You have 0 free articles left this month.

BLOG: Why we all need to be more hands-on with our portfolios

05 JUN 2018 • By Phillip Tarrant • 3 min read • Investor Strategy

If you’ve only got a few properties in your portfolio, you need to make sure you're taking a hands-on approach to investing, otherwise you could stuff everything up.

PHIL BLOG

If you’re a busy guy like myself, trying to stay on top of your portfolio at all times can be tricky. I can sometimes be not as hands on as what I should or could be with a particular portfolio, purely because my time is just taken elsewhere.

There have been points with a portfolio where we haven't done anything for a year, where we haven't bought any, and then over this current financial, we went out and we've bought six properties or so.

You’re out of free articles for this month

I can see a lot of investors fall into this part. It's nice to do the nice things, the exciting things, but there's also a lot of running a property portfolio which sucks — just a lot of the admin around it.

The way I view our portfolio is: give me the key numbers, give me the headlines, benchmark numbers, let me know if there's a problem, whether or not this needs my time or it's just operational business as usual stuff, which is a bit of a headache that someone else can deal with and look after.

 
 

That's what I try and do these days: concentrating on the value adding stuff, and messing around checking statements on whether or not I've received the right amount of rent versus any costs that have come up because I've had to replace a hot water system. Someone else can tick that off, right?

Look, if you’ve got two properties, three properties, four properties, do it all yourself, but past that, it's going to get to a point where you've got to start prioritising your time and making sure you can add value. I like to think that sitting down with my A-team for two to three hours, to run through the strategic directions portfolio for, at least the next quarter, six months, is a good use of my time.

You should run your portfolio as a business; you have different product lines within that business, and the individual properties. Some perform better than others, some cost money, some add money, etc., so you talk about a balance sheet. For our readers that might not be that sophisticated when it comes to this sort of terminology, I recommend go and learn about it.

Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Smart Property Investment a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Smart Property Investment as a preferred news source.

Free investor loan check

Better property decisions start with smarter lending.

A free 15-minute finance check for property investors.

15 minutes Free No obligation

What are your lending goals?

Choose a goal to request a callback.

Buying againCheck my borrowing position Equity or refinanceReview my current loans Loan strategyGet a second opinion

Ready to talk?

Book a 15-minute call →

Finni Pty Ltd · Australian Credit Licence 384324 · Privacy

Tags:

RELATED TERMS

Property
Property refers to either a tangible or intangible item that an individual or business has legal rights or ownership of, such as houses, cars, stocks or bond certificates.
Phillip Tarrant

Phillip Tarrant

AUTHOR

Phillip Tarrant is one of Australia’s leading property commentators, with more than a decade at the forefront of conversations shaping the nation’s property investment market.

As the long-time host of the Smart Property Investment Show and a regular commentator across property, finance and business, Phillip has interviewed thousands of investors, economists, advisers, brokers, agents and industry leaders, giving him a unique perspective on the trends, policies and market forces influencing Australian property.

Beyond property commentary in the media, Phillip is an active property investor himself, with first-hand experience building and managing a diversified property portfolio across multiple markets and cycles. His insights combines this practical investor perspective with deep exposure to the broader property and financial services ecosystem.

Phillip is also CEO and co-founder of Managed, an Australian property payments and technology platform transforming the way property managers, landlords and tenants manage rental payments and property transactions.

Through his writing, podcasts and industry engagements, Phillip focuses on cutting through market noise, challenging conventional thinking and helping investors make more informed, strategic decisions. His commentary regularly explores property markets, lending, taxation, regulation, investment strategy and the changing dynamics of Australia’s housing sector.

Know more