Where to start....

[BradFromNZ]

Hey all.

My wife and I have been homeowners in Papakura for the past 6 years, since then we have seen the equity in our property grow to about $600k and have been thinking about putting this equity to work.

We are thinking of investing in property and holding for the long term but don't really know where to start.

The end game is to invest in multiple properties between now and when we retire (about 30 years away).

So I need advice, where do we get started? Are there books we should read? Podcasts to listen to? Coaches/mentors to speak to? How do we chose where to buy? How do we chose what to buy? What professionals do we need to speak with?

We are open to any and all advice, we are totally new to this kind of thing and have a limited knowledge but are willing to learn, so please no judgement.

Thank you in advance for your wisdom.

[brokerman]

Hi Brad, Adviser here. From a finance perspective you have a couple of choices, banks or non banks. The difference is in the amount you can borrow, banks can go to 60% for a rental whilst non bank to 80% (at around 0.5% more on the rate). As a guide only I'd stick to standard property, nothing rural etc and well within commute of a good sized town which is not reliant on a single employer. Personally I avoid apartments however town houses are increasing in popularity so worth a look. Generally the newer the property the less maintenance and I would always use a property manager. Hope that helps for starters, good luck!