[caption id="attachment_3280" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Photo by conorwithonen"][/caption]
This post is related to the last one regarding probabilities and payoff and how we should bet.
We often hear about people betting their life savings of $100k on the next property of say $500k, hoping for that 20% rise before TOP and make $100k return (with a capital base of $100k). Lets see how this works in that matrix thingy we used in the previous post:
Let's give the benefit of doubt and say this guy has 70% chance of making $100k, he has read the property market well, the cycle is turning, the stars are aligned. However, again in life, since nothing is 100% one, we have to think that he also has a 30% downside whereby he will lose $250k (ppty of $500k goes down by $100k, mortgage $130k, legal fees $20k all add up to $250k)
Probability payoff
0.3 -250k -75k
0.7 100k 70k
Expected return -5k
Now we see that the expected return is negative. Even if we tweak the no.s here and there, which I did, the expected return is not high. You can probably get to expected return of $80k - which is good if you use $100k as the base. But in reality the base is $500k, bcos the guy borrowed $400k from the bank. So you risked a life of perpetual debt for $80k, is it worth it? Read more...