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Now is the time: Port Lincoln Real Estate sales consultant, Jason Di Paolo says there has never been a better time to invest in the housing market. Photo: Supplied

Investing in property is one of the smartest moves you can make, according to Port Lincoln Real Estate sales consultant, Jason Di Paolo.

"Demand is high across the board in Port Lincoln with our highest demand in four-bedroom homes between $400,000 and $550,000," he said.

"This is a good price range for families where both parents have an income, as well an ideal investment for our interstate investors."

"Most of our interstate buyers have an average selling price of double this which makes it an affordable and safe investment. Investing in property is one of the smartest moves anyone can make and this is for a number of reasons," he said.

These reasons include:

You need to pay for your own shelter whether you rent your home, own it outright or have a mortgage. Even though interest rates may fluctuate, they do not increase like inflation. This means, even though your rent may increase every year due to inflation, your mortgage should stay steady.
You can buy your own home and rent out rooms which limits your risk.
You don't have to live in a home you bought. You might not be able to afford a house in the area you like so you could continue to rent in this area and buy in an area you can afford (this is exactly why we've seen an increase in interstate enquiries).
Leveraging. Unlike most other investments, buying property allows you to leverage 80 per cent whereas most other investments usually will not allow leveraging more than 50 per cent.

Jason says there is no better time to buy than right now.

"You will hear me say this whether the market is red hot or stone-cold and the reason is quite simple; property is a long game," he said.

"Some people might try to pick the peak of the market or even the bottom but this is near impossible."

"Since it is a long game, it is worth noting that the market has bounced back from every crash it's ever had."

"It's difficult to predict exactly what will happen in 2022 and beyond, but with interest rates still at an all-time low, and the fact that we are already seeing properties selling faster than last year, I think we will experience another growth year."

If anyone is looking to buy a house, whether as an investment property or a forever home, Jason suggests paying a visit to a bank or broker.

"We are lucky here in Port Lincoln to have a lot of local lenders you can sit with and they can tell you exactly how much you can borrow," Jason said.

"This is important as we are seeing most properties get multiple offers and if the buyer has a preapproval in place, it definitely sets them ahead of the pack."

"The second thing you should do is register your interest with your local agent."

"With so many buyers on our database, we are currently getting multiple offers on homes that haven't even hit the market."

"We are seeing a bigger buyer demand than we have ever seen."

"Put your name on our database, it's the best way to get yourself ahead of the pack."

For more information call Jason Di Paolo on 0438 859 378 or go to the website www.plrealestate.com