If you are looking to purchase a property as an investment, it can look like an uphill trudge.  You have to save up the 25% deposit, not to mention the costs of refurbing and other things which always come up when you have the least cash available.

However, it’s surprising how many potential investors ignore the equity they have in their home, or an investment property that they...

Success in anything is all down to mind-set.  You know that saying ‘you get what you expect’, your mind-set is responsible for where you are now in your property journey.  If that’s not where you want to be then something has to change.  That means adapting your mind-set.

Your mind-set is driven by the beliefs you have about how things are.  A belief that...

THE QUESTION

I came across quite a few blocks of apartments for sale all priced at £1m+.  How do people finance these or are these properties cash only purchases?

THE ANSWER

If they are already tenanted and need no work, then it is just commercial lending, typically 25-30% deposit (£250k-£300k on a £1m purchase). However, that traps a lot of cash in and limits your...

Most property investors start out using mortgages to finance their property purchases, but then your capital is trapped.  That means you haven’t got spare cash to buy more properties, so you’ve got to wait until you’ve saved up enough for your next deposit.

What is a Ninja Investor?

Ninja investors can buy properties quicker with a relatively small amount of available...

Question:  

I'm new to purchasing property for investment, I've only ever bought property to live in and, while I've managed to negotiate a small discount here and there, I've never pushed things too hard as I've always really wanted to buy the place (so an emotional rather than subjective mindset).

Now that I'm looking at property as an investment I'm understanding more and more that...

THE ANSWER

Neither is better, they're just different strategies.

Buying to sell (BTS) gives you a significant cash lump sum (if you do it right) within months.

Buy-to-Let (BTL) gives you a much smaller monthly profit (if you do it right) for years to come, with the bonus of potential capital growth (depending on where you buy).

• Some people focus on BTS because their current circumstances mean...

There was a time when you could get into property with no money, lenders were happy to provide 100% mortgages or a version of this, then the recession came along and lenders became very cautious.

If you’re thinking of getting into property or have started to look into it, you may be looking at having to save a substantial sum in order to get started.  Buy-to-let lenders want security...

THE QUESTION

I’ve come across a house split into two flats, but without obtaining planning permission. I’ve been told it’s been more than four years since the conversion was done and the current owners have evidence of the work taking place at that time.

If I buy the property and apply for planning permission will I automatically get it or is likely that I will be required to...

When you are ready to apply to refinance a buy-to-let property that you have recently purchased and renovated you’ll need to have it valued.  This is often a point of friction when the valuer doesn’t agree with what you think the property is now worth.

In order to persuade your mortgage lender’s surveyor that you’ve added considerable value to your property,...