Robert Allen, self made American property millionaire and guru, in his excellent book ‘Nothing Down for the 1990s’, suggests an interesting plan by which we can all retire early and live off a plentiful supply of untaxed income. Does this sound too good to be true? Well, actually, it probably isn’t, although there are some…
In the end it comes down to simple supply and demand. Demand for property is increasing with changes in society – there are many smaller family units and singles who want to live alone, a trend that is set to continue. And demand for property is increasing with the explosion of legal immigration, especially from…
The most obvious implication is that property works best when treated as a long-term investment. This is why I, and others, champion the view that once you have bought a property, unless there are compelling reasons for doing so (and these might be personal as well as property related) you really should never sell. If…
Now let’s apply these principles to property. With every year that property prices increase, the increase builds upon the increase of the year before. In other words price growth is compound and not linear. I’m sure you know what I’m trying to say but let me explain anyway According to the Nationwide, average house prices…
For me, the key thing is to be on the right side of compounding, and to be the beneficiary and recipient. Now, when you study compounding you’ll find some strange phenomena. Before we look at its impact upon property let’s look at a couple of simple financial examples. Let’s suppose you deposit £100 in the…
Ultimately it’s a question of degree. If your cash flow is haemorrhaging uncontrollably and you are going to go broke in a few short months, then I agree this is not a good strategy. But if you can cover the negative cash flow, either from other income or, even better, by setting aside some of…
Now, let me say straight up that I have no problem with investors creating short term gains in property. I do it myself all the time. My favoured method of doing so is refurbishment – buying a property needing some work, whether repair, improvement, modernisation and upgrading, or perhaps a combination of some or all…
It’s interesting how many people, when they find out what I do for a living, smile knowingly and say words to the effect of “ah, bad luck, it’s not possible to make money in property nowadays, is it?” I usually smile back and say something like “yes, it’s not like it used to be” and…
There are two principles that I am trying to get across, both of which are crucial for any property investor. The second principle is that ninety-nine times out of one hundred the most successful investors are the ones who come to terms with, and learn how to manage, debt, and who are prepared to be…
There are two principles that I am trying to get across, both of which are crucial for any property investor. The first is that a key tool you can use to accelerate the growth of your business is the efficient, but I stress considered, use of gearing. The reason why many investors have been able…