The Progressive Property Podcast Even More Fantastic Community Questions
The progressive community is a vibrant and dynamic one so listeners are always sending in some great questions. In this episode, Peter answers some of your burning questions about property. Should I Buy Property Abroad? Do property investors specialise in one type of property? or How quickly can I buy a house or apartment? All important questions for anyone looking to develop, start or grow their property business.
Key Takeaways
Should I buy property abroad? If you are familiar with progressive you’ll know the answer to that. We have our REASON model, these are the things that we shouldn’t be buying. The A in REASON stands for abroad. In the past, I put down some hefty deposits in Romania and I didn’t do my due diligence. The rent had to be closer to double the average rent in Romania to make any money. The difficulties abroad are that there are local rules which you won’t know, as well as the currency exchange rates which are constantly fluctuating. There is one exception to this rule, however, where you buy a property abroad as a lifestyle choice.
Do property investors specialise in one type of property? There are different views on this. The difficulty in specialising in one thing is it’s a bit like putting all your eggs in one basket. Mainly specialising in one thing however means that you are going to get better at that one thing. I became really specialised in buy-to-let for instance. That was great until the credit crash. I knew that my one strategy of buy-to-let wasn't going to work anymore and I needed a new one. There is the 70/20/10 model, where you have three strategies and you divide your time/resources up into three things.
Do property investors sell directly or use agents? Both, some sell directly, to other property investors. The answer it depends on your strategy and what you are trying to achieve. You need to do the best for you. There is scope to do all sorts of stuff. There are lots of creative ways to sell through agents, or directly. With deal packaging, you’ll be the agent, and not use an agent. Selling buy-to-lets I’d consider selling to an owner-occupier, or to another investor, or even sell the limited company to another business.
How quickly can I buy a house, apartment or a dwelling? It’s probably going to take longer than you think. I’ve bought properties where I’m buying with cash and I don’t need searches but even then it can take as long as having the searches. It is quite hard to make a solicitor move faster than they want to go. It’s going to be rare to get a buy-to-let done in under 3 months. These things take time.
Should I buy-to-let or should I sell? I would consider doing both. The great thing about buy-to-let is they will give you cashflow. The reality is that property prices are increasing in the North rather than the South. Maybe have a strategy where you get chunky cash coming in, like commercial conversions, or something like flips. It could be HMOs or serviced accommodation. Any business depends on cash-flow for it to succeed. Lumps of cash like that make you look more lendable by the banks.
Best Moments
‘Never invest in property abroad.’
‘Only buy a property abroad if it’s a lifestyle choice.’
‘Specialising in one thing it’s a bit like putting all your eggs in one basket.’
‘Having more than one strategy means you have a buffer.’
‘Specialise in a number of areas.’
‘It is quite hard to make a solicitor move faster than they want to go.’
‘In property, its a case of get rich quickly slowly.
‘Buying a property is probably going to take you longer.’
‘Any business depends on cash-flow for it to succeed.’
ABOUT THE HOST
Peter Jones is a Chartered Surveyor, an author and a serial buy-to-let property investor. He has been involved in property for over 35 years and now owns 78 letting units. He is still actively involved in buying and renovating the property, and regularly flips properties for profit. Peter has written a number of successful property books. The first, An Insider's Guide to Successful Property Investing, was first published in 2000 and was one, if not the very first, the book of its kind which was written for what we'd now call buy-to-let investors. On the back of its success, he was invited to be a guest writer for Property Secrets and wrote Spanish Property Secrets, French Property Secrets, and Portugal Property Secrets. He has since written a number of other successful titles dealing with UK investing including 63 Common Defects in Investment Property and How to Spot Them, the highly acclaimed The Successful Property Investors Strategy Workshop and The Property Renovator's Workshop ,in which Peter describes step-by-step how he built his own property portfolio, starting with virtually none of his own money.
CONTACT METHOD - Peter Jones
http://www.thepropertyteacher.co.uk/