Positive Points of UK Property Investment

If you are an entrepreneur who is looking for properties as well as real estate gems in the UK, there is a lot that can satiate your investment dreams in the UK property investment scenario! Property development may have stalled a bit, but that does not mean that property investment has died down in the European stronghold for economic and social rebuilding.  

When the Recession had struck in 2008-2009, the real estate as well as the automobile industry had taken a heavy beating. The debt crisis of today, that is yet unresolved and is only being pushed off from one table to another in the Euro-Zone meetings. There has been no solution at hand for a long time now, and experts had feared that this would be a major blow to the slow but stable recuperation of the UK property investment arena. 

These fears, however, have been proven to be untrue – as London as well as some of the other cities including Edinburgh has become the bee-hive for property investment and property development in the UK. The sheer number of property investors flocking to the UK to pick out prime real estate for investment as well as purchase has flummoxed even the most experienced of experts!  

So what are the positive points of the UK property investment and property development sector that has had the entrepreneurs eating out of the industry today?

 Long-term contracts have been at the center of the whole industry growth. This is because most property investors know that given the economical crisis of the day, there is no hope for monetary gains or revenue from real estate in the near future This enables them to invest for a longer term, as the owners are on the lookout for better deals and partnership revenue agreements on the long term too. 

There is a massive appeal for commercial property investment in UK. The reasons for this are many, but the primary ones have been enlisted below – 
o    For one, the chances to find stable tenants as well as offers that are not in the mid-range can only be found in the commercial sector. Firms will pay more and are willing to stay for longer periods of time, instead of individual tenants. 
o    Companies and organizations that rent out or purchase from property investors often pay for the infrastructure and maintenance costs. While this saves a huge amount of money for the property investor himself, it is also very convenient for the latter, who only need to worry about the monetary side of the bargain and not about the logistics! 

•    The destitute-state of the UK property investment and property development scene has made it easy for real estate agents and property investors to swoop in and inject money in regions that was completely inaccessible to them even a couple of years ago! 
    
If you look at the UK property investment & property development scenario, you will find that while the present-day homeowners do not have much to rejoice about, property investors can make a killing provided they know their way through to the best methods!

ARTICLES ----------- http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/positive-points-of-uk-property-investment-today-5345079.html

Britain's best places to invest in property

As estate agents report a post-recession boom in house prices, Christopher Middleton finds the best investment hot spots.

It’s not merely a false dawn rising over the rooftops. Following years of doom and gloom, UK house prices are finally on the up. According to the Office for National Statistics, values rose by 3.1 per cent in the 12 months to June 2013, compared to 2.9 per cent in the year to May 2013.

Confirmation comes from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), which says that prices are rising at their fastest rate since the pre-crash days of 2006. “The increase is spreading from London and the South East, but this is the first occasion for a long time that we have recorded increased activity everywhere in the country,” explains RICS director Peter Bolton-King.

This is set to continue, with an expected increase of seven per cent in 2014, according to Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight.

There are three factors credited for this surge in buyer interest. One is the government’s Help To Buy scheme. The second is the Funding for Lending scheme, which allows banks to borrow money more cheaply. The third, meanwhile, is the Bank of England’s recent indication that interest rates will remain at record lows for some time.

Given this sunny forecast, canny buyers may need to move fast to snap up bargains. Here are six of the best investment hot spots:

Wales

A 4.3 per cent year-on-year price rise is reported for Wales, which previously saw some of the UK’s largest house price falls during the recession. “Activity in July was much better than in June,” says Nigel Jones of John Francis Estate Agents in Carmarthen. “Sales agreed were up by eight per cent, and sales exchanged by 11 per cent.”

West Midlands

This area has seen the greatest number of interested buyers since records began in April 1999. Both new stock and new buyers are in plentiful supply, particularly in Worcester. “In our country house department, we have seen several deals come to fruition in the past few days, from £300,000 to £750,000. And that’s in traditionally quiet August,” says George Pickard of Halls estate agents. “We are definitely seeing a more confident market.”

Huddersfield

“There has been increased activity in recent months, and the feeling that a corner has been turned,” says Alex McNeil of Huddersfield estate agent Bramleys. He has 30 two- to three-bedroom properties on the market in the £120,000-£130,000 range. “We are experiencing a general feel-better factor.”

Luke Whitaker of Jowett Chartered Surveyors agrees. “The market is still buoyant, in terms of vendor inquiries and an increase in market appraisal requests. This suggests positive market changes.”

North East

The area has seen the highest level of interest for 14 years, according to the RICS. Surveyors report that prices are generally rising rather than falling for the first time since January 2012. The location most in demand is Jesmond, where four- to six-bed homes fetch more than £500,000: three times what they would have cost in the Nineties.

Leighton Buzzard

This is an area in which property website Zoopla identified a sudden, downward dip. Here, the average over the past three years has been as low as £230,000 for a semi-detached house. Just 33 miles to the south, in Buckinghamshire’s Gerrards Cross (35 minutes by train into London), house values are 60 per cent higher, around £655,000. Now is the time to invest before the Bedfordshire market bounces back.

Cambridge

Far from scanning the horizon for non-existent buyers, Cambridge estate agents are pitting purchasers against each other.

“Every house we have sold so far this year has gone for the guide price or above,” says Ed Mayer of Savills. “Exactly 50 per cent of sales have sold in competition, too, either in sealed bids or during open rounds of negotiations. The largest offer was 21.53 per cent above guide price.”

No doubt about it, says surveyor Mark Wood of Bradshaws. “We have had an extremely high volume of sales throughout July, with a lack of available properties resulting in prices increasing.”

The only cloud on the horizon, it seems, is that this shortage of supply will lead to a sudden surge in prices, rather than a gradual ascent. For the moment, though, there is no rain falling on the UK property parade. Find the right place to invest, and the result could be, if not pounds, at least pennies from heaven.

Article From ----- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/.

 By Christopher Middleton.

7 Thrifty Ways to Protect Your Home

7 Thrifty Ways to Protect Your Home. 

1.      Thorny Plants Under the Windows 

This is probably one of the prettiest security solutions that exist today. Plant thorny plants, like a lovely rosebush for instance, under your down stairs windows to deter anyone thinking the windows would make a good entry point. Not many would be criminals will relish getting caught up in a rosebush as they try to get in through the window.

 

2.      Make Use of Fencing

Fencing or any other kind of barrier for that matter is a great way to define the boundaries of your property. Now this isn’t going to stop anyone who’s determined but by having a boundary in place you’ll at least be making the task a little harder plus it will also make the criminal think twice; I mean who wants to try and carry the plasma TV they just stole over a 6 ft. high fence?

 

 

 3.      Install Security Cameras

While these top tips mostly focus on non-high tech devices the popularity of security cameras and home security systems have brought costs down to a level where the majority of people can now afford to have some security cameras setup. Here’s a nice list of security cameras available in the UK ordered by price. It’s fairly straight forward to fit a security camera yourself and a great way to gain peace of mind knowing that everything’s being captured on tape.

  

4.      Check Who’s at the Door

You hear parents tell their kids never to open the door to strangers and this should go for you too. Logically you know it’s odd if a plumber or electrician turn up unannounced claiming to be there to fix a problem you weren’t even aware of. Just because they’re wearing a uniform you recognise doesn’t necessarily mean you should let them in. This is why we have security chains on our doors, peep round the door and ask them to identify themselves; a quick call to the firm they represent should confirm they are who they say they are. Don’t worry about wasting their time, tradesmen and women want you to trust them and they’ll be more than happy for you to confirm their identity.

5.      Give Your Place a Lived In Feel

If you’ve got your neighbours keeping an eye on your property whilst you’re away why not ask them if they wouldn’t mind moving your car every now and then. It will only take a few minutes and gives the impression to anyone canvasing the area that someone has been coming and going. Better yet ask a friend if they would want to stay at your place whilst you’re gone; with it being more and more difficult for twenty somethings to get their own place in the UK you shouldn’t have  a problem finding someone appropriate and in need of a break from their parents.

6.      Light It Up

A little bit of light can go a long way. Would be criminals often look for dark and gloomy properties in order to avoid being spotted. Thus a simple solution is to install some lighting around your property. This might be a porch light providing a warm glow, or perhaps some lights lining the driveway or even better a motion activated security light. Whatever you decide on will act as an extra deterrent and assure you that nobody is out there lurking in the bushes.

 

  

7.      Let People Know Your Home is Secure

Finally make it obvious that you have a security system in place. Even if you don’t have a full blown alarm system in place doesn’t mean you can’t put up a sign saying you do. It’s a simple and very affordable security measure but, putting the shoe on the other foot, would you risk breaking in if you thought there could be an alarm system in place?

 

 

 

Article From ---->  http://blog.thebigpropertylist.co.uk/