Mistake number three – They put too much trust in valuations. Now, don’t get me wrong, as I said in point number one, valuations are a great way of making sure you aren’t paying over the odds. But they are not such a good way of confirming you are buying a bargain. Why do I…
Mistake number two – They are too cautious in their negotiations. With the odd and often notable exception it’s part of the British psyche not to want to cause offence. Add to this that we often accept the asking price without questioning it, and the result is often weak negotiations. Let me explain. When most…
Quite often, when I talk about my experiences in property I’ll be asked what the difference is between a good property investor and a poor property investor. Truthfully, that’s a hard question to answer. Some people are naturally good at things and some people are just good at property investing. Putting natural talent aside, over…
Wait for prices to go up This is the crunch part of the plan. If prices don’t go up, the plan won’t work (unless you bought substantially below market in the first place). I’ve heard it said that house prices double, on average, every seven to ten years. Looked at another way, average house prices…
Let it out at a rent that covers all costs This isn’t necessarily as easy as it sounds, because yields and capital growth often work against each other. It is generally true that the higher the yield, the less expectation there is in the market of capital growth. Conversely, the higher the likelihood of capital…
Is the plan I outlined in the Part 1 to make unlimited tax free wealth realistic? Actually, I think it is, but there are a few practical issues which need further thought and attention if the investor is to stay on track. Let’s have a look at these now under these headings: Buy a property…
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…