Tags
Latest Articles
Articles tagged 'Investment'
Property refurbishment
Accidental investors are now cashing in on the high demand for good quality rental property. They are realising that if they refurbish their property to a high standard, they will be able to benefit from the excellent rents we are able to gain on their behalf.
Railton-Meeks is refurbishing many properties for clients, and ensuring through good management practice that client's properties are kept in optimum condition and not left to get shabby.
Contact Railton-Meeks to day for a free no obligation appraisal of your rental property.
Tags: Refurbishment(2) Rental(2) Investment(10)Property refurbishment
Accidental investors are now cashing in on the high demand for good quality rental property. They are realising that if they refurbish their property to a high standard, they will be able to benefit from the excellent rents we are able to gain on their behalf.
Railton-Meeks is refurbishing many properties for clients, and ensuring through good management practice that client's properties are kept in optimum condition and not left to get shabby.
Contact Railton-Meeks to day for a free no obligation appraisal of your rental property.
Tags: Refurbishment(2) Rental(2) Investment(10)Are you trying desperately hard to sell your apartment?
Have you had your apartment on the market for more than 6 months? Are you desperately wanting to move on, but cannot see how to move forward?
Railton-Meeks may have the answer. We have professional tenants who are waiting patiently for more apartments to come on the rental market. Demand is currently outweighing supply particularly in Didsbury & Chorlton. Railton-Meeks have a fabulous mortgage broker who is specialising in Let-to-buy mortgages, with your situation in mind.
Railton-Meeks will offer practical advice and a wealth of experience in helping you turn your home into an investment for the future.
Please telephone for a no obligation assessment of your home as an investment vehicle.
Tags: Investment(10) Apartments(1) Let to Buy Mortgages(1)For sale - Large investment property, 8 flats in the heart of Fallowfield.
News flash: Railton-Meeks is selling a large investment property.
Briefly the property consists of 8 self contained flats, achieving a rental income of £36,000.00 per year. All flats are tenanted to both students on 12 month agreement and some to the professional person.
The property adheres to the current fire regulations, and only cosmetic work when new tenancy start.
Please telephone for more details on 0161 448 2154.
Tags: Professional(4) Student(3) Flats(2) Investment(10) For Sale(1)Thinking of letting your property?
If you think that letting your property might be the answer to your problems, then make sure you know your market!
It might seem like the ideal solution if you’re having trouble selling your property, but prospective tenants are fussier than they used to be, and if the house or flat isn’t up to the standards they are looking for, you could be left with an empty property and no potential income from it.
What are Potential Tenants looking for?
The main factors that will influence whether your property is suitable for being let is its location, the type of property it is, and the physical condition it’s in.
If you’re lucky enough to own a large house with several bedrooms, close to transport links and local universities/colleges, you could have a ready-made income from the student market. What are the selling points of the property – how close is it to local shops and leisure facilities?
You might find that in your area family homes are really sought after – or commuter-friendly one bedroom flats could be at a premium. So it is a good idea to speak with a couple of agents who specialise in the area your property is in. They will tell you firsthand what the demand is.
Is your property in the centre of busy commuter village easily accessible to the city? If so the chances are this will be an area which is popular with professionals, and there will be lots of similar properties on the market. Your property therefore has to be a very good standard suitable for this market.
What is the condition of your property?
People won’t settle for badly kept properties any more – there’s too much competition in the rental market. Tenants are usually looking for a property with, at the very least, a clean modern bathroom and a fitted kitchen.
When it comes to the fixtures and the decor, don’t cut corners. Try and get higher quality appliances, and bathroom fitting, and make sure that the property looks good when you show people around. Redecorate in neutral colours and replace any tatty carpets or curtains.
These little details may seem insignificant but they will make the world of difference to a potential tenant. Remember that it’s not like selling a house where people can see the potential to ‘do up’ a property – as tenants rather than owners they will have to live with those carpets or that wallpaper and if they hate it, they will pass.
Prospective tenant like to see the finished article, they don't want to imagine what the property will be like when it's finished! You will miss out on many opportunities to let your property if it isn’t ready!
Is it suitable for the student market?
Letting out your house to students has long been seen as a good but-to-let investment idea, and it’s always going to be a popular way of making money from rental. If you live in a town or city with a thriving student population (Manchester for example), it could be a way to make some significant money from your property.
To be able to let your house to students you’ll need to be in an area that’s popular with the student population, the areas that attract them are usually close to the universities and colleges themselves, and within easy reach of all the local amenities (and pubs).
City centres are also very popular with students, with purpose built university apartments now being offered with en suite facilities, and now much more affordable. With this in mind, if your property is a traditional property and not a new-build, then these in particular have to be of a very good standard. Students expect a lot more these days, any property which is in disrepair or shabby will not let! You have to go make sure it is appealing with up to date appliances, WIFI connections and even SKY TV packages.
There is also a huge amount of legislation covering the student property market, and if your property is over 4 beds then it must adhere to HMO legislation. RM can is expert in this field and can advise you in depth.
Tags: Landlords(8) Investment(10)There are definite signs to look out for to help identify an improving market.
There is nothing new about recessions – they have been with us since time immemorial. They form part of what is termed the ‘economic cycle’ – periods of growth and decline which have happened throughout history. These have an effect on all markets and industries including property.
A successful property investing strategy involves buying at the bottom of the cycle, and therefore maximising the financial return. But how does an investor identify this critical moment which determines success or failure for the property investor?
Most economists agree that the economic cycle consists of five distinct stages, each of which flows into the next. These are defined as the peak, contraction, recession, recovery and prosperity. At the peak of a boom property is considered to be overvalued. Credit providers are heavily burdened with debt. As the contraction stage starts, sources of credit dry up, and property sales grind inevitably to a halt. The price of property and shares is at a low ebb and credit is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. Recovery commences when credit facilities again become available. At this point institutional investors become involved in the market, moving rapidly to purchase undervalued property and shares. The next stage is prosperity. Prices rise once more, the workforce’s salaries rise and credit providers become more amenable to risk.
So when was the last time we experienced this economic cycle? The last significant correction in the UK housing market occurred in 1991. At that time, banks and other lenders frequently offered 100% mortgages – yes, I know it’s hard to believe but it really did happen. This more-than-generous financing fed the strong desire to own property which inevitably led to the peak of the housing ‘bubble’. But as the economy slowed a total of 75,540 repossessions followed, partly due to the burden of sub-prime debt – does that sound familiar? This represented the highest recorded in any one year (so far) and spelt obvious heartbreak and misery to those concerned. The market did not seriously begin to recover until 1994. At that time the UK economy was registering 4.2% GDP growth, the highest level for six years. The sustained economic growth, combined with rising incomes, meant people could afford larger mortgages. Consequently, demand for housing rose.
Most people view property as essentially a stable asset, despite the peaks and troughs that occur at the various stages of the economic cycle. Unlike investment in shares, a property owner has a tangible asset of bricks and mortar. A constantly expanding population will always need somewhere to live, and therefore there will always be demand.
Knowledge of economic cycles and the property market means one can begin to predict the upswing in a market. The current financial crisis has strong parallels with that of the 1991 crash. The beginning can be traced to early 2007, when the total value of sub prime mortgages was estimated at US$1.3 trillion. Rising property values resulted in lenders taking more risks. The number of credit providers began to collapse under the weight of defaulted loans, with the most notable example being the once mighty Lehman Brothers. The scale of the problem was becoming horribly clear. As the flow of credit between banks dried up, the knock on effect included reduced lending to consumers and thus a slowdown in the housing market. Once interest rates are low enough, credit flow becomes liquid once again. At this point institutional investors enter the market, confidence returns and the upswing begins.
Usually upswings begin in the same place the downturn began. The US housing market is therefore key – as soon as it begins to pick up then it can be seen as a sign for the rest of the world. Standard & Poor, the ratings and analytical company who produce the US Case-Schiller housing index, stated in that in 2009 property would reach the bottom of the cycle.However it is clear that the US housing market has not started to recover in all of the US States. For example Florida houses prices are still going down 12 months after this statement was made.
The UK now has the Coalition goverment, Cameron and Osborne have announced the wide spread cuts to be made to the public sector; and there is certain to be increased localised unemployment. However if one is to listen to the media then we are heading back to a dip in house prices. Maybe.... however one thing is for sure, rents are rising, and if Cameron & Osborne can get the banks lending properly again, then give it 12 months and we could be on the recovery end of the sectrum once again.
Tags: Investment(10) Property Cycle(1)Is this the end of the 'Interest-only mortgage...'?
MOVES to tackle reckless bank lending could shatter the home owning dreams of millions of Britons and trigger a slump in house prices.
That’s the damning verdict of industry body the Council of Mortgage Lenders in a scathing attack on City watchdog the Financial Services Authority yesterday.
The FSA sparked controversy by planning to scrap interest-only mortgages, slow the application process and effectively cap how much people can borrow from next year.
Michael Coogan, CML director general, accused the FSA of overstepping the mark, with implications for generations to come.
“The golden age of home ownership is over for the moment”, he said, with the credit crunch already leading to a sharp drop in lending.
And he warned this mortgage famine could become permanent under the FSA’s “fatally flawed” plans which would “stifle innovation and opportunity”.
Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/city-news/2010/09/23/mortgage-lenders-declare-golden-age-of-home-ownership-over-115875-22580876/#ixzz10IA9i5Aj
DO YOU OWN MORE THAN THREE INVESTMENT PROPERTIES........?
The largest lender in the buy-to-let market, the Lloyds Group which includes the brands Birmingham Midshires, Cheltenham & Gloucester, Halifax, Bank of Scotland & Lloyds has just announced from 24 September, next Friday, that they will be reducing the number of properties they will lend on from nine to three.
This means that if you have 3 or more mortgages within the Lloyds Group you will no longer be able to use them to purchase properties. Currently the Lloyd’s Group has the best buy-to-let interest rates which require a 25% deposit.
This is a massive change to the mortgage market and any investor looking to purchase this year with 3 or more properties within the Lloyds Group should consider purchasing NOW.
If you wish to expand your property portfolio, call Tara on 016 448 2154
Tags: Investment(10) Properties(2) Buy-to-let(2) Lloyds Group(1)More property management apartments and houses needed in Didsbury & Chorlton.
Investors, new hot spot for investment in Stockport.
Railton-Meeks has been analysing South Manchester areas for suitable 'buy to let' investment. We have found an area of Stockport which is in an excellent location close to the M60 motorway and the main train line going into the city center.
Rental yields are high at typically 7.5% gross. These properties also produce positive cash flow after the expected monthly deductions.
These properties we are sourcing for our investors; we let to middle income families who are looking for starter homes to rent. All the tenants are working, usually with two incomes.
We have found a new 'hot spot'. Properties are being purchased well below 100k.
A deposit is required of 25-30% to purchase. This is truly a 'hands off' investment for professionals who want to invest in property but with out the hassle.
Our sourcing fee is only 1% of the purchase price. We beat all the large investment companies in service value and expertise.
Please telephone and request references from the clients we are working for right now, and they will tell you how happy they are with not only the service they receive, but the built in equity which is often the case when purchasing these properties.
Tara Meeks
Tags: 7.5% rental yield(1) South Manchester(1) 2 bed terraced.(1) Investment(10) Buy to let(1)
