How Gen Z accountant tackled record housing market
Gen Z landlord Gibson Pham thought his property-ownership days were years away until he made moves elsewhere that now has him on track to buy his second house within months.
Mr Pham – who saves around 60 per cent of his earnings to put towards property investment – was keen but very disheartened by prices in Sydney, when his sister recommended trying a buyers' agent and going straight to being a landlord.
He weaned himself off the idea of tapping into first homebuyer grants, saying while they were good, it was easy to 'fall into a trap' if they limited your options to one area or type of property.
'It really depends if the grant is for a property that's right for you and your strategy,' Mr Pham said.
'Sometimes there are grants that fit your criteria and that's really good, but it was hard for me. I couldn't afford to buy in Sydney, so I think regional would need to be the place to go – it was a lot cheaper and within my budget as well at that time.'
First home owner grants across Australian states are generally for owner-occupiers, who must live in the property for at least six months - thus limiting where many can buy due to work commitments, family and the like. Queensland does allow those who access the FHB grant to rent out a room from day one but they must also be living in it for the required period.
With a tonne of options available to him with buyer's agencies, Mr Pham signed up with InvestorKit, putting a $70,000 deposit into securing his first property, a house in Rockhampton bought for $465,500 late last year.
'It was around $90,000 after factoring in stamp duty, costs and agent's fees. Luckily, I'm CA (chartered accountant) qualified, so I'm able to get the LMI (lenders mortgage insurance) waived off. So I was able to save some money there.'
'My savings rate is around 50 to 60 per cent per month. Being at home helps that, but even if I was renting, I think it will probably be like 30 to 40 per cent. The extra savings definitely helps.'
'My parents are super happy. I think they still – like most Asian parents – think maybe I can save more.'
He still has not set eyes on his Rockhampton property in Queensland and is already about two months away from buying again regionally, this time in Townsville.
'It was nerve wracking to buy regional and not know the property. I was a bit sceptical that it didn't exist,' he laughs. 'But I think Arjun (Paliwal - InvestorKit head) and his team really reassured me, provided me the reports, gave me videos, updates of everything, so I felt it was more trustworthy after that.'
Capital growth, rental income and the ability to borrow more money to purchase his next property are his goals with real estate.
His main tips for others looking to do the same were to have a strategy they truly believe works, and build a team around that strategy to help you get to that goal.
'There are so many regional cities out there,' he said.
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