Cash Flow & Investment Strategies for Real Estate - Pt 2 Equity

For the second episode of the series Cash Flow & Investment Strategies for Real Estate Investors, Charlie Jewett and Bobby Alford dive deeper into equity, the most misunderstood asset class in the financial industry.

Home equity

As discussed, home ownership is the biggest asset in people’s lives. If that home ownership develops into an asset class, then that becomes the most held asset, and that asset is equity. Home equity or equity in real estate is defined as the difference between the value of the house and what you owe. How do you put this home equity to work for you?

Two ways to be debt-free: Traditional vs balance sheet method

1. Traditional method says be liability-free and that you should pay off your mortgage as fast as you can because mortgages are bad. These strategies come from only looking at one half of the equation and not the other half that is looking into the opportunity cost of the money – every dollar you choose to put into that home to save that cost over 30 years is a dollar that cannot compound interest over the same 30 years. This model stemmed from the Great Depression when many people were kicked out of their houses even though they had made each and every mortgage payment. But the landscape of the mortgage industry had changed since then and debt did not become evil but instead a way to leverage yourself into wealth. 
2. The other way to be debt-free on anything is to have a liability and to have all the money to pay it off when you want to. In the balance sheet method, debt that you can afford to pay off is good. Instead of paying a big down payment, why not invest the money in your account where it compounds interest. In short, build up your assets, not pay down your debt because debt is good. The balance sheet method says if you're allowed, owe as much as you can and put it in an equity savings account, earning more than what it is costing you.

Leveraging your home value

In an equity savings account, leveraging your home value - your largest asset – and putting it to work for you becomes a game changer in retirement and wealth creation. With proper equity management or proper use of real estate, you could have four increasing incomes for one fixed payment where you're paying the fixed payment with depreciating dollars. Plus, the IRS is incentivizing you to do these things, and they will reward you in tax savings, mortgage interest write-offs and depreciation, recouping the value of assets over time from your taxes.

The main risk in paying your house in full is that the money you used is not earning compound interest. It's in the walls of the house and not invested anywhere and you only earn interest based on the appreciation of the value of your home. Meanwhile, the lowest you pay a property down to, you permanently lower the tax-deductible mortgage you are allowed to have on that house 

Ultimately, you either end up with all the money in the house or end up with a whole bunch of money in an account earning interest and saving. You could pay off your mortgage but you chose not to, so where do you want to end up? Where should your equity dollar be?

About Charlie Jewett

Charlie Jewett is an author, speaker, recruiter, trainer, consumer advocate and investment advisor from San Diego, CA. As the “Financial Services Whistleblower” Charlie has been trying to change the way that industry professionals and consumers think about retirement since 2005. With considerable years of experience and an array of professional certifications, Charlie focuses on stock market alternatives combined with tax-free retirement income and provides educational materials that help people to create their ideal retirement plan. He is the host of two podcasts, Renovating Retirement  and Target Practice for Advisors, as well as the author of “Renovating Retirement” and “Two Ways to Be Debt Free”, both available on Amazon Kindle.

About Bobby Alford

Bobby Alford has walked an unconventional path to becoming the CEO of Renovating Retirement. He spent 10 years in the US Submarine force, both as an officer and enlisted person, earning a degree in nuclear engineering along the way. Bobby then joined corporate America and worked for a Fortune 50 company in operations, finance, and sales management roles. After getting his MBA, he began working with military veterans to improve their retirement options. At that point he found Charlie Jewett and learned how to truly impact a person's financial life using the MERIT model of planning. Bobby joined Charlie and now uses his skills to grow their company toward achieving the goal of creating $1 billion dollars of annual tax-Free money for their clients.

Web/Social Links

Website: https://renovatingretirement.com