Milk Chocolate Game Plans and How They Can Help You Prosper in the Property Market
Sometimes, it helps to have some professional guidance when choosing where to put your money – especially if that money is going into the property. Enter Milk Chocolate, an Australian company that helps clients buy, build and manage property in Australia.
Milk Chocolate provides a huge range of property services, but one of the company’s most notable offerings is its proprietary Game Plans – bespoke property strategies that help clients reach their goals.
If you’re considering purchasing an investment property or a family home, here’s why you might want a Game Plan of your very own.
What is a Milk Chocolate Game Plan?
In short, a Milk Chocolate Game Plan is a customised property plan that helps clients figure out what to buy, sell, build and renovate, and when. It may be five years or up to 20, but the overall purpose of a Game Plan is to help Milk Chocolate clients reach their property targets.
Each Game Plan is tailored to a client’s unique set of circumstances. The Milk Chocolate team assesses the client’s risk appetite, their existing property portfolio (if any), their current financial situation and their objectives, then creates a road map to get them there. Their Game Plan could include all kinds of properties, including residential, commercial, subdivisions, new builds and family homes.
A huge amount of research, analysis, data and machine learning-based modelling goes into each Game Plan to guarantee the most accurate predictions. However, given the variable nature of the market as well as individual circumstances, Game Plans are designed to be somewhat flexible – ensuring they evolve with changing conditions.
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Case study 1: Building a solid retirement plan
This Milk Chocolate client wanted to develop their property portfolio over a period of 20 years, with the ultimate goal of having substantial passive income throughout retirement.
To help them achieve this objective, Milk Chocolate suggested building a portfolio of five properties in different areas across Australia. Doing so would diversify their investments, thus lowering their exposure to risk.
The client started an initial investment of $120,000 over the first 12 months. Their first purchase was an apartment in the inner south of Canberra that would deliver a high rental yield – in other words, solid cash flow to enable the client to purchase other properties. The apartment was purchased in April 2018 for $372,000 and is now valued at $460,000, plus it’s currently delivering a rental yield of 5.88%.
Next, the client used their cash flow from the Canberra apartment to buy a traditional Queenslander in a high-growth area in Brisbane. When it was purchased in February 2019, the property was valued at $595,000. In Q4 2022, that figure jumped to $850,000 – a gross annual return of 10.33%%. It’s also being rented out for $575 per week (a rental yield of 3.52%) which equates to a total return of 13.85% YoY.
The third property – a house in a high-growth area in Adelaide – was bought in February 2020. The purchase price was $644,900 and the value in Q4 2022 was $780,000, which proved to be an excellent result. The property also boasted a rental yield of 3.07%.
True to the flexible nature of the Game Plan, the final stages of the strategy are still evolving. The last two purchases are due to take place this year, and in 2028. However, the locations are still being determined. Currently, Milk Chocolate is working to identify areas of high growth and assess the state of today’s property market to inform their client’s next move.
Beyond these purchases, Milk Chocolate has also advised the client to offload their properties to establish a solid passive income. They recommended selling two in 2033 to reach a passive income of around $70,000/year, with funds from each sale remaining in the existing offset accounts.
Further down the track in 2043, their client could sell their property portfolio and potentially be in a cash surplus position of just under $5 million. This would then enable them to enjoy a very comfortable retirement income of $245,000/year for around 20 years.
Case study 2: Creating significant passive income
This client came to Milk Chocolate with a pretty aggressive goal: a passive income of $15,000 per month after tax by 2026.
To help meet their target, the client is set to invest $2.7 million across five different properties: residential, commercial, granny flat and subdivision.
The inclusion of commercial properties was to ensure the client could enjoy high yield in order to achieve their passive income goal. The first property purchase was a commercial site in Canberra, which is currently being leased out on a long-term basis with a rental yield of 7.84%.
The second commercial asset was a cafe that’s also on a long-term lease, with an impressive rental yield of 10.03%. When Milk Chocolate’s client bought each of these, commercial assets under $1 million were exempt from stamp duty in the ACT, making them rather appealing purchases.
It was then time to turn to residential assets. The next purchase was a home in Canberra that achieved an astounding 29.01% capital growth in 27 months. It was also being rented for $675/month. To enhance the value of the home, Milk Chocolate recommended constructing a granny flat at the rear of the house. Built at a cost of $205,000, the granny flat was rented out for $430/week by the current tenants, resulting in a total rental yield of 5.52%.
In April 2022, Milk Chocolate purchased a block of land in Adelaide for $747,000 in an off-market deal. Currently, it’s valued at $912,500. Milk Chocolate is also constructing four villas at a cost of $1.4 million, which are projected to deliver a gross rental yield of 6%.
Finally, in 2024, the client is set to purchase an industrial asset with a value of $1.7 million.
Case study 3: Establishing a diverse portfolio for future generations
Milk Chocolate worked with some Singapore-based clients to build a diverse property portfolio. These clients didn’t necessarily have a passive income goal; instead, they wanted something they could pass down to future generations.
Their Game Plan included investment properties, a holiday home and an eventual family home in locations across Australia.
The first purchase was an investment property in Canberra that delivered on both capital growth and rental yield. The home was bought for $859,600, renovated at a cost of $285,000, and later valued at $1.6 million – an increase of just over 86%. It was also leased out for 12 months while the development approvals were in progress and are now being rented for $775 per week – creating decent cash flow.
Next was another investment property, this time in Adelaide. The property was located on a sizeable block that allowed for lots of potentials, including subdivision. Following the purchase, Milk Chocolate undertook a structural extension that boosted the home’s functionality and left enough space for subdivision at a later date.
The third property, also in Adelaide, was bought solely as a lifestyle investment. Milk Chocolate’s clients are currently enjoying it while building a second property on the same block.
If you’re looking to invest in property in Australia, contact the Milk Chocolate team to find out how their Game Plans can help you reach your financial goals.
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