With a shortage of new homes being built and interest rates remaining at historically low levels, there has perhaps never been a better time to invest in a property with a view to letting it out.
The market opportunity is huge. Mortgages are increasingly hard to obtain for buyers unless their creditworthiness is impeccable, they are able to pass increasingly hard “stress” tests, and have saved a significant deposit (few have). Additionally, renting has over the past decade become a much more socially “acceptable”, way to live.
One thing is sure – if you put your money in a bank or similar “safe-haven” (ha!) your return is likely to be minimal. Indeed, the FTSE 100 has risen only 9% in 18 years! So why not use it to invest in a buy to let property?
We often work with people who are in the process of buying such a property – and can often have a credit-checked tenant lined up before you even complete the purchase!
With the age of the average first time buyer now in their mid-thirties, more young people going to university than ever before (which always supports sustainable rental values), the rental market looks to be an excellent long-term opportunity to the savvy investor. Perhaps with a little bit of gearing from the bank, you could have a ready-made investment yielding say 6% within weeks.
If you have a good credit-rating and perhaps around £35,000 to invest, buying a buy-to-let property now (and letting us manage it for you of course) might just prove to be the opportunity you have been waiting to harness.
Worth a thought!
Neil Newstead, FARLA MNAEA MIRPM
Chief Executive Officer