrowers.” Commercial banks are “publicly quoted and profit oriented. They deal directly with the public, taking deposits, making loans and providing a range of financial services from foreign exchange to investment advice. Most countries have settled for between four and ten;” but in the United States there are nearly 15,000 because of “banking laws that have prevented banks operating in more than one state, and in different types of business,..In addition to commercial banks, there are many specialized depository institutions that have been established to perform specialized roles. Thrift insti­tutions such as savings and loan associations and credit unions are important examples. At their inception, savings and loan associations primarily engaged in home mortgage lending and offering passbook-type savings to consumers. With the enactment of the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Con­trol Act of 1980, thrifts gained expanded authority to engage in commercial banking activities. Further incorporation into the general banking market has occurred as a result of the restructuring brought about by the financial failures and weakened condition of thrift institutions in the 1980s, which led to changes in the law to encourage the acquisition and merger of weak institutions with stronger financial institutions, including banks. To a great extent, thrift institutions are subject to a regulatory regime similar to that governing commercial banks, and engage in banking functions similar to those of commercial banks. Subsequent chapters discuss how thrifts fit into this regulatory scheme.There are other specialized consumer-oriented financial companies. Credit unions may be organized under state and federal statutes with the power to maintain customer share accounts against which drafts may be drawn payable i n a manner similar to checks. There are also personal finance loan organizations authorized under the laws of the several states that loan small amounts of money to consumers, often at specially regulated rates that are higher than the usual interest rates allowed. These organizations normally are not deposit-taking institutions but operate with their own capital and credit. Banks often have their own small loan depart­ments to make the same type of loans, and holding companies may have special consumer loan subsidiaries or affiliate companies.Although trust activities have become a part of the activity of many com­mercial banks,1 this book does not deal with the laws that govern these trustee relationships and activities. The competition for funds has led some banks to offer managed investment accounts through their trust departments similar to those offered by mutual funds and other securities firms. Again, there are trust companies organized under state law that operate by accepting money for the purpose of investment where the beneficial interest in the funds remains in the original owner.There are other types of banking functions and specialized banks: for exam­ple, reserve banks, which are really bankers’ banks; investment banks, whose chief business is underwriting and dealing in securities, and providing financial advice and aid in corporate acquisitions and mergers; agricultural banks; foreign trade banks; and other specialized banks that have charters to engage in particu­lar types of business. Further, the peculiarities of federal laws regulating bank holding companies have encouraged the proliferation of various financial institutions that have been chartered as full-service banks but that limit their functions to activities such as consumer lending and credit card operations.Because of the diversity of functions of commercial banks and the variety of depository institutions involved in them, this book does not attempt a compre­hensive survey of all banking activity. Rather, it emphasizes the basic regulatory structure that governs traditional commercial banking institutions and the com­mercial activities associated with accepting deposits, collecting commercial paper, making payments and transferring funds, and engaging in certain credit transactions.As this introduction indicates, the laws and regulations that govern com­mercial banking are numerous and complex. The various types of financial institutions engaging in commercial banking activities are matched by an equal activities. The Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 also gave thrift institutions chartered by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board the author­ity to engage in trust activities under certain conditions. 12 USC § 1464(n) (1982).In addition, the law governing the transactions of commercial banks is complex. The Uniform Commercial Code has brought a desirable uniformity to the law in many areas, but there are many special purpose statutes, frequently intended to give special consumer protection, that must be taken into account in analyzing banking transactions. There is a growing body of federal law that must be considered along with the state commercial law of the UCC and common law. This book is intended to serve as a beginning guide for the bank officer engaged in these commercial banking transactions and the attorneys called upon to advise in banking matters. It is not a substitute for careful legal counsel, how­ever, and such assistance should be obtained because this book can neither cover all the details applicable in particular matters, especially at the regulatory level, nor report on all the local variations, changes, and new developments. More­over, the facts of a particular situation will vary in ways that may introduce new legal problems or otherwise affect the legal analysis. Obtaining the advice of competent legal counsel is essential.

This article is intended to focus your attention on how important growth is in your personal savings environment, to make sure the investments in your portfolio are working for you and not against you.Property investment versus Unit Trust investments can be very interesting and statistics are needed to help us understand… which is the best?According to statistics from House Prize South Africa, Nominal Property Growth from 1981 to current has been 10.6%, but when you take inflation into account your Real Property Growth was only 1.2% to date.In short, your investment should be tested against the growth of inflation, and should perform better than inflation. Even if it is growing somewhat, if it is not performing better than inflation, it is essentially losing steam. The term Real Growth is used when you minus your investment percentage with the inflation percentage.Unit trusts a Great Alternative.Registered Unit Trust investments are a safe alternative. Companies cannot run away with your money; you can only lose money if the fund performs poorly.If we look at some top performing SA Unit Trust Companies Funds, we see that some of them had an average 10-year Nominal growth performance of about 17.8%. Over the past year, growth was at 12.2%; and since the Inception of 1999, the average Nominal growth has been 19.9%, while the average inflation for this period was 5.9%.This means that the Real Growth was a very good 14%According to published figures Unit Trusts investments has out-performed Property as an investment vehicle.Safety and access to your money also plays a big role! How safe is your property investment? How much are you paying in property taxes per year? You can sell your property if you urgently need money. However, if this time period is not going to be favourable, then how quickly can you re-finance property to get money? If you can’t afford your Bond re-payment then you will have to sell your property in-time and perhaps at a loss.In other words, if you have invested in property how quickly are you able to make this investment liquid?Double Your MoneyThe golden rule with Unit Trust investments is to double your money every 5 years. Should you invest a lump-sum amount of 100 000 your investment will be 200 000 in 5 years. With this type of investment there is also no term restricting you when you can withdraw your money.With a good Unit Trust investment, your capital should grow more than the average property investment, and your money will be more easily accessible should you need it urgently.Just remember: do your homework on these investments. Most importantly the company needs to be a Registered Unit Trust Company and the Companies offering needs to have a long; respected and above average Performance Record.Konrad Wentzel
+27 82 46 22212
0800 KONRAD (0800 566 723)
Wentzel Consulting (PTY) ltd
Independent Financial Planner
FSP: 7234

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