The media would have us believe that the property market is nursing a New Year’s party hangover. Certainly the issues that influenced the market during 2018 remain, such as Brexit-related confusion, lack of supply and affordability problems for first time buyers. And whilst the media does love to scaremonger, they tend to ignore, the perhaps Continue Reading
Last week our article looked at the benefits of buying to let in principle. Here we consider some practical elements:
Students are an excellent prospect for landlords wishing to maximise their return on investment. They are in ample supply, meaning an almost certain let, a greater choice of tenant and fewer void periods. Reliable student loans and parental guarantees mean that students are also less likely to default than they were in the past.
Showing your home to prospective purchasers can be stressful enough, but children add an extra dimension, and their needs should be considered.
For many homeowners, letting provides and obvious investment opportunity as an alternative to selling. With the right expert help from your letting agent, the matter should be quite straightforward, although there are certain consents that should be obtained if you are to avoid some potentially costly problems.
Every town has a variety of styles of estate agent, from the soulless “corporate” agency driven by figures, to the one-man band; from arty-contemporary to pushy-salesy. Each type tends to appeal to a specific sector of the property-owning community, and rightly so – buyers and sellers alike need to feel comfortable working with an agent Continue Reading
Whilst both gas and electricity can be lethal, from a landlord’s perspective, the law relating to gas safety is more stringent than it is for electricity with substantial fines or even imprisonment for of the breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. These regulations impose a duty on landlords to use a Continue Reading
The latest research* suggests that over 1.4 million over-65s will consider downsizing in the next five years with 1 in 10 of these doing so in order to raise funds in retirement – at an average of £62,000. But for many either the finances don’t add up or there are not enough suitable homes available. Continue Reading
It’s official – what we’ve suspected all along – a “traditional” estate agent gets sellers more in their pocket than the internet-only alternative. They also secure more viewings and offers! According to research by The Advisory – an independent consumer advice group – internet-only agents rely too heavily on property portals to find buyers. In Continue Reading
From a property perspective, it would appear that the latest budget was not enough to light November’s fireworks. Nevertheless, overall, it did hint at a surprisingly stable economy, with improved growth prospects and an apparent end to the tighter austerity regime.