Peter Jones is an ex Chartered Surveyor (semi-retired, whatever that means!), an author and a serial buy to let property investor. He has been involved in property for over 40 years having graduated from the College of Estate Management, Reading University, and then qualifying as an Associate member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 1983, before being elected a Fellow in 1992.
By the age of 35 he was a Salaried Partner in a well respected firm of Chartered Surveyors, and was managing partner of their West End of London Office. His specialty was commercial property but during the recession of the 1990’s his specialisation became redundant, and so did he.
Renovating property can be a very profitable strategy — but only if you know what you’re doing before you start.
A lot of people look at tired houses and flats and think, “There must be a profit in that.”
And sometimes there is.
But just because a property needs work does not automatically mean there is money to be made. In fact, many would-be renovators get caught out because they underestimate the cost of the works, overestimate the value they’ll add, choose the wrong type of project, or simply fail to plan the refurb properly before they buy.
That is when what looked like an exciting opportunity can quickly become expensive, stressful and disappointing.
It does not have to be that way.
In this free special report, Top Ten Tips For Property Renovation Profits, I’ll share some of the key lessons I’ve learned from renovating well over 100 properties over the years — some to sell on at a profit, and others to keep, let out and refinance.
If judged by the numbers alone, buy to let has been hugely successful with almost 2 million buy to let mortgages being lent since 1996.
With the property market now in recovery the number of buy to let loans applied for, and lent, is only going to continue to increase.
Successful property investors will tell you that ‘Finding the right finance is as important as finding the right property’.
But getting a buy to let mortgage IS NOT like getting a mortgage to buy your own home.
Professional investors will tell you that “getting the right finance can make a good deal great, but getting the wrong finance can make a good deal poor”.
So surely it makes sense to know as much as you can about buy to let finance BEFORE you apply for your loans.
The problem is there are numerous buy to let lenders offering a bewildering array and choice
I’m a big fan of buy to let and have been actively investing for the last 20 years. During that time I’ve put together a sizeable portfolio and, through my books and courses, have helped many others do the same. But there are aspects of buy to let which disturb and worry me. In this short eBook I’m going to tell it how it is, and show how you can protect yourself, so that you can invest with full peace of mind.
In this video we’re going to continue our mini-series on valuation, specifically the valuation of buy to let and residential investment property. In the last video we looked at some of the things which influence valuation and which we will need to take account of. If you missed that video, here’s the link. Here’s to…
I sometimes get messages from subscribers along the lines of “Peter, you’re great at keeping us updated about buy to let mortgage products, but what about mortgages and finance for other types of properties?” And so in this video I’m going to share details of mortgages available for HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation) and MUBS.…
In this video we’re specifically thinking about the technicalities of valuing our buy to let’s. Most likely we’re going to use The Direct Comparison Method of valuation, which is exactly as it says on the tent. But we do need to be aware that we are rarely going to find a truly identical property with…
The Return of Bridge to Let. This Bridge to Let buy to let mortgage product is offered by one of my favourite lenders. It’s a great resource if you want to buy a property using finance (a mortgage) but it requires too much of a refurb so you can’t or won’t get a standard buy…
I’m sometimes asked what is the best way to raise finance for my buy to lets? This might sound like a flippant answer but it’s not, this is what I genuinely think. The best way to raise bank finance for buy to let is by going through a broker, you should not be trying to…
One of the big, big changes in property over the last 20 years is that it is now so easy to find finance for your properties. When I first started 20 years ago, buy to let mortgages had only just come in. Nobody quite knew what they were or how they worked. And it took…
Hi, Peter Jones, ex-chartered surveyor, author and property investor. In this video I want to think about whether buying a property below market value makes it a great deal and whether it makes it a great deal every time. And the short answer to that is no, I do not think it does. Now, in…
Hi, Peter Jones, chartered surveyor, author and property investor. And one of the big dilemmas and questions which I hear many property investors posing, particularly when they first come into property is ‘should I buy my properties using interest only mortgages or should I use capital repayment mortgages?’. And the received wisdom is that for…
Hi, Peter Jones, chartered surveyor, author, and property investor. And I’ve been asked ‘what does it mean when you hear the banks talking about a portfolio landlord, and why does it matter?’ Well, this relates specifically to buy to let because relatively recently, within the last couple of years, the banks have been…
I have had a question in from Michael. I have changed his name by the way, it is not his real name, because he might not want me to give away his personal details. Michael is a self-employed electrician from London and he earns roughly £20,000 a year, and he wants to get into buy…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor and ex-chartered surveyor. And in this short video I want to talk about the right way of finding the very best buy to let mortgage product or deal, because in my opinion there is one right way and there’s several wrong ways. So, let me start with wrong way…
If you want to do Buy to Let with BRR (Buy Refurbish Refinance), it’s the stress test which means that the upper limit of value is going to be around £200,000 (this isn’t a precise figure and don’t forget each bank uses slightly different figures and so the upper limit will be different for each bank). And this why…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor and ex-chartered surveyor. In a previous video, I showed you five reasons why I think the buy to let is a fantastic investment. And in this video, I want to give you an extra bonus reason which I think is so important I want to do this one on…
I’m occasionally contacted by ex-pats who very often want to find a buy to let mortgage which they can use to buy an investment property in the UK whilst they are a resident abroad. Now as far as I know and I’m not an expert, I’m not a mortgage broker, but there are not very…
A question which I often get asked, particularly by new investors is ‘Peter what should I do if I have a down valuation?’ So, the premise behind this question is that the investor has found a property which they want to buy and maybe they’re buying it with a buy to let mortgage but the…
Look at this property. Somebody’s left it as a right old mess but it’d make a lovely refurb project for one of our buy to lets. But the key question is, if we were going to try and buy this as a buy to let so that we could do the refurb, how would we…
Peter: So Alasdair, I mean limited companies are all good, that’s all good. One of the things which the bank will be looking at, whether you are buying in your own name or whether you are doing it through a limited company, as you’ve already alluded to is the rental of the property when you’re…
I had a really interesting question from a viewer on YouTube asking whether the mortgage on his home should be interest only (to help his cash flow and so he could allocate more funds to his buy to lets).
I’m quite often asked, “Peter, can I borrow the deposit money for my buy to let, and finance the rest on a buy to let mortgage?”
Or, alternatively, I’ll be contacted by someone who says, “I’m about to buy a property with a buy to let mortgage and I’m borrowing the deposit from my friend/business partner/ JV partner who I met at the local property network meeting”.
I’ve had a few questions around Stress Testing (of buy to let mortgages) and how that works.
And, of course, this is an important subject because Stress Testing in effect set’s the maximum amount we can borrow.
If you want to do Buy to Let with BRR (Buy Refurbish Refinance), it’s the stress test which means that the upper limit of value is going to be around £200,000 (this isn’t a precise figure and don’t forget each bank uses slightly different figures and so the upper limit will be different for each bank).
Since 2017 the banks have been encouraged to apply new procedures when processing applications from what are known as ‘portfolio landlords’. So what is a ‘portfolio landlord’? The definition of “portfolio landlord” is someone who owns 4 or more mortgaged properties. By the way it doesn’t make any difference if these properties are owned in…
There’s so much changing in the mortgage market at the moment that I thought it’d be useful to get an update from my mortgage broker on what are the best Limited Company buy to let mortgage deals. I asked him just to tell me about 75% LTV mortgages – because with the model I use…
Because the mortgage market is a bit volatile at the moment I thought it would be a good idea to ask my mortgage broker what the best buy to let mortgage deals are at the moment for individuals.
I asked him to look at 75% LTV mortgages because I can’t think why you might want a 65% or 70% LTV if a 75% LTV is available.
Here’s what he came up with.
This is an interesting question. Somebody has asked me ‘does no money down really exist and if it does how do I do it?’. First things first. One thing I have noticed when I have been online looking at the forums and looking at the Facebook groups is that occasionally you will see somebody saying,…
One of the great things about being in property today is that there are so many different ways we can raise our finance. And if you find yourself in a situation where you find yourself a fantastic refurb opportunity, but you can’t get standard buy to let lending because it needs a bit too much…
Something I see debated a lot online is whether we should pay a mortgage broker and if we should, how much we should pay. I often see on Facebook groups and forums people posting saying words to the effect of, ‘can anyone recommend a good mortgage broker who doesn’t charge a fee?’. I must admit…
A concern which I sometimes hear new investors express is what if the bank won’t lend me the money? Let’s just think about this because there are probably going to be two different reasons why a bank might not lend you the money. The very first is, they’re not going to lend you the money…
A couple of years ago buy to let lenders introduced the stress test, encouraged to do so by the Bank of England and The CML. This has made the journey to securing finance and mortgages very interesting! On the face of it this is a good idea. Mortgage lending needs to be kept under control…
I sometimes see posts on forums and Facebook groups suggesting that No Money Down is illegal. When I see blanket statements like that I understand that they don’t fully understand what No Money Down (NMD) means. A simple analogy would be something like, if you saw a car that had worn brakes and had failed it’s MOT and had no insurance, and…
Over the last couple of months my mortgage broker has identified a couple of fantastic products to help accelerate your property progress. One, a bridge to let product which allows you to refurb a property with a guaranteed switch to a buy to let loan when the refurb is done, and all in one product.…
Isn’t this the age old question? It’s one of those questions where everyone either seems to have a very firm opinion, or no opinion at all. More time has been spent in the investment community arguing over this than actually going out and looking for deals! But the reality is, like so many things in…
Ah, the old dilemma, and a question I’ve been asked a lot recently.. As is so often the case in property, there is no right or wrong answer, but here are my thoughts on this. Number 1/. Given the choice between using my money or someone else’s (in this case the bank’s), I’d use someone…
Sadly, all too common. This is a subject I feel very strongly about because, in my opinion, a down valuation is just as negligent as an over valuation, but it appears I’m on my own on that one. It’s true that valuation is an opinion, and so rather than being a defined single figure, it’s…
How many different buy to let mortgages are there on the market today? Well, it’s anybody’s guess but the most recent figure I came across was around 2,000 different BTL mortgages, and they are being offered by up to (an estimated) 100 different lenders. All of those products, and all of those lenders, will have…
If you are buying properties to refurb, and I think you should be so you can add value, most buy to let lenders want the property to be lettable from day 1. So getting finance can be tricky, if not impossible, for the types of properties we want to buy. Here’s the solution. This product gets around that by…
So often when an investor tells me that they are struggling to raise finance, it turns out they are using the wrong broker. Either the wrong type of broker – like they are trying to raise HMO finance through a buy to let specialist. Or just the WRONG broker. In other words, a broker who just isn’t…
What is the ‘Six Month Rule’, and why do we have it? Put simply, the ‘Six Month Rule’ says that if you buy a property you can’t finance or refinance within six months of purchase. Or, if you finance or refinance a property, you can’t then refinance within 6 months of financing or refinancing. So,…
It’s easy to assume that the money won’t be available for buying our property investments. After all, isn’t money hard to get? Who would lend to me? I’m only just starting in buy to let. The reality is very different, the money is there if we look and ask. The one thing which stops…
Buying a property that needs a bit doing to it and giving it a bit of TLC and a quick refurb can be one of the easiest and most satisfying ways of making a profit in property. But before you can begin to enjoy the benefits of forced appreciation, you must first tackle the complexities…
I’ve noticed that a large number of lenders have cut their mortgage rates since the start of the year, possibly as a consequence of Funding for Lending. Within the last couple of weeks a number of lenders have cut rates on their buy to let products. BM Solutions, owned by Lloyds banking group, cut rates…
One of the UK’s largest buy-to-let lenders, Paragon Mortgages, has updated its product range of loans for large-scale and professional landlords. A new range of fixed rate products include a new two year fix at 4.45% with a 2% product fee and is available for HMOs, multi-unit blocks and single, self-contained . There are also…
In it’s most basic form this mistake manifests as not shopping around for the best LTV (loan to value ratio) or the best interest rate (½% over 20 years makes a lot of difference) or finding the loan with the least penalties if you want to swop or pay it off early. A more sophisticated…
There were two major changes on the “road” to buy-to-let: A change to the landlord and tenant law A desire by ARLA to promote its member’s business The first step towards buy-to-let as we now know it was that the law on landlord and tenant was changed to make letting easier and more financially attractive…
However you decide to source your properties you will need to find the buy-to-let lending product that best suits your needs. As a first step I’d recommend that you download the Free Special Report which you’ll find on the Home Page of this web site – it’s a transcript and an MP3 audio file of…
Is Your Lender About To Sc@w You?! I don’t know whether you’ve picked up on the Bank of Ireland/West Bromwich Building Society controversy. Long story short, both lenders have found, allegedly, small print in their Buy to Let mortgage contracts to allow them to add another couple of percent to rates payable on existing mortgages…
Although it’s said that we live in uncertain times, I don’t fully agree with that. Actually, we do have some certainty as to what is…
This week we look at borrowing, with other people’s money! Your ability to invest in Property using your time and effort and someone else’s cash!…
Most millionaires don’t just rely on one source of income. In fact, I’ve heard that the average millionaire has at least three income streams, with…
It’s hot spot season! Just Googling around property and I can see that on a journalist’s ‘to do list’ in January is to produce the…
Imagine this, you’re out viewing properties, you’re going to view this property, maybe you’re thinking it’ll make a nice flip or perhaps it’s even going…
In fact, I know of instances where finance was pulled by the banks on the day of completion, leaving the property investor unable to…
You’ll often hear it said in property that “The value is what someone will pay for it” but technically, according to the RICS (Royal…
I am sometimes contacted by people who live in an area which is far too expensive for them to buy a residential home in. And…
Buy to let landlords sold 35,000 more properties than they bought in 2022, with the rental sector losing an average of 66 buy to…
One thing I get a little annoyed about is when I see an ‘expert’ on social media telling us that such and such a…
Setting goals might be boring but we need to do it. Goal setting is one of the key things for success in any activity, property…
Are you a Portfolio Landlord? What does that even mean? How do Buy to Let Lenders define a Portfolio Landlord? And what does it…
I don’t consider myself to be an old person, yet, but I have to agree with what you hear a lot of old(er) people…
Over the years I’ve appointed many managing agents across my various buy to let portfolios, and one thing I’ve noticed is that some understand…
One of the many things I’ve learned over the last 40 years in property, and 25 years in buy to let, is that having…
Property is a people business. So it follows that Buy to Let property investing is also a people business. If you are more ‘details minded’,…
This is one of the main misconceptions in property: that great deals are found. Yes, it’s true you may stumble across a great…
After I was made redundant, I spent many years working on my own, as a classic “solo-preneur” building my buy to let, property investment…
Fashions come and go in property as in any other part of the economy. Over the last 40 years we’ve seen Irish theme…
If you want a quiet life, then property probably isn’t for you. The reality is, if you want to be successful in property…
Is the Private Rental Sector Losing Landlords? Since December 2021, we’ve been hearing a lot about landlords exiting the Private Rental Sector. The…
Who is the most important member of your power team? Well, on the basis that you won’t do many deals if you don’t…
There’s one thing we all need to do, but not everyone wants to do it. I’m ashamed to say, I’m one of them or,…
One of the core principles of property investing is that, when you can, it’s often better (long term more profitable) to buy a property needing…
If you want more success in property, then solve more problems. If the definition of an entrepreneur is, as I’ve heard it said, “a…
I have to be honest, this is something which really winds me up. When I hear someone say “you have to do this” or “you…
From time to time you’ll hear buy to let investors moaning that a valuer has down valued their investment property, and either they’ll not be…
Over my 40 years in property I’ve noticed that the very best deals are usually fast deals, or conversely slow deals. Very often (but…
One of the (maybe few) advantages of getting older is that you get to learn a lot along the way. And one thing which I…
I realised quite early on in my buy to let property investing, that if I wanted anything to happen, it’d be down to me…
Over the last 40 years I’ve seen opportunity is literally everywhere in property. But most property investors don’t always spot it. …
Some investors use buy to let mortgages for their SA (serviced accommodation) properties. They shouldn’t. Technically they could be committing mortgage fraud.…
If you want to make more money in property, more quickly, here’s three things you can do: Number One – buy a property for…
In this video we’re going to continue our mini-series on valuation, specifically the valuation of buy to let and residential investment property. In the last…
I sometimes get messages from subscribers along the lines of “Peter, you’re great at keeping us updated about buy to let mortgage products, but what…
Hi, I’m Peter Jones, chartered surveyor, author and property investor. A question which I sometimes get asked and I’ve got to be honest I get…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex-chartered surveyor. In the last video, we were talking about lessons from 2008 saving up cash to cover you…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex-chartered surveyor. In this series of videos I’m thinking about lessons from 2008 with a slight pivot from this…
Hi, Peter Jones, property investor, author, and ex-chartered surveyor. In this short series of videos, I’m looking at lessons which I learned in 2008 in…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex-chartered surveyor. In this short series of videos I’m looking at the lessons which I learned in 2008 which…
Hi Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex-chartered surveyor. I’m just doing a short series of videos really comparing 2008 with 2020 and trying to sort…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex-chartered surveyor. If you’ve been to my Facebook group or if you’ve been on my YouTube channel you’ll see…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex-chartered surveyor. This week one of the first proper lockdown, although I suspect we’re going to be into a…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor and ex-chartered surveyor. Today is a really special day for me because today is the 25th anniversary of when…
What does number 21 say? ‘Perfection is the enemy of the good, which is why so many people don’t start and give up, and why…
Number 17: ‘Deals almost always take longer than you think they will, unless they happen quicker than you expect’. That’s never happened. It’s happened to…
In this short video, I want to look at four different models of buy to let investing and I’m going to tell you which model…
In my opinion there are 4 principle roles of a property investor. One of which is to protect their investment. This requires, among other things,…
In this video we’re specifically thinking about the technicalities of valuing our buy to let’s. Most likely we’re going to use The Direct Comparison Method…
The Return of Bridge to Let. This Bridge to Let buy to let mortgage product is offered by one of my favourite lenders. It’s a…
I’m sometimes asked what is the best way to raise finance for my buy to lets? This might sound like a flippant answer but it’s…
In a previous video we were talking about property auctions and I was highlighting the fact that it’s entirely possible to spend a lot of…
How much is a bucket of dirty water worth? Or how a hole in the roof saved me £25,000. You might have seen it’s not actually…
A comment which I sometimes see made on social media, like on the Facebook, on different sorts of property groups on Facebook, is that buy…
I see it all the time with especially new buy to let property investors, that they think they should do the refurb themselves. In other…
One of the big, big changes in property over the last 20 years is that it is now so easy to find finance for your…
Sometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time. This happened to me a while back when I sent my…
In this video I want to talk about the upside, the benefits, the things that are great about owning property and being a buy to…
Hi, Peter Jones, ex-chartered surveyor, author and property investor. In this video I want to think about whether buying a property below market value makes…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex-chartered surveyor. In this short video I want to talk about 4 reasons why I always refurbish or renovate…
Imagine this, you’re out viewing properties, you’re going to view this property, maybe you’re thinking it’ll make a nice flip or perhaps it’s even going…
Hi, I’m Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex charted surveyor. You’ll see that I’m outside an estate agents, and very typically this estate agent…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex charted surveyor. And I was with a mentoring client on Saturday and one of the questions which she…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex-chartered surveyor. And a question which I am often asked is “What’s going to happen to property prices?” …
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor, ex-chartered surveyor. I’m outside one of my buy to let properties here and a question I am often…
Hi, I’m Peter Jones. Property investor, author and ex charted surveyor, and I’m here at Nottingham Racecourse because I am going to be going to…
Hi, Peter Jones, chartered surveyor, author and property investor. And one of the big dilemmas and questions which I hear many property investors posing, particularly…
I want to share with a common problem that I’ve come across when I’ve been talking to investors, and this particularly applies to new investors,…
Hi, Peter Jones, chartered surveyor, author, and property investor. And I’ve been asked ‘what does it mean when you hear the banks talking about…
Hi I’m Peter Jones, chartered surveyor, author and property investor. I often get asked ‘Peter, why don’t you buy properties, or why don’t you want…
I’ve had a question in from James. James isn’t his real name but I’m going to protect his identity in case he doesn’t want me…
Hi I’m Peter Jones, chartered surveyor, author and property investor. I was asked recently ‘Peter, how do I make sure that I get the best…
I have had a question in from Michael. I have changed his name by the way, it is not his real name, because he might…
I’ve been talking to a number of people who want to get into property investing recently and a question which quite often arises is ‘What…
In this video I thought I would address a problem which is quite a common problem that I find when I am talking to would-be…
I’ve become very aware recently from talking to other investors that if we’re not careful we can get so excited, or so enthusiastic, or so…
When a lot of would-be investors start in buy to let, they often have dreams of buying really nice houses, in really nice areas. But…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor and ex-chartered surveyor. And in this short video I want to talk about the right way of finding the…
A question I’m often asked is whether it’s necessary to give a personal guarantee with a buy to let mortgage. In fact it’s often put…
If you want to do Buy to Let with BRR (Buy Refurbish Refinance), it’s the stress test which means that the upper limit of value…
I’ve had a great question in which is ‘what are the risks of owning a buy to let property?’. I think it is a good…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor and ex-chartered surveyor. In a previous video, I showed you five reasons why I think the buy to let…
You may remember that in the last video we were talking about modern method of auction properties and the fact that the auctioneers or estate…
I’m occasionally contacted by ex-pats who very often want to find a buy to let mortgage which they can use to buy an investment property…
A question which I often get asked, particularly by new investors is ‘Peter what should I do if I have a down valuation?’ So, the…
Hi, Peter Jones, author, property investor, and ex-chartered surveyor. One of the questions which I’m asked all the time, particularly by new property investors is…
Look at this property. Somebody’s left it as a right old mess but it’d make a lovely refurb project for one of our buy to…
So here it is finished, and I have to say I’ve spent more on this refurb than I normally would. I’ve done things like I’ve…
So, if we go in through the hall and then turn right we come to what is probably the master bedroom, and it’s all very…
Peter: So Alasdair, I mean limited companies are all good, that’s all good. One of the things which the bank will be looking at, whether…
I had a great question in the other day from one of my subscribers to youtube who was asking pretty much ‘how does one finance…
How’d you like to refurb this kitchen, this looks so so tempting and tantalizing. It’s got this really old range of cupboards there, sort of…
What do I do about Proof of Funds? When do I get a DIP (Decision in Principle) for my Buy to Let? Do I find…
Look at this property. Somebody’s left it as a right old mess but it’d make a lovely refurb project for one of our buy to…
But could he be someone who controls property without owning it, but can receive the benefits of ownership anyway? Yes, there are ways of doing…
I had a really interesting question from a viewer on YouTube asking whether the mortgage on his home should be interest only (to help his…
I would like to find out a little more about a joint venture, preferably on a BRR approach than a straight loan. Roughly, how would…
I’m quite often asked, “Peter, can I borrow the deposit money for my buy to let, and finance the rest on a buy to let…
I’ve had a great question from one of my mentees…. Hi Peter, I would like to find out a little more about a joint venture,…
So, I was pretty excited to jump on the train, and headed off with the usual agenda. We’d talk about the “Three Rs”; rents, repairs,…
If you want to make more money in property investing, more quickly, here’s three things you can do: Number One – buy a property for…
Savills found themselves in a bit of hot water after the Euros finals a couple of weeks ago (seemingly by no fault of their own?)…
A question I’m often asked is, “Should I tell the estate agent I’m a cash buyer?” The premise behind this question is, no doubt, estate…
Download Your Free Special Report: Top Ten Tips For Property Renovation Profits Renovating property can be a very profitable strategy — but only if you…
With each property you buy, you’ll learn a lot, not just about the general principles around buying property, but also the specifics, processes and principles…
I’ve just seen this really interesting article on the BBC News Website which reports a RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) survey suggesting property prices…
In my time I’ve met many people who tell me they want to get into property, but sadly some never do it because of fear.…
When we want to assess the value of a potential buy to let investment property, probably the first place we’re going to look for comparable…
I had a great question recently from Robert who is basically asking what’s the quickest and easiest way to set up a bank account for…
From studying social media and from talking to other investors of differing levels of experience, I think that we, the property investing community, think of…
In this short mini series we’re looking at the things I’d think about when deciding whether to buy a house or a flat as my…
In the first video of this mini series about whether houses or flats make a better investment, I said that I don’t operate on the…
An ongoing debate you’ll often see on social media is whether one should opt only for houses when buying a buy to let, or whether…
I had a great question in from one of my subscribers which I thought I’d share because I get asked this, and some similar related…
I never fail to be amazed when potential (or even experienced) investors tell me that they don’t want to invest up north because you don’t…
I’ve had a great question from one of my readers. “If you were in the market to buy, buy to lets, would you look for…
We live in very strange times. At the moment (October 2020) there is a mini property boom and average UK property prices are the highest…
So what is going to happen next in the property market, and how does this affect us as property investors? We’re living in strange times…
I’ve had a few questions around Stress Testing (of buy to let mortgages) and how that works. And, of course, this is an important subject…
When a lot of would-be investors start in buy to let, they often have dreams of buying really nice houses, in really nice areas. But…
Since 2017 the banks have been encouraged to apply new procedures when processing applications from what are known as ‘portfolio landlords’. So what is a…
So what is going to happen next in the economy, and how does this effect us as property investors? To be forewarned is to be…
There’s so much changing in the mortgage market at the moment that I thought it’d be useful to get an update from my mortgage broker…
Because the mortgage market is a bit volatile at the moment I thought it would be a good idea to ask my mortgage broker what…
A great question I have been asked is does the time of year make any difference to buying and selling in property? Well, you would…
A question I am sometimes asked is ‘what is Net Yield and how does that differ from Gross Yield?’. In an earlier post we thought…
A question I am sometimes asked is, “If I go to an auction to buy a property, how do I bid?” The first starting point…
This is an interesting question. Somebody has asked me ‘does no money down really exist and if it does how do I do it?’. First…
When you get interested in property investing you’ll hear a lot of talk about gross yield. Gross yield can be a great way of comparing…
One of the great things about being in property today is that there are so many different ways we can raise our finance. And if…
A question I am almost always asked by somebody who is just about to begin in property is ‘should I go to an auction to…
A question I am sometimes asked is, ‘Is there more than one way to do buy to let?’. It all depends on how you define…
A question I am often asked is, ‘How do I build relationships with estate agents?’. Let’s start at the beginning. First of all, why would…
A question I’m sometimes asked is what is, “gross yield and when would I use it?” In its simplest form gross yield is the return…
Something I see debated a lot online is whether we should pay a mortgage broker and if we should, how much we should pay. I…
Do my solicitor and mortgage broker need to be based either near me or near my properties, and the answer in both cases is no!…
How do I choose a good property management company and what do they do? First of all, let’s clarify what that means because sometimes you…
A concern which I sometimes hear new investors express is what if the bank won’t lend me the money? Let’s just think about this because…
A question that I am sometimes asked is ‘how much of a discount can I expect to get off a purchase price or off an…
A couple of years ago buy to let lenders introduced the stress test, encouraged to do so by the Bank of England and The CML.…
FREE 50 Page Special Report To download your FREE copy please CLICK HERE (No email required) If judged by the numbers alone, buy to let…
Sometimes when you go onto Rightmove or Zoopla looking for properties you will see that a property has been sold subject to the modern method…
I have had a question from Adam who was asking about leafleting. He was specifically saying have I ever used leaflets, the We Buy Houses…
For most of us we are probably going to start building our property portfolio by vanilla buy to lets and we are probably going to…
I have had a question from a young lady called Val. I’ve known Val for a while. She purchased my Quick Start Guide To Buying…
I am sometimes asked ‘what is the best way to buy a property at auction?’ and my answer might surprise you. This answer does not…
One thing that alarms me slightly is the number of people who appear to come into property with very naïve expectations that everything is always…
One of the myths you’ll hear banded around about property is that it’s a bit of a scam and a get rich quick scheme. And…
There is a quality we need as property investors which I don’t often see discussed. In fact, I don’t think I have seen any videos…
I’ve had a question in from a viewer asking ‘What are the responsibilities of a landlord?’. There’s two different ways at looking at this. Firstly,…
A question I am sometimes asked is ‘how do I know what type of property to buy?’ which is a great question. The starting point…
Why do so many investors start with buy to let? I suppose buy to let is the foundational entry point for property investing. Most people…
Here’s a myth about property which you’ll hear banded about quite a lot, and that is that property investing is only for rich people, whatever…
This is the one question which seems to cause more concern, confusion, and procrastination than any other topic in property. “Where do I buy? Where…
I sometimes see posts on forums and Facebook groups suggesting that No Money Down is illegal. When I see blanket statements like that I understand that they don’t fully…
If you’ve been with me for a while you’ll know that my property investing strategy is built around buying a property as cheaply as I can, then…
Over the last couple of months my mortgage broker has identified a couple of fantastic products to help accelerate your property progress. One, a bridge…
Isn’t this the age old question? It’s one of those questions where everyone either seems to have a very firm opinion, or no opinion at…
One of the questions I’m often asked is, “Peter, when you buy a property, what yield are you after?” Sounds like a good question, doesn’t…
Ah, the old dilemma, and a question I’ve been asked a lot recently.. As is so often the case in property, there is no right…
Sadly, all too common. This is a subject I feel very strongly about because, in my opinion, a down valuation is just as negligent as…
How many different buy to let mortgages are there on the market today? Well, it’s anybody’s guess but the most recent figure I came across…
If you are buying properties to refurb, and I think you should be so you can add value, most buy to let lenders want the property to…
So often when an investor tells me that they are struggling to raise finance, it turns out they are using the wrong broker. Either the…
What is the ‘Six Month Rule’, and why do we have it? Put simply, the ‘Six Month Rule’ says that if you buy a property…
A bold claim? Probably, especially as the House Price Indices are showing average property values across the UK are increasing at a slower rate than…
On today’s Back To Basics, I look at the final of 8 reasons why I love Property – because Property can protect your investments against…
In this Property Spotlight video I talk about my latest project and where I source my property deals, as well as lifting the lid on…
In this episode of Back To Basics, I measure Property against the current state of the FTSE and explain why Property Investing can be better…
In this Property Spotlight, we are looking at Capital Appreciation and how much I factor it in when making my Property investment purchases. Some developers…
In today’s Fun Friday, I talk about the opportunities Property has provided me and where it has sent me! This month I am in the…
In this Back To Basics episode, I talk about an interesting quirk of the British Property Industry and why it can be a very attractive…
In this episode of Property Spotlight I begin to cover Due Diligence, an important facet of being an Investor in any asset- not just Property!…
TGIF Investors! This afternoon I talk about a quote sometimes attributed (falsely or maybe not?) to Mother Teresa- regardless of its actual source- the message…
Forced Appreciation is one of the best “tricks” and techniques we have as investors in the Property Industry. You can’t control the market and whether…
In this Property Spotlight video, I look at my brand new project and break down the three reasons why I am refurbishing it. For many…
What caused this crack in the Property? A possible investment is made unfeasible by this crack, any refurbishment and renovation will likely cost more to…
The final part of Sam’s question, whether he should invest locally or in a different part of the country, and whether the BRR model is…
In this video I talk about a painful Property experience I had in 2005 with buying abroad and why I got over it. Here’s to…
In this video I talk all about ‘Gearing’, a really powerful tool in the Property Investor’s repertoire, and how to use it to SUPERCHARGE your…
In this video I answer the third part of Sam’s question and whether he should consider buying a home from his wife’s family to avoid…
In this video I talk about an event in my life that had a big impact in how I approached investing, my career and my…
In this post and video I join you from London, with a little story of why it doesn’t pay to be cynical! Here’s to successful…
In this post and video I answer the second part of Sam’s question and whether they should pull equity out of his wife’s property, refinancing…
In this Back to Basics Episode I start to talk about Return on Investment (ROI)- an important concept in Investing, and why investing in Property…
In this post and video I tell you how you can boost your spending power and buy your (buy to let) property investments through taking…
Is it really possible to buy property Below Market Value? And what does the term Below Market Value actually mean? Anyone who is involved in…
Good evening fellow Investors! This week has seen a big change in the way I release Video content. Starting this Monday, I have created 3…
Last week I answered a question regarding finding the right SIC code for a new Ltd Company. Please find the video here! Due to Section…
How much value does having furniture in a property add to the value of the property?” You can find the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEgk3x5WSvo This week I…
This week I answer a question from Jake, a budding investor who is keen to know; “What are the criteria I use when assessing whether…
Do I need a Contract to make Joint Ventures work? This week I had an interesting question pitched to me in three parts from a…
Successful property investors have a clear idea of what they are trying to achieve, they have a strategy and they have a plan. As the…
If you don’t know the value in a deal then it’s unlikely you’ll make a profit. Paying too much for a property or alternatively selling…
The best way to treat buy to let as a “business” is to plan for the long term. And, whilst it can sometimes be tempting…
A key adage in property is that you shouldn’t buy a property unless it’s showing, or can show relatively quickly, a positive cash flow –…
In the last series of videos that I shared with you, I looked at how to find properties to fit the various types of strategies.…
Estate Agents (Part 13) Over the past couple of months, we’ve been thinking about how and where to find our property deals. We’ve looked…
Estate Agents (Part 12) It’s time to think about commercial conversions and how to find deals that will fit this strategy – but first,…
Estate Agents (Part 11) We’re thinking about where to find our property deals and this week, we’re going to give some thought to rent…
Estate Agents (Part 10) Over the last few months we’ve been thinking about where to find our property deals. We’ve covered buy to lets,…
Estate Agents (Part 9) Over the past few weeks we’ve been thinking about property strategies and lately, we’ve been looking at flips. Today, we…
Estate Agents (Part 8) Last week we began to think about flips and crucially how to find our flip properties so that we can…
Estate Agents (Part 7) Having explored buy to lets and HMOs, this week we’re going to look at how to find properties to flip.…
Estate Agents (Part 6) We’ve been thinking about how to find our property deals and last week we began to think about HMOs. But,…
Estate Agents (Part 5) Lately, we’ve been thinking about how we are going to find our deals and this week, I want to give…
Estate Agents (Part 4) We’re still thinking about how to find deals through estate agents and just to recap, one thing which I would definitely…
Estate Agents (Part 3) In my blog posts over the past two weeks, we’ve been thinking about how to find great deals through estate…
How to Find Deals: Estate Agents (Part 2) Last week we began to think about using estate agents to find deals and this week…
How to Find Deals: Estate Agents (Part 1) Over the coming weeks, we’re going to think about how to find the property deals that…
Property Strategies (Part 8) We’ve been thinking about the principal property strategies that we can use in today’s market and this week we are…
Property Strategies (Part 7) Next on my list of principal property strategies that we can use in today’s market is Rent to Rent. …
Property Strategies (Part 6) In this series of blog posts we’ve thinking about the main strategies that we can use in property – and…
Property Strategies (Part 5) This week we are going crank it up a notch and take a look at how to be more creative…
Property Strategies (Part 4) This week we’re going to be thinking about HMOs or Houses of Multiple Occupation. Back in the day, we would…
Property Strategies (Part 3) This week we’re going to think about flipping. At its very core, flipping is all about buying a property as cheap…
Property Strategies (Part 2) Last week we took a look at basic buy to let investing and this week we’re going to look at…
Property Strategies (Part 1) Given that many of you reading this blog post are new to investing, over the next few weeks I’m going…
10 Things I’ve Learnt (Part 10) This is the final instalment of 10 things that I’ve learned over the last 20 years of investing…
10 Things I’ve Learnt (Part 9) This week we’re going to think about working with JV partners and what constitutes a “good” partnership. …
10 Things I’ve Learnt (Part 8) This week we’re onto number 8 of ten things that I’ve learnt over the last 20 years of…
10 Things I’ve Learnt (Part 7) It’s impossible to know what’s going to happen to you in property; but what I’ve learnt over the…
TO SIGN UP TO MY NEWSLETTER, PLEASE CLICK HERE 10 Things I’ve Learnt (Part 6) We’ve spent the last five weeks discussing what I’ve…
Seven Steps to Financial Freedom Through Buy to Let Please CLICK HERE to download your FREE copy now, no email required. Would you like a…
TO SIGN UP TO MY NEWSLETTER, PLEASE CLICK HERE 10 Things I’ve Learnt (Part 5) Over the past few weeks we’ve been looking…
TO SIGN UP TO MY NEWSLETTER, PLEASE CLICK HERE 10 Things I’ve Learnt (Part 4) The next thing on my list of 10…
TO SIGN UP TO MY NEWSLETTER, PLEASE CLICK HERE. 10 Things I’ve Learnt (Part 3) In this blog post I reveal No. 3…
TO SIGN UP TO MY NEWSLETTER, PLEASE CLICK HERE 10 Things I’ve Learnt (Part 2) In this blog post we’re going to continue…
I get so many emails from people asking if I can recommend a good mortgage broker – and of course, I can. So, if you’re…
TO SIGN UP TO MY NEWSLETTER, PLEASE CLICK HERE. 10 Things I’ve Learnt (Part 1) This is the first in a new series…
Property and UK Tax Part 7 This week we’re going to think about “death” as our exit strategy as well as the implications of this…
Property and UK Tax Part 6 Occasionally I meet property investors who are very earnest and who tell me that their main priority is…
Property and UK Tax (Part 5) Over the past few weeks we’ve been thinking about how holding our properties in a limited company is…
Property and UK Tax (Part 4) This week, it’s time to think about how to structure our companies and also about SIC codes (or…
Property and UK Tax (Part 3) Last week we were looking at the best way to set up our property businesses prior to the changes…
Property and UK Tax (Part 2) Last week we were thinking about how our property strategy and aspirations affect our tax bill and this…
You might know I’m a big fan of Hometrack – they have an algorithm for property which is used by 80% of UK lenders.…
“How to Be The Winning Bidder and Grab a Bargain Property Every Time!” And how to know, and to avoid, the one’s you SHOULDN’T buy…
Property and UK Tax (Part 1) In my next few blog posts, I’m going to be thinking about taxes. I imagine this is probably not…
The Great Buy to Let Scam and How to Avoid It Don’t ‘Buy to Let’ Until You’ve Read This. FREE for you to Download now…
Having taken a look at whether property values still double every 10 years in the UK, it’s now time to think about some of the…
Last week we began exploring whether house prices really do double every 10 years and we looked at a real example of this in practise.…
This week I want to look into whether there is actually any truth in the statement that house prices double every ten years, and look…
It’s time to think about how to get finance for our limited companies – in particular, for buy to let properties. To do this, we…
Last week we looked at what an SPV is and how it is not a specific type of entity but instead a vehicle that is…
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding around what an SPV actually is – and how we use them – as well as a lot…
OK, please excuse my language but the question has to be asked; is 2018 is going to be a cr@p year? It may not be…
Why are buy to let investors taking on the role of the Home office? And why do you need to know? There’s usually…
Even though Section (or clause) 24 was announced back in 2015, and the affects on the tax system have already started, I can believe that…
The budget was on Wednesday. It was expected to be rather bland and in many respects it probably was. Not surprisingly the press were all…
According to the ONS (Office for National Statistics) the house price ‘north-south’ divide has narrowed. Property prices in the north west of England have…
We’ve seen some dramatic headlines this week generated by the latest Rics (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) UK Residential Market Survey (Oct 2017 – published…
When thinking about property prices and whether they’ll go up or down, we often think of, and quote, that economic fundamental of supply and demand.…
It’s time to dust off your EPCs. Interesting comments by the energy minister Claire Perry, who is suggesting that Stamp Duty could be used to…
When is a crack not a crack? When it’s a concern. Ok, not a great piece of humour, ironically a little like cracker humour, if…
In the old days one of the things we loved about property was the received wisdom that property values double on average every ten years.…
I’ve mentioned it before on this blog but the Hometrack City index is worth another look. Not least because it’s monthly and coincidentally the latest…
How active or passive do I want to be in my (buy to let) property investing business? Many of us want to be passive. After…
The RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) have speculated in their latest report that rents for investment properties and buy to lets will increase over…
What are the tax implications of owning (buy to let) investment property? There have been two big changes in the last few years First,…
What will my exit strategy be if I ever want to get out of investing in property and want to sell my buy to let…
There we go. Proves there’s some truth in the saying “There’s lies, damn lies and statistics”. When it comes to house prices you can hold…
In the old days (which was up until about 2 years ago) we had the choice of buying our buy to let investment properties into…
Ok, there’s a bit of artistic licence there but the Hometrack UK Cities House Price Index for July 2017 has just come out. As I’ve…
It’s easy to assume that the money won’t be available for buying our property investments. After all, isn’t money hard to get? Who would…
There’s an interesting report out, prepared by the Resolution Foundation think tank, and reported by the BBC News website. Summarising the BBC summary, it says 1…
As we continue the 12 questions every (buy to let) property investor should ask them selves at regular intervals, in this video we think about…
In this short series of videos we are looking at the twelve questions I think every investor should ask themselves when they start in property…
Question 5 – What Type of Property Fits My Strategy? Hi, Peter Jones, chartered surveyor, author and property investor and in this short series of…
In this short series of videos we are looking at the twelve questions which I think every property investor should ask themselves when they begin…
Hi, Peter Jones, chartered surveyor, author and property investor and in this series of videos we are going through the twelve questions which I think…
Hi, Peter Jones, chartered surveyor, author and property investor and in the second of our short series of videos looking at the twelve questions which…
One of the (many) things I have discovered that holds (beginner) property investors back, especially at the beginning, is not knowing what it is they…
Refurbing (renovating) a property is a “property fundamental” which will really speed your success. It will help to increase the value of the property, and…
There are something like 1400 different buy to let products available so, no matter what your circumstances, there should be a bank somewhere who will…
Having found a suitable property – or preferably whilst looking for a suitable investment property – you will then need to look at financing your…
What do we need to do before we buy our first buy to let investment property? Surely all we need to do is go down…
Many new investors are often confused about what to do next having decided upon a possible investment area or areas. A classic mistake is often…
BMV sales themselves can set the tone of value, rendering the price paid the true value and not a discounted value. This concept is heightened…
Last week we took a look at how many inexperienced property investors assume that asking price equates to value, and how many believe that they…
Many assume that a property’s asking price equates to its value. It doesn’t, or at least, it might or might not, and it’s important not to assume…
When starting out in property it’s easy to believe that it’s all about buying below market value; after all, no self-respecting investor would attend a…
Finance costs tend to be the greatest expense for any buy to let investor and those looking to hold and rent a property will need…
Buying a property that needs a bit doing to it and giving it a bit of TLC and a quick refurb can be one of…
Some say there’s one thing every successful buy to let property investor should do – and that’s buy an investment property where one can add…
Finance costs tend to be the greatest expense for any investor and those looking to hold and rent a property will need to think carefully…
Knowing how and when to do a property up to guarantee a profit is one of the key tools of success in a property investor’s…
Having mentored a number of aspiring investors, I’ve come to realise that many start out believing that if they buy a property to rent out…
The biggest mistake I see time and time again is that buy to let investors put very little thought into what they buy or why…
As a buy to let investor, should you consider properties that are on the market with estate agents? Is there enough value in these types…
I had a great question from a lady based overseas and who wants to invest in (buy to let) property in the UK. The gist…
There are many techniques for generating leads to buy properties, all of which can be worth trying and pursuing at one time or another. But…
If property is so easy, why do so many get it so wrong? Quite simply because many new to investing think that buying a “buy…
Should I tell my employers what I am up to? Great question sent in by “Phil” who is just starting in property Here’s to successful…
I find it surprising that although the British public are so naturally good at property, their interest stops at their own front door. I admit…
The imminence of Brexit has caused many to question whether property is still a viable and safe investment model for the future, and I am…
In this video we look in a bit more detail at buy to let mortgages for limited companies. In 2016 there were around 130,000 buy…
I’ve met quite a few (new or would be) buy to let property investors recently who seem to assume the days of buy to let…
“House prices up by £15,000 Investing in property is the best way to save say experts.” Interesting that the Daily Express regularly put this kind…
I was thinking the other day there are plenty of people who know how to buy a property, but not so many people know how…
The RICS predict there’ll be a shortage of buy to let investment properties to rent out, because of Government policies to discourage landlords and property…
The Government has just published the White Paper on how it’s going to fix the ‘broken’ housing market. Puts a bit more pressure on developers…
Last week we questioned our due diligence and considered how to conduct a risk analysis that goes beyond the usual…
When you say the term “due diligence”, most investors will naturally think about the basic checks anyone undertakes before buying…
It’s human nature to only want to do “great” property deals. However, as I’ve mentioned before, there is a danger…
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been looking at what we need to factor in before beginning negotiations on…
I strongly believe that the best deals are agreed when neither party is trying to take unfair advantage of the…
Unfortunately, for some property investors the experience of buying an investment property can be a bit like a jockey’s experience…
The right location for you What I’m about to tell you is nothing new; location is key to successful property…
It’s not easy to identify what makes a good property investor and what makes a poor property investor. However, over the…
At some point along the investment journey, it’s only natural that you’ll ask yourself if you’ve got what it takes to…
Continuing education is vital in every pursuit and profession, and property is no exception. As an author myself, you may be surprised to know that…
What do George Osborne’s budget changes really mean for buy to let property investors?
It’s been great to get your emails over the summer but one theme which I have noticed is that many of us would admit to…
We’ve been looking at what we need to be sure of before we agree terms on a purchase. of a property investment or buy to…
In the last post we were considering how, in the context of negotiating, communication and active listening is essential to understand what is important to…
We’ve been looking at what you need to do to ensure you can negotiate the best possible terms and price for your property investment and…
In the last post we talked about the pitfalls experienced by investors who go into the negotiation process of trying to buy their investment property…
Unfortunately, for some property investors the experience of buying an investment property or a buy to let property can be a bit like a jockey’s…
Mistake number seven – They listen to people who probably know less than them! I heard Anthony Robbins once ask his audience “If you wanted…
Mistake number six – They let their hearts do the figures. What do I mean by this? Well, I remember listening to a marketing guru…
Mistake number five – They do sloppy research. Sometimes a deal is so evidently good, that one might assume there’s little point in doing any…
Mistake number four – They get tunnel vision Perhaps its human nature but most investors get this. It might be explained as being a need…
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…
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…
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…
Refinance This is relatively straight forward, most Buy-to-Let lenders will allow you to borrow more if the rent is sufficient to cover the mortgage plus…
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…
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…
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…
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…
In the end it comes down to simple supply and demand. Demand for property is increasing with changes in society – there are many smaller…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
I wouldn’t say that in order to be a successful property investor you need to rush off and remortgage your home or your existing property…
As our equity increases, we’ll be even better off. This is because, as active investors, as the equity in each of the investment properties increases,…
Let’s look at what can happen when we release and invest our equity. Let’s assume that our home is worth, say £250,000 and that we…
Let me say from the start, that what I am about to say is not to encourage you into debt, at least not recklessly taking…
Sensitivity Analysis graph (du dil 7)So far we have been thinking about single factors or one-off events. But the property market is highly complex and…
Let’s have a more detailed look at how we can do some risk analysis. Often the different scenarios are not as black and white as…
Having asked the relevant questions, you may identify a scenario that could happen. Whether it is, in reality, a worst case scenario is to some…
In my experience, from having spoken to, and from having coached, numerous would-be investors, in most instances the limiting belief behind both of these behaviours…
I’ll give just a word of explanation about the question “Am I paying too much for the property?” This isn’t necessarily implying that you check…
Thinking of the three principle property investing strategies, we could ask a series of questions like these: If our strategy is to buy and hold…
When you say the term “due diligence” to most investors they will naturally think about the basic checks anyone undertakes before buying a property. In…
The next step in overcoming fear is to recognise that often fear is caused by, or fed by, ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is information…
A key part of our cure for fear of failure is to remember that property investing is not about emotion. When I first started I…
If you can recognise symptoms of fear, or if you have found yourself hiding behind excuses, you’ll be pleased to hear that there is a…
Another word for over cautious is fearful, and fear can often show itself by us making excuses not to take action, even if we know…
For those who are relatively inexperienced the prospect of buying an investment property can seem daunting. In fact many new investors may feel overwhelmed at…
The FTSE came into being in 1983 and was based at 1000 on 31st December 1983 meaning the index has grown by 400% to the…
Now, in terms of curiosity, all investors will be wondering which investment will give the better return, and our buycurious investor will be wondering about…
Bicurious or buycurious? If bipartisan can be defined as being where two, often opposed, parties are in agreement, and bilingual as describing an individual who…
I had a great couple of follow up questions about how to increase the value of a buy to let investment property from MK after…
Even in the world of buy to let familiarity really can lead to ‘contempt’, especially when it comes to property management and arranging property repairs.…
If you’ve read much of my material you know that I often have a lot to say about the media in their reporting of buy…
In my last post I talked about how the media can influence market confidence and how media coverage of the property market seems more positive…
In this short series of posts we are thinking about whether the property market is poised for recovery and whether there is any evidence that…
In the last post we looked at some of the evidence which may suggest that the property market is poised for recovery. There certainly seems…
What would you consider to be a good yield when you go looking to buy your next buy to let property? According to research undertaken…
According to research released by Paragon Mortgages in February, 76% of landlords surveyed are optimistic about the prospects for the Private Rented Sector in 2013,…
Following on from my post about how to keep a lid on your repair costs I’m now kicking myself even more because I’ve realised that…
If you’re wondering if now is a good time to get into buy to let, here’s some interesting anecdotal evidence for you. I’ve just got…
In an earlier post (House Price April Fool) I was saying that the property market runs on confidence and credit, both of which go hand…
If you are thinking of getting into buy to let, or are thinking of adding to your existing buy to let portfolio, you might be…
Here’s some interesting property market optimism fuelled by the recent budget. They predict there will be no effect on house prices this year but that…
I’ve noticed that a large number of lenders have cut their mortgage rates since the start of the year, possibly as a consequence of Funding…
A recent survey of buy to let landlords by specialist buy to let mortgage lender Paragon Mortgages shows that landlords are more optimistic now than…
According to research by the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) the average length of a tenant’s stay in a buy to let property has…
According to the latest buy to let index from LSL Property Services plc average rents in March 2013 were 0.5% up on rents in February,…
Well, according to research from HSBC, it is, with average gross buy to let yields of 7.82%. Now, I have to say, I’m not sure…
Buy-to-let must surely be one of the financial success stories of our times. Just think about this. Prior to 1996 there were no buy-to-let mortgages.…
Before the buy-to-let scheme started in 1996 it was extremely difficult for private investors to raise finance on residential investment property, unless they were already…
Over the last few years several things have coincided to boost the market for private residential property investment: The performance of the stock market has…
One of the UK’s largest buy-to-let lenders, Paragon Mortgages, has updated its product range of loans for large-scale and professional landlords. A new range of…
According to some we’ve just entered into the buy to let boom age and things are just about to take off. For the first time…
In my experience, one of the most common mistakes made by property investors is that they do not have a clear idea of what they…
Let me give you an example of what I mean by this. I’ve met investors who own property but they’re not entirely sure why they…
We live in the BMV (below market value) age. No self-respecting investor would attend his or her local property networking meeting, or post on any…
Hand in hand with buying BMV, the investing community has embraced ‘going back to basics’ and concentrating on ‘the fundamentals’. In particular, most, if not…
In it’s most basic form this mistake manifests as not shopping around for the best LTV (loan to value ratio) or the best interest rate…
There were two major changes on the “road” to buy-to-let: A change to the landlord and tenant law A desire by ARLA to promote its…
The buy-to-let scheme was designed to address the problems we looked at earlier. The original lenders were now prepared to: Consider lending on residential investment…
The original buy-to-let scheme was promoted by eight lenders. Current lenders associated with the original ARLA scheme include Birmingham Midshires, GMAC, Natwest Mortgage Services, Paragon…
According to figures released by The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) in early 2013 buy to let lending accounted for 11.5% of all lending in…
The competitive nature of buy-to-let, with a large number of lenders offering a large number of flexible schemes, means that almost anyone can now borrow…
Of course it isn’t. But property is a steady and sure “get rich” scheme. Buy to let investors know this: 43.6% expect to hold their…
Whether it will be worth while for you will depend upon what you want to achieve. Most investors buy property for: Income; or Capital appreciation;…
As a general principle higher yielding properties, which are better for income, tend to be cheaper properties, and the highest yielding can be cheap properties…
Many investors buy the house next door, just because it is the house next door, and with little thought as to whether it is the…
If you think that buy-to-let is for you, you need to: Decide what you want to achieve from property investing and by when – in…
However you decide to source your properties you will need to find the buy-to-let lending product that best suits your needs. As a first step…
In a sense buy-to-let has demystified property investing and has made it a realistic possibility for many ordinary people. However, even a “cheap” buy-to-let property…
) In this video I’ll take you through the system I have used to build my buy to let portfolio, starting from scratch and with…
Search Around For The Best Finance For Renovation Projects. Lenders require a property to be habitable from day one before they will advance a buy…
Light Refurbishment Finance Available Today In the previous post we looked at light refurbishment and how it works. Let’s have a look at the different…
Be Clear on How Much The Works Will Cost Before Your Start The amount you pay will depend on where you are located, the size…
Know How Much Value The Works Will Add Before You Start Before doing any works of repair, renovation, modernisation and improvement, we will want to…
Number One – Be Clear in Your Own Mind Why You Want to Renovate There are two main reasons why we will probably want to…
Here’s a property I have just purchased. I now have to decide whether to sell on as is, or whether to keep it, renovate and…
This is a video I made in November 2013. I bought the property through an estate agent in the normal way. The property was on…
Here’s an interesting situation. This property was offered at an auction I attended about a week ago but didn’t sell. It’s described as being a 3…
It’s been a few months since I’ve been there and a lot of progress has ben made. The internal walls have been plastered and insulated,…
This video was shot on the same day as part three and shows the progress made inside. The roof is on and so now we…
A few weeks on and the roof is on at my property renovation project. It didn’t take long once the pre-formed trusses were delivered. Next…
This buy to let property took a bit of a hammering and ended up needing a a partial re-build. This is a few weeks into…
A property renovation I wasn’t expecting to take on. One of my buy to let flats exploded – a problem with the gas – not…
Now the carpets are in! This might not be the most exciting property renovation project but it should be very profitable. Most of the work…
The bathroom and downstairs loo are done! Everything is coming on nicely with my property renovation project. If you’ve watched the previous video you’ll notice…
If you’ve read any of my other posts, or my books (The Successful Property Renovators Workshop) you’ll probably know that at any one time I…
Here’s a video of my latest property. I bought this ‘creatively’, which we would have called No Money Down a while ago, but that’s a story…
The thought of buying property at auction seems to fire the public imagination, perhaps because of the popularity of TV shows like HomesUnder The Hammer,…
If you have a tracker (buy to let) mortgage, or even a normal tracker residential mortgage, this crazy legal judgement means that lenders can now…
I’ve had a great question from ‘S’ who wants to know how to do No money left in starting with no money. Hi Peter I…
I’ve had a question from a reader to the effect of “How do I find the right (buy to let investment) property at the…
How to get all of your money back out of a buy to let deal, as shown by my mentee Tyler To learn more about…
So what does the new year hold for the property market? Most property ‘experts’ are predicting UK house will increase in 2015. Not by much,…
We all know that trying to predict will happen is a mugs game, nobody really knows and, in my opinion, if they turn out to…
Savills have very kindly allowed me to copy and paste this very interesting graphic, compiled in November 2014. View the full version here. Remember to…
In this short series of post we’ve looked at a simple, but often overlooked, system to plan for success, which we can use to plan…
In the previous posts we’ve started to look at a simple, but often overlooked process to plan for success, and which we can use to…
In this series of posts we have recognised that unless we start to plan now for success in 2015, at best 2015 is going to…
In my previous post we recognised that unless we start to plan now for success in 2015, at best 2015 is going to be yet…
Please excuse my language but 2015 is going to be a cr@p year. Okay, it may not be that bad, (although for many of us…
Ahh! Did they take their foot off the gas too soon? Probably. With all eyes on London it seems that those who control these things…
So when are interest rates going to go up? As property investors we want to know. Seems like the views at the BoE run quite…
You may raise your eyebrows and even disapprove when you hear how I decided to finance this property investment. Just remember that all debt can…
This is just a quick three minute video about why I’m so excited about this property investment. It’s not just about the price. Related Posts:…
Here’s a video of my latest purchase, a flat I bought in Newcastle upon Tyne for £30k! If you’re from London you might think I’ve…
Many thanks for your interest in my FREE Special Report and MP3 audio: “What You Need to Know about Buy to Let Finance” This is…
UK Buy to Let Property Investments Available Property: 2 Bedroom Upper Flat in North Shields, NE29 7 Summary Was on the market at £69,950 Now…
The Power of Refinancing By Peter Jones thepropertyteacher.co.uk thepropertyteacher@gmail.com In ‘the real world’ the chances are that an investor won’t split their cash between 4…
The Power of Renovation By Peter Jones thepropertyteacher.co.uk thepropertyteacher@gmail.com The next way to super charge already impressive returns is to buy a property ripe for…
The Power of Buying Below Market Value By Peter Jones thepropertyteacher.co.uk thepropertyteacher@gmail.com In the real world very few property investors go down to their local…
The Power of Renovation By Peter Jones thepropertyteacher.co.uk thepropertyteacher@gmail.com The next way to super charge already impressive returns is to buy a property ripe for…
The Power of Gearing By Peter Jones thepropertyteacher.co.uk thepropertyteacher@gmail.com In a sense these figures show the raw returns from capital growth, but this is very…
The Power of Capital growth By Peter Jones thepropertyteacher.co.uk thepropertyteacher@gmail.com As it seems that the property market is now in recovery, and property values are…
Here’s a short video about my latest property investment project. At the moment I’m deciding between selling it on, which I think I could do…
My wife and I each have a stupid amount of money tied up in personal pension plans which we paid into many years ago when…
Do you want a few buy to let properties to supplement your pension? Or perhaps you want a few buy to let properties to supplement…
I’m sure that where I live we are still waiting for The Ripple Effect to arrive, but rumours of it being on its way seem…
I was talking to a property investor friend of mine the other day who was bemoaning the fact that rapidly increasing property prices in his…
Some times you just have to take action there and then! I went to look at a potential buy to let investment property the other…
The interesting news for property investors is that property prices are more volatile at the lower end of the market than the house price indices…
Is Your Lender About To Sc@w You?! I don’t know whether you’ve picked up on the Bank of Ireland/West Bromwich Building Society controversy. Long story…
I don’t know about you but I think it’s exciting that we live in a world of constant change, when that change is for the…
I went to the pub last night with a fellow property investor who is also a good mate of mine. We often get together to…
Price is only one of the terms you should be interested in when you are buying investment property and if you can agree one or…
Oscar Wilde once famously said’ a cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing’. Clearly in property it’s…
We can learn so many valuable lessons from what Oliver did and the attitude in which he did it. When he didn’t have the money for a deposit,…
Even a cheap property can cost a lot of money and so anyone thinking of taking the plunge in property investing need to give themselves…
Making money renovating property can be easy … but only if you know what you are doing! A lot of people think they can make…
I know I’ve said it before, but if a deal is good enough, you will find a way to finance it. Often this is construed…
