If you have a home loan but also equity in your home property and want to purchase an investment property to build wealth, then it is important to research the investment loan market to make sure that you apply for an investment loan that really works for you. When you apply for an investment loan, most lenders will simply offer you their standard term investment loan. Quite often they will seek to structure the investment loan so that it is on a principal and interest basis. While ever you have home loan debt it is much better to have an interest only investment loan. This ensures that the repayments you make on the investment loan are the minimum possible as opposed to including any principal reductions. If you apply any principal amount that you would otherwise have made on a principal and interest investment loan to the repayment of your home loan you will repay your home loan much faster and save yourself a heap in interest payments. There are also the tax considerations – if you do not reduce your investment loan debt then you do not reduce the amount of deductible interest you can claim each year. Your negative gearing position is maintained as opposed to diminishing each year.

Ideally an investment loan will also include a capitalizing line of credit so that you can have a buffer during high interest rate times or when there are unexpected vacancies or costs relating to your investment property. By including a capitalising line of credit within your investment loan you are also in a position where if you wished or need to you could capitalise the shortfall between the rental income you receive and the outgoings you incur (including the interest on your investment loan). This shortfall is added on to the investment loan instead of being met from your personal income. By not having to subsidise the shortfall in interest on your investment loan you have freed up your cash flow. The most efficient way to use this freed up cash flow is to apply it to an additional repayment on your home loan. You may not realise but if you were to capitalise a monthly shortfall of interest on your investment loan of say $350 (rather than pay from your salary) and instead applied that $350 to the repayment of your home loan of $150,000 (@ 9.25% over 30 years) then you would repay that home loan out in less than half the term (in 14 years and 2 months to be precise) and by doing so save your self almost $175,000 in interest repayments to the bank.

Many investors when looking for an investment loan do not properly research the market and accept whatever is offered to them by their bank. This approach can be costly in the long run. Check out the other investment loan options in the market and look to a lender who understands your investment needs and can provide you with an investment loan that gives you a lot of flexibility, is priced competitively and defintiel includes a capitalising interest feature.

It is also helpful if your lender is able to issue separate statements for each investment loan you have and your home loan. Some mortgage managers also give you the ability to name each account e.g. 16 William St making for easy identification of each investment laon for you, and your accountant at tax time.

Be an astute investor and look for an investment loan that offers these sort of features as it will help you reach your wealth building goals much quicker.

Michelle Kour