New to property investment? It’s important not to enter into it blindly, but get the help of professionals. You’ll probably have lots of questions: where to invest, when to invest, how to renovate from afar, and how to rent it out safely. So, we’ve chatted with real estate experts in Singapore, Australia and the UK to get their handy tips and recommendations.
Milk Chocolate
If you’re an Australian expat with an eye on the property market, Milk Chocolate offers an expert buying, renovating and management concierge service. The team will first help you to identify your property investment objectives, then they’ll manage the entire end-to-end process, including coordinating the location research, doing due diligence, purchasing, liaising with financiers, renovating and tenanting. Their unique digital platform allows you to review data, suburb insights and suggested properties, and then monitor the progress of any purchases and renovations.
Recommendations
Using the real estate market for investment can be more complicated than other investing options. You need to carefully consider your goals for property purchase. Are you starting (or increasing) a rental portfolio? Or buying a property for short-term holiday accommodation? Or perhaps you’re buying with a view to living in the property when you finish your expat journey? In-depth due diligence can help you decide which locations and markets are suitable for your objectives.
Hear from the experts
“Buying your first investment property, adding to your portfolio or purchasing a home while you’re living overseas can be challenging and logistically difficult. We take away the guesswork. Having been expats ourselves, we understand the complexities.” – Michael Cleary and Richie Ragel, Co-founders
milkchoc.com.au | mc@milkchoc.com.au
Grant Property
Headquartered in Edinburgh, Grant Property has over 20 years’ experience in the UK property market. It provides end-to-end services including identifying property opportunities, renovations, bespoke furnishing packages and property management.
Instead of just offering a portfolio of properties to choose from, the company offers a personalised service. They match client investment strategy with available investment opportunities. Information such as the end value, yield and rental income of the properties recommended will be provided.
Recommendations
The company actively invests in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Stirling, Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester as these locations offer reliable income, long-term capital appreciation and high rental returns of 6% and more.
Hear from the experts
“UK residential property is a secure investment which, despite market turbulence and economic fluctuations, consistently generates high returns with low volatility” – John Moran, Managing Director
“Our first tip for buying well is to secure traditional properties as they are higher yielding than new builds and hold their value better over time. Also, buy in prime locations such as city centres or big university towns as these are rental hotspots with great potential for occupancy” – Nicole Perry, Associate Director of Investment
Prosperity Wealth
Prosperity Wealth offers buy-to-let property investment plans. Choose from unique payment plans that will allow you to build up an initial deposit with manageable monthly instalments.
Recommendations
Some of the areas with higher rental yield are outside London. Birmingham is one such property hotspot, due in part to the upcoming High Speed train line. Annual house prices in Walsall in the West Midlands are also increasing steadily. Eighty miles north of London is Peterborough, which is an area of long-term sustainable economic growth. Mansfield is also becoming popular for residential property investment with its vibrant streets and amenities. Another great property investment area is Southend, which is within commuting distance to London.
Hear from the experts
“With record-breaking population growth over the last decade, demand for rental property has almost doubled. Don’t be intimidated by the property market. Most people know that property is a great investment but various factors – including high initial deposits – prevent them from taking that first step. We advise our clients to think carefully about rental yield – the amount of rent generated as a percentage of the property value.” – Joe Billingham, Chairman
prosperity-wealth.co.uk | findoutmore@prosperity-wealth.co.uk
PropertyGuru
PropertyGuru is a Singapore-based online company that gives advice and helps buyers, sellers and investors make property decisions.
Recommendations
There are various popular and up-and-coming properties that you’ll want to keep your eye on. Venue Residences is located conveniently next to Potong Pasir MRT and will be ready in the second half of 2017. Another new launch is Martin Modern in River Valley, next to Great World City. Ready for moving in and close to nature, Brooks Signature is a freehold landed home estate. Another popular property is Seaside Residences which is selling fast.
Hear from the experts
“Research is one of the most important steps in the property buying journey. We advise home seekers to check out PropertyGuru’s in-depth expert Project Reviews to get a better sense of the liveability and future potential of the projects.” – Winston Lee, Regional Head for Special Projects
Like this? Read on for more insights about Living in Singapore or about investing in property.