April Sees Rents Soar
May 20th, 2011
April saw average property rentals payments rise in England and Wales to a record breaking £692 per month. LSL property services have reported a rental increase of almost 1% on March’s figures and an increase of around 4.5% on the same time last year. In monetary terms this means landlords are charging almost £30 each month more than they were last year.
As the availability of local social housing is contracting due to government spending cuts in the social housing budgets, the market for good quality private rental accommodation is expanding to fill the gap. This expansion is fantastic news for the first time landlord looking to get into the rental market, with interest rates and property prices at an all time low there has never been a better time to utilise your savings or equity in an existing property to boost your income. With up to a 15% return on your investment Happy Homes Investments can help you get your savings working for you again.
Call us today for a free consultation.
Can investors still get into buy-to-let?
April 10th, 2011
The outlook seems bright for those considering looking to dip a toe in the property investment market as the continued shortage of good rental properties available and high tenant demand due to first-time buyers struggling to find the larger deposits required by many mortgage lenders, has meant that the current buoyant state of the rental market is likely to persist for some time.
Historically Buy-to-let mortgages have always come at a premium so for many balancing the income from the property against the expense of the mortgage has given them cause to steer clear of property investment, but with a growing rental demand come higher rents and rental income.
‘The good news is that, although buy-to-let lenders have tightened their criteria with higher deposits and rental cover calculations, rising rents make it is easier for landlords to meet these demands,’ says Melanie Bien, director at broker, Private Finance.
Steering clear of high street lenders and going through a specialist broker with access to ‘limited distribution’ mortgage deals, can uncover some gems. Mortgages for Business for example, is currently offering a 3.99% two-year discounted tracker in return for a 25% deposit, for all types of landlord.
Bear in mind however that, while fixed rate buy-to-let deals are available, they tend to be disproportionately expensive – and interest rate rises are looming large on the horizon. Credit Scoring requirements for the most competitive buy-to-let deals are also pegged high so it’s worth applying for a copy of your credit file through one of the credit reference agencies if you are in any doubt.
Good News for first time investors
March 15th, 2011
There has been a very interesting change of attitude by lenders in the buy-to-let market. Historically lenders have always favoured the established landlords, those with a history of buy-to-let borrowing and have build up a good sized portfolio.
Since the beginning of the year lenders have begun to change their lending patterns and started to look more favourably at the first time landlord rather than the professional landlord. Not surprisingly these new buy-to-let customers are borrowers who have large credit balances earning very little interest who have become very disillusioned with standard bank accounts and are now looking for alternative ways of getting a decent return on their investment.
With the lenders easing many of the restrictions around buy-to-let mortgages such as deposits, interest rates and other criteria thus making them more affordable and readily available, coupled with the demands on the rental market increasing month on month and rental income providing a better return on investment than your standard bank accounts there has never been a better time to become a property investor.
With up to a 15% return on your investment Happy Homes Investments can help you get your savings working for you again. Call us today for a free consultation.
Working out your Return On Investment
January 14th, 2011
This is an extremely important calculation to make, only by doing this you will avoid the trap that many investors fall into that of purchasing a liability rather than an investment.
Robert Kiyosaki (motivational speaker and author of the “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” series of books sums up the definition of an investment perfectly “To be an asset it must pay you cash every month, AND appreciate in value”
Far too many “investors” concentrate on the later part of this quote and forget about the income, many are enticed by the promise of a huge growth in the value of their property and are left with a cash flow negative property (outgoings and commitments higher than rental income) that they cannot sell, there is no longer the guarantee that a property will immediately increase in value as soon as you have done any alterations or repairs, Many investors are then left with a liability which they have to pay out cash for month on month. The results of which are:-
Reduction in your standard of living, an investment is supposed to enhance your lifestyle not restrict it.
Problems should your other income streams fail through unemployment, dividend payments; this may force you to sell your property at a loss causing more financial problems.
Increasing your portfolio becomes impossible if you are already subsidising 1 property at £200 per month do you want to increase this to 10 properties and £2000 per month.
It really is important to do your homework and ensure you purchase a property that gets the balance between income and growth right and the only way this can be done is to follow the steps laid out to you throughout our guide.
1. Find the right property
2. Pay the right price
3. Keep refurbishments within budget and timescales
4. Factor in any hidden costs
5. Ensure you have tenants ready to move in as soon as the property is ready
At Happy Homes Investments we ensure these points are covered every time for every investor, as we want to make sure our Investors buy a good solid investment not a liability.
Increase in numbers of new tenants
October 8th, 2010
A recent report issued by Countrywide Integrated Solutions, one of the country’s largest Letting agents, has shown that quarter three of this year saw a 19% rise in the number of new tenants looking for rental property. This means that in the three months leading up to October, over61000 new people have registered with them to enter the rental market. During 2010, the demand for residential rental properties has increased by over 40%.
It’s the old story of supply and demand, with mortgage criteria still very tight and with uncertainty in the employment market, more and more people are turning towards the rental sector rather than risking buying their own property. In the Midlands and the North, two bedroom houses are in the greatest demand with almost a quarter of potential tenants looking for this type of property. This means there are usually around 10 tenants applying for each rental as soon as itis advertised.
Some see the private rental market as the only option in the current economic climate, tough mortgage criteria and the Government’s cuts to the Social Housing Budget.
The high demand for rental property means that many landlords are able to maintain a god level of rental income whilst enjoying low mortgage interest payments and so maximising their return on investment.
Letting Agents, what to look for.
July 1st, 2010
Once you have purchased your Buy to Let Property you need to make the decision “do you get an agent or do you go it alone.” Going it alone can be time consuming and a legal mine field if you have not got all the documents, agreements, do’s and don’ts laid out beforehand. Don’t forget this is your property that someone else has got rights over; this alone is a good enough reason to take on a Letting Agent.
So what should I look for in a good Letting Agent?
The first thing to do is take a look at what associations they are members of , the main ones to look for are ARLA (Assoc of Residential Letting Agents), NAEA (National Assoc of Estate Agents), NALS (National approved Letting Scheme), or RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors). All these associations are bound by a code of conduct that helps protect you as their client.
What will my Letting Agent do for me?
The services a Letting Agent provides varies from agent to agent, it is always advisable to sit down with your agent and outline exactly what you want them to do, this can be as little as just finding you a tenant to fully managing the property. Having your property fully managed can save you a lot of time and energy in the future as they will carry out all the necessary inspections, report to you any problems and if agreed up front send out trades people to deal with any minor or emergency repairs without you needing to get involved.
How much will all this cost?
Fees, like services vary from agent to agent, the cheapest may not be the most economical and the most expensive may not be the best. In general a Letting Agent will charge a percentage of your monthly rental income usually around 10-15% depending on the level of service they are offering.
Tenants outnumber properties
February 15th, 2010
According to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) the rental market is seeing an upward trend in the number of tenants. A survey conducted by ARLS showed that the previous surplus of rental property is reducing at an unprecedented rate wile the demand growing even quicker.
During the last quarter of 2009 ARLA reported that 41% of its members were reporting more tenants than properties, compared to just 21% in the previous quarter.
Demand for tenanted accommodation is coming from previous homeowners who have been forced to sell their property during the last year due tot either moving jobs, or financial instability and they are now finding it difficult to find the right property or funding according to ARLA Operations Manger Ian Potter. He added the rise in Tenants is a positive sign for the industry as it indicated increased market movement, it also shows more people will learn the benefit of living in rental accommodation.
Happy Investing!
Terraced houses are a hit with landlords
February 2nd, 2010
Research carried out by Paragon Mortgages shows that 10% of professional landlords plan to expand their property portfolio during the first three months of 2010. When asked what type of property they would be looking for, terraced property was by far the most popular choice.
Almost 66% of those surveyed said that a terraced property would be their first choice, with semi-detached properties coming in second but way down their priority list, bringing up the rear were flats and detached houses.
Terraced houses have for many, many years been the property of choice for most professional landlords as they are usually sited in good solid rental area’s most are very well built and can offer a good base for refurbishment, priced reasonably they offer the landlord a good Return on Investment and are well liked by a wide range of tenant types.
Happy investing!
Recovery in the Buy-to-Let market
January 20th, 2010
LSL property services, owners of Your Move and Reeds Rains reported that buy-to-let landlords enjoyed a 7.6% annual return in 2009.
Landlords saw their properties rise in value 3% and their rental income a further 4.6%. This is a great improvement on the 8.8% loss suffered by property investors in 2008, due mainly to a £23000 depreciation in the value of their property along with a lower rental income.
David Brown, the Commercial Director for LSL, attributes the rebound to the reduction in available rental properties created when many buy to let landlords put their properties on the market during the first signs of a recovery over the summer.
Happy investing!
The Property Market makes a buoyant start to 2010
January 18th, 2010
Property website Right Move said record numbers of people logged onto its website to view property at the start of January. Volumes are up 26% compared to the same time last year.
With the current number of potential buyers continuing to outnumber the properties available on the market, along with dramatically low number of new builds being completed due to developers calling a halt to many building projects at the end of 2008, house prices are being pushed steadily upwards. The start of January saw the price increase trend from 2009 continue, with houses prices rising 1.2% in the first 2 weeks.
Happy investing!