latest news - posted 31st January 2008 at 18:34

We're going to the States to check out more of those deals!

You've read about the fantastic deals that can be had in U.S. where investment properties can be snapped up for between $10k and $20k (if you haven't, see below and take a look at our USA properties).

It's true that great deals are to be had but there will be a lot of very poor deals so how can you tell the good from the bad? Well you need to go out and do the legwork; meet the people who will be looking after your interests out there from the attorney and real estate agent to your property manager. Find out what the pitfalls are as well as the benefits and make sure you go in to this with your eyes wide open. The key is to form relationships with the key people that wil be working for you out there and build upon these relationships.

We have already spent a lot of time on the phone and exchanged hundreds of emails trying to find the people that we think we could work with. People who we think will do a great job for you too! Our next step is to visit these people and find out more about the properties they have and, more importantly , find out more about them. We will be heading out at the end of next month so watch this space to see how we get on.

latest news - posted 17th December 2007 at 11:53

Try our online property management software for free!

We have teamed up with our counterparts in the U.S. to bring you high yielding  investment properties in upstate New York.

These properties bring you the double whammy of high rental yields at a timeof a weak US dollar. You stand to get the benefit of achieving high yields immediately which could shift upwards considerably if there is a dollar- favourable shift in the currency markets!

latest news - posted 7th December 2007 at 12:33

Try our online property management software for free!

We have linked up with a major software developer to offer you online property and tenancy management that will save you time and provide the key information you need with just a few clicks.

For Letting Agents

As a letting agent you can provide automated landlord and tenant statements to keep every one on track with their finances

For Landlords

As a landlord you can easily manage each property and measure their success as an investment

Electronic Direct Debit Payments

We will also soon be offering online DD management - no longer will you have to spend valuable time managing cumbersome standing orders where you have to check endless bank statements to reconcile against rent due. With our fully automated DDs there are no forms to fill in or post; everything is done electronically and at the end of the month, unlike with standing orders, you will get a list of those tenants that have not paid without having to find them yourself.

Try it here now for free - click here

latest news - posted 20th September 2007 at 12:28

Own the investinbuytolet franchise in your area

Later this year we're launching our nationwide investinbuytolet franchises and we want to hear from you now if you are interested in owning the licence to operate the only investinbuytolet franchise in your area.

click here to learn more     

previous news - posted 8th July 2007 at 12:28

Byker -  Newcastle upon Tyne's post graduate student hotspot

We're finding that there is a southern migration of post graduate students requiring their own flats from the flatshare hotspots of Heaton and Jesmond and city centre university accommodation in the city centre, to Byker. This is coming mainly from those students studying for their masters and doctorates. They need to have their own spaces - 2 bedroom furnished flats are ideal as the second bedroom can be used as a study.

But why Byker? Well, rents are cheaper than those areas closer to the city centre and Byker still offers close enough proximity to the city centre to be attractive. Bus routes are good and of course Newcastle is lucky to have its own underground rail system with a station in Byker linking it to the city centre in just two stops.

Purchasing a flat in the North East is different to your usual flat purchase where you are more often than not faced with maximum 99 year leases and expensive service charges. These are what we call 'Tyneside Flats' up here which are on 999 year leases and on common freehold - e.g. you will own the freehold on the upstairs flat and the lease on the lower flat while the upstairs leaseholder will have the freehold on your lower flat. There are no service charges as each flat is self contained with their own access to and from the street.

You can pick up flats for around the £80,000 mark and pull in around £450 pcm. That's not bad and you should remember that a lot of these students want accommodation for the duration of their studies - usually 2 years.

If you are interested in a tyneside flat in Byker, email me from this link

   info@investinbuytolet.co.uk  (please include your telephone number)

previous news - posted 19th May 2007 at 10:31

No Signs of Let-Up in burgeoning South East Northumberland / Newcastle upon Tyne BTL Market

We continue to be surprised by the growing interest in this area. We're surprised not because it isn't an attractive hotspot; we know it is, but just what makes it so much more attractive than other regions in the UK.

We can't pinpoint any single reason, so we can only assume that it is a combination of factors such as continued above national average capital growth and very respectable yields in towns just north of Newcastle upon Tyne that are thriving in their own right and that offer close proximity to the city itself.

These towns also offer a high density of tenants from across the social spectrum. None of these towns (Ashington, Bedlington and Blyth) are in danger of becoming buy to let ghettos because they simply have too much to offer in their own right. Good schools, good transport links, good shopping centres, strong communities and not insignificantly good public and private investment. Add their location in relation to Newcastle upon Tyne into the equation and you have many boxes ticked as to why this area is attracting investors from all over the UK.

In their December 2006 'Moving Locations Index', the UK Property Shop ranked Newcastle the UK's most popular location while Pickford's Move Monitor identified that one in eight moves in the UK were within or to the North East

Mortgage Express ran a big feature on why investors should invest in the North East in their last edition of B2L magazine. They pointed to 'huge investment', great transport links to the South East (you can jump on a train in Newcastle at 7.20am and be in London for 10.10am or alterantively take a 50 minute flight to Heathrow, Gatwick, or Stansted). They also highlighted the breathtaking beauty of Northumberland; the UK's 'Secret Kingdom' and recently ranked the most  tranquil region in England in a poll carried out by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England. The feature also identified the region's five universities, total population of 2.6 million and its labour force of 1.2 million as reasons for investing.

So, maybe it's not such a mystery after all but was is certainly clear is that now is the time to invest up here. The longer you leave it the more you will miss out on the existing capital growth these areas are experiencing. To get regular updates giving our latest hot properties, sign up now by clicking on the email link below or complete our Enquiry Form.

    info@investinbuytolet.co.uk  (please include your telephone number)

previous news - posted 30th April at 12:53

Ashington - Don't Miss Out on this Hottest of North East Hotspots!

We're noting some frenzied activity in Ashington but it is only at certain times each month when a group of Northern Irish investors are in town. They are buying up virtually everything they see at over asking price and for cash!

They clearly see something in Ashington that we have seen for a long time. Good supply of investment properties at below the £80,000 mark with a good supply of tenants paying rents that will give you yields upward of 6% and great capital growth prospects. There is also a good supply of first time buyers which is always a good sign.

Ashington is a busy town of 27,000 with excellent road links to all neighbouring towns as well as Newcastle upon Tyne which is only 15 - 20 minutes commute away by road.

If you would like to invest in Ashington, speak to us. When the Irish are not here, properties are available at good prices. When they are here - it's hard to compete with them. We know when they are coming and when they go! So get in touch now to express your interest in Ashngton.

previous news - posted 26th March 2007 at 22:07

Intorducing - Our New Refurbishment Service

As the weather thaws up here, so is the market. We are noticing more properties coming on to the market but equally we are seeing them being snapped up quickly by a combination of investors and first time buyers alike.

The nicer properties are going for very close to asking price to first time buyers - good luck to them! - Seriously though, these are the properties we like to source too for our investors wanting a quick turn around following completion. We won't pay more than what we think a property is worth and we avoid bidding wars.

What we will do, however, is look at properties requiring a bit of work - enough work to put off a lot of first time buyers. New flooring (carpets and vinyls), plastering, decorating and perhaps a new kitchen or bathroom is what we will stretch too. We will even look at rewiring and new heating systems.

Ultimately we will only take on properties - in any condition (to a degree) - as long as we think there is value to be had in it.

previous news - posted 5th March 2007 at 10:45

The market up here is awakening as we approach spring, however, the good value deals we need are becoming harder to find. We need to offer you deals bringing you around 7% rental yield and or around £100 pcm net profit. We have achieved this up to now but we have had to cover more ground to find these gems.

We are establishing good relationships with local estate agents to limit time wasted viewing unsuitable properties; our ideal scenario is for all agents to pick up the phone to us before they market a suitable property to the public. One or two are doing this already as we put more deals through them but it will take a few more transactions with their competitors before I can get them all doing this.

Strong relationships with the agents will not guarantee us properties that offer the returns we seek. Spiralling house price inflation, creeping interest rates and stagnant rental values generally conspire to prevent this.

Against these conditions and what our competitors are charging for their services, I have reluctantly decided to raise our standard fee to £750. Our 20% fee remains, so if I save you at least £3750 on a property, then you will pay the same as you paid before. Click here for full details of our pricing policy.

I still think that our new standard fee, coupled with the level of service provided, stands up to anything our competitors offer though ultimately you are the best judge of this.

I look forward to continue uncovering the properties you need for your portfolio and of course I also continue to assure you of my best attention at all times

previous news - posted 3rd March 2007 at 08:29

We've been pleasantly surpirised by the emergence of very good quality lettable properties now coming on to the market in the £60 - £80k bracket. Things are certainly warming up as we move in to spring.

Our latest finds have been in the Northumbrian towns of Blyth, Ashington and Bedlington and these will be posted on this site this coming Wednesday 7th March but if you want them before this, you can subscribe to our email updates for FREE by sending an email to us at  info@investinbuytolet.co.uk . Yo will then get our updates 48 hours before they are posted here in our Properties page.

It has also been very good news for us landlords this week. Rental demand is running at its highest since 1998 according to a survey carried out by RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors). This is down to a strong UK economy and low unemployment. For the full article, click here

previous news - posted 31st January 2007 at 21:40

We continue our search in Newcastle upon Tyne and particularly the East End area of the city.

We are finding that flats offer the best deals. these are not in blocks but are typical, purpose built, 'tyneside' flats with long leases and no service charges as each flat has its own access and shared gardens. We will be lookng to conclude some deals before the end of this week so make sure you have registered for your free property deals email.

Latest property update posted here 15th January 2007. Next update to be posted 3rd February - but register above to have it emailed to you first and for free!

Apart from Newcastle, we are also sourcing the best deals in the Nortumberland towns of Blyth and Ashington.

Newcastle upon Tyne Quayside looking east through the Millennium Bridge to The Baltic Arts Centre

Already, we have found some very promising properties in Byker and Wallsend and we are carrying out due diligence before we present them to you (Email us for updates). We continue to search, not just in these areas but also in Walker.

Why do we feel so good about the East End of Newcastle? There are very good reasons - £300,000,000 worth of reasons. This is how much is going to be spent on the Walker Riverside regeneration. Find out more here.

For those of you that do not know Newcastle very well, this whole area (Byker, Walker and Wallsend) run up and along the river in an easterly direction from the Quayside. They traditionally provided the workforce for the the docks and ship building yards which are now, by and large, gone. The regeneration scheme is a key part of this area's renaissance.

Newcastle upon Tyne Quayside looking west to the Tyne Bridge and across the river to The Sage Gateshead

You may have heard of the Sage Centre, the Baltic Arts Centre and the Millenium 'Winking Eye' Bridge. These are on the Gateshead side of the River Tyne, opposite the trendy banks of the Newcastle Quayside with its famous night life, fashionable apartments, smart hotels and highly rated restaurants. The Walker riverside is downstream from these developments and is a natural choice for investment.

Newcastle upon Tyne Quayside looking towards Byker (far right)

We are emailing updates on our quest to find good owner-occupied properties offering excellent long term growth prospects, to anyone who sends us an email requesting us to do so.

For updates, contact us by email

Need to unwind in a holiday cottage by the sea? Take a closer look