Buy to Let Property: Cashing In on a Stabilising Market

Even as house prices continue to stabilize, property investors remain interested in growing their property portfolio. The reason is that the present market has afforded them with more opportunities for growth.
Have you ever wondered why many veteran property investors are not worried about house prices evening out? Unlike investors new to property investing, the more experienced property investors are seemingly able to meet stricter lending standards requiring larger deposits. Not only that. These professionals are taking advantage of a market undergoing stabilization. So how do they succeed in it?

According to property data company Hometrack, professional property investors want ownership of the glut of rented properties. Owning at least ten homes, these investors have become experts at finding bargain properties and taking advantage of rising rents. They are aware that with fewer buyers in the market, there's a greater need for rental properties and less competition from other people chasing the same properties. Savvy investors also know that the present market is a good time to acquire more properties for their long term investment objectives.

Even though lenders are asking for deposits of up to 25%, there are still lots of investors who are more than willing to put down that amount. Their confidence stems from the fact that they have done their homework and have worked out the returns. When they find that the property is priced right, they will pursue the buying decision. This is because they are not beleaguered by the credit crunch since the funds they need to borrow to finance their future purchases are fairly small when compared with the size of their entire portfolio.

The rise of buy to let tenants

Industry experts have always touted the fact that many people in the UK are choosing to rent instead of making a property purchase due to falling property prices and tightening credit crunch. Add to that the anticipated increase of immigrants, divorcees and the increasing numbers of relocating employees. In addition, the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) is predicting that there will be a healthy demand for rental properties – between 20,000 and 30,000 a year over the next ten years. All these mean that property investors are set to benefit greatly from buy to let property investing.

The abundance of cheap properties

Because house prices are evening out, many properties have become more affordable. As buyers avoid making a purchase in the current market, prices of properties being put up for sale are going downwards. The number of repossessions is also soaring because of the current crunch. If you’re considering adding several properties to your portfolio, now would be a good time.

Buy BMV

As any property investor knows, buying a property below its market value is the key to a good investment. While it may initially sound implausible, finding a property priced below its real market value is possible. In fact many have thrived in it. The secret is to find sellers who have an urgent need to sell. Called motivated sellers, they have been known to accept bids lower than the real value of their property. Their reasons for a quick sale range from divorce, relocation to repossession.

While property investments can be your key to a stable financial future, it pays to achieve success in the basics of buy to let property investing that many savvy property investors have already accomplished These would include doing your homework, performing due diligence, conducting research on the market you’re willing to put up a buy to let property investment in, purchase properties priced affordably and make sure to enter the market with a long-term outlook.

By Parmdeep Vadesha
Published: 11/29/2008
 
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