Inflation Means Higher Interest Rates – But This Need Not Impact Your Investment
“Now that interest rates have gone up by 3% relatively quickly, home prices are up significantly from a couple of years ago. So, is buying single family rental homes still worth it?” This is a top-of-the-mind question for a lot of investors right now. This is something that I get asked on social media, by people reaching out to us at icgre.com or people who attend our quarterly online expo events. And to these people I have one simple, straight answer – Yes! It is worth it. Investing in real estate using the formula we have perfected at ICG Real Estate is always worth it. I have also explained this at some length in this article.
Inflation is rising, but this is not necessarily a bad thing.
I have been shouting from the rooftops about the inflation that is going to come, and come it has! Everything is more expensive right now and your hard earned dollar is simply not going as far as it used to. Rising inflation inevitably means that interest rates are going to go up, and that is what we have seen as well. Where, until recently loans were available at the lowest ever interest rates – as low as 2% in cases – all that has changed. Rates were between 2% and 4% and now that figure has climbed to about 7%. This has alarmed a lot of people and made them wonder whether or not to invest in real estate.
So here’s the thing: if interest rates are at 7%, they are still lower than the inflation rate, which is hovering in the region of 8.5%. And when I look back at my long investing career, that 7% is still an astoundingly low rate. Investors – and myself, I must add – have grown very wealthy with the help of investments made in times when those rates were a lot higher. In fact, when I first started to buy property back in the 1980s, interest rates were as high as 14%. And I still was able to create positive cash flows and keep buying more and more houses.
Why you don’t have to worry about 7% interest.
I get calls and emails from investors who are happily wealthy, having invested maybe fifteen years ago when interest rates were 7% or 8%. These investors went on to buy multiple homes. They did this by first generating a positive cash flow from rental income and then buying more homes. And then some years down the line, when there were still some years left on the loans, they sold off a couple of the homes. They then paid capital gains and repaid the remaining loans, and now enjoy their investments, free and clear!
So, don’t worry about the 7% interest rate. Your real trump card is the 30-year fixed-rate loan – which Warren Buffet also recommends. With this loan, inflation is your best friend! With inflation, cost of living will rise, and hence your rental income will increase as well. However, with the 30-year loan, your mortgage repayment is never going to change. And that amount is going to look smaller and smaller as the years go by while your rental income will continue to rise.
I have a lot of stories about successful investors who were buying real estate when interest rates were much higher than they are right now. I will be sharing some of these stories in the upcoming expo and will also go into the details of rising interest rates. To know more, you can check out this article or watch this video.
