A common dilemma faced by property investors is this: Now that I have started to build my BTL portfolio and achieved some equity growth; should I pull out the increased equity and reinvest by refinancing or leave it there to reduce the debt / equity ratio and enjoy some of the steadily rising … [Read more...]
Silly question from a novice property investor…Really?
Today's feature is inspired by a reader's question on the Property Hub Forum, which goes as follows [edited]: ."..Although I haven't fully formed goal strategy yet, however, I do know I want to be a hands off landlord. I’d also prefer to buy new(ish) properties and am looking to rent unfurnished to … [Read more...]
My Essential Property Book List
I was recently asked by Vanessa Warwick to submit my top 5 essential property books to the Property Tribes Forum. Today’s post elaborates on the selection a bit further… I guess the most obvious thing that strikes when looking at my top 5 is that none of them is directly about property. Possibly … [Read more...]
How can we achieve financial independence & wealth creation when we start in debt?
This short (1:31 min) video from The Money Charity got me thinking this morning...how can we even think about investing, financial independence and wealth creation when our starting position is one of debt? I am no expert but I do have some experience and a story to tell... I was drawn back to … [Read more...]
Real Estate / Property Investing with No Money Down – Fact of Fiction?
Controversial - you can't invest in property (real estate) with no money says Scott Trench, tosh I say! True, he seems to define the term 'invest in property' to mean put your own money into it rather than time, contacts, knowledge, experience, etc. and as a result of course he would be right...but … [Read more...]
The “ultimate” property investment analysis calculations? Maybe…
I might not go as far as to so the ‘ultimate analysis’ but what I do like about this feature from Biggerpockets is the emphasis of measuring our investment returns based on how much actual cash we invested in the first place. Isn’t that what all the press are reporting on when they talk of rental … [Read more...]
What’s “The Number”? How much is enough to retire on normally or even early?
In a recent visit from a friend of mine, over the course of a few late nights and few more beers, we got to chatting about what I called "The Number". The Number is a notional amount of money sufficient to retire on and when I say retire I actually mean stop working full time for someone … [Read more...]
The four ages of home ownership…or the great ‘British Dream’
We have all heard of the American Dream but here we have the British Dream. Make money in the city, halfway house into the suburbs when we start a family, into the big house in our economic prime before retiring by the sea. That's it - that's the great British Dream. As with our American cousins, … [Read more...]
Life changing property career decision…
Have a butcher's at this thread from the Property118 forum. The original poster: Onslow Clough, has a potential dilemma on his hands and so has outlined what could be a life-changing decision for him. Onslow lives in his own mortgaged home, is self-employed and has built up a reasonable … [Read more...]
The art of investment…or investment in art?
This is very interesting: http://www.savills.co.uk/research_articles/141274/178600-0 - a comparison of the investment returns of property versus art and one or two other less familiar 'investment assets'. Prime central London comes out on top followed by classic cars of all things and then other … [Read more...]